A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro and the Lenovo Legion 9i comes down to your priorities. The IdeaPad 5 Pro is more affordable, more portable with longer battery life, and suitable for general use, while the Legion 9i is a premium laptop with superior performance suited for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering work, but comes at a higher price and with reduced portability due to increased weight. If budget and regular tasks are your main concerns, the IdeaPad 5 Pro is a great fit. However, if performance for demanding applications and tasks is a necessity and you're willing to invest more, the Legion 9i is the better choice. 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 Pro
- Good portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 9i
- Very good for general use
- Best in class for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Best in class overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5
8.4
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
409.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
682.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro is good for general use due to its balance of a strong CPU, ample RAM, and high-quality screen, paired with lightweight design and decent battery life for better portability. The Lenovo Legion 9i outperforms in general use thanks to its exceptionally powerful CPU, superior RAM capacity, and premium screen quality, but sacrifices portability and has shorter battery life as a result of its more robust hardware designed for intensive tasks like gaming.
Gaming and AI
6.5
9.2
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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
7.2
9.6
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 9i is best in class for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro, with its mid-range CPU and decent GPU, handles engineering and design tasks well, but the Lenovo Legion 9i with its top-tier CPU, more RAM, and a more powerful GPU performs even better, particularly for the most demanding work. While the IdeaPad is more portable and quieter, the Legion 9i offers a superior screen and build quality, which enhances the experience for engineering and design applications, despite being less portable and having more operating noise.
Content Creation
7.5
8.7
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro is good.
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
7.4
8.3
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro is good.
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
7.8
9.7
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
409.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
682.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 9i has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro offers a screen that balances resolution and brightness, making it suitable for daily tasks and visual clarity for detail-oriented work in engineering, but its lower refresh rate might not appeal to gamers or professionals in 3D modeling. The Lenovo Legion 9i excels with a high-resolution, brightly-lit display that also covers wider color gamuts, providing precision for engineering and design tasks, even though its attributes are less aligned with the high-refresh requirements of gaming and 3D programs. Gamers would be less satisfied with both laptops due to the screens' lower refresh rates, which are not optimized for fast-paced gaming experiences that require fluid motion.
Battery
10.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 9i has 3 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
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 9i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The Lenovo Legion 9i has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$860
$3,420
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has a price of $860 and the Lenovo Legion 9i costs $3,420.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro and the Lenovo Legion 9i compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro | Lenovo Legion 9i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$860 | $3,420 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | October 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.9'' x 0.67'' | 14.1'' x 10.9'' x 1.01'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.3 lbs | 5.64 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 14.08" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.88" | 10.93" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 6600HS | Intel i9-13980HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 3 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 75 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 3200 x 2000 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 409 nits | 682 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 6.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 9.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | September 2022
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro turns out a successful all-rounder that, aside from 3D applications, always strikes a good or very good figure. This begins with the elegant metal case that isn't particularly light but fairly robust, giving a high-quality impression. The input devices are also better than those of many competitors. Both the keyboard and the touchpad are attractive and comfortable. In addition, the performance of the Ryzen 5 6600HS is easily able to keep up with the Intel competitors."
Lenovo Legion 9i
See more
Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | December 2023
"The Lenovo Legion 9i is meant as a top-end flagship showcase for enthusiasts, and on that, it delivers. You'll find flashier designs in this price tier—Razer’s all-metal build in a similarly sized laptop like the Blade 16, or monstrous 18-inch machines—but this is a well-thought-out laptop. The chassis is trim for a 16-inch powerhouse, the lid is unique, and bespoke liquid cooling takes performance to the next level."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro or the Lenovo Legion 9i
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.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
Compare Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro vs. MSI Bravo 15
VS
Compare Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro vs. Gigabyte G5
VS
Compare Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro vs. Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
VS
Compare Lenovo Legion 9i vs. Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023)
VS
Compare Lenovo Legion 9i vs. Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D
VS
Compare Lenovo Legion 9i vs. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)
VS
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
Why trust us
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
132,495
Recommendations made
28,708
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.
Featured in
