The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" comes with a higher price but offers better performance thanks to its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 processor, more storage, and a sharper display with higher resolution and IPS technology, making it suitable for intensive tasks and better viewing angles. Conversely, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is more affordable with an Intel i3 processor, less storage, and a lower-resolution TN display, which might suffice for general use but is less ideal for performance-intensive applications. Choose the IdeaPad 1 if performance and display quality are priorities, and the IdeaPad 3 if budget and basic functionality are more important. 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 IdeaPad 1 15"
Good for general use
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has no clear advantages over the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15".
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
6.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is superior for general use due to its robust CPU, greater RAM, and higher resolution IPS screen that offers better clarity and color reproduction, along with a lengthier battery life, which enables longer use on the go. Whereas, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" falls short with a weaker CPU, less RAM, a lower resolution TN screen, which doesn't look as sharp or vibrant, and shorter battery life, although it is slightly less expensive and has similar portability.
Engineering and Design
6.6/10
5.8/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
12.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" offers a more powerful AMD Ryzen CPU, more RAM, and a better GPU compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15", which has a less powerful Intel i3 CPU, less RAM, and a lower-end integrated GPU, making the IdeaPad 1 more suitable for demanding engineering and design tasks.
Content Creation
7.4/10
6.3/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
12.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
7.3/10
6.3/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
12.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
5.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When considering screen quality for general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1's display offers a balance with adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks, making it more suitable for general activities like browsing and video streaming compared to the IdeaPad 3, which falls short in both aspects. For engineering and design work where precise color representation is crucial, the IdeaPad 1 delivers marginally better coverage of professional color gamuts, providing more accurate color rendition than the IdeaPad 3, albeit neither being ideal for high-end color work. Lastly, for gaming and 3D applications where fluid motion is key, the IdeaPad 1 is not equipped with a high refresh rate panel, affecting the overall smoothness of motion and visual detail, while the IdeaPad 3 similarly lacks in this regard, making both less than optimal for immersive gaming experiences.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 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
6.0/10
6.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" both have only fair build quality, though the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$741
$360
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has a price of $741 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" costs $360.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" provides better performance for gaming and 3D applications because it has a more capable GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which are crucial for smooth visuals and responsiveness in such tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" falls short in these areas, with a less powerful GPU and lower refresh rate, leading to less satisfying gaming and 3D experiences even though it may have a decent CPU and screen quality.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" compare to other laptops
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is affordable and pretty efficient. At the end of the day, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (15″, 2023) is one of the better affordable laptops money can buy right now. It has a decent performance, albeit coming from a CPU that is based on old architecture. Playing low-intensity games is possible but at low to medium settings. We are really happy with the cooling setup, but the main event here is the battery life. We got 9 hours of either Web browsing or video playback, which is a great result. Especially if you compare this device with the ASUS E410."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU. Lenovo's office all-rounder easily handles office and internet applications as well as modest games - the Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM make this possible. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The emission values are okay, but the noise emissions should be lower under medium to full load. The relatively light notebook (approx. 1.6 kg) achieves practical battery runtimes of about 10 to 11 hours."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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.
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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