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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is generally less expensive, specializes in gaming with a high refresh screen and powerful graphics, but has shorter battery life and a lower resolution screen. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16, while a bit pricier, boasts a higher resolution display, longer battery life, and is designed for professional and engineering use with superior color accuracy and a more compact build; however, it may not be as suitable for gaming due to its lower refresh rate. 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 ThinkPad P16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good battery life
- Excellent speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.2
8.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
305.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
4.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" offers a high refresh rate display and powerful CPU, making it suitable for everyday tasks and gaming, but it may be less portable and have a shorter battery life than some alternatives. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 comes with a higher resolution screen and a newer CPU, providing sharper visuals and potentially better performance for demanding applications, but it also sacrifices some portability and has a higher price.
Gaming and AI
7.4
6.9
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is equipped with a high-refresh-rate screen and an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, which are very important for smooth and responsive gaming and 3D experiences. In contrast, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16, while having a superior screen quality with higher resolution, is paired with an Nvidia RTX A1000 GPU and has a lower screen refresh rate, making it better suited for professional applications in gaming and 3D where visual fidelity is important but the utmost fluidity in motion is less critical.
Engineering and Design
7.6
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
7.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 offers a higher-resolution screen with better color accuracy, which is ideal for design work, paired with a higher tier CPU and GPU that excel in engineering tasks, though it is less mobile and slightly heavier than the Legion 5 17". Conversely, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" boasts a high-refresh-rate screen and capable CPU and GPU for engineering, but it has a lower screen resolution and color coverage, making it less optimal for precision design work.
Content Creation
7.2
8.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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
7.0
8.4
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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
7.3
8.2
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
305.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
569.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 17" for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo Legion 5's panel offers adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks, but its limited refresh rate detracts from the fluid visuals demanded by gaming or 3D applications. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad P16, with its higher resolution and brightness, provides sharp and vivid displays that enhance both general and professional engineering work, yet it similarly falls short for gaming due to a refresh rate not optimized for high-speed graphics. For both engineering and design, the ThinkPad P16's superior color range will render more accurate and nuanced images, a critical factor for precision work that the Legion 5's screen cannot match.
Battery
4.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has 10 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.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,200
$1,449
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a price of $1,200 and the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 costs $1,449.
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Key similarities
Portability
Poor
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.5 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Lenovo ThinkPad P16 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" both have poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo Legion 5 17" and the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo Legion 5 17" | Lenovo ThinkPad P16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,200 | $1,449 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | July 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 11.4'' x 1'' | 14.3'' x 10.5'' x 1.2'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.57 lbs | 6.5 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.7" | 14.3" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.41" | 10.5" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-11800H | Intel i7-12800HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 4 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4.5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 94 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 305 nits | 569 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.8/10 | 5.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
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 ThinkPad P16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Eric Grevstad | February 2023
"It's only a few months since we gave the MSI CreatorPro X17 one of our rare 4.5-star ratings and our top mobile workstation honor, but the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 matches that achievement in a more premium overall build. Ultimately, its build quality, screen, and keyboard give our latest Editors' Choice nod to the Lenovo—it's enough of a monster on almost all fronts that it simply cannot be ignored."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 5 17" or the Lenovo ThinkPad P16
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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