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Updated January 12, 2024·
If your priority is affordability and you primarily need a laptop for general use such as web browsing, watching videos, and basic productivity tasks, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is a cost-effective option. It has decent performance for everyday tasks, and its lower price can make it very attractive. However, if you're interested in gaming, more demanding software applications, or value a better screen and graphics capabilities, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is the better choice, although it comes at a higher cost. It has a stronger processor, superior graphics, and a higher resolution display, which enhances your experience in intensive tasks and entertainment, but it is also heavier and less portable compared to the IdeaPad. Choose the IdeaPad if you want to save money and your computing needs are modest, or invest in the Legion Slim 5 if you need a machine that can handle more demanding applications and games with better overall performance and display quality. 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 Slim 5
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good battery life
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.2
7.6
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" offers less RAM and a lower-tier CPU which, alongside a basic screen quality and lower battery life, makes it fair for general use, while maintaining better portability due to its lighter weight. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5, featuring a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, superior screen quality, and significantly longer battery life, is more suitable for intensive tasks, making it good for general use, but it is less portable due to being heavier.
Gaming and AI
5.8
7.7
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a basic integrated GPU and a standard refresh rate screen which are not ideal for gaming or 3D tasks, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 includes a powerful dedicated Nvidia GPU suited for these purposes and a high refresh rate screen that enhances visual responsiveness and gameplay smoothness.
Engineering and Design
5.8
8.0
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 outperforms the IdeaPad 3 15" in engineering and design use due to its superior AMD Ryzen CPU, double the RAM, a high-end Nvidia RTX GPU, and a better-quality IPS display with higher resolution and refresh rate. While the IdeaPad 3 offers portability and lower operating noise, its less powerful processor, basic integrated graphics, lower resolution TN screen, and only half the amount of RAM limit its capability for demanding engineering software and detailed design work.
Content Creation
6.3
7.5
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is 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
7.4
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is 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
7.2
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 not be sharp or bright enough for comfortable everyday use, and it likely lacks the wide color gamut needed for precise engineering and design work. Conversely, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5's display, with higher brightness and resolution, can offer clear and vibrant visuals beneficial for general activities and professional design tasks, though it may not have the high refresh rate preferred for the smooth rendering required in 3D gaming. Therefore, for users prioritizing visual clarity and color accuracy, the Legion Slim 5 is suitable, but for those focused on 3D gaming performance, neither may be ideal due to the refresh rate constraint.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has 7 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
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
7.4
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has 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
$1,000
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a price of $360 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs $1,000.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" | Lenovo Legion Slim 5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$360 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.78'' | 14.2'' x 10.3'' x 0.99'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.75 lbs | 5.29 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.26" | 14.16" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.98" | 10.25" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-1115G4 | AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 35 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | TN | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1366 x 768 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 220 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.6/10 | 6.7/10 | |
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 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
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 Slim 5
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | August 2023
"The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" or the Lenovo Legion Slim 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.
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