Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Ultimate Review: Lenovo’s Best Gaming Laptop Yet

Forget what you think you know about gaming laptops. Before this, my gaming was strictly console-based – a loyal PlayStation 5 devotee, through and through. The idea of lugging around a hefty gaming rig, especially with my travel schedule, never appealed. Then the Legion Pro 7i landed on my desk, and suddenly, portable gaming became a very real temptation, despite its hefty 5.67lbs. It’s a beast, no doubt, but the raw power it unleashes is making me seriously reconsider my allegiance. Battery life takes a hit, sure, but what you get in performance is a whole new level of gaming experience.

Forget compromise. This Lenovo laptop isn’t justgood; it’s your desk-bound powerhouse, seamlessly transitioning from workday warrior to nighttime playmate. Prepare to be captivated by its stunning 16-inch OLED display. The taller 16:10 aspect ratio gives you more vertical real estate, while the blistering 240Hz refresh rate makes everything – gaming, movies, even spreadsheets – look impossibly smooth and vibrant. This isn’t just a screen; it’s a visual feast.

Three thousand, five hundred and nineteen dollars. A significant investment, no doubt. But does this machine justify that hefty price tag? Let’s delve in and uncover the truth.

Specs

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (10th Gen) Specs

View Device Specs

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Ultimate Review: Hardware

Lenovo has unleashed a gaming laptop that’s a dark knight of design. Cloaked in an all-metal, obsidian chassis, it’s a real head-turner. Prepare to be mesmerized by its sleek, stealthy aesthetics. The only chink in its armor? Fingerprints – the price of perfection, perhaps?

The chassis has bulked up since the 9th gen, but the difference is surprisingly subtle. Clever screen placement masks the increased footprint. What’s truly remarkable? Despite the all-metal construction, the weight remains unchanged – still comfortably under 6lbs. Not bad for a gaming laptop, though you’ll find razor-thin creator laptops packing similar power in a slimmer profile.

The Legion Pro 7i doesn’t just flirt with RGB; it dives headfirst into a rainbow rave. The keyboard glows, naturally, but the party doesn’t stop there. An underglow illuminates your desk in a customizable hue, like some futuristic landing strip. And wrapping around the back? More RGB, because apparently, your wall needed some love too. Personally, I find it a bit much; the keyboard’s illumination is enough for me. The real kicker? It’s an all-or-nothing light show. You can’t tweak individual zones, which is a major bummer for anyone seeking nuanced control. Prepare for a synchronized light orchestra, whether you like it or not.

Beneath the Legion Pro 7i lurks a thermal beast, tamed only by its dual, cavernous fan vents. Coupled with elevated feet, this design isn’t just aesthetic; it’s a declaration of war against overheating. Prepare for scorching performance because this machine runs white-hot. Thankfully, those fans stand ready, a vital lifeline in the heat of battle.

The off-center trackpad

Confession: I’m a mouse loyalist. Trackpads and I? We have a complicated relationship, especially on PCs. Most just don’t cut it. So, when I unboxed this Lenovo, the off-center trackpad practically screamed "adjustment period." Blame the number pad – a practical addition that throws the visual balance into delightful chaos. Centered to the keyboard’s main keys, it’s skewed just enough to mess with my muscle memory. But…and this is a big but…the size. The sheer, glorious expanse of this trackpad is mesmerizing. It’s not just big; it’s beautiful. Dare I say, it’s the supermodel of trackpads.

This keyboard is a solid performer with a comfortable feel. While it might not fully satisfy mechanical keyboard aficionados, the key travel is ample for most. A subtle indentation on each keycap enhances accuracy and overall usability. As a bonus, the "O" key sports an embedded Legion logo – a slick, eye-catching detail that adds a touch of flair.

Just above the keyboard is the power button, shaped in the Legion logo as well.

Plenty of ports

This Lenovo gaming laptop is a connectivity champion, boasting a comprehensive port selection befitting its spacious design. The right side is a haven for peripherals: two USB-A ports stand ready, accompanied by a trusty headphone jack and a lag-busting Ethernet port. But the real star is the physical webcam kill switch – a privacy champion that more manufacturers desperately need to emulate.

