Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023) vs Slim 3 (2023): Which affordable laptop is for you?

Both of these Lenovo laptops are affordable options, but which one is the best for you?

The IdeaPad Slim 5 is a mid-range laptop that comes with some powerful specifications thanks to coming with an AMD Ryzen 7030 series processors or the 13th-generation Intel Core processors. It also features a 16:10 aspect ratio display that is available in both FHD and QHD resolution configurations and a soundbar hinge design that elevates the audio experience of this laptop.

The IdeaPad Slim 3 (2023) is a budget laptop that doesn't sacrifice power and comes with either an AMD Ryzen 7000 series processor or a 13th-generation Intel Core i3-1315U processor. The 15.6-inch FHD display is bright and large enough at 300 nits of brightness and a 16:9 aspect ratio to get work done, making the IdeaPad Slim 3 a great option to get work done without breaking the bank.

If you are looking for a laptop that is affordable and can get day-to-day tasks done with ease, we recommend you begin your search by taking a look at Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023) and IdeaPad Slim 3 (2023). While Lenovo is known for making some of the best laptops on the market, these two are some of the best Lenovo laptops geared towards the more affordable mid-range. They both come with your choice of AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors or Intel 13th-generation Core processors, along with bright displays that come with enough screen real-estate for working or watching content. We're going to be taking a closer look at the specifications of these two similar laptops and seeing which one is better overall and who it's better for.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023) is available now from Lenovo, starting from $610 for an AMD Ryzen 7000 series processor or $640 for the model with the Intel 13th-generation processor at the time of writing. Both of these models come with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD for storage, and a 16-inch display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution. The display can be upgraded to its highest point, with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 (QHD+) and 350 nits of brightness. You should be able to find it from other retailers like BestBuy or B&H later this year, but if you're in the North American market, only the 16-inch model is available to you.

Lenovo updated the IdeaPad Slim 3 (2023) earlier this year to give it a boost of power with the 13th-generation Intel Core processors and AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors, and it's the more affordable of the two options, starting at $700, but frequently on sale for $410 from Lenovo directly. The configuration of the IdeaPad Slim 3 you get for that sweet deal of $410 comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U processor, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD for storage, and 15.6-inch display with a Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution.

The IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023) comes as a traditional clamshell. As we mentioned at the top, if you're in the North American market, you are limited to the 16-inch configurations. This configuration does give you a 16-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, making it a great option for productivity with the expanded on-screen workspace, but it's not going to be as portable as its smaller-sized variations. It weighs around 4.5 pounds, which is by no means a light laptop, but it also shouldn't be too difficult to carry around.

The IdeaPad Slim 3 (2023) uses the same traditional clamshell laptop design as the Slim 5 but is slightly smaller, measuring 15.6 inches. Both of these laptops are on the bigger side. The IdeaPad Slim 3 weighs 3.5 lbs, a pound less than the Slim 5. It's not the heaviest laptop by any means, but it's also nowhere near as light as an ultrabook. This is because both the Slim 5 and Slim 3 come with a solid array of ports, so you lose a bit of portability but gain a healthy amount of connectivity. Both the IdeaPad Slim 5 and Slim 3 feature two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, an SD card reader, HDMI 1.4 port, and a headphone/microphone combo jack. This should be more than enough for any daily user to get by without needing a docking station, and it's nice to have a mix of USB-C and USB-A ports on a laptop in 2023.

Regarding the keyboards, the IdeaPad Slim 5 and Slim 3 use the same keyboard, which is the standard comfortable Lenovo keyboard that features a tactile and responsive typing experience with a comfortable travel distance between keys. Both keyboards are fully backlit with full-size layouts, and there is nothing major to distinguish between the two touchpads.

Both of these laptops are aimed at the daily user, but they also are a great option for students and some business users. These are both incredibly efficient laptops that are able to provide a solid productivity experience when it comes to web browsing, creating and editing documents, or watching your favorite content to unwind after work or school. When it comes to displays, the IdeaPad Slim 5 is the better option here with a 16-inch display that features a 16:10 aspect ratio in either Full HD+ 1920 x 1200 or Quad HD+ 2560 x 1600 resolution.

The QHD display is a bit brighter than the FHD counterpart, delivering 350 nits of brightness instead of the Full HD's 300 nits. The QHD display does, however, end up being the winner in this comparison as it also covers a significantly higher range of the color spectrum than both the Full HD resolution configurations and the display of the IdeaPad Slim 3. The IdeaPad Slim 3 comes a 15.6-inch display, and it's your standard 16:9 IPS 1080p laptop display.

