Which mid-range laptop should you buy?

• 

  Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023)

  A budget powerhouse

  The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 is a mid-range laptop that features a large 16-inch screen and powerful performance in a compact package. It has a solid webcam, and you can pick between the AMD Ryzen 7030 series or 13th-generation Intel Core processors.

  Pros

  • Portable and lightweight design
  • Excellent performance
  • Comfortable and satisfying keyboard

  Cons

  • HDMI 1.4 port instead of HDMI 2.1
  • No Thunderbolt support

• 

  Source: HP

  HP Pavilion 15

  No-nonsense workhorse

  $400 $650 Save $250

  The HP Pavilion 15 offers a lot of performance for the price. You can pick between the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 or Intel 13th-generation processors, and you get 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The only downside with this one is the slightly below-average display.

  Pros

  • Great performance for the price
  • Better battery life
  • Robust build quality

  Cons

  • Disappointing screen quality
  • Generic design

Key Takeaways

• The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 offers a bigger, brighter, and overall better display compared to the HP Pavilion 15.
• The IdeaPad Slim 5 has a longer battery life and charges faster compared to the Pavilion 15, making it a better choice for travelers.
• While both laptops have similar performance, the IdeaPad Slim 5’s improved display and battery life make it the recommended choice over the Pavilion 15.

If you’re shopping around for a great new laptop at a decent price, you’ll want to consider the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5. This laptop features excellent performance, a comfortable keyboard, and great battery life. However, it’s safe to say that all that is also true for the HP Pavilion 15.

The HP Pavilion 15 is priced similarly to the IdeaPad Slim 5, and both of them are solid budget laptops. However, a few minor differences between the two make one better than the other. So, which one should you buy? That’s what this comparison will help you decide.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023) vs HP Pavilion 15 (2023): Price, specs, and availability

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 is available in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes. However, you can’t get the 14-inch version in the US. Pricing on the 16-inch model with the latest Intel 13th-generation CPUs starts at $930. You can also get it with the latest Ryzen 7000 CPUs with a similar starting price, though both models are frequently discounted.

On the other hand, the cheapest configuration for the HP Pavilion 15 starts at $650. This gets you the Ryzen 5 7530U, 8GB of DDR4 memory, and a 256GB SSD. However, we would not recommend this base model as it features a lower-resolution display (1366×768). Bumping up to a 1080p display, 16GB RAM, and 512GB of storage brings us to $830. That’s about the same price and configuration as the AMD version of the IdeaPad Slim 5.

HP also offers the Pavilion 15 with Intel’s 13th-generation processors, and pricing for that starts at $900. The base configuration gets you an i7 processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB of storage. Again, it’s almost the same configuration as the IdeaPad Slim 5 (Intel).

• 	Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (2023)	HP Pavilion 15
  Operating System	Windows 11	Windows 11
  CPU	AMD Ryzen 3, 5, 7 U-series and 13th-generation Intel Core U, P, H-series	AMD Ryzen 7000 U-series and Intel 13th Gen i5, i7 U-series
  GPU	AMD Radeon graphics and Intel UHD, Iris XE graphics	Intel Iris Xe Graphics and AMD Radeon graphics
  RAM	Up to 16GB DDR4 3200MHz	Up to 16 GB DDR4-3200Mhz
  Storage	Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD	Up to 1 TB PCIe® NVMe M.2 SSD
  Battery	Up to 75.4Wh battery	3-cell, 41 Wh Lithium-ion prismatic Battery
  Display (Size, Resolution)	Up to 2.5K (2560×1600) IPS 16:10 display	15.6 inch FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS 16:9 micro-edge display
  Camera	Up to Full HD 1080p webcam + IR with privacy shutter	HP Wide Vision 720p HD camera with temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphones
  Speakers	2x 2W speakers with Dolby Audio	Audio by B&O; Dual speakers; HP Audio Boost
  Ports	2x USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 1), 2x USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 1), 1x HDMI, 3.5mm combo headphone jack, microSD card reader	1 USB Type-C 10Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort™ 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge); 2 USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate; 1 HDMI 2.1; 1 AC smart pin; 1 headphone/microphone combo
  Dimension	Metal: 14.02 x 9.88 x 0.67 inches Plastic: 14.02 x 9.88 x 0.7 inches	14.18 x 9.21 x 0.7 inches
  Weight	4.17 pounds (1.89kg)	3.86 lb (1.75kg)
  Price	Starting at $610	Starting at $899
  Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5.1 Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.1	Realtek Wi-Fi 6 (2×2) and Bluetooth® 5.3 wireless card
  Color	Abyss blue, Cloud grey, Violet	Natural Silver, Ceramic White, Fog Blue, Forest Teal, Warm Gold

Design: Both feature solid construction and a minimal design

The similarities between both laptops don’t just end at the specs. This theme continues with the design as well. While both have a distinct look about them, they are both overall minimal-looking laptops with a focus on build quality rather than appearance.

