Gaming laptops have evolved significantly over time. We’ve progressed from the early days of mobile gaming, when the chassis was large and bulky, to more portable, sleeker, and professional models.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15, ROG Flow X13, and even the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 are excellent examples. These laptops aren’t only good for gaming; they’re also good for regular work. The Lenovo Legion 7 gaming laptop I’m reviewing today, though, is unique.
Specifications: Fully kitted
Let’s take a quick look at the specifications of the Lenovo Legion 7 before diving into the review. I tested a fully decked out top-of-the-line variant of the laptop. Here, check out the specs:
| Specification | Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 |
|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (3.3GHz, up to 4.6GHz Max Boost, 8 Cores, 16 Threads, 16MB Cache) |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU 16GB GDDR6, Boost Clock 1545MHz, Maximum Graphics Power 165W |
| Display | 16″ WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS, 16:10, 165Hz, 3ms response time, 100% sRGB, up to VESA Display HDR 400 certified, Dolby Vision-enabled |
| Memory | Up to 32 GB DDR4 3200MHz |
| Storage | Up to 2 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD |
| Battery & Charging | 4 Cell 80Wh Internal Battery | 300W AC Adapter |
| Port(s) | Sides:USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort™ 1.4)Headphone / mic jackUSB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1)E-Shutter buttonRear:3 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (always on 5V)USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort™ 1.4, power delivery)HDMI 2.1RJ45Power in |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home 64 (test unit on Windows 10) |
| Price | Starts at $1,799 |
Design: Bold and garish
The Lenovo Legion 7 appears to be a slightly larger version of the Lenovo Legion 5. For better or worse, the new Legion laptops are all starting to look identical. With a weight of 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilograms) and a thickness of 10.27 inches, it’s not a particularly light or thin laptop. Even the weight of the enormous 300W power brick in your backpack is enough to make you feel it. However, it isn’t as large as some other desktop alternatives on the market. I’d say it’s portable enough to tote around your house with ease, but it’s not the best option for everyday commuting.
Lenovo has made the most of the available space to create a powerful machine. It certainly appears to be one. With its dazzling RGB lighting, the Legion 7 stands out from other Legion notebooks. In fact, it’s covered in RGB from head to toe. Lighting strips run across the bottom border of the laptop, as well as inside the side and back vents. Of course, there’s extra RGB on the Legion logo and the keyboard.
The chassis is composed of aerospace-grade aluminum and has a solid, long-lasting feel to it. It’s only available in one hue, Storm Grey, which I think goes well with the RGB accents. To create room for the ports, Lenovo has added a lip to the back. There’s a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C connector with DisplayPort 1.4 support and power delivery, an HDMI 2.1 port with support for up to 8K gaming output on supported displays, and three USB 3.2 ports, as well as an Ethernet jack and a DC-in socket.
Display: WQXGA 165Hz
For the Legion 7, Lenovo has chosen a brilliant and razor-sharp 16-inch WQXGA IPS display. It’s a joy to look at, thanks to the 2560 x 1600 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio, whether you’re gaming, watching movies or browsing the web. It’s a VESA Display HDR 400 certified panel with Dolby Vision support and a maximum brightness of 500 nits. Thanks to the 165Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, and Nvidia G-Sync support, gamers will find everything they need on this panel.
As it should be, the display is extremely amazing. Crisp graphics and bold colors make for amazing visuals across several forms of media. The black levels, on the other hand, do not appeal to me. The display is clearly designed for high-peak brightness, and the enhanced black levels are visible in a dark room, especially when seen from an angle. By no means is it a deal-breaker. Just a friendly reminder that notebooks with OLED and mini-LED displays, such as those found in the new MacBook Pro 2021 models, are available. With the obvious advantages, LCD is still the better choice for gaming, and Legion 7 gives a good experience.
Let’s just say that HDR performance isn’t a strong suit of gaming laptops, at least for the time being. Also, keep in mind that the DisplayHDR 400 is at the bottom end of the VESA scheme, so keep your expectations in check. Overall, it’s a fantastic panel, and the 16:10 aspect ratio further adds to the appeal.
