The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, with its more powerful processor and graphics card, excels in intensive engineering and gaming tasks, but it is heavier and has less battery life, making it less portable. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s, on the other hand, offers greater portability and longer battery life, ideal for general use, and while adequate for lighter engineering work, it lacks the gaming or 3D/machine learning capabilities of the Legion. Choose the Legion 5i Pro for high-performance needs despite its weight and shorter battery life, or the ThinkBook 13s for a balance of performance, portability, and battery life for more general use cases. 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 Pro 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
6.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.3/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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
8.4/10
7.5/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is good.
The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, with its more powerful CPU and dedicated GPU, excels in engineering and design tasks that demand higher graphic processing power and benefits from superior screen quality, resulting in a more vivid visual experience. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s, while also competent, has a less capable integrated GPU and prioritizes portability and longer battery life, which may appeal to users who need to work on the go.
Screen Quality
8.1/10
7.2/10
16.0in
SIZE
13.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
368.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
336.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i excels because it offers vibrant colors, sharp resolution, and sufficient brightness, which makes everyday tasks like browsing and watching videos a visually pleasing experience. In terms of engineering and design, the Legion Pro 5i delivers wide color coverage essential for accuracy in creative work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, despite its visual strengths, the Legion Pro 5i falls short due to a lower refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth motion and responsive gameplay.
Battery
3.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has 8 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
Excellent
16.0in
SIZE
13.3in
5.6 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i are both good for general use.
The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, with its powerful CPU and ample RAM, excels in demanding tasks and, combined with a high-quality screen and dedicated GPU, makes it a great option for both general use and gaming, although it's less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the ThinkBook 13s. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s, while also featuring a robust CPU and plenty of RAM for smooth multitasking, offers greater portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, alongside a high-resolution touchscreen display, making it well-suited for general use and on-the-go professionals.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.8/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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
7.5/10
7.7/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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
$1,000
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a price of $1,000 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s costs $1,000.
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How the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s compare to other laptops
"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."
"The best thing about the ThinkBook 13S is that it’s a good deal. Business buyers looking for ThinkPad-level performance and software without ThinkPad pricing will probably find the ThinkBook a solid option. While nothing about it is really spectacular, it’s certainly unusual to see the ThinkBook’s screen resolution at a sub-$1,000 price, and its performance will be more than adequate for most office tasks. The generous port selection, 16:10 aspect ratio, physical webcam shutter, and clear audio are certainly icing on the cake."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i or the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
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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