The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i tends to be slightly less expensive, offers strong general performance, and is very suited for a mobile lifestyle thanks to its comparative lightness, although it has less storage capacity and a lower battery life than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i. On the other hand, the Legion Slim 5i, while typically a bit more expensive and heavier, offers more storage, better screen color accuracy, improved battery life, and a higher refresh rate, making it more suitable for intensive gaming, 3D work, and engineering tasks. Both have similar processing power, but your choice should align with your balance between portability, battery life, and specific computing needs. 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 Pro 5i
Good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
8.0/10
6.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i provides a smooth gaming and 3D experience with its superior graphics card, the Nvidia RTX 4060, and a higher screen refresh rate of 165, compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i which has the Nvidia RTX 4050 and a refresh rate of 120. Though both have IPS displays with the same resolution, responsiveness and visual fluidity during gameplay or 3D rendering will be better on the Legion Slim 5i.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.0/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
409.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
343.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i for gaming and AI, and software development.
When considering general use like browsing and watching videos, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i offers a rich visual experience due to its high-resolution panel and brightness, making everything crisp and clear. For engineering and design, both the IdeaPad Pro 5i and Legion Slim 5i are equipped with panels that reproduce colors accurately, crucial for precise work, but they might not cover the wider color gamuts professionals sometimes need. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short as their panels have lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid motion and responsiveness during fast-paced scenes or interactions.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$950
$1,055
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has a price of $950 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i costs $1,055.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
8.4/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
6.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i are both very good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is equipped with a powerful CPU, ample RAM, and a high-performing GPU which are crucial for engineering and design work, and its high-quality screen offers accurate color reproduction; however, it's less portable than some alternatives. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i not only matches the IdeaPad in key performance attributes but surpasses it in graphics processing with a superior GPU and offers a slightly longer battery life, though it's heavier and thus slightly less convenient to carry around.
Content Creation
7.7/10
8.0/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Slim 5i to be very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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
7.7/10
7.8/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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.
Battery
6.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has 6 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.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and Lenovo Legion Slim 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 Pro 5i and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i compare to other laptops
"Lenovo’s IdeaPad Pro 5i represents an impressive opening salvo for Meteor Lake in the ultraportable space against familiar foes from AMD and Apple. Not only does the Core Ultra 5 125H processor provide good performance across the board, but battery life remains a strong point against the Acer Swift Edge 16 with its AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor. It can’t quite match the endurance of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but the gap is shrinking."
"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 Pro 5i 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.
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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