Products
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (2021)
Lenovo LOQ 15 (2023)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Feb 29, 2024 05:20 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Tested using Methodology v0.8.3
Updated May 02, 2025 02:48 PM
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Size
15.6"
Operating System
Windows 11
Size
15.6"
Operating System
Windows 11
Our Verdict
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (2021)
Lenovo LOQ 15 (2023)
The Lenovo LOQ 15 (2023) is better than the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (2021) for most uses. The LOQ 15 is available with faster Ryzen CPUs and NVIDIA 40-series GPUs, resulting in much better gaming performance with higher and more consistent frame rates. It has more ports, longer battery life, and variable refresh rate support to reduce screen tearing. Additionally, the LOQ 15 stays cooler and quieter under load and doesn't throttle as much as the IdeaPad Gaming 3.
Variants
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K201QMUS) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/GTX 1650/8GB/256GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K20015US) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/GTX 1650/8GB/256GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K200UTUS) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/GTX 1650/8GB/256GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K20003US) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K200USUS) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K20013US) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/RTX 3050/8GB/512GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K200XXUS) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/RTX 3050Ti/8GB/512GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K200C5UK) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/RTX 3050Ti/8GB/512GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K200C4UK) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/RTX 3060/8GB/512GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K200UYUS) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 7 5800H/RTX 3050/8GB/256GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K200URUS) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 7 5800H/RTX 3060/8GB/512GB)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K20001US) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/GTX 1650/8GB/256GB SSD + 1TB HDD)
- IdeaPad Gaming 3 (82K20042FR) (Shadow Black - 120Hz/Ryzen 5 5600H/RTX 3050Ti/16GB/512GB)
- LOQ 15 (82XT0005US) (Storm Gray - 144Hz/Ryzen 5 7640HS/RTX 3050/8GB/512GB)
- LOQ 15 (82XT001TUS) (Storm Gray - 144Hz/Ryzen 7 7840HS/RTX 4050/16GB/1TB)
- LOQ 15 (82XT0002US) (Storm Gray - 144Hz/Ryzen 7 7840HS/RTX 4050/16GB/512GB)
- LOQ 15 (82XT001NUS) (Storm Gray - 144Hz/Ryzen 7 7840HS/RTX 4050/8GB/512GB)
- LOQ 15 (82XT004ECC) (Storm Gray - 165Hz/Ryzen 7 7840HS/RTX 4050/8GB/512GB)
Main Differences for
School
School
Threshold
School
6.6
6.8
Battery
4.2
5.9
Portability
6.7
5.7
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
7.5
7.0
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
6.6
8.2
Hinge Photo
Range
135°
160°
Stability
Good
Decent
One Finger Lift
No
Yes
Portability
6.7
5.7
Dimensions Photo
Size
15.6"
15.6"
Thickness
1.1" (2.8 cm)
1.3" (3.2 cm)
Width
14.1" (35.9 cm)
14.2" (36.0 cm)
Depth
9.9" (25.1 cm)
10.4" (26.5 cm)
Volume
154.0 in³ (2,523.1 cm³)
186.3 in³ (3,052.8 cm³)
Weight
4.7 lbs (2.1 kg)
5.3 lbs (2.4 kg)
Charger Size
11.4 in³ (187.5 cm³)
18.3 in³ (300.0 cm³)
Charger Weight
1.0 lbs (0.5 kg)
1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)
Serviceability
8.9
7.6
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
8.5
6.0
RAM Slots
2
2
Storage Slots
2
2
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
Yes
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
1920 x 1080
1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio
16:9
16:9
Pixel Density
141 PPI
141 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
80%
78%
Refresh Rate
8.7
8.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
144 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
FreeSync
FreeSync
Contrast
6.6
7.9
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
913 : 1
1,738 : 1
Brightness
6.0
7.4
Maximum Brightness
227 cd/m²
335 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
2 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
7.9
7.0
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Matte
Matte
Total Reflections
4.04%
5.19%
Indirect Reflections
2.7%
1.95%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.34%
3.24%
Black Uniformity
7.5
8.6
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
0.992%
0.726%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
5.9
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
26°
Color Washout From Right
19°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
44°
Color Shift From Right
38°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
29°
Brightness Loss From Right
22°
Black Level Raise From Left
15°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
24°
Gamma Shift From Right
18°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.0
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
25°
Color Washout From Above
25°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
33°
Color Shift From Above
34°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
26°
Brightness Loss From Above
25°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
23°
Gamma Shift From Below
25°
Gamma Shift From Above
22°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
6.1
6.2
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
3.18
3.27
Avg. Gamma
2.27
2.14
Avg. Color dE
5.03
4.72
Avg. Color Temperature
6,589.6 K
6,416.6 K
Color Gamut
3.8
4.4
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
62.36%
67.05%
sRGB uv
52.26%
57.12%
Adobe RGB xy
46.49%
50.05%
Adobe RGB uv
44.9%
