If you prioritize performance for tasks like intensive engineering or 3D work, the HP 14" Laptop with AMD Ryzen 5 is a strong choice, although its higher price reflects this capability. It has a compact 14-inch display, which contributes to portability but could be less ideal if you prefer a larger screen. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" boasts a 15.6-inch display that could be more comfortable for general use and multitasking, but it has a lower-resolution screen and less powerful Intel i3 processor. It's heavier, making it less portable than the HP, but it's also usually less expensive. Consider battery life too; the HP will generally last longer on a charge than the Lenovo, a significant advantage if you're often on the move. 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 HP 14" Laptop
Good for content creation
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has no clear advantages over the HP 14" Laptop.
Key differences
Content Creation
7.0/10
6.3/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The HP 14" Laptop is good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
6.8/10
6.3/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The HP 14" Laptop and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" are both only fair for software development, though the HP 14" Laptop is somewhat better.
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
6.3/10
5.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
265.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The HP 14" Laptop has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The HP 14" laptop may have a better combination of resolution and brightness compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 3, providing a clearer and more vivid display, which is essential for general activities like browsing and watching videos. For engineering and design work, the HP's fair screen quality suggests it covers a decent range of color gamuts, offering better color accuracy and consistency than the Lenovo, which is crucial for precise graphical tasks. Regarding gaming and 3D applications, the higher refresh rate of the HP could provide smoother motion and a more responsive experience, while the Lenovo falls short, making fast-paced visuals less fluid and immersive.
Battery
8.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The HP 14" Laptop has 8.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 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
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.2 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP 14" Laptop has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.0/10
6.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" and HP 14" Laptop both have only fair build quality, though the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$414
$360
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
The HP 14" Laptop has a price of $414 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" costs $360.
The HP 14" Laptop and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" are both only fair for general use.
The HP 14" Laptop offers decent performance for general use with a strong CPU, satisfactory RAM, and a higher-quality IPS screen, but its portability and battery life are middling, making it suitable if you don't need to move around much. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15", on the other hand, is less portable due to its larger size and similar weight, has a lower-resolution TN screen which is not as color accurate or viewable at angles as IPS, but comes with a touchscreen feature and a smaller battery which affects its battery life negatively.
Gaming and AI
5.8/10
5.8/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The HP 14" Laptop and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" are both poor for gaming and AI.
The HP 14" Laptop has a better integrated GPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U Vega 7, which provides fair gaming and 3D performance, along with a higher resolution IPS display that enhances screen quality despite both laptops having the same screen refresh rate. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15", on the other hand, has a less capable Intel UHD Xe G4 integrated GPU and a lower resolution TN display, contributing to its poor performance in gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
6.0/10
5.8/10
4.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers HP 14" Laptop to be only fair for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The HP 14" Laptop, equipped with a stronger AMD Ryzen CPU and integrated Vega graphics, offers superior performance for engineering and design tasks compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" which has a lower-end Intel i3 CPU and weaker UHD graphics. Additionally, the HP has an IPS display for better screen quality, which is very important for design accuracy, while the Lenovo's TN panel delivers less desirable color reproduction and viewing angles.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the HP 14" Laptop and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" compare to other laptops
"This feels like an ideal laptop for someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on a laptop and isn’t too bothered by things like build quality or construction. It’s a laptop that will be used to pay bills, keep track of expenses, do some online shopping, and will be tucked away in a spare bedroom/home office. It’s an appliance designed to do a job without fuss. It’s not a premium experience—the materials do feel a little cheap, the display won’t exactly wow you, and the battery life is nothing to write home about, especially if you’ve used more expensive devices. But overall it’s not too shabby, especially for the price."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU. Lenovo's office all-rounder easily handles office and internet applications as well as modest games - the Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM make this possible. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The emission values are okay, but the noise emissions should be lower under medium to full load. The relatively light notebook (approx. 1.6 kg) achieves practical battery runtimes of about 10 to 11 hours."
Get a great deal on the HP 14" Laptop or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
122,595
Recommendations made
26,563
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.