With the gaming and esports fan base growing at an incredible pace, many would expect that one would require high-end, fancy-looking PCs. However, you’d be glad to find out that gaming laptops can also offer similar, if not better specs than a fully-built PC while allowing for convenience in the form of a portable laptop. Lenovo’s gaming arm, Legion, is a prime competitor in this space, and they have some great new offerings for 2023.
To start, Lenovo has a new refresh for their entire line of gaming laptops for Lenovo Legion. The latest models integrate the top-of-the-line NVIDIA RTX 40-series laptop GPUs, ensuring lightning-fast speeds and significantly better performance than its predecessor, the 30-series.
Another highlight is the introduction of a new line of gaming laptops, named Lenovo LOQ. Where Legion is offering the best for veterans, LOQ services those new to the gaming sphere — providing a more affordable, capable laptop to start their gaming journey.
Both the Legion and LOQ gaming laptops also feature the world’s first dedicated AI-powered chips inside. It powers Lenovo AI Engine+, which provides gamers with the most optimal system settings to ensure the best gaming experience and performance.
Legion Pro
The Legion Pro series is their most powerful line, and their flagship model (Legion Pro 7i) has everything you would find in a high-end gaming PC. You can choose up to an Intel 13th Gen i9 13900HX for the processor, and it comes with a 2560 x 1600 resolution 16:10 IPS screen that runs at a refresh rate of 240Hz.
Clocked and tuned to the maximum, the Legion Pro 7i ensures that every single bit of performance is squeezed out of the mighty RTX 4090 that is placed inside the machine (other options are available too). With such a powerful machine, it is no surprise that its price reflects its capabilities — it starts at S$5,299.
There is a more affordable option in the form of the Legion Pro 5i, which is priced at S$2,899 to start. It is configurable up to an RTX 4070 and similarly boasts the i9 13900HX as the top option for its processor. Those specs still pack more than enough power to run some of the most demanding games nowadays. Users get a 165Hz refresh rate display as a start but can opt for an option with the same display specs as the Legion Pro 5i.
Those looking to upgrade their laptops to the Legion Pro Gen, will be delighted to know that both models are already available in stores!
Legion Slim
On the other end, the Legion Slim is no slouch either. Directed at content creators, it still manages to pack a punch with its specs, all while made in a slim and sleek case for portability; a stark contrast to the thick and bulky form factor usually seen for gaming laptops.
The flagship model (Legion Slim 7/7i) will arrive in May, with a 16-inch 165hz IPS screen that is useful for gaming and content creation. On that note, Lenovo has also equipped the display with a 2K resolution at a 16:10 aspect ratio to ensure that content creators see more on screen in sharper detail.
You can also customise the parts according to your preference, such as choosing your CPU to be an Intel processor (up to i9-13900H) or an AMD one (up to Ryzen 9 7940HS). The graphics card can also be configured to an RTX 4070 as the top option, granting you a powerful machine at your disposal. What’s more, it also comes with a 99.99Whr battery to allow users to work uninterrupted for up to 10 hours — a long amount of time for gaming laptops.
For the Legion Slim 5, users can expect similar specs with some differences in the display and battery. However, the Legion Slim 5 has an additional 14-inch model to choose from, allowing for increased portability. Another feature that sets this version apart is that the laptop is specially equipped with an OLED panel to provide a more vivid visual experience for gaming and lifestyle.
Many of the features pioneered by Lenovo have continued into the new range, such as USB Type-C charging cables and smaller charging bricks for ease of bringing around. In particular, both the Legion Pro and Slim line have the Super Rapid Charge feature that quickly gets the laptops back up to speed — further making the Legion range all the more viable and appealing.
For the most part, gaming laptops have earned a reputation for being extremely loud, owing to the fans having to run at high speeds to ensure that the internals stays cool. However, Lenovo has addressed this issue with their ColdFront 5.0 technology.
Legion Pro and Slim have specialised thermal systems to suit their use. The Legion Pro uses massive exhaust and intake systems, a turbo-charged dual fan system, a phase-change thermal compound, and hybrid heat pipes to keep everything cool and quiet. Meanwhile, the Legion Slim features quad copper hybrid heat pipes, and a brand-new air intake and fan system adapted to its slimmer profile.
Lenovo LOQ
And lastly, there is the Lenovo LOQ (pronounced as “lock”) range, a completely brand-new line by the company. Lenovo aims to introduce newcomers into the gaming scene by making this range much more affordable through the utilisation of easier-to-source parts. Clifford Chong, Lenovo Asia Pacific’s Category Manager for Gaming, tells me that future editions of the LOQ line will get premium features and parts passed down to them from older Legion models, enabling gamers to experience the exceptional qualities of those iterations at a lower price.
Lenovo LOQ’s first laptops come in two different sizes, a 16-inch model and one that is 15-inch. Both models offer configurations for either Intel (up to 13th Gen i7-13700H) or AMD (up to Ryzen 7 7840HS), with the top option GPU available being the NVIDIA RTX 4060. In terms of the gaming experience, the display comes with a 165Hz refresh rate to deliver fluid gameplay.
Those are pretty good specs on offer for the Lenovo LOQ laptops, so it will be interesting to see how much they will actually cost when the company reveals it closer to its launch period of May 2023.
But laptops aren’t the only machines on offer by Lenovo this year. They were also on hand to reveal one last device — a desktop PC. The Lenovo LOQ Tower 17IRB8 similarly falls under the LOQ line, one that beginner gamers can consider getting. Its CPU can be equipped up to an Intel i7-13700, and the RTX 40-series GPUs are also available on the PC, though the exact versions have yet to be announced. It is also set to come in May this year, with pricing to come closer to its launch.
So which Lenovo gaming laptop appeals to you the most? The Lenovo Legion Pros or the new Lenovo LOQ range? Be sure to let us know on our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
If you’d like to see how Lenovo devices fare, you can check out our previous coverage on their gaming laptops and their unique foldable PCs.
Photos by Glenton Weng and Russell Loh of the DANAMIC Team.
