The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i offers a higher-resolution screen with a more modern aspect ratio suited for productivity and multitasking, plus a newer processor and GPU that could provide better general performance, including for engineering applications. However, it has a shorter battery life compared to the Lenovo Legion Slim 7, which boasts better battery performance and a higher refresh rate screen for smoother visuals, making it more suited for gaming and fast-paced content. The Legion is also slightly lighter and therefore more portable, but also has a lower pixel density screen. The IdeaPad Pro tends to be less expensive, providing value for those looking for newer tech at a lower price point, while the Legion's additional costs might be justified by its enhanced gaming features and longer battery life for those on the go. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6"
Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.8/10
7.7/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
409.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 for general use, engineering and design, and software development, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i delivers crisp, vivid visuals suitable for browsing, reading, and video streaming, thanks to its high resolution and brightness. Engineers and designers will appreciate the Pro 5i's ability to produce accurate colors, though it may not cover the full spectrum of professional color gamuts. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the IdeaPad Pro 5i falls short with its limited refresh rate, leading to less smooth visuals in fast-paced scenarios despite acceptable resolution and panel technology.
Battery
6.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has 6 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 has 9 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.
Cost
$950
$1,200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has a price of $950 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" costs $1,200.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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.
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
7.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" are both good for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is suited for gaming and 3D with its Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a screen that refreshes 120 times a second, providing smooth visuals essential for fast-paced gaming. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 offers a higher screen refresh rate of 165 times per second with an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, which slightly favors gamers who prioritize the smoothest motion during gameplay.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
7.8/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i to be very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.7/10
7.7/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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
7.7/10
7.5/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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 7 15.6" 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 7 is a slim Legion notebook that is just as excellent with Nvidia & Intel. However, the Legion Slim 7i slightly sullied by lacklustre battery life. You get a slim aluminium chassis, great input devices, decent port selection, fast high-quality WQXGA display and great performance. Supporting Thunderbolt 4 is one advantage of the Intel/Nvidia model tested in this review. Moreover, this variant has slightly higher CPU performance as well as better GPU performance in certain applications (e.g. CUDA-based apps). The Lenovo Legion S7i is thin, premium and performant – but less efficient than its AMD counterpart."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i or the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6"
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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