For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is a budget-friendly option with decent performance and longer battery life, which makes it suitable for light tasks and day-to-day activities. However, if you require more power for engineering tasks or heavier workloads, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has more storage, higher RAM, a better processor and graphics, alongside a higher resolution touchscreen with a wider color gamut, providing a superior visual experience and performance. The Slim 7i Pro is also thinner and slightly lighter, making it more portable, but it does come with a higher price and marginally lesser battery life compared to the IdeaPad 3 14". 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 battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
7.0/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is better suited for engineering and design because it features a more powerful Intel i5 CPU, double the RAM, and higher GPU capabilities than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14", which has a mid-range AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and less graphical power due to its integrated Vega 7 graphics. Moreover, the Slim 7i Pro offers a higher resolution touchscreen with better color accuracy, making it more suitable for design work, although it is slightly less portable and has a lower portability score compared to the IdeaPad 3 14".
Screen Quality
6.4/10
7.7/10
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
313.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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 resolution and brightness that are adequate for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming, but its color gamut and screen resolution may not be high enough for the precision required in engineering and design. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro offers a sharper image and brighter display that benefits both general use and the detailed work of engineering and design, with better color accuracy to ensure that the work appears true to life. However, both models fall short for gaming and 3D applications due to their lower refresh rates, which can lead to less smooth visuals and slower response times, although their resolutions and panel types are serviceable for casual use.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro has 8.5 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
6.5/10
7.8/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro 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
$799
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a price of $490 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro costs $799.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro to be good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has decent specs for general use with an average processor and RAM, fair screen resolution, and good portability, but its battery life is just very good as opposed to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro which offers a higher-end CPU and more RAM, a significantly better screen resolution which can enhance visual tasks, as well as superior battery life, all important for an improved general use experience despite being slightly less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
6.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" provides fair gaming and 3D performance with its AMD Ryzen 5 5500U Vega 7 integrated graphics and a standard 60Hz refresh rate, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro steps up with the Intel i5-11300H Iris Xe graphics and a higher 90Hz refresh rate, offering smoother visuals, which can improve the gaming experience.
Content Creation
7.1/10
7.4/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" 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
7.1/10
7.3/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
3.1 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro compare to other laptops
"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."
"The main selling point of the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro versus a regular IdeaPad Slim 7 is its faster Core H-series CPU. In reality, the Core i7-11370H is only marginally faster than the U-series Core i7-1165G7 to the point where most users are not likely to notice the benefits. The slight performance uptick comes at the cost of slightly higher power consumption as well meaning owners will have to deal with potentially warmer temperatures or louder fans to compensate. Unless if you happen to be a power user, then the regular non-Pro model will be more than enough. Once you go 90 Hz, you can't go back."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro
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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