On the left flank, a versatile array of ports stands ready: a classic USB-A, a duo of future-proof USB-C ports armed with Power Delivery, and an HDMI port for display domination. Tucked alongside is Lenovo’s dedicated charging port, fueled by a behemoth 400W power brick. Yes, it’s a hefty travel companion, but it justifies its weight by rapidly replenishing the massive 99.9Whr battery far quicker than standard USB-C Power Delivery can manage.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Ultimate Review: Display

Prepare to feast your eyes. This 16-inch QHD display, boasting a buttery smooth 240Hz refresh rate and a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, is simply stunning. Frankly, it might just be the most visually captivating screen you can currently find gracing a laptop. However, this brilliance comes with a catch: its intensely glossy finish. Attempting to use this masterpiece in a sun-drenched room or, heaven forbid, outdoors, transforms it into a reflective nightmare. Compounding the issue, its peak brightness tops out at a modest 500 nits, leaving you struggling to see past the glare.

Confession: I’ve pawed at the Legion Pro 7i’s screen more times than I care to admit, expecting a response that never comes. Fresh off reviewing ASUS’s creator-gaming hybrids, my fingers reflexively reach out, yearning for that satisfying tap or swipe. Silence. While the world doesn’t crumble because this beast lacks touch capability gaming laptops rarely offer it the phantom touches linger. A minor annoyance, perhaps, but one that serves as a constant, tactile reminder of what could be.

Otherwise, this is an amazing display. Great for watching content and amazing for playing games.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Ultimate Review: Performance

The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i doesn’t just boast performance; itroars. Packing an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, this $3,000+ beast delivers the silky-smooth, lag-free experience you crave. Stuttering? Forget about it. My only battle? Taming the heat dragon. This machine pushes its limits, and the fans let you know it.

Switching from my whisper-quiet MacBook Pro to the Legion Pro 7i felt like landing a jet. On my Mac, the fans are practically mythical creatures – rarely seen, almost never heard. But the moment I fired up Chrome on the Legion Pro 7i, the cooling system roared to life. It’s the price you pay for power, I suppose, especially with Chrome’s notorious appetite for resources on non-ARM machines. Despite the fan frenzy, the Legion Pro 7i impressively managed to keep its cool, a testament to its robust thermal design.

Benchmarks

Let’s talk brass tacks: gaming performance. We didn’t just take Lenovo’s Legion Pro 7i for a spin; we threw it into the gauntlet of benchmark tests. The real question: Did it rise to the occasion, or crumble under pressure?

The gauntlet drops. First up: Geekbench 6, our universal yardstick for silicon, from smartphones to hulking desktops. We throw the kitchen sink at it: single-core, multi-core, and the all-important GPU. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i? It doesn’t just play; it dominates. Witness the raw power of NVIDIA’s RTX 50-series debut. On the GPU benchmark, it’s not even a contest. Prepare for liftoff.

How does the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i stack up against the competition? We pit it against recent powerhouses like the ASUS ProArt P16, the ASUS ProArt PX13, and even the Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Pro). However, a quick caveat: the Legion Pro 7i is a generation ahead. Prepare for a clash of generations as we see what the latest and greatest can do!

| Laptop | Geekbench Single | Geekbench Multi | Geekbench GPU | | — | — | — | — | | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i | 2,962 | 15,262 | 117,636 | | ASUS ProArt PX13 | 2,852 | 13,878 | 88,995 | | ASUS ProArt P16 | 2,764 | 12,015 | 99,165 | | Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Pro) | 3,017 | 13,614 | 43,556 |

The Legion Pro 7i doesn’t just win; it dominates. This gaming laptop decimates the competition across the board. While the MacBook Pro puts up a surprisingly strong fight, even seizing the single-core crown – a remarkable feat for silicon that’s nearly two years old – the Legion Pro 7i ultimately reigns supreme.

Cinebench reinforces the story: the Legion Pro 7i dominates the PC competition. Mirroring Geekbench 6, our Cinebench results reveal a familiar hierarchy, where only the MacBook Pro edges it out in single-core performance. Dive into the data below to witness the Legion Pro 7i flexing its muscle.

| Laptop | Cinebench Single | Cinebench Multi | | — | — | — | | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i | 135 | 1,879 | | ASUS ProArt PX13 | 112 | 1,089 | | ASUS ProArt P16 | 116 | 1,142 | | Apple MacBook Pro (M3 Pro) | 145 | 976 |

The Legion Pro 7i’s performance? Let’s cut to the chase: It’s currently king of the hill. We’re talking face-melting, benchmark-crushing dominance. Is it the everlasting champion? Not likely. The tech world moves at warp speed, and the next contender is always lurking, especially with IFA on the horizon. But for now, bask in its glory.

