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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is significantly less expensive and offers basic functionality with commendable battery life, making it suitable for general use. However, if you seek higher performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 is the more capable option, with a more powerful processor, better graphics, and additional features like a backlit keyboard and hardware ray tracing, although it is significantly more expensive and has slightly less battery life. 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 Slim 7 15.6"
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
7.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is somewhat better.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, with less powerful CPU and RAM compared to the Lenovo Legion Slim 7, offers sufficient performance for everyday tasks but may lag in multitasking or demanding applications. The Legion Slim 7's superior screen quality, battery life, and higher-grade CPU make it better suited for intensive use while still being quite portable, though it is slightly heavier and more expensive.
Gaming and AI
5.9
7.4
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is poor.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is fair for gaming and 3D due to its integrated Vega 6 graphics and a 60Hz screen refresh rate, which are modest for these tasks. However, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 excels with its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a high 165Hz refresh rate, making it better suited for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
6.1
7.8
3.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has a modest AMD Ryzen 3 CPU and integrated Vega 6 GPU, with adequate RAM for basic engineering tasks, resulting in fair performance for design use; whereas, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 is equipped with a more powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, plus double the RAM, making it suitable for more complex and intensive engineering applications. The IdeaPad offers better portability and has a slightly longer battery life, but the Legion Slim 7 counterbalances this with superior screen quality and better ratings in keyboard and speaker quality, albeit with a heavier build and a higher likelihood of audible operating noise.
Screen Quality
6.4
7.7
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 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.
For general use, a laptop like the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 with a decent resolution and standard brightness offers adequate display quality, but the Lenovo Legion Slim 7, with its higher resolution and superior brightness, provides a more vibrant and clearer image. Engineering and design tasks benefit significantly from the Lenovo Legion Slim 7's wider color gamuts, ensuring more accurate color representation, while the IdeaPad's more limited color range is serviceable but not ideal for precision work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the Legion Slim 7's lack of a high refresh rate can lead to less fluid motion and slower response times, limiting its effectiveness in fast-paced scenarios despite its good resolution and panel type.
Build Quality
6.5
7.6
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" has 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
$1,200
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has a price of $390 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" costs $1,200.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.2
7.7
3.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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
7.1
7.5
3.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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.
Battery
10.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has 10 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.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 | Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$390 | $1,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.3'' x 0.7'' | 14'' x 9.9'' x 0.69'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.52 lbs | 4.19 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.15" | 14.02" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.25" | 9.92" | |
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 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 47 Wh | 71 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 350 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.9/10 | 7.6/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
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 Slim 7 15.6"
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NotebookCheck
Benjamin Herzig | November 2022
"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 Slim 3 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.
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