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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is less expensive and more portable with longer battery life, making it suitable for basic tasks and general use; however, its performance for more demanding activities like 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming is limited. The Lenovo Legion 7, conversely, offers greater performance with a more powerful processor and graphics card, better for gaming and engineering tasks, but it is heavier, more expensive, and has shorter battery life. If budget and portability are key, go for the IdeaPad Slim 3; for greater performance at the cost of portability and price, the Legion 7 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 Slim 3
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 7
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo Legion 7 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Legion 7 ranks better for general use than the IdeaPad Slim 3 primarily because it has a more powerful CPU and GPU, greater RAM, and a higher-quality screen, albeit it's less portable and has shorter battery life. Additionally, while both have solid build quality, the Legion 7's superior keyboard and speaker quality, along with better heat management and less operating noise, contribute to its higher suitability for general use despite being heavier and bulkier compared to the Slim 3.
Gaming and AI
5.9
7.8
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is poor.
The Lenovo Legion 7 is better suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate of 165, which will deliver smoother visuals and enhanced performance in gaming scenarios. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has a less capable integrated AMD Vega 6 GPU and a standard 60 refresh rate screen, limiting its ability to run demanding games and 3D tasks smoothly.
Engineering and Design
6.1
8.2
3.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is equipped with a basic AMD Ryzen CPU and integrated graphics, making it suitable for lighter engineering tasks and design work, but the Lenovo Legion 7 boasts a more robust AMD Ryzen CPU and a high-end Nvidia RTX GPU, providing significantly better performance for demanding engineering applications and creative design software.
Content Creation
7.2
7.9
3.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Legion 7 is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
6.4
8.3
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 7 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 likely has a basic display with acceptable brightness and resolution suitable for typical tasks like browsing and document editing, which explains its fair quality for general use, but it may lack the color accuracy and wider color gamuts necessary for engineering and design work. The Lenovo Legion 7 probably offers a high-resolution display with excellent brightness and color reproduction, making it great for detail-oriented tasks like engineering and design. However, both models seem to suffer from lower refresh rates, which is less than ideal for the smooth visuals required in gaming and running 3D applications.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 7 has 6.5 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and Lenovo Legion 7 both have good portability, though the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
8.5
The Lenovo Legion 7 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$390
$1,500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has a price of $390 and the Lenovo Legion 7 costs $1,500.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.1
7.6
3.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and the Lenovo Legion 7 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 | Lenovo Legion 7 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$390 | $1,500 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.3'' x 0.7'' | 14'' x 10.3'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.52 lbs | 5.5 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.15" | 14.01" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.25" | 10.27" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7330U | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 6.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 47 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 469 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.9/10 | 7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 9.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
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Rtings
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | May 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is decent for use as a workstation. Its Intel CPU and integrated graphics can only handle light productivity tasks, not demanding workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. You also can't do any color-critical work because the available displays have a narrow color gamut. It has a good port selection, but its USB-C lacks Thunderbolt 4 support. On the upside, it has a comfortable keyboard and doesn't get hot or loud under load."
Lenovo Legion 7
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NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | September 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 7 is a fast 16-inch gamer with 165 Hz display. The new Lenovo Legion 7 is a very good gaming notebook that, despite its comparatively compact compact 16-inch case, does not have to do without the most powerful components. Thanks to good cooling, no compromises are made in terms of performance. Both the Core i9-12900HX and the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti perform at a very high level."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 or the Lenovo Legion 7
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.
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