If you need a laptop with a higher quality screen for tasks like photo editing or one that works well for general use, the Lenovo Flex 5 16, being generally cheaper and offering longer battery life, might serve you well; it also has a touchscreen and is quite portable. However, if gaming or 3D rendering is a priority for you, the MSI Cyborg 15 with its dedicated graphics and hardware designed for such tasks, despite a shorter battery life, could be the better option. The MSI also has a high refresh rate screen that's good for fast-paced games, but it's slightly heavier and generally costs a bit more. 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
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.2/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is only fair.
The MSI Cyborg 15 outperforms the Lenovo Flex 5 16 in gaming and 3D due to its superior Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card, which far exceeds the capabilities of the Lenovo's integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, and its higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz offers smoother visuals compared to Lenovo's 60Hz. While the Lenovo's screen has higher pixel density, providing sharper images for general use, the MSI's dedicated GPU and refresh rate are more critical for a good gaming experience.
Screen Quality
7.3/10
6.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
400.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has a better screen than the MSI Cyborg 15 for general use, engineering and design, and software development.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 likely offers a high resolution and bright display with an IPS panel which makes it great for general use and detailed engineering work due to better color accuracy and wider viewing angles, but its lower refresh rate hampers the gaming experience. MSI Cyborg 15 probably has a decent display that balances resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and sufficient color reproduction for engineering and design, but like the Lenovo, it falls short for gaming due to a subpar refresh rate. Neither model seems to have the high refresh rate preferred for smooth gameplay or the advanced color gamut coverage which could detract from high-end design work.
Battery
11.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 11.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 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.
Cost
$779
$1,100
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has a price of $779 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $1,100.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 offers a versatile 2-in-1 design with a higher resolution touchscreen, more RAM, and better battery life for comfortable daily tasks, while the MSI Cyborg 15, despite lesser RAM and battery life, provides a dedicated graphics card and higher refresh rate display which could enhance gaming and multimedia experiences.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
7.5/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The MSI Cyborg 15 and Lenovo Flex 5 16 are both good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 caters to engineering and design use with its capable CPU, ample RAM, and high-quality IPS touchscreen that offers good resolution and color coverage, making it ideal for detailed and color-sensitive tasks. In contrast, the MSI Cyborg 15 boasts a more powerful CPU and GPU combo, better suited for performance-intensive applications and engineering simulations, while its slightly lower screen resolution is offset by a higher refresh rate and dedicated gaming features like a powerful graphics card and hardware ray tracing. Both have trade-offs concerning portability and input quality, with varying keyboard, speaker, and operating noise levels that could affect user experience depending on the environment and usage scenarios.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.5/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 and MSI Cyborg 15 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
7.2/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 and MSI Cyborg 15 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
15.6in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 and MSI Cyborg 15 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
6.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Flex 5 16 to have good build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Flex 5 16 and the MSI Cyborg 15 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."
"The focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Flex 5 16 or the MSI Cyborg 15
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.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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.
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