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Head-to-head · Best Budget Laptops Under $700

HP Pavilion 15 vs Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.2 vs 4.5). The gap is mostly about Buyers who want the most well-rounded budget productivity laptop with a premium-feeling build and a large screen for everyday work and study. — read the strengths below before deciding.

HP Pavilion 15
Ranked #4 in Best Budget Laptops Under $700
HP Pavilion 15
$683as of Jun 7

The Pavilion 15 is the dependable mainstream pick: a 13th-gen Core i5 laptop with an FHD touchscreen and a clean, sturdy build that owners rate highly (4.7/5 at Best Buy). Reviewed.com called it "one of the better performing" budget laptops it had tested, and LaptopMedia praised its comfort-and-battery balance. The 8GB of RAM is the main limitation, but for general use it is a reliable value.

Strengths
  • — 13th-gen Intel Core i5-1335U delivers solid everyday performance for the price
  • — FHD touchscreen adds convenience uncommon at this budget
  • — Thin, sturdy chassis with a clean, mature design
Watch-outs
  • — Only 8GB of RAM, which can feel tight with many tabs open
  • — 256GB-class storage fills quickly for media-heavy users
  • — Display is bright enough but unremarkable for color work
$683 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5
Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Budget Laptops Under $700
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5
$799.99as of Jun 7

The IdeaPad Slim 5 is the best all-rounder under $700, pairing an aluminum chassis that punches above its price with a roomy 16-inch 1200p display, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Notebookcheck rated the 16-inch line 80% and PCWorld called the closely related Slim 5i a 4.5-star bargain. The display is the weak point, but for productivity it is hard to beat at this money.

Strengths
  • — Aluminum chassis feels unexpectedly premium for a budget laptop
  • — 10-core Intel Core 5 120U handles everyday productivity smoothly
  • — Generous 16GB LPDDR5x RAM and 1TB SSD for the price
Watch-outs
  • — 60Hz IPS panel covers only about 45% NTSC, so colors are muted
  • — Memory is soldered and cannot be upgraded later
  • — Best value only appears at sale prices; MSRP is less compelling
$799.99 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →

How they stack up

HP Pavilion 15

A dependable mainstream alternative to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 and Acer Aspire 5, with a touchscreen the Aspire 5 lacks. It trails the IdeaPad Slim 5 on RAM, storage and build material, and cannot match the Acer Swift Go 14 on CPU speed or the HP OmniBook 5 14 on battery and screen, but it is a well-rounded, well-liked everyday laptop.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5

The most balanced pick here: it offers a more premium aluminum build than the plastic Acer Aspire 5 and HP Pavilion 15, and a larger, taller screen than the 14-inch Acer Swift Go 14 and HP OmniBook 5 14. It trades the OmniBook's marathon battery and the Swift Go's snappier CPU for the best overall blend of build, screen size and value.

Specs side-by-side

SpecHP Pavilion 15Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5
CPUIntel Core i5-1335U (13th Gen, 10-core)Intel Core 5 120U (10-core)
RAM8GB DDR416GB LPDDR5x
Storage512GB PCIe NVMe SSD1TB M.2 NVMe SSD
Display15.6-inch FHD (1920x1080) touchscreen16-inch WUXGA (1920x1200) IPS, 60Hz
GraphicsIntel Iris Xe—
Charging0 to 50% in ~45 minutes—
OSWindows 11 HomeWindows 11 Home
CertificationENERGY STAR, EPEAT Silver—
Ports—2x USB-C, 2x USB-A, HDMI 1.4b, headphone jack
Wireless—Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Brightness—300 nits
← See the full ranking of best budget laptops under $700