Keyboard and touchpad
Lenovo keyboards are among my favorites, and the one that comes with the Legion 7 is no exception. Despite having a Numpad, it’s a full-sized keyboard with plenty of space between the keys. The keys have a lot of travel, and even when you’re hammering them during a Keyboard Hero session, the chicklet keys don’t get too noisy. It’s a backlit keyboard with per-key RGB lighting, so you can use the pre-installed Corsair iCUE software to create a light display.
The numeric keyboard with different cursor keys is the feature that strikes me the most. We don’t see those in thin and light laptops very often. There isn’t much to say about the touchpad specifically. It’s a 120 x 75mm surface with Windows Precision drivers for accurate tracking and gesture recognition. I simply wish it was in the middle of the keyboard deck rather than on the left side, but palm rejection was not an issue for me.
Performance: Great AMD-Nvidia Combo
The Lenovo Legion 7 is powered by AMD’s Cezanne-generation Ryzen 9 5900HX APU. It is built on the Zen 3 microarchitecture and features 8 cores and 16 threads. With support for simultaneous multithreading (SMT), two threads can be handled per core, you have a guaranteed base speed of 3.3GHz and a turbo boost of up to 4.6GHz. This chip has a default TDP of 45+W, however, because the chassis supports it, it’s set to a greater TDP in this case. This is AMD’s most powerful mobile CPU, and it’s not simple to master, but in this chassis, I was able to achieve some excellent results.
CPU Performance
Our Cinebench R23 multi-thread test was performed at a frequency of 4–4.5GHz, while the single-core test reached a top frequency of 4.6GHz. Due to its low power consumption, the Ryzen 9 5900HX ran at roughly 3.2GHz on battery power during the Cinebench run. For the greatest results during heavy workloads, I recommend using the Lenovo Vantage software’s “Performance Mode” setting. As a result of the automatic CPU overclocking, the Turbo speeds kick in and the clock rates increase.
GPU Performance
The Legion 7 has an RTX 3080 laptop GPU with 16GB GDDR6 memory for graphics. It has a boost clock of 1545MHz and a total graphic power (TGP) of 165W. I did a series of 3DMark tests to see how far I could push this GPU in terms of gaming performance. The Time Spy test from 3DMark yielded a score of 12,287, which is about what we expected from this computer. It’s comparable to other laptops with similar graphics cards, such as the RTX 3070 or the Radeon 6X 6800M.
Battery life: Could’ve been better
Because of its power-hungry internals, the Legion 7 ended up falling short in the battery department. While using the Legion 7 as my daily car, I averaged roughly 6 hours of uninterrupted work on the silent profile at 200 nits of brightness. It’s not bad, given I tested a fully loaded unit with top-of-the-line internals that isn’t exactly power-efficient. When you don’t require the RTX 3080 for basic workloads, I propose using Lenovo’s Vantage software’s “Hybrid Mode” to enable the iGPU temporarily. The charging brick is bulky, yet it charges the Legion 7 quickly. Along with light usage, the smartphone achieved 60% in roughly 45 minutes. So it’s not an awful situation.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Lenovo Legion 7 is unquestionably one of the greatest laptops available right now, particularly for gaming. Sure, there are nitpicks, but none of them seem to be dealbreakers to me. The Legion 7 is the greatest option if you prefer bright lights and want the very best performance from an AMD-based laptop. If you don’t want to burn a giant hole in your pocket with a decked-out computer, the standard edition with a Ryzen 7 5800H and a $1,799 price tag is a nice alternative to consider. With a 165Hz QHD+ IPS display, outstanding battery life, and commendable build quality, you’ll still receive a fantastic laptop. The Lenovo Legion 7 begins at 239,990 rupees in India.
Gaming laptops have evolved significantly over time. We've progressed from the early days of mobile gaming, when the chassis was large and bulky, to more portable, sleeker, and professional models.
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Performance
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Design
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Display
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Keyboard and touchpad
