The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is typically much less expensive than the LG Ultra 16, making it a more budget-friendly option. It also has a higher screen brightness and greater color coverage, better for visuals, but its heavier weight and larger power brick make it less portable. The LG Ultra 16, while typically more expensive, offers higher RAM, better heat management, and a larger, higher resolution screen with a taller aspect ratio ideal for productivity, alongside longer battery life. It's also lighter with silent fanless operation. Choose the Lenovo for budget and better visuals, or the LG Ultra for performance, portability, and quieter operation. 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 overall build quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the LG Ultra 16
Good for engineering and design
Excellent battery life
Good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.5/10
6.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
341.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
270.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has a better screen than the LG Ultra 16 for general use, and engineering and design, while the LG Ultra 16 has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" and LG Ultra 16 have screen attributes suitable for daily tasks due to their adequate resolution and brightness, allowing for clear text and comfortable web browsing. However, for engineering and design, their displays may not cover the wider color gamuts needed for precise color work, which could lead to less accurate color representation. For gaming and 3D applications, the screens might not refresh quickly enough to provide smooth motion, and the moderate resolution and panel quality will not deliver the best visual experience for fast-paced or graphically intense content.
Battery
11.0 Hours
17.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has 11 hours of battery life. The LG Ultra 16 has 17 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.
Build Quality
7.6/10
6.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has good build quality, while the LG Ultra 16 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$599
$664
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
$1,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has a price of $599 and the LG Ultra 16 costs $664.
The LG Ultra 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" offers a solid balance for general use with capable CPU performance, adequate memory and storage, a touchscreen with good color coverage, and respectable battery life, while being slightly less portable due to its weight. In contrast, the LG Ultra 16 ups the ante with a more powerful CPU, double the memory, a larger and higher resolution screen for better multitasking, even longer battery life, and better portability thanks to its lighter weight, but it trades off with a non-touchscreen and slightly lower screen color accuracy.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The LG Ultra 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" and the LG Ultra 16 are both fair for gaming and 3D due to their integrated AMD Ryzen Vega 8 graphics, which are decent but not as powerful as dedicated gaming GPUs, and their standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, which isn't as high as the refresh rates typically found in gaming-specific laptops. While both have similar graphics performance, the LG Ultra 16 has a slightly higher screen resolution and a larger screen size, which could improve the visual experience, though neither reaches the high standards set by gaming specialists in screen smoothness or visual detail.
Engineering and Design
6.7/10
7.0/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers LG Ultra 16 to be good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is only fair.
The LG Ultra 16 is better suited for engineering and design work over the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" due to its higher RAM capacity and larger, higher-resolution screen which provides more workspace and clarity for detailed tasks. While both laptops have similar CPUs and GPUs, which handle computations and visual processing, the LG's added memory benefits multitasking and complex software use, although its screen is not as bright as Lenovo's, which may impact outdoor use or brightly lit environments.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.7/10
6.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Ultra 16 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
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The LG Ultra 16 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.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
4.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The LG Ultra 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" and the LG Ultra 16 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."
"Unlike the gram, the Ultra PC isn't designed to be as lightweight as possible. The 16-inch laptop is a whole 400 g (0.88 lb) heavier than its 16-inch gram counterpart partly because its chassis is not made of magnesium. Other than that, the Ultra PC seems like a copy of the gram – but with longer battery life, lower noise levels, and a clean, delicate look."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" or the LG Ultra 16
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.
About LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, 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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