The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is more budget-friendly and offers decent performance for general use with a touch display, good battery life, and higher portability due to its lighter weight. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is pricier but significantly more powerful, particularly for 3D work, machine learning, gaming, and engineering tasks. The Legion has a superior graphics card, more RAM, a higher resolution and refresh rate display but has lower battery life and is heavier, which makes it less portable. Choose the IdeaPad if price and portability are priorities, or the Legion for higher performance in demanding applications. 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 5 15"
Good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
8.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" 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
6.7/10
8.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" with an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Vega 8 graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 1080p screen is fair for engineering and design because it can handle moderate workloads but may struggle with highly demanding tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i boasts a more powerful Intel i7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, twice the RAM, and a higher resolution screen; although it's less portable, this makes it very good for engineering and design as it can smoothly run complex simulations and software.
Screen Quality
6.5/10
8.1/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
341.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5's fair screen quality stems from an adequate resolution and brightness level that satisfy everyday tasks like browsing and document editing but may lack in panel technology that offers wider viewing angles and color accuracy. For engineering and design, its fair quality indicates the screen reproduces a reasonable range of colors, important for precise work, yet it doesn't cover color gamuts as extensively as higher-end displays for professional color work. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i's very good screen suggests it provides vibrant colors and sharp details for a variety of tasks, but for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops have poor screen quality due to the lack of high refresh rates necessary for smooth motion rendering.
Battery
11.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has 11 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 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
4.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$690
$999
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has a price of $690 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i costs $999.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" with its solid CPU, ample RAM, and quality IPS screen, combined with its lighter weight and longer battery life, makes it a practical option for general use where portability and battery longevity are priorities. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, despite being heavier and having shorter battery life, offers higher-resolution screen, superior CPU and GPU, and more RAM, positioning it as an excellent choice for more demanding tasks and general use that benefit from enhanced performance and screen real estate.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.6/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" are both good for content creation.
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
7.3/10
7.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" 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.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i compare to other laptops
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 is convincing due to its long battery life. The device scores points especially with its large battery and long battery runtimes combined with its low consumption. The CPU and GPU perform in the test as one would expect, and in line with what was familiar from the somewhat smaller 14-inch sister model, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14."
"The midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" or the Lenovo Legion Pro 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.
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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