The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is a budget-friendly option suitable for general use with moderate battery life, making it more portable. It's less powerful, so not ideal for intensive tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering. The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, although more expensive, offers high performance for gaming, engineering, and machine learning work. It has a larger screen with better color coverage and a higher refresh rate. However, its battery life isn't as long, and it's heavier, which can affect portability. Consider the Legion 5 Pro for demanding applications and the IdeaPad 3 for everyday tasks, mobility, and a tighter budget. 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 Legion Pro 5
Good for general use
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
General Use
6.9/10
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
313.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
340.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.6/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is fair for general use with modest but adequate specs like a mid-range CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a standard screen quality, while offering good portability and longer battery life. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is suited for more demanding tasks with a high-end CPU, 16GB of RAM, and superior screen quality, yet it's heavier and has reduced battery life, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
8.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
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 5 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a more basic GPU and standard screen refresh rate, making it suitable for casual gaming and entry-level 3D tasks, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 boasts a high-end GPU and a faster screen refresh rate, which together enhance gaming and 3D performance significantly. Although both laptops have capable CPUs and good screen quality, the Legion Pro 5's superior graphics capabilities make it the better choice for serious gamers and professionals working with 3D graphics.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
8.5/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.3/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 comes with a robust CPU, plentiful RAM, a high-quality GPU, and superior screen resolution, all of which combine to deliver the power and visual clarity needed for demanding engineering and design tasks. In contrast, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" offers decent performance, it has a less powerful processor, less RAM, and a lower tier GPU, which makes it less suitable for resource-intensive applications, though it gains an edge in portability and is likely to be quieter and have a more comfortable keyboard and speakers for everyday use.
Content Creation
7.1/10
7.8/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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
7.6/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.3/10
8.0 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 5 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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
8.0/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
313.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
340.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 has a screen that provides adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks but may not be as crisp or vivid as higher-end displays. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 offers a higher resolution and brighter display which makes it excellent for engineering and design work, along with wider color gamuts allowing for more accurate color reproduction. However, for gaming and 3D applications, despite the Pro 5's superior resolution and color, its lower refresh rate compared to specialized gaming laptops makes it less suitable for fast-paced visuals where smooth motion is crucial.
Battery
10.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 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
$1,140
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a price of $490 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 costs $1,140.
"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."
"It doesn't quite match its Legion Pro 7i sibling as an Editors' Choice winner, but Lenovo's AMD-powered Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 is a stylish, well-built gaming laptop with solid performance at both 1080p and its sharper native resolution. It's cheaper than some comparably equipped machines and better than some similarly priced ones. That's a recipe for success, even without its frequent availability of discounts or sales. A brighter screen and longer battery life would be nice, but even as is the Legion Pro 5 earns a solid recommendation."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5
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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