Apple MacBook Neo vs Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x: Optimizations beat better hardware
There were hardly any Windows laptops offering the same price/performance as the Apple MacBook Neo when it first launched. A few months later, some Windows laptops have come out that aim to offer a similar or better price/performance than the MacBook Neo. Curiously, almost all of the possible MacBook Neo-competitors, like the Dell XPS 13, run on x86 CPUs and not the ARM-based Snapdragon X2 SoCs.
This poses an interesting question: Can the Snapdragon X2-based laptops offer the same value as the Apple MacBook Neo? Hardware Canucks pitted the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100 against the Apple MacBook Neo to find out the answer. Sadly, the answer is rather disappointing for Windows enthusiasts.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x puts up a sad showing against the MacBook Neo
Hardware Canucks shows that, despite packing a more powerful SoC in the 6-core Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, 16 GB of RAM, and a much faster Gen 4 SSD, the IdeaPad Slim 5x often fails to outpace the MacBook Neo in day-to-day use. In demanding apps like Adobe Premiere and DaVinci Resolve, the Snapdragon X2 Plus fails to outrun the Apple A18 Pro. The result is that the MacBook Neo ends up being faster in both cases.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x fares much better in apps like Adobe Lightroom, Blender, and Handbrake. But importing files into Adobe Lightroom is reportedly smoother on the MacBook Neo.
So, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x is not a slouch, as it performs well. But, considering that the IdeaPad Slim 5x costs much more and packs a more powerful SoC, as shown by our multi-core Geekbench 6.7 result, it is quite sad. Apple’s optimizations are shining bright here.
Battery life is another thing that points to the superiority of Apple’s optimizations vs the raw hardware potential of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x. Hardware Canucks reports that the MacBook Neo lasts longer under both easy and heavy workloads.
In the Chrome Web browsing test, for instance, the MacBook Neo lasted around 19 hours. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x fell an hour short. This is despite the fact that the Lenovo laptop packs a 50% larger battery than the MacBook Neo.
That said, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x does take the win in terms of the versatility of its hardware. The laptop has more and diverse ports, a better keyboard, and allows for storage upgrades. We highly recommend checking out the full Hardware Canucks video linked below to get the full picture. We also recommend reading our official MacBook Neo review to know the ins and outs of Apple’s most affordable MacBook.
Buy the Apple MacBook Neo | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x on Amazon
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