The Lenovo Legion 7i, is the ultimate champion of customizable RGB lighting and unmatched gaming power. This beauty features an Intel 14th Gen i9 HX processor and an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, ensuring top-tier performance in a sleek, stylish design. But how does this latest gaming laptop from Lenovo fare in real life usage? Here’s where you can find out.
Lenovo Legion 7i Unboxing
The Lenovo Legion 7i came packed in a classic