The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Gen 7 comes with Intel i7 Core processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 and 16 GB SO-DIMM DDR5 is a good combination of design and performance
The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro Gen 7 comes with Intel i7 Core processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 and 16 GB SO-DIMM DDR5 is a good combination of design and performance
The Legion 5i Pro ships in the Indian market with a 12th Generation Intel Core i7-12700H Processor with (E-cores up to 3.50 GHz P-cores up to 4.70 GHz). However the review unit we were sent came with the 12th Gen i9 Intel Core processor.
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The laptop looks the part with the bold Legion branding on the top and sharp lines. The Glacier white colour sent to us especially looks good with an almost Start Trek like vibe to it. And since it is a gaming laptop the edginess and hefty look makes it all the more dramatic.
Design
With a metal body and large screen, the Lenovo 5i Pro with its wedge shape looks hefty. And with heat emanating from its vents it is best used on flat surfaces. Gaming with the laptop on a soft surface is not recommended as the surface can get hot in no time.
With the dimensions of 19.9 – 26.6 mm X 359.9 X 264.4 mm, it weighs around 2.5-5.5 Kgs, the laptop doesn’t inspire you to use it as a portable device.
And though the top half of the keyboard can get warm to touch after extended use, it is not uncomfortable.
The side cooling vents though can be a hassle when used on smaller tables as the continuous stream of hot air can get uncomfortable.
One of the key highlights is the backlit keyboard which is a joy to use both while gaming and while typing. The travel is good and the keys are silent and with the backlight it makes the keyboard an ideal companion for gaming.
Features like the webcam e-shutter make sense in this day and age, and we found the presence of a calculator shortcut on the keyboard pretty useful.
Display
The display on the Legion 5i Pro is non-touch, which is expected in a gaming laptop and comes in with a size of 40.64cms (16) WQXGA. The resolution is 2560 x 1600 with anti-glare and Dolby vision. The HDR 400 along with 500 Nits brightness makes viewing content on the screen a pleasure.
The refresh rate of 240hz is a delight when scrolling through social media and while gaming. Though the panel gets bright enough it is not ideal for use in brighter environments. It should be fine in indoor environments though, which is where the laptop will spend most of its time.
Performance
The Legion 5i Pro comes with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, and coupled with the Intel i9 processor lends a smooth gaming experience. Even for graphic intensive games like Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon – Wildlands, the laptop performs well. Plugged in, the gaming experience is smooth with no lagging or frame drops.
However, it should be noted here that the gaming performance drops sharply when the device is used with the battery as the power source. But that is something most users will be accustomed to.
The keyboard on the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is a delight to use
| Photo Credit: Nabeel Ahmed
This drop in performance is not limited to just gaming though, lagging in updating and opening documents is also noticed.
The drop in performance on battery is evident even in older titles like The Witcher – Wild Hunt.
Portability as a gaming device though could have been better.
Battery
The battery on the 5i is a 4 cell, 80Wh unit and can last around 4 hours on normal usage like document editing, web scrolling and media consumption. However while gaming the battery is unable to power the device for more than 1:15 mins to an hour and a half.
The fast charging speeds 0-100 in around 40 mins thanks to the 300W charging unit does help.But the heat generated when using the device while it charges is something to look out for.
In terms of connectivity the Lenovo 5i Pro comes packed with 2xUSB 3.2 Gen 1, 1xUSB 3.2 Gen 1, 2xUSB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1xThunderbolt 4 / USB4 40Gbps, HDMI, Ethernet (RJ-45), and Headphone / microphone combo jack (3.5mm).
Cooling
The cooling fans in the Legion 5i Pro can get pretty loud when being used for extended periods. Especially when playing graphic intensive games, the fans can get intrusive. The fans become even louder when the device is plugged. Despite the fans trying their best, the top half of the keyboard can be warm to touch.
Intrusion from the fans tends to be lower when using the device on battery, however the drop in performance is not something users would want to live with.
Speakers and webcam
Speakers on the 5i Pro, though decent, could have been louder. The 2X2 W stereo speaker, sound full and should suffice in small quiet environments, but in big open spaces headphones will be needed. Even while gaming, with the cooling fans whirring away, headphones will be required.
The webcam in the Legion 5i Pro is the weakest link in the laptop at HD 720p. Both voice and video quality on Google and WhatsApp video calls is enough for short calls and they could have been better. The webcam performance is especially bad when used in dimly lit areas. So you might want to invest in a third party webcam for the streaming.
Conclusion
The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is a good laptop for the price point of ₹ 1,64,990. The performance is good when the device is plugged into a power source, however, the drop in performance with use on battery is a turn-off. The overall design is good with some thoughtful ease-of-use features but for gamers looking to live stream their games accessories like a camera and a good flat surface to place the device will be necessary.