The final trial: the dreaded battery test. Forget synthetic benchmarks; they’re boardroom simulations in a real-world war. I needed a battle-tested number. So, overnight, the Legion Pro 7i charged to 100%. At 8 AM, the plug came out. The mission: simulate a typical workday, unplugged. This standardized torture ensures a level playing field across all reviews. The Legion Pro 7i? Its lifeline was tragically short, a predictable casualty of its high-performance pedigree. This beast prioritizes frames per second over hours away from an outlet.

I squeezed roughly 2.5 hours of battery life before scrambling for an outlet. The real kicker? This thing flirted with death! It stubbornly clung to 1%, even dipping to 0%, for what felt like an eternity before finally giving up the ghost. And that was just on "balanced" mode. I wasn’t even pushing it with full-throttle performance, considering my workload was mostly Chrome, Lightroom, and Photoshop.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Ultimate Review: Software

Confession time: I’m a Mac devotee. So, imagine my horror when I relegated my beloved MacBook Pro to the sidelines forweeks, all for a Windows machine. Yes, Windows, the operating system I usually love to hate. The shocker? The software experience was… fine. Not perfect, mind you. It came loaded with the usual PC bloatware suspects, but thankfully, most of them were easily banished to the digital dustbin.

Need a chameleon for your colors? The X-Rite Color Assistant lets you morph your display’s personality on the fly. Go from pinpoint-accurate hues for professional work to vibrant, oversaturated bliss for gaming – all with a simple switch.

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Ultimate Review: Battery Life and Charging

Battery life? Let’s be real. "Excellent" isn’t a word you’ll often hear describing a gaming laptop’s stamina. The Legion Pro 7i is no exception. Packing a monstrous processor and graphics card, this beast prioritizes performance over longevity. Its 99.9Whr battery? Think of it as a pit stop – enough juice for a quick session, but don’t expect to marathon any gaming epics unplugged. You’re looking at a couple of hours, tops, before needing to find an outlet.

The Legion Pro 7i’s battery life? Let’s just say it left me scrambling for an outlet before my mid-morning coffee break. Unplugged at 100% around 8 AM, it sputtered and died a little after 10 AM. A measly two hours! After months of ARM-powered laptops sipping power, this felt like strapping a rocket to a hamster wheel.

I cranked it up to "Best Performance" mode because, frankly, I wasn’t messing around. I wanted every last ounce of power squeezed out for the ultimate experience, even if the "Balanced" profile offered a few extra perks.

USB-C PD charging? Sure, youcould. But imagine filling a swimming pool with a garden hose. We’re talking glacial speeds for a battery this massive. Thankfully, Lenovo throws in a 400W charging BRICK – and I mean BRICK. Think hefty paperback novel, but instead of words, it’s pure, unadulterated power. Plug that beast in, and you’ll go from zero to full in about an hour. Surprisingly swift for such a power-hungry machine.

Should you buy the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i?

The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i: its price tag stings. Recommending it feels like suggesting solid gold dumbbells – undeniably effective, but hardly practical. Yet, if you’re chasing the bleeding edge of performance and cost is truly no obstacle, the Legion Pro 7i reigns supreme. It’s the unapologetic champion of raw power.

Stepping outside the gaming arena? No problem. For video editors, 3D modelers, and content creators craving graphical muscle, "Creator" laptops are your secret weapon. We recently put some ASUS models through their paces and were blown away by their price-to-performance ratio. Sure, they’re rocking last-gen graphics cards, but don’t let that fool you – they still pack a serious punch without emptying your wallet.

You should buy the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i if:

You want the absolute best performance for Cyberpunk 2077.
You want a big, beautiful OLED display for gaming.

You should not buy the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i if:

You want a portable laptop that won’t break your back.
You want a quiet laptop.
You want a powerful laptop under a certain price point.

Thanks for reading Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Ultimate Review: Lenovo’s Best Gaming Laptop Yet