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Updated January 12, 2024·
If price is a significant consideration for you and your laptop usage mainly involves everyday tasks like browsing, streaming, and office productivity, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" can offer a good balance between cost and capability. However, if you require high performance for gaming, 3D modeling, video editing, or similar demanding activities, the Lenovo Legion 9i, despite being pricier, provides more powerful hardware and features that could greatly benefit those tasks. Keep in mind the Legion 9i is typically heavier and might offer shorter battery life than the IdeaPad 3, impacting portability. Choose the IdeaPad 3 for budget-friendly casual use or the Legion 9i for top-tier performance at a higher cost and with reduced mobility. 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 15"
- Good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 9i
- Very good for general use
- Best in class for engineering and design
- Excellent 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
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.2
8.4
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
682.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has modest CPU and RAM capabilities suitable for everyday activities, offering a balance of screen quality, portability, and battery life at an accessible price, however, it may falter with intensive tasks and extended use. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 9i, being a higher-end model, provides robust processing power and ample RAM for demanding applications, and it has a superior screen, but its gaming-oriented design sacrifices some portability and its high performance can impact battery life more significantly.
Gaming and AI
5.8
9.2
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
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 9i is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
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
5.8
9.6
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 9i is best in class for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has an entry-level CPU and GPU, and its lower RAM along with a basic TN display with lower resolution doesn't cater well to the demands of engineering and design tasks that require high computational power and precise visuals.
Content Creation
6.3
8.7
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
6.3
8.3
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
5.2
9.7
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
682.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 9i has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3's screen may fall short due to its lower resolution and brightness, which makes it less ideal for tasks that require visual clarity and vibrancy. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 9i boasts a superior display with high resolution and brightness, ensuring crisp and vivid images for general use and engineering work, which benefits from the wide color gamut covering DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB. However, for Gaming and 3D purposes, Legion 9i's lower refresh rate compared to specialized gaming laptops might not provide as smooth an experience, despite its excellent resolution and color performance.
Battery
5.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 9i has 3 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
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 9i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
8.5
The Lenovo Legion 9i has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$360
$3,420
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a price of $360 and the Lenovo Legion 9i costs $3,420.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" and the Lenovo Legion 9i compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" | Lenovo Legion 9i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$360 | $3,420 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | October 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.78'' | 14.1'' x 10.9'' x 1.01'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.75 lbs | 5.64 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.26" | 14.08" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.98" | 10.93" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-1115G4 | Intel i9-13980HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 3 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 35 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | TN | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1366 x 768 | 3200 x 2000 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 220 nits | 682 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.6/10 | 6.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 9.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 9.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | February 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU. Lenovo's office all-rounder easily handles office and internet applications as well as modest games - the Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM make this possible. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The emission values are okay, but the noise emissions should be lower under medium to full load. The relatively light notebook (approx. 1.6 kg) achieves practical battery runtimes of about 10 to 11 hours."
Lenovo Legion 9i
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | December 2023
"The Lenovo Legion 9i is meant as a top-end flagship showcase for enthusiasts, and on that, it delivers. You'll find flashier designs in this price tier—Razer’s all-metal build in a similarly sized laptop like the Blade 16, or monstrous 18-inch machines—but this is a well-thought-out laptop. The chassis is trim for a 16-inch powerhouse, the lid is unique, and bespoke liquid cooling takes performance to the next level."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" or the Lenovo Legion 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.
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