The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is a lower mid-range model that is typically far less costly and suitable for general use, with good battery life and ease of carrying. Although its performance suffices for common tasks, it may struggle with intense engineering or 3D/machine learning workloads. On the contrary, the Lenovo Legion 9i is at the high end and comes with a heftier price tag, substantially more powerful components, a superior quality display, and is ideal for high-end gaming and demanding engineering applications. However, it has shorter battery life and less portability due to its increased weight. If budget is a constraint or if you prefer a laptop for everyday tasks and portability, go with the IdeaPad. However, if you're looking for top-tier performance for gaming or professional applications and don't mind the added cost and weight, the Legion 9i is the more suitable choice. 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 9i
Very good for general use
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
682.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is suitable for general use with decent ram, a solid CPU, an IPS screen with moderate brightness and color coverage, and good battery life, housed in a lightweight and thin frame, making it quite portable. The Lenovo Legion 9i exceeds in general use by offering superior CPU performance, significantly more RAM, an exceptional mini LED screen with high brightness and color accuracy, although it is heavier and has less battery life, making it less portable but more powerful for demanding tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
9.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
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 9i is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
6.6/10
9.6/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
12.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 9i is best in class for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 9i excels in engineering and design because it features a top-tier Intel i9 processor, abundant RAM, a high-end Nvidia GPU, and a high-resolution Mini LED screen, offering superior performance and visual clarity for demanding tasks.
Content Creation
7.4/10
8.7/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
12.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good.
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
8.3/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
12.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good.
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
9.7/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
682.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 9i 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 15" has a resolution and brightness that are adequate for everyday tasks like browsing and document editing, but its color range and screen sharpness may fall short for detailed engineering work and the visuals may not pop as much. The Lenovo Legion 9i excels in screen resolution, brightness, and color gamut, making it ideal for precise engineering and design work where color accuracy is crucial. For gaming and 3D applications, both laptops lack high refresh rates, which are key for smooth visuals in fast-paced environments, though they may still serve casual gamers or 3D users without those specific needs.
Battery
10.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 9i has 3 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
1.0in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 9i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.0/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i has very 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
$3,420
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has a price of $741 and the Lenovo Legion 9i costs $3,420.
"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 Legion 9i is meant as a top-end flagship showcase for enthusiasts, and on that, it delivers. You'll find flashier designs in this price tier—Razer’s all-metal build in a similarly sized laptop like the Blade 16, or monstrous 18-inch machines—but this is a well-thought-out laptop. The chassis is trim for a 16-inch powerhouse, the lid is unique, and bespoke liquid cooling takes performance to the next level."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" or the Lenovo Legion 9i
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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