When choosing between the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" and the Lenovo Legion 5 15", the main factors to consider are performance, price, portability, and purpose. If your budget is a major concern and you mostly tackle basic tasks like web browsing and document editing, the IdeaPad 1 is a cost-effective option that is lighter and therefore more portable. However, if you need a laptop for more demanding applications like gaming, 3D modeling, or engineering software, the Legion 5 offers significantly higher performance with advanced graphics capabilities and a more powerful processor, but it is heavier and comes at a higher cost. The Legion 5 also boasts a sharper and faster display, which could enhance your multimedia experience. Keep in mind that the high-performance components of the Legion 5 may result in shorter battery life compared to the more energy-efficient IdeaPad 1. 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 14"
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 15"
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.1/10
7.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
239.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" struggles in general use due to its basic processor, limited RAM, lower-resolution TN screen, and smaller storage, which can hinder multitasking and clarity of display, although it is lighter and boasts silent operation.
Gaming and AI
5.5/10
7.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has a basic Intel UHD Graphics 600 GPU and a low-refresh TN panel, making it inadequate for gaming and 3D tasks, whereas the Lenovo Legion 5 15" is equipped with a powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a high-refresh IPS panel, which together provide a vastly superior experience for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
5.5/10
8.2/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has a less powerful CPU, less RAM, and a lower quality GPU, which hampers its ability to handle demanding engineering and design tasks, while its screen offers low resolution and color accuracy that would affect design work negatively.
Content Creation
6.2/10
7.4/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" 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
6.4/10
7.3/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" 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
5.3/10
8.0/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
239.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has a display that lacks the clarity, brightness, and sharpness ideal for any use case, making it less suitable for tasks where screen detail is paramount. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 15" offers much better resolution and brightness important for general use and sufficient color accuracy for engineering and design work, though it may not completely cover professional color gamuts needed by some designers. For gaming and 3D applications, despite its overall good display, the Legion falls short because of its lower refresh rate, which can't match the smoothness required for fast-paced visuals in games or complex 3D modeling.
Battery
9.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has 4 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.0/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$153
$999
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has a price of $153 and the Lenovo Legion 5 15" costs $999.
"The IdeaPad 1 14 is a simple machine, but it’s well-designed and has nearly everything you’d expect from a no-nonsense laptop that allows you to check emails and get schoolwork or other light tasks done with relative ease. A "true" 128GB SSD (as opposed to an eMMC drive) and a roomy 14-inch full HD display are arguably the star attractions, with the comfortable keyboard and reasonably modern styling playing important backup roles."
"The Lenovo Legion 5 15 is an affordable gaming laptop with a lot of power. The new AMD processor Ryzen 7 5800H offers plenty of performance and it is also very efficient. The combination with the fast 130W version of the GeForce RTX 3060 ensures high gaming performance. We also like the fast 165 Hz display with the 1080p resolution. The automatic graphics switching causes some problems with stutters, which are very annoying. If you do not need long battery runtimes, you should definitely deactivate the hybrid graphics mode in Lenovo's Vantage app. The Legion 5 15 is never silent."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" or the Lenovo Legion 5 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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