The Lenovo Legion 9i offers top-notch performance for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, with a high-end processor and powerful graphics card. However, it comes at a significantly higher price and is heavier, less portable, and has shorter battery life. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is more affordable, lighter, and boasts longer battery life, making it more suitable for on-the-go use and general purposes, but it has a less powerful processor and graphics card, making it less ideal for demanding applications. Consider the Legion 9i for high performance despite its weight and cost, or the Slim 7 for mobility and saving money at the expense of power. 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 9i
Very good for general use
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Excellent keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim 7 16
Good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.4/10
7.7/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
682.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
3.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.5 Hours
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is good.
The Lenovo Legion 9i stands out for general use due to its more powerful CPU and double the RAM, which significantly enhance multitasking and demanding tasks, alongside a superior screen quality with higher brightness and color coverage. In comparison, the Lenovo Slim 7 16, while still capable for general use, prioritizes portability with a lighter weight and longer battery life, but sacrifices performance with a less robust CPU and half the RAM of the Legion 9i, and has a lesser screen quality with lower brightness and color coverage.
Gaming and AI
9.2/10
6.6/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
165Hz
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 9i is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion 9i outshines the Lenovo Slim 7 16 in gaming and 3D performance largely due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics card and superior Mini LED display, compared to the Slim's Nvidia RTX 3050 and IPS screen. While both laptops have similar high screen refresh rates, the Legion's superior graphic capabilities render it excellent for demanding visual tasks, whereas the Slim's fair gaming performance is sufficient for less intensive use.
Engineering and Design
9.6/10
7.5/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 9i is best in class for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is good.
The Lenovo Legion 9i stands out for engineering and design due to its superior Intel i9 processor, double the RAM, and a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, enhancing performance for demanding tasks, and its mini LED screen offers excellent color accuracy and brightness. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is lighter and more portable, with a decent AMD Ryzen 7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, but less RAM and a lesser-quality IPS screen, making it good but not as optimal for intensive engineering and design work.
Content Creation
8.7/10
7.6/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 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
8.3/10
7.6/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 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
9.7/10
8.3/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
682.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion 9i has a better screen than the Lenovo Slim 7 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Lenovo Legion 9i boasts exceptional screen quality in general use and engineering due to its high resolution, vibrant colors, and bright display, making text clear and colors accurate, which is crucial for design work. However, it falls short for gaming and 3D where the refresh rate is key for smooth motion, and its lower refresh rate may lead to less fluid visuals. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Slim 7 16 offers similarly impressive color accuracy and resolution for general and engineering tasks but also fails to cater to the demands of gaming and 3D for the same reason.
Battery
3.0 Hours
9.5 Hours
The Lenovo Legion 9i has 3 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
Fair
Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
5.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 9i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.8/10
The Lenovo Legion 9i has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$3,420
$1,440
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo Legion 9i has a price of $3,420 and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 costs $1,440.
"The Lenovo Legion 9i is meant as a top-end flagship showcase for enthusiasts, and on that, it delivers. You'll find flashier designs in this price tier—Razer’s all-metal build in a similarly sized laptop like the Blade 16, or monstrous 18-inch machines—but this is a well-thought-out laptop. The chassis is trim for a 16-inch powerhouse, the lid is unique, and bespoke liquid cooling takes performance to the next level."
"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 9i 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.
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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