There are a number of gaming laptops out in the market, so choosing one can be confusing if you aren’t up-to-date with the current landscape. Two models that can certainly be considered excellent value performers are the Dell G15 and Lenovo Legion 5. Both laptops come in various configurations, so they are great options no matter what your budget is. To help you choose between the two, here’s our in-depth comparison, focusing on their build quality, display, performance and battery life.
In this Lenovo Legion 5 vs Dell G15 review and comparison, both laptops (2022 models) are equipped with the same CPU, GPU and RAM, to better gauge how they stack against each other.
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Dell G15 vs Lenovo Legion 5 Comparison Chart
Design
The Lenovo Legion 5 is better built than the Dell G15.
Both of these are gaming laptops, but they have understated designs that can easily pass as work or business laptops. The Dell G15 is available in dark shadow grey, obsidian black and specter green. All of these colorways have a minimalist aesthetic, apart from the slightly large “Dell” branding on the lid. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Legion 5 is only available in storm grey. Similar to the Dell G15, though, the Lenovo Legion 5 has a simple design without any “gamer” fluff. There’s a “LEGION” branding on the lid, but it’s tastefully done.
The Dell G15 and Lenovo Legion 5 are not the most portable due to how bulky and heavy they are. The Dell G15 measures 1.06 x 14.06 x 10.74 inches and it weighs 5.55lbs. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5’s physical dimensions are 0.79-0.95 x 14.13 x 10.33 inches and it weighs 5.29lbs. The Lenovo Legion 5 has a small advantage in portability as it’s slightly thinner and lighter.
When it comes to build quality, the Lenovo Legion 5 has the slight advantage. Even though they are both built with plastic and metal, the Legion 5 feels sturdier. The Dell G15 feels a bit cheap since its finish can scratch easily. It also has more flex when you push down on the keyboard.
The keyboard on the Lenovo Legion 5 is spaced out much better than the keyboard on the Dell G15. The Legion 5’s keyboard also feels a bit more clicky, so it’s nicer to type on. The trackpad on the Lenovo Legion 5 also feels much better to use. It’s more responsive and it’s larger.
Display
The Dell G15 and Lenovo Legion 5 have similar panels.
Both the Dell G15 and Lenovo Legion 5 have 15.6-inch IPS panels. The Dell G15 has three panel options—1080p 120Hz, 1080p 165Hz and 1440p 240Hz. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5, not including the Pro models, only has a 1080p 165Hz panel. A 1080p resolution is pretty common for gaming laptops at this size, and it will be easier to drive than higher resolution panels. The 1440p panel on the Dell G15 needs to be paired with the RTX 3070 Ti GPU in order to get satisfying performance.
The Dell G15 120Hz panel is the worst out of the bunch since it only has a max brightness of 200 nits and it only covers around 50% of the sRGB color gamut. The 165Hz panel is an improvement with a max brightness of 300 nits and 100% coverage of the sRGB standard. Even better is the 240Hz as its max brightness is 400 nits. The Lenovo Legion 5’s lone 165Hz option is similar to the 165Hz panel of the G15 in terms of max brightness and sRGB coverage.
As for response time and latency, the higher refresh rate panels will perform better than the lower refresh rate panels. For comparison, the two 165Hz panels perform roughly the same in this area.
Performance and Cooling
The Dell G15 and Lenovo Legion 5 offer similar gaming performance, with a slight advantage going to the latter.
When configured using the same components, the difference in gaming performance between the Dell G15 and Lenovo Legion 5 is minimal. For instance, a game like Control will run at a little over 80 frames per second on both laptops. Cyberpunk 2077, which is also a demanding game, has a 65 to 66 frames per second average on both devices. By the way, the two laptops being compared sport the R7 6800H CPU and RTX 3060 GPU.
Thermal performance, on the other hand, is a different story. The Dell G15 performs worse than the Lenovo Legion 5 in this area. When idle, the Dell G15 is significantly warmer, with a temperature of around 50-55 degrees C. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Legion 5 idles at 30-33 degrees C. The difference is reduced when both are under load, but the G15 still has higher temperatures.
When idle, both laptops are quiet, but you can faintly hear the fans on the Lenovo Legion 5. However, when gaming, the Legion 5’s fans are noticeably louder, and this can be annoying. The fans on the Dell G15 are loud as well, but when compared side-by-side, the Lenovo Legion 5 is noisier.
Software
Both laptops ship with Windows 11 Home, but you also have the option of upgrading to Windows 11 Pro with the Dell G15. Windows 11 Pro offers better security, encryption and cloud management if you are also going to use the laptop for business and work purposes.
As for the included software, the Alienware Command Center is inferior to the Lenovo Vantage software in almost every way. You can change the fan settings on the Alienware Command Center, but that’s about the only significant setting change that you can do. On the Lenovo Vantage, you can change performance modes, enable hybrid mode, tweak power settings and search for system updates. On the Dell G15, system updates and power settings require different software.
Battery and Connectivity
The Dell G15 has a longer battery life, but the Lenovo Legion 5 has more I/O ports.
Both laptops offer two battery watt-hour capacities. The Dell G15 comes with either a 56Wh or 86Wh battery. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 has 60Wh and 80Wh battery options. When comparing the 86Wh and 80Wh batteries, the Dell G15 lasted around 2-3 hours longer than the Lenovo Legion 5, which is expected.
As for I/O ports, both laptops have all the essentials such as a 3.5mm combo jack, an HDMI 2.1 port, an ethernet port and various USB ports. However, the Lenovo Legion 5 does have more USB-C ports (three vs one). They both have three USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports. The Lenovo Legion 5 also has an e-shutter switch to disconnect the webcam for privacy.
Verdict
The Lenovo Legion 5 is better built and has better temps while the Dell G15 is quieter, has more screen options and has a longer battery life.
Dell G15
Longer battery life, more screen options, quieter
Lenovo Legion 5
Better build quality, software and temps
In summary, both the Dell G15 and Lenovo Legion 5 offer excellent gaming performance. When configured using the same CPU, GPU, RAM, storage and panel, the Lenovo Legion 5 is slightly more expensive than the Dell G15, but the difference is near negligible. With the Dell G15, you’ll get a quieter laptop with a longer battery life, while the Lenovo Legion 5 offers better build quality, a more useful software and better temps overall. Choosing between the two will come down to which of these factors are more important to you.
FAQs
They offer similar gaming performance. The Dell G15 has a longer battery duration and a quieter operation. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Legion 5 offers better temps, a more solid build and better software.
Along with the Lenovo Legion 5, the Dell G15 is a very good mid-range gaming laptop.
You have the option of going with an orange-backlit or a 4-Zone RGB with the Dell G15.
Yes, it has one HDMI 2.1 port.