The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i costs less and offers good performance for general use with respectable battery life, making it suitable for everyday tasks and moderate gaming; however, its build quality and screen resolution are not as high as the ThinkPad P16. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16, while more expensive, excels in engineering tasks due to a more powerful GPU and a higher resolution display which also scores better in color accuracy, but it's heavier, which affects portability. If needing longer battery life and advanced features like facial recognition and hardware ray tracing, and you don't mind the extra weight and cost, the ThinkPad P16 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 Pro 5i
Good for gaming and AI
Good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad P16
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good battery life
Excellent speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a screen that refreshes 120 times per second, which, combined with its high-performance processor, makes it capable of handling gaming and 3D tasks efficiently. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 features an Nvidia RTX A1000 GPU and a higher-resolution screen, although it refreshes at a lower rate of 60 times per second, making it still suitable for gaming and 3D work, but with a potential tradeoff in smoothness during fast-paced scenes compared to the IdeaPad Pro 5i.
Software Development
7.7/10
8.4/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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
7.8/10
8.2/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
409.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and ThinkPad P16 offer screens with pleasing resolution, clarity, and brightness, making them well-suited for everyday tasks like browsing the web or working with documents. In engineering and design, the ThinkPad P16 likely features a wider color gamut, rendering more precise hues necessary for professional photo editing and CAD work, providing an edge over the IdeaPad Pro 5i. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short as they don't prioritize high refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth on-screen motion and responsive gameplay.
Battery
6.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has 6 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has 10 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
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.3 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has good portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$950
$1,449
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has a price of $950 and the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 costs $1,449.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad P16 to be very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is well-suited for general use due to its solid CPU, ample RAM, and high-quality IPS screen with a high refresh rate, making it responsive and pleasant to view, while being relatively portable and offering moderate battery life. In contrast, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16, with its superior CPU, top-tier screen resolution and color accuracy, and longer battery life, excels in intensive tasks but is less portable due to its heavier weight and larger size.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
8.3/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
6.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i are both very good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is equipped with a high-refresh-rate screen and a solid GPU, making it suitable for engineering and design use where visual clarity and graphics processing are essential, but its lighter weight also allows for better portability. Conversely, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16, while heavier and less portable, offers a higher-resolution screen and a professional GPU; this, along with its excellent keyboard quality and superior screen color accuracy, makes it ideal for precise engineering and design tasks where detail and color fidelity are paramount.
Content Creation
7.7/10
8.2/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad P16 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.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i and the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 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."
"It's only a few months since we gave the MSI CreatorPro X17 one of our rare 4.5-star ratings and our top mobile workstation honor, but the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 matches that achievement in a more premium overall build. Ultimately, its build quality, screen, and keyboard give our latest Editors' Choice nod to the Lenovo—it's enough of a monster on almost all fronts that it simply cannot be ignored."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i or the Lenovo ThinkPad P16
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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