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Updated January 12, 2024·
Based on your needs, choosing between the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i involves key tradeoffs. The IdeaPad 3 is much more affordable, making it suitable for general use like web browsing, office work, and light media consumption. It has lower performance hardware, a lower resolution screen, and its battery life, while good, might not be as long as more premium laptops. On the other hand, the Legion Slim 5i, while significantly more expensive, offers higher performance with advanced graphics capabilities, a high-resolution screen, and is better for 3D work, machine learning, gaming, and engineering tasks. It is less portable due to its weight and size but has a robust battery to support power-hungry tasks. Choose the IdeaPad 3 for a budget-friendly option with decent capabilities or the Legion Slim 5i if you need high performance for demanding applications and can afford a heftier investment. 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 5i
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good battery life
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.2
7.9
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
343.0 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 5i is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" offers adequate performance for general use with an Intel i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 15.6-inch TN panel with a lower resolution, making it lighter and offering moderate battery life, all of which make it fair for daily tasks but less ideal for demanding applications. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i comes with a more powerful Intel i7 processor, double the RAM at 16GB, and a higher-resolution 16-inch IPS screen, boosting not only performance but also screen quality; however, these enhancements contribute to it being heavier and slightly less portable than the IdeaPad, while offering longer battery life, making it good for a variety of intensive tasks beyond general use.
Gaming and AI
5.8
8.0
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1366 x 768
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 Slim 5i is very good 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
8.4
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a basic Intel i3 processor and integrated graphics, which, along with its lower-resolution TN screen, make it less suitable for demanding engineering applications, whereas the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i boasts a more powerful Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX graphics, paired with a high-resolution IPS display, providing significant advantages in performance and screen quality needed for engineering and design tasks. Despite the Legion's heftier build and potential for higher operating noise, its superior hardware makes it very good for engineering and design use.
Content Creation
6.3
8.0
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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
7.8
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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
8.0
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
343.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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 likely lacks in resolution and brightness, affecting the clarity and viewing experience in a variety of environments, which is why it's not ideal for general use or tasks that require visual precision, like engineering and design. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i, with its higher resolution and better brightness, provides a more crisp and vibrant display for general use, and its color reproduction may be adequate for engineering and design work. However, its lower refresh rate compared to dedicated gaming laptops would lead to less smooth visuals in fast-paced 3D applications, affecting the gaming experience.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
7.4
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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
$1,055
$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 5i costs $1,055.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" | Lenovo Legion Slim 5i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$360 | $1,055 | ||
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 | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 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 | 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 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 220 nits | 343 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 5i
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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 5i
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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