The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is a more affordable, general-use laptop with good battery life and portability, suited for everyday tasks, light office work, and some casual gaming. It has a lower-end integrated GPU and a decent screen size. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro costs more but offers a significant performance boost for intensive tasks like 3D modeling, machine learning, and gaming, thanks to its high-end dedicated GPU. It has a larger, higher-resolution screen and better color coverage, which is optimal for creative professionals. However, it is heavier and has shorter battery life, which reduces portability. 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 portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
8.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i stands out for gaming and 3D with its powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and high screen refresh rate of 165Hz, making it very good for these tasks, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has a less capable integrated AMD Ryzen 7 5700U Vega 8 GPU and a standard 60Hz refresh rate, making it only fair for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
6.6/10
8.4/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
12.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is considered fair for engineering and design because it has a modest AMD CPU and integrated graphics, which can be limiting for complex tasks, whereas the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i boasts a more powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU, providing better performance for demanding engineering software and design work. Additionally, the Legion Pro 5i has higher screen resolution and quality, further enhancing its suitability for design purposes, but it is heavier and less portable than the IdeaPad, making it a tradeoff between performance and portability.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
8.1/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1's moderate resolution and brightness make it suitable for everyday tasks like browsing and document editing, but its limited color gamut and refresh rate may not satisfy designers or gamers. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, with a higher-quality display, provides vibrant, accurate colors for engineering and design tasks but falls short for gaming due to its lower refresh rate compared to specialized gaming laptops. Gamers particularly value high refresh rates for smooth visuals, a feature that both the IdeaPad 1 and Legion Pro 5i lack.
Battery
10.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.0/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$741
$1,000
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has a price of $741 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i costs $1,000.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" 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.
Content Creation
7.4/10
7.6/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
12.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 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
7.3/10
7.5/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
12.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 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.
Give feedback
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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 midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
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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