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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is more expensive but offers strong gaming and engineering performance due to its superior graphics card. It's heavy and not very portable but can handle intensive gaming and 3D work. In contrast, the Lenovo Slim 7 16" is lighter, making it highly portable with a high-resolution touchscreen and longer battery life. It's more suited for general use and less demanding creative tasks. You'll get a better display and longer usage on the go with the Slim 7, but if you need more power for demanding applications, the Legion 5 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 Legion 5 17"
- Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim 7 16
- Very good overall display quality
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.4
6.6
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card which outperforms the Nvidia RTX 3050 found in the Lenovo Slim 7 16", providing better gaming and 3D rendering capabilities. Additionally, its screen has a higher refresh rate, enhancing the smoothness of visuals during fast-paced gaming sessions compared to the Slim 7 16".
Software Development
7.0
7.6
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Slim 7 16 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
7.3
8.3
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
305.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 17" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" offers a large screen with good resolution and brightness, which is suitable for general use and engineering tasks needing clarity and detail. The Lenovo Slim 7 16, with its higher resolution and superior color gamut coverage, provides an enhanced visual experience for color-critical engineering and design work. However, both laptops have screens with lower refresh rates, making them less ideal for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is crucial.
Battery
4.5 Hours
9.5 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has 9.5 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
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,200
$1,440
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a price of $1,200 and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 costs $1,440.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.2
7.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
305.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a high-performing CPU and ample RAM, making it a reliable option for general use; however, it's heavier and has a lower battery life which makes it less portable than the Lenovo Slim 7 16, which offers a higher-resolution touchscreen with better battery life for increased portability, but has slightly less gaming-oriented graphics performance, yet still remains suitable for various general tasks. Both laptops have good screen quality and keyboard quality, with the Slim 7 showing an edge in color representation and brightness, but the Legion 5 compensates with its larger screen real estate and robust heat management.
Engineering and Design
7.6
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and Lenovo Slim 7 16 are both good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is well-suited for engineering and design because of its powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU which are very important for such tasks, and it also offers a large screen with high brightness and good color reproduction, but it is less portable and has louder operating noise. In contrast, the Lenovo Slim 7 16" provides a balance with a high-resolution screen and capable AMD CPU and Nvidia RTX 3050, while it excels in portability and has a quieter operation, but it might compromise slightly on graphical power.
Content Creation
7.2
7.6
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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.
Build Quality
7.4
7.8
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Legion 5 17" and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 5 17" | Lenovo Slim 7 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,200 | $1,440 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 11.4'' x 1'' | 14'' x 9.7'' x 0.69'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.57 lbs | 4.6 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.7" | 14.01" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.41" | 9.68" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-11800H | AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4.5 Hours | 9.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 75 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 305 nits | 500 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.8/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Lenovo Legion 5 17"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Bade | February 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 5 17 is a current-gen 17-inch gaming laptop and equipped with the latest AMD CPU and a powerful GPU, that manages to reach its full potential. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600H is a very good choice for this laptop and able to maintain its performance level for long periods of time. Our test model only falls behind consistently in a direct comparison with its competitors that are often equipped with eight cores and 16 threads. Despite this, the Legion 5 17 leaves an excellent impression and is almost able to keep up with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU in synthetic benchmarks."
Lenovo Slim 7 16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Eric Grevstad | March 2022
"At $1,011, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro is a real bargain among full-sized laptops, with a handsome 16-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio touch screen, a speedy CPU, a comfortable keyboard, ample memory, and a roomy solid-state drive. It's not a blazing gaming rig or mobile workstation, but it doesn't pretend to be. Its biggest negative is that it may be hard to find—during our review, it sold out and was marked "Temporarily Unavailable" on Lenovo's site."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 5 17" or the Lenovo 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.
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