If you're looking for higher performance for activities like gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering tasks, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 with its dedicated graphics card is more suitable than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5. The Legion also has a better screen for fast-motion content and offers RGB keyboard lighting. However, it's heavier, less portable, and generally costs more. The IdeaPad 5 is lighter and less expensive, providing good general use capabilities and a longer battery life, making it suitable for everyday tasks and travel. The IdeaPad's keyboard and webcam are on par with the Legion, but it lacks the gaming and engineering muscle. 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 Slim 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is 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
8.0/10
6.8/10
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 5 15" is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5's lower RAM and integrated graphics make it less suited for demanding engineering tasks compared to the Lenovo Legion Slim 5, which has double the RAM and a powerful dedicated graphics card. Additionally, the better screen quality and higher resolution of the Legion Slim 5 improve visibility and detail for design work, despite it being less portable and having a shorter battery life compared to the IdeaPad.
Screen Quality
6.5/10
7.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
341.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
Both the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 have panels with a resolution and brightness suitable for tasks like web browsing, video streaming, and productivity, making them good choices for general use. As for engineering and design, although the Legion Slim 5 has a better color range, neither is ideal due to a lack of wide color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which are crucial for precision in color work. For gaming and 3D applications, a higher refresh rate is key for smoother visuals, and while both laptops have modest screen quality for these uses, the refresh rates are likely not high enough to satisfy serious gamers or professionals working with 3D graphics.
Battery
11.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has 11 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
4.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$690
$1,000
$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 Slim 5 costs $1,000.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" boasts a solid processor and RAM combination for smooth multitasking, coupled with good screen quality and long battery life, making it well-suited for general use; its lighter weight and compact design enhance portability. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5, while slightly less portable due to its heftier build, offers a better screen resolution and higher RAM, which not only improves performance for general tasks but also provides a richer display and the ability to handle more memory-intensive applications.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
7.4/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 Slim 5 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 Slim 5 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 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 5 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.
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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