When choosing between the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i, consider your priorities. The IdeaPad 3 is more affordable, lighter on the wallet, and offers solid performance for everyday use, with decent battery life and moderate portability. However, the Slim Pro 9i excels in high-end tasks like 3D rendering, engineering, and machine learning due to its powerful processor and high-quality graphics card. It also has a superior screen with higher resolution and color accuracy, making it better for creative work, but this comes with a higher price tag and slightly less portability due to increased weight. If cost is a concern and your usage is more general, the IdeaPad 3 could be a sound choice, but if you require top-notch performance and a stellar display for intensive tasks, the Slim Pro 9i stands out, provided you're willing to invest more. 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 Slim Pro 9i
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9/10
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
313.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
7.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i offers a better gaming and 3D experience than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 due to its superior Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card and higher screen refresh rate, providing more fluid visuals and a more capable GPU for demanding tasks. While both laptops have high-quality screens, the Slim Pro 9i's higher resolution and color accuracy contribute to a more immersive experience, making it the better choice for more intense graphical needs.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
8.9/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is fair for engineering and design as it has moderate processing power with an AMD Ryzen CPU and Vega GPU, standard RAM, and IPS screen but lacks in resolution and screen quality. In contrast, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i excels due to its high-performance Intel CPU, advanced Nvidia RTX GPU, ample RAM, superior mini LED display with higher resolution, and better color accuracy, making it more suitable for demanding engineering tasks and precision design work.
Content Creation
7.1/10
8.5/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is good.
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
8.3/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is good.
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
9.6/10
14.0in
SIZE
14.5in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
313.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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, a laptop like the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 with a fair screen means it likely has adequate resolution and reasonable brightness, but may not stand out in clarity or color accuracy compared to higher-end laptops like the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i, which offers superior resolution and brightness for sharper and more vibrant visuals. The Slim Pro 9i excels for engineering and design because it likely covers a wide range of color gamuts, providing accurate color representation which is essential for professional design work, while the IdeaPad 3's capabilities in color reproduction may be sufficient but not ideal for those precise tasks. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to poor refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth motion and gameplay; despite this, both can handle casual gaming or 3D work where high refresh rates are not a priority.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
14.5in
3.1 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has very good portability, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has very 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
$1,500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a price of $490 and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i costs $1,500.
"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 Slim Pro 9i is an impressive laptop with a brilliant Mini-LED display, a powerful 100-watt version of Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, and excellent connectivity. Having run the Cinebench benchmark again, we were impressed with the CPU performance. That makes the Slim Pro 9i is an easy recommendation, especially for those who care about GPU and CPU performance. It’s also a fantastic choice if you frequently view HDR movies and games on your laptop."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" or the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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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