While cheaper laptops can often be thicker or heavier, the IdeaPad Slim 5 doesn’t have that issue. It’s a 16-inch laptop, but it’s only marginally bigger than the HP Pavilion 15. There are two chassis options — one features an aluminum unibody and the other uses plastic for the bottom and aluminum for the top. The plastic models are about a centimeter thicker than the metal models, but both are under 20mm and are easy to carry around in a backpack. It comes in three colors: Violet, Cloud Grey, and Abyss Blue. The branding is minimal, with only two small Lenovo badges present on the interior and exterior.

As for the HP Pavilion 15, it has an even more understated look than the IdeaPad. It looks like any other generic HP laptop, so there’s no way to tell that you have the latest and greatest Pavilion. On the other hand, the build quality is excellent thanks to the all-aluminum body. The Pavilion 15 is available in five colors: Natural Silver, Ceramic White, Fog Blue, Forest Teal, and Warm Gold. There’s an unobtrusive HP badge on the top of the laptop and another one on the chin below the screen.

For ports, the HP Pavilion 15 features a USB-Type C 3.2 port, two USB Type-A ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, and a headphone/microphone jack. On the other hand, the IdeaPad Slim 5 features two USB-C 3.2 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI 1.4 port, a microSD card reader, and a microphone/headphone jack. Both laptops also feature a fingerprint scanner. Neither laptop has a Thunderbolt 4 port, which is a bit disappointing.

Display: A landslide win for the IdeaPad Slim 5

People looking for a good mid-range laptop only need to worry about a few things: display quality, battery life, and performance. A good display is important for some light work and content consumption, which is what both these laptops are designed for.

The IdeaPad Slim 5 features a 16-inch IPS touchscreen with a 1920×1200 resolution. This gives it a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is great for productivity. It gives you more vertical space, which designers, programmers, and spreadsheet crunchers will appreciate. Unfortunately, it’s not a very bright display. It has a maximum peak brightness of 300 nits, which isn’t great for outdoor use. We also wouldn’t recommend this laptop for photo or video editing either. It only covers 45% of the NTSC color gamut. While the display on the IdeaPad Slim 5 won’t blow you away, it’s completely serviceable as a workhorse or business machine. It’s also an obvious step up from the Pavilion 15.

The HP Pavilion 15’s display is disappointing, even at this price. It features a 16:9 1080p touchscreen with a maximum brightness of 250 nits. That’s slightly lower than the IdeaPad, and the fact that it’s not using a 16:10 display is a bit disappointing. HP doesn’t specify a color rating here, but the lower brightness will tell you that the overall experience just won’t be as good as the IdeaPad.

Performance: The similarities continue

Both laptops feature the same processors under the hood. This means that performance-wise, they are nearly identical. You can choose between AMD’s latest Ryzen 7030 series or Intel’s 13th-generation mobile chips. Both of these are U-series chips, and all of them are rated at 15W. We’d recommend the Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 chips for both, as you’ll end up saving a bit on the initial cost. Both processors will be enough for day-to-day tasks like web browsing, writing documents, and crunching spreadsheets. If you need more performance, the Ryzen 7 and Core i7 processors might be worth the upgrade.

Both laptops are also surprisingly decent for some casual gaming. However, you’ll want to avoid the Ryzen 5 and Intel Core i5 options in this case. The Ryzen 7 and Intel Core i7 processors have more cores and a higher boost clock, both of which end up improving the overall performance you’ll get in games. You can’t expect to play highly intensive games like Red Dead Redemption 2 or something. These laptops are better suited for games that can easily run on lower-end hardware.

Overall, the performance difference is nearly negligible between the two. There’s no clear winner here, and you should pay more attention to other factors when deciding between them.

Battery life: Another win for the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5

The HP Pavilion 15 features a 41Wh battery that can last from 7-8 hours. This number is based on similar laptops that have the same battery size and use the same processors. With normal usage like web browsing, watching videos, and even a bit of coding, you’ll hopefully only have to charge it once every day. That’s enough for most people and falls in line with other laptops at this price. However, the charging speed is a bit on the slower side. Fully charging this laptop will take you around an hour and a half.

While the Pavilion 15 has good enough battery life, the IdeaPad Slim 5 is even better. Lenovo claims that it can last up to 11 hours. Considering the screen size, resolution, and processors, these claims will likely hold up in real-world use.

The IdeaPad 5 has a larger 56.6Wh battery, and that’s why it lasts longer than the Pavilion 15. You can also upgrade to a 75.4Wh battery, and that will give you more than 12 to 13 hours of battery life with ease. If you’re someone who travels a lot and doesn’t want to carry a charger with you all the time, the IdeaPad is the obvious choice. It also charges faster than the Pavilion 15, as it can give you an 80% charge in 60 minutes.

The IdeaPad Slim 5 is the better device

While both laptops are pretty similar at first glance, it doesn’t take long for you to notice the wins that Lenovo holds over HP here. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 features a bigger, brighter, and overall better display alongside improved battery life. Both of these aspects are solid enough reasons to go with the IdeaPad over the Pavilion 15.

While the HP Pavilion 15 is still a perfectly decent laptop, it’s hard to recommend knowing that the IdeaPad Slim 5 exists. Unless you find it at an absolute steal of a price, we’d recommend the IdeaPad over it any day.