The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is generally less expensive, lighter, and offers longer battery life, suitable for general use like web browsing, office tasks, and streaming media. However, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" has a better screen resolution, higher refresh rate for smoother visuals, and a more powerful processor and graphics unit, making it ideal for gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering applications. It's slightly heavier and has a slightly shorter battery life, but its performance makes it better for intensive tasks, despite a higher price. If you prioritize portability and price for everyday use, consider the IdeaPad; for higher performance in demanding tasks, the Legion Slim 7 is a better fit. 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
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16".
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16"
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
8.2/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
315.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
502.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, with a more basic CPU and integrated graphics, is geared towards general use and offers good efficiency for everyday tasks as well as satisfactory portability and battery life, suitable for users who prioritize a lighter load and longer usage times. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" steps up in performance with a higher-end CPU and dedicated graphics, making it better for more demanding applications and general use that requires more power, though these enhancements come at the cost of slightly increased weight and reduced battery longevity.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
8.2/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
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
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, with its integrated Intel graphics and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, offers a more basic gaming and 3D experience, compared to the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" which includes a dedicated Nvidia graphics card and a significantly higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, providing smoother visuals and better game performance.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
8.6/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is designed with sufficient capabilities for engineering and design use, featuring an Intel i5 processor with integrated graphics and a high-resolution IPS screen, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" surpasses it with a higher-end AMD Ryzen 7 processor, dedicated Nvidia RTX graphics, and a brighter, higher resolution display for more demanding tasks. Although both share similar portability and have quality keyboards and speakers, the Legion Slim 7 16" may produce slightly more operating noise due to its more powerful components but offers an elevated experience for engineering and design work that requires higher processing and graphical power.
Content Creation
7.4/10
8.3/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" 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
8.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 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
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
502.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i offers decent resolution and brightness, making it suitable for everyday tasks and browsing, but its color range may not be wide enough for professional design work. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" boasts a higher-quality display with vibrant colors and better resolution and brightness, enhancing the experience for design and engineering software that relies on color accuracy. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can result in less smooth visuals during fast-paced scenes or modeling.
Battery
8.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 has 7 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
$828
$1,344
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has a price of $828 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16" costs $1,344.
"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."
"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 5i or the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 16"
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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