Lenovo just announced the Legion 7 (above image) and Legion 5i gaming laptops, both equipped with Intel’s 10th Gen H-Series CPU as the main, but not the only, CPU option. You can guess which is more powerful based on name, and it’s a significant update for Lenovo, so let’s take a closer look.
Legion 7
Key specifications
| Lenovo Legion 7 ($1,599.99+) | |
|---|---|
| GPU | GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q |
| CPU | Intel 10th Gen i9 H-Series |
| Display | 1080p 240Hz |
| Keyboard | 1.3mm travel |
| Battery | 80Wh, Rapid charge |
With such specifications, the new Lenovo Legion 7 is poised to do very well in both benchmarks in real-world gaming. Lenovo mentioned that it had improved its cooling system, which bodes well for sustained performance but also well for higher comfort if you choose using this computer on your lap.
The 240Hz refresh rate is a very nice touch, especially since the 1080p resolution should allow many games to effectively hit that refresh rate. That’s probably not true for the newest and heaviest games, but many people still enjoy games with less demanding graphics or simply favor speed over details.
The Lenovo Legion 7 “TrueStrike Keyboard” features anti-ghosting and large arrow keys, which is a must for gamers, but also for programmers, I can vouch for it. We’re not sure how the new key switches feel, but on paper, they look exciting and should be more “tactile” than conventional laptop keyboards.
The overall look of the Legion 7 is clean and sleek, and if we ventured to guess, we would say that it has been designed to please both Gamers and Creatives, two of the most important markets for high-powered laptops.
The overall design and specifications is a smart way to address the (non-workstation) Creative market as we all know that gaming systems are some of the most potent options when it comes to video editing for example.
Legion 5
Legion 5i with 17-inch display
Key specifications
| Lenovo Legion 5i ($829.99/15″ and $1129.99/17″) | |
|---|---|
| GPU | GeForce RTX 2060 |
| CPU | Intel 10th Gen H-Series |
| Display | 1080p 15-inch 240Hz or 17-inch 144Hz |
| Lenovo Legion 5 ($849.99) | |
|---|---|
| GPU | GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics |
| CPU | CPU AMD Ryzen 4000 H-Series |
| Display | 15-inch 120Hz |
Legion 5 buyers can choose between Intel and AMD platforms, which is nice since AMD has done an outstanding job with its latest offering. On the Intel side, there’s no i9 version, but it’s not surprising since the price is a notch lower. The Legion 5i (i for Intel) is the more powerful version, while the AMD model is optimized for value.
Some games can use a massive number of CPU cores, and can benefit from all the computing prowess chips from both companies have to offer. The same is valid on the graphics front, with the GeForce RTX 2060, which is great, but not quite as powerful as the RTX 2080.
Overall, the Legion 5 is an excellent way for Lenovo to increase its gaming laptop footprint by offering a good option for customers who are looking for a more affordable system.
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