Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Gen 8 15.6" VS Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 15.6" AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS 3.1GHz / Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 A Laptop / 24GB RAM / 512GB SSD

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Gen 8 15.6″ weighs 1620 g, while the Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 15.6″ weighs significantly more at 2380 g. Both laptops have a similar width of 359 mm, but the LOQ model is taller (258 mm vs. 235 mm) and thicker (21 mm vs. 17 mm). In terms of volume, the IdeaPad Slim 3 has a smaller size at 1434.205 cm³, compared to the LOQ's larger volume of 1945.062 cm³.

Neither of these laptops features a fanless design. The IdeaPad Slim 3 lacks a backlit keyboard, while the LOQ 15ARP9 comes with one, providing better visibility in low-light conditions.

The IdeaPad Slim 3 comes with a 2-year warranty, whereas the LOQ model has a shorter 1-year warranty. Neither of these laptops is weather-sealed or splashproof.

Both the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Gen 8 15.6″ and the Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 15.6″ feature a 15.6″ display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 px (or 1920 x 1080 px in the case of the LOQ), meaning the resolution is the same in practice. Both have a pixel density of 141 ppi. Neither display is a touchscreen.

The IdeaPad Slim 3 has a typical brightness of 250 nits, while the LOQ offers a brighter 300 nits display. The IdeaPad Slim 3 also has a 60Hz refresh rate, which is lower than the LOQ's 144Hz refresh rate, offering a smoother experience for fast-moving content on the LOQ.

Both laptops come with an anti-reflection coating, helping to reduce glare and improve visibility in well-lit environments.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Gen 8 15.6″ comes with 16GB of RAM, while the Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 15.6″ has 24GB of RAM. Both devices have RAM running at a speed of 4800 MHz. The IdeaPad Slim 3 features a 1024GB internal storage, whereas the LOQ has 512GB of internal storage. Both laptops use flash storage and have NVMe SSDs, providing fast data access speeds.

In terms of processing power, the IdeaPad Slim 3 is equipped with a CPU that has 6 cores running at 2.4 GHz and 4 cores running at 1.8 GHz, totaling 16 threads. The LOQ, on the other hand, has a CPU with 8 cores running at 3.1 GHz, also with 16 threads, offering a higher base clock speed. Both laptops support multithreading, which improves multitasking performance.

Regarding graphics, the IdeaPad Slim 3 has a GPU with a clock speed of 300 MHz and a turbo speed of 1500 MHz. The LOQ features a more powerful GPU, with a clock speed of 1065 MHz and a turbo speed of 1343 MHz. The LOQ also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, while the IdeaPad Slim 3 supports DirectX 12. The IdeaPad Slim 3 has 0 memory slots, while the LOQ has 2 memory slots, providing more upgrade options for future memory expansion. Both devices support 64-bit systems and use PCI Express (PCIe) version 4 for fast data transfer.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Gen 8 15.6″ has a PassMark result of 23805, while the Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 15.6″ has a slightly lower PassMark result of 23380. Both laptops have single-threaded PassMark results, with the IdeaPad Slim 3 scoring 3569 and the LOQ scoring 3168. Although the LOQ has a slightly lower overall benchmark score, its single-threaded performance is still notable.

These benchmarks suggest that while the IdeaPad Slim 3 might offer a small edge in overall performance, both laptops deliver solid processing power for demanding tasks.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Gen 8 15.6″ and Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 15.6″ both feature USB Type-C ports, with the IdeaPad Slim 3 offering one USB 3.2 Gen 1 USB-C port and the LOQ providing one USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C port. Both models also have USB 3.2 Gen 1 USB-A ports, with the IdeaPad Slim 3 offering two and the LOQ offering three. Neither laptop includes USB 4 or Thunderbolt ports.

For video output, both laptops include an HDMI port, but the IdeaPad Slim 3 has HDMI 1.4, while the LOQ features the newer HDMI 2.1. The IdeaPad Slim 3 has a VGA connector, whereas the LOQ does not. Additionally, the IdeaPad Slim 3 has an external memory slot, but the LOQ does not.

In terms of networking, both laptops support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), and both have Bluetooth 5.2. The IdeaPad Slim 3 lacks an RJ45 port, while the LOQ includes one, providing an option for wired Ethernet connectivity. Both laptops support AirPlay for wireless streaming to compatible devices.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Gen 8 15.6″ is equipped with a 47 Wh battery, while the Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 15.6″ has a larger 60 Wh battery. Both laptops feature sleep-and-charge USB ports, allowing users to charge devices while the laptop is in sleep mode. Neither laptop includes a MagSafe power adapter.

Overall, the LOQ model offers a larger battery, which may provide more runtime, but both devices support the same charging feature with sleep-and-charge USB ports.

Both the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Gen 8 15.6″ and the Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 15.6″ feature stereo speakers and a 3.5 mm audio jack for audio connectivity. They both have two microphones and a front camera, but neither has a fingerprint scanner, voice commands, or 3D facial recognition. The IdeaPad Slim 3 does not support ray tracing, DLSS, or Dolby Atmos, while the LOQ supports both ray tracing and DLSS, though neither device has Dolby Atmos sound.

Neither laptop includes an S/PDIF Out port, gyroscope, GPS, accelerometer, compass, or an optical disc drive. The features are generally similar between the two, with the key difference being the LOQ’s support for ray tracing and DLSS, which is absent on the IdeaPad Slim 3.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Gen 8 15.6″ has a clock multiplier of 24, while the Lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 15.6″ has a higher clock multiplier of 31. The IdeaPad Slim 3 has an L2 cache of 9.5 MB and an L3 cache of 24 MB, compared to the LOQ's smaller L2 cache of 4 MB and L3 cache of 16 MB. The LOQ supports ECC memory, which the IdeaPad Slim 3 does not, though both laptops have 2 memory channels.

Both laptops have a thermal design power (TDP) of 45W, but the IdeaPad Slim 3 has a higher CPU temperature of 100°C, compared to the LOQ’s 95°C. The IdeaPad Slim 3 uses big.LITTLE technology, while the LOQ does not.

In terms of graphics, the IdeaPad Slim 3 has integrated graphics, whereas the LOQ does not. Both laptops support OpenCL version 3 and OpenGL version 4.6. The RAM speed for the IdeaPad Slim 3 is maxed at 5200 MHz, while the LOQ supports a maximum RAM speed of 4800 MHz. Both laptops support the same instruction sets, including SSE 4.1, SSE 4.2, AES, AVX, and FMA3, with the LOQ also supporting AVX2 and MMX.