Similarly to the Slim 5, it delivers 300 nits of brightness, making it a comfortably bright screen for any indoor use. However, colors aren't true-to-life and will appear slightly washed out. The FHD displays of both the IdeaPad Slim 5 and IdeaPad Slim 3 only cover 45% of the NTSC color range, while the QHD+ configuration of the IdeaPad Slim 5 display covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut (which is around 95% NTSC).

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023) comes with 16GB of RAM and in a variety of CPU configurations, although, as we mentioned earlier, for those in North America, you are limited to only Ryzen 7030 series processors and 13th-Generation U-Series processors. For AMD configurations of the Slim 5, you will have your choice of a Ryzen 7030 series CPU, starting with the AMD Ryzen 3 7330U and going up to the Ryzen 7 7730U. For North American Intel configurations, you have a choice between the Intel Core i5-1335U and Core i7-1355U processors.

The 15.6-inch IdeaPad Slim 3 only comes with 8GB of RAM and comes in both Intel and AMD configurations. Starting with the AMD configuration of the Slim 3, you can choose between an AMD Ryzen 3 7330U featuring four cores running at 2.30 GHz and up to 4.30 GHz or the Ryzen 5 7530U processor featuring six cores at 2.0 GHz up to 4.50 GHz.

You will definitely save yourself a few headaches if you need to work with multiple browser tabs and applications like Microsoft Excel open with 16GB of RAM over 8GB.

Switching over to Intel configurations, your only choice is the 13th-generation Intel Core i3-1315U processor, which features 6 cores, with the E-cores maxing at 3.30 GHz and the P-cores going all the way up to 4.50 GHz with Turbo Boost enabled.

The IdeaPad Slim series laptops aren't meant to be used as content creation laptops, so both the IdeaPad Slim 5 and Slim 3 only feature integrated graphics from the CPU. The battery used in both the IdeaPad Slim 5 and Slim 3 seems to be the same 47Wh polymer battery.

Battery life claims from Lenovo for both the IdeaPad Slim 5 and Slim 3 are on the optimistic side, with the IdeaPad Slim 5 scoring up to 11.5 hours via MobileMark 2018, while the IdeaPad Slim 3 scores around up to 10 hours on MobileMark 2018.

It's important to keep in mind here that these are Lenovo's numbers and not our own and that battery life in laptops is subject to a wide range of factors. Generally speaking, the configurations of either the IdeaPad Slim 5 or Slim 3 that have less powerful CPUs will offer slightly better battery life. However, in this case, the IdeaPad Slim 3's processor is not up to the task of handling anything above light productivity, so depending on how you use the laptop, your battery life may vary greatly.

If you are looking for an affordable laptop that's capable enough to get work done, the IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023) is the winner here for you. The Slim 5 and Slim 3 are extremely similar laptops when it comes to design features, and this remains true when it comes to hardware. However, the IdeaPad Slim 5 provides you with 16GB of RAM over the 8GB of RAM that comes with the IdeaPad Slim 3. If you're comparing these two laptops head to head, it's probably because you're looking for something that can handle productivity applications well. While it may not seem like such a big difference, you will definitely save yourself a few headaches if you need to work with multiple browser tabs and applications like Microsoft Excel open with 16GB of RAM over 8GB.

The IdeaPad Slim 5 also includes a 1080p camera with a privacy shutter, while the IdeaPad Slim 3 only features a 720p camera with no privacy shutter. Both laptops feature the same Dolby Audio two-watt speakers, but if you're going to be taking video calls, you'll want that 1080p camera quality. Additionally, the larger screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio that the IdeaPad Slim 5 has makes it an ideal candidate for one of the better work-from-home laptops.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 is a mid-range laptop, but it features some great modern specs, including AMD Ryzen 7030 series or 13th-generation Intel Core processors, along with a Full HD+ display and a solid webcam.

On the other hand, the IdeaPad Slim 3 is by no means a bad laptop. It's a great option, and if you are stuck to a tighter budget, it's definitely going to be one of your better options on the market for a Windows machine. It offers great day-to-day performance and is an ideal laptop for a casual user who just needs a laptop to browse the web and do other simple tasks.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (2023) is an affordable but capable Windows laptop powered by AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors. It offers solid performance for day-to-day tasks and has a large 15.6-inch display that's great for getting work done.