For everyday tasks, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i offers excellent value with its lower midrange price, ample performance, and good battery life, making it a strong contender for general use. Its portability is a plus, with a slim design and decent weight, ideal for on-the-go productivity. However, it falls short for intensive tasks like gaming or engineering work due to its less powerful processor and integrated graphics.
On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is a powerhouse designed for high-end gaming and demanding applications like 3D rendering and machine learning. Its premium price reflects the top-tier performance provided by the latest Intel i9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics card. It also boasts an impressive high-refresh-rate display, superior color accuracy, and build quality, catering to professionals and enthusiasts who require top-of-the-line specifications. However, its battery life is shorter, and it's less portable, which could be a drawback if you need to work untethered for extended periods.
In summary, if you prioritize portability, battery life, and value for everyday use, the IdeaPad Slim 5i is the way to go. But if you're looking for a laptop that can handle the most demanding tasks with exceptional performance and display quality, and you're willing to compromise on portability and price, the Legion Pro 7i (2024) 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 5i
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024)
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
8.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
315.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is good.
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
6.3/10
9.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
9.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i 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
7.4/10
8.3/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 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
7.4/10
7.9/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) is somewhat better.
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
6.4/10
8.7/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
315.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has 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
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$828
$1,970
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has a price of $828 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024) costs $1,970.
"The device is made for average work loads and if your work has a lot to do with online browsing, using apps that are not power-hungry and streaming videos. The looks are really good and the device in itself is not a heavy one. And with Intel 11th-gen Core processor, you might sail through most of your work without complaints."
"Passionate gamers who want to play demanding modern titles with maximum details and don't mind spending the moolah will find the Lenovo Legion 7 Pro to be the right choice. The bright, sharp, and color-accurate 16:10 QHD 240 Hz display makes for an immersive viewing experience. The hardware is housed in a stylish chassis that feels premium and scores well in terms of workmanship and stability. Other aspects such as sound quality, input devices, and connectivity also seem to be near-perfect."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i or the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (2024)
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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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