49.41%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
46.23%
49.75%
DCI P3 uv
41.71%
45.87%
Rec. 2020 xy
33.16%
35.72%
Rec. 2020 uv
30.39%
33.44%
Flicker
10
10
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
Yes
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
No Flicker
Flicker Active Below
0%
0%
Interface
Keyboard
8.1
7.8
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
8.0
7.5
Numpad
Yes
Yes
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
62 gf
66 gf
Actuation Force
31 gf
30 gf
Pre-Travel
1.04 mm
1.07 mm
Total Travel
1.45 mm
1.54 mm
Touchpad
7.8
7.8
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
8.0
8.0
Size
14.0 in² (90.0 cm²)
14.0 in² (90.0 cm²)
Material
Plastic
Plastic
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
7.0
7.3
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
71 dB SPL
77 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.6 dB
6.2 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
-0.8
-0.9
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
293 Hz
375 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
13 kHz
17 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
2.1 dB
2.0 dB
Webcam & Microphone
7.5
7.0
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
7.0
7.0
Resolution
720p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
Yes
No
Face Unlock
No
No
Connectivity
Ports
6.0
8.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
2
3
USB-C Ports
1
1
Thunderbolt
No
No
USB-C Charging
No
Yes
USB-C Display Out
No
Yes
HDMI
2.0
2.1
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
No
No
Ethernet
Yes
Yes
Proprietary Port
Lenovo Power Connector
Lenovo Power Connector
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.2
5.1
Configuration
CPU
Brand
AMD
AMD
Model
Ryzen 7 5800H
Ryzen 7 7840HS
Core Count
8
8
Thread Count
16
16
GPU
Brand
NVIDIA
NVIDIA
Model
GeForce RTX 3050
GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU
Dedicated/Integrated
Dedicated
Dedicated
VRAM Size
4 GB
6 GB
GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)
95W
RAM
Capacity
8 GB
16 GB
Modules
1
2
Type
DDR4
DDR5
Speed
3,200 MHz
5,600 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
1,256 GB
1,000 GB
Usable Capacity
1,194 GB
953 GB
Drive 1
Samsung MZALQ256HBJD-00BL2
Micron MTFDKCD1T0TFK
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
Toshiba MQ04ABF100
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
HDD
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
8.7
9.8
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,362 points
1,954 points
CPU Multi-Thread
5,129 points
11,354 points
GPU Compute
61,496 points
89,339 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.6
9.9
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,430 points
1,796 points
Multi-Thread
12,544 points
16,456 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
9.0
9.3
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
3.3 min
2.6 min
GPU Render Time
0.8 min
0.4 min
GPU Render Time (Optix)
22 s
12 s
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
8.0
9.6
Basemark Image
Overall Score
56,493
105,826
Storage Drive Performance
9.1
9.3
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
876.1 MB/s
723.6 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
2,473.2 MB/s
2,816.7 MB/s
Random Write Speed
85.8 MB/s
147.2 MB/s
Random Read Speed
45.4 MB/s
59.9 MB/s
Battery
4.2
5.9
Capacity
45 Wh
60 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
5.3 hrs
8.3 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
3.0 hrs
3.8 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
0.9 hrs
0.9 hrs
Charge Time
2.4 hrs
1.7 hrs
Borderlands 3
4.8
7.8
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
43 fps
91 fps
1% Low
12 fps
61 fps
0.1% Low
5 fps
39 fps
1% Low Delta
62 ms
5 ms
0.1% Low Delta
195 ms
15 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
84 fps
190 fps
Civilization VI
7.3
8.8
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
66 fps
149 fps
1% Low
45 fps
96 fps
0.1% Low
37 fps
92 fps
1% Low Delta
7 ms
4 ms
0.1% Low Delta
12 ms
4 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
141 fps
318 fps
Avg. Turn Time
7.23 s
6.27 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
8.1
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
117 fps
1% Low
59 fps
0.1% Low
47 fps
1% Low Delta
8 ms
0.1% Low Delta
13 ms
Avg. FPS On Low
180 fps
Counter-Strike 2
8.7
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
196fps
1% Low
80fps
0.1% Low
50fps
1% Low Delta
7 ms
0.1% Low Delta
15 ms
Avg. FPS On Low
217fps
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
5.0
8.4
SOTTR Graph
Avg. FPS
52 fps
124 fps
1% Low
20 fps
78 fps
0.1% Low
7 fps
42 fps
1% Low Delta
31 ms
5 ms
0.1% Low Delta
125 ms
16 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
65 fps
145 fps
Thermals And Noise
5.9
7.2
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
37 °C (98 °F)
33 °C (91 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
52 °C (126 °F)
43 °C (110 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
51.0 dBA
48.5 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
Yes
Yes
Performance Over Time
9.0
10
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
82 °C
85 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
6% loss
0% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
70 °C
61 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss
0% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Windows 11
Windows 11
Additional Software
Yes
Yes
Extra Features
Biometrics
No
No
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen Support
No Stylus Support
Secondary Display
No
No
Touch Pen
No
To access
and
Become an Insider
unlimited full product reviews,
product prices
other exclusive site features
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (2021)
Lenovo LOQ 15 (2023)
Comments
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (2021) vs Lenovo LOQ 15 (2023): Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.