The Lenovo Flex 5 16, with an Intel processor and integrated graphics, is more affordable and offers longer battery life, making it suitable for general use with decent performance for 3D tasks and engineering software, though with less prowess in gaming. It's slightly heavier than the Slim 7. The Lenovo Slim 7 16 features a powerful AMD processor and Nvidia graphics card, offering superior performance for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning at a slightly higher cost, but with a somewhat shorter battery life. Its display provides better color accuracy and is more suited for fast motion, making it an excellent choice for content creators and gamers. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Lenovo Flex 5 16
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim 7 16
Very good overall display quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.3/10
8.3/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
400.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Flex 5 16 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use and engineering/design tasks, both the Lenovo Flex 5 16 and the Slim 7 16 offer panels with high resolution and brightness, providing clear and vibrant displays that enhance visual clarity and detail, which can be quite beneficial for productivity and precision work. The Slim 7 16 further excels in color reproduction with a wider color gamut, making it ideal for professionals who require accurate color representation for tasks like photo editing or graphic design. However, neither laptop is optimal for gaming or 3D applications due to their lower refresh rates, which can lead to less fluid visuals and motion in fast-paced scenarios where higher refresh rates are crucial for a smoother experience.
Battery
11.5 Hours
9.5 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 11.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has 9.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
7.0/10
7.8/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 both have good build quality, though the Lenovo Slim 7 16 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$779
$1,440
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has a price of $779 and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 costs $1,440.
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.6/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
Both the Lenovo Flex 5 16, with an integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics unit, and the Lenovo Slim 7 16, featuring a discrete Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card, provide decent capabilities for gaming and 3D applications; however, the Slim 7's dedicated GPU and higher screen refresh rate offer superior graphics performance and smoother visuals compared to the Flex's integrated graphics and standard refresh rate. The CPU and screen quality of both are somewhat less critical but still relevant, with the Slim 7 likely delivering a slightly better experience due to a higher brightness and contrast ratio, enhancing the overall visual quality in games and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
7.5/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 are both good for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.6/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.5/10
7.6/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Portability
Good
Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Flex 5 16 and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 compare to other laptops
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a solidly equipped, 2-in-1 in the lower price segment. Performance is definitely sufficient for everyday tasks and in tests the battery proved itself to be very economical. That aside, there is a lot of standard fare on show and a search for real highlights ends in vain. The low color coverage and reflective display can be avoided by going for an optional 2.5K display but this also presumably results in poorer battery life. The cooling uses only one fan and leads to a raised temperature on one side of the device under load. Additionally, there is very loud fan noise, also under load or when gaming. On top of that, we also occasionally noticed electronic noises."
"At $1,011, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro is a real bargain among full-sized laptops, with a handsome 16-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio touch screen, a speedy CPU, a comfortable keyboard, ample memory, and a roomy solid-state drive. It's not a blazing gaming rig or mobile workstation, but it doesn't pretend to be. Its biggest negative is that it may be hard to find—during our review, it sold out and was marked "Temporarily Unavailable" on Lenovo's site."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Flex 5 16 or the Lenovo Slim 7 16
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
100,695
Recommendations made
21,818
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.