The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is a budget-friendly option with moderate specs, ideal for general use and basic tasks. It offers a decent screen size, is lightweight, and has a long battery life, making it very portable. It is less suitable for demanding applications such as intensive engineering tasks, 3D rendering, and gaming due to its modest processing power and integrated graphics. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i, though more expensive, is equipped with a higher-resolution display, a faster refresh rate, and a more powerful processor and dedicated graphics card, which are better suited for demanding tasks including engineering and gaming. It also has a larger screen size and more RAM, improving multitasking and performance. However, it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, which may affect 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 3 14"
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9/10
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
313.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
409.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a fair CPU and RAM for everyday tasks, a good portability score and battery life suitable for on-the-go use, but its screen quality and storage capacity are modest compared to more advanced models. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i boasts a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, which provide better performance, and it also has a higher quality screen and more storage, but is less portable and has a shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is less suitable for gaming and 3D because it has an integrated GPU and a standard screen refresh rate, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is better equipped for these tasks with a dedicated Nvidia graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate for smoother visuals.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
8.1/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i outshines the IdeaPad 3 14" in engineering and design tasks, due to its superior CPU, double the RAM, and a far more capable GPU, alongside a higher resolution and brighter screen, which enhances visual clarity and detail. While the IdeaPad 3 14" is lighter and more portable, it falls short with modest processing power and graphics performance, lower screen quality, and half the memory, making it less suited for demanding engineering applications.
Content Creation
7.1/10
7.7/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is somewhat better.
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
7.1/10
7.7/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for software development, though the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is somewhat better.
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
7.8/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
313.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
409.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a screen that provides adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks, but it lacks the wider color coverage needed for precision tasks in engineering and design. The IdeaPad Pro 5i steps up with a high-resolution, brighter display with better color accuracy, making it more suitable for professional creative work. However, neither model excels in gaming and 3D applications due to modest refresh rates, which can limit smoothness and responsiveness during fast-paced scenes.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has 6 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
Good
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$490
$950
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a price of $490 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i costs $950.
"The low-priced IdeaPad 3 14 delivers on core functionality. Lenovo's IdeaPad 3 14 meets all the basic requirements for an inexpensive office laptop. The matte IPS display is bright enough, the performance is high for the class, and the input devices are rock solid. In addition, the mostly quiet operation including the useful performance modes, cool surface temperatures, easy maintainability as well as expandable working and mass storage all contribute to the IdeaPad 3 14's value proposition."
"Lenovo’s IdeaPad Pro 5i represents an impressive opening salvo for Meteor Lake in the ultraportable space against familiar foes from AMD and Apple. Not only does the Core Ultra 5 125H processor provide good performance across the board, but battery life remains a strong point against the Acer Swift Edge 16 with its AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor. It can’t quite match the endurance of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but the gap is shrinking."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" or the Lenovo IdeaPad 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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