When deciding between the Lenovo Legion 5 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, consider that the Legion Pro 5i often comes with more advanced features, potentially offering better performance for demanding tasks like gaming or video editing, but at a higher cost. If budget is a concern and your usage includes everyday tasks and moderate gaming, the Legion 5 could be a more economical choice without a significant compromise on performance. Always consider the weight and battery life as well; a more powerful laptop might be heavier and have a shorter battery life, affecting portability. For general use and occasional heavy applications, the Legion 5 serves well, but for consistent high-end use, the Pro 5i may justify the extra expense. 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 15"
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i.
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.0/10
8.1/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
350.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 15" for engineering and design, and content creation.
For general use, the Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Legion 5 Pro 15" both offer high-resolution displays with ample brightness and an appropriate panel type ensuring clear, vibrant images and comfortable viewing, but the Legion 5 Pro's screen may be slightly superior due to better color reproduction. When considering engineering and design, the Legion 5 Pro's display supports a wider range of colors, covering more of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB gamuts, which is crucial for accuracy in color-critical applications. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short as their refresh rates are lower than ideal, which could result in less fluid motion and slower response times during fast-paced scenes.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Lenovo Legion 5 15" are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" offers solid CPU performance and ample RAM, which ensures smooth multitasking and responsiveness for a variety of tasks, while its reasonable screen quality, decent battery life, and balance between weight and size make it a good choice for everyday use. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, with its high-performing CPU and more generous RAM, excels in more demanding applications, and despite being less portable due to heavier weight and shorter battery life, it compensates with a superior screen, making it more suitable for engineering and graphics-heavy tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.9/10
8.0/10
9.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Pro 5i to be very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" is good.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" offers a solid GPU and high screen refresh rate which is good for gaming and 3D work, but if you're looking for enhanced graphics performance, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i steps up with an even better GPU for smoother gameplay and more detailed 3D rendering. While both have capable CPUs and good screen quality, the Pro 5i's superior screen refresh rate provides a more fluid visual experience, critical for fast-paced games and high-framerate content.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.4/10
8.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
9.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Lenovo Legion 5 15" are both very good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Legion 5 Pro are equipped with powerful CPUs, ample RAM, and high-quality GPUs that excel in demanding tasks such as engineering software and design programs, while their screens display crisp and clear visuals crucial for detailed work. However, while both offer robust keyboards and speakers with reasonable operating noise, their substantial performance capabilities come with increased weight, making them less portable compared to lighter laptops with lower performance specs.
Content Creation
7.4/10
7.6/10
8.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Lenovo Legion 5 15" 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
7.3/10
7.5/10
8.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Lenovo Legion 5 15" 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
4.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has 4 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 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
Fair
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
5.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$999
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has a price of $999 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i costs $1,000.
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How the Lenovo Legion 5 15" and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i compare to other laptops
"The Lenovo Legion 5 15 is an affordable gaming laptop with a lot of power. The new AMD processor Ryzen 7 5800H offers plenty of performance and it is also very efficient. The combination with the fast 130W version of the GeForce RTX 3060 ensures high gaming performance. We also like the fast 165 Hz display with the 1080p resolution. The automatic graphics switching causes some problems with stutters, which are very annoying. If you do not need long battery runtimes, you should definitely deactivate the hybrid graphics mode in Lenovo's Vantage app. The Legion 5 15 is never silent."
"The midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion 5 15" or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
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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