If you are looking for a more budget-friendly option that offers decent general performance for everyday tasks, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is a practical choice with its lighter weight making it more portable. However, if your tasks involve more intensive applications like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" provides significantly better performance due to a more powerful processor and graphics card, at the cost of being heavier and more expensive. The Legion Slim 7 also offers a higher-quality keyboard and is more suitable for intensive gaming, but it has a shorter battery life compared to the IdeaPad. 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 Slim 7 15.6"
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9/10
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
313.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 stands out over the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 for general use primarily due to its superior central processing unit (CPU) and double the random access memory (RAM), which contribute to better performance, as well as its higher-quality screen with better color coverage and brightness. However, the IdeaPad 3, being lighter with a smaller screen, offers greater portability and battery life, which may be ideal for users who prioritize ease of carrying and longer usage on the go, despite having a less powerful CPU, half the RAM, and a less vibrant display.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" 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
6.1/10
7.8/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.1/10
7.7/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
7.7/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
313.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 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's screen may not be as sharp or bright, and its viewing angles might be limited due to a lower-end panel, making it less vivid compared to the Legion Slim 7, which likely has a higher resolution and better brightness. In engineering and design, the IdeaPad may not reproduce colors as accurately or broadly as the Legion Slim 7, lacking in color gamut coverage which is essential for precise visual work. For gaming and 3D, despite both having poor refresh rates limiting smooth motion, the IdeaPad's performance may be more noticeably inadequate due to poorer resolution and panel quality than the Legion Slim 7.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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
$1,200
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a price of $490 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" costs $1,200.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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.
Battery
10.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 has 9 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.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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 Lenovo Legion Slim 7 is a slim Legion notebook that is just as excellent with Nvidia & Intel. However, the Legion Slim 7i slightly sullied by lacklustre battery life. You get a slim aluminium chassis, great input devices, decent port selection, fast high-quality WQXGA display and great performance. Supporting Thunderbolt 4 is one advantage of the Intel/Nvidia model tested in this review. Moreover, this variant has slightly higher CPU performance as well as better GPU performance in certain applications (e.g. CUDA-based apps). The Lenovo Legion S7i is thin, premium and performant – but less efficient than its AMD counterpart."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" or the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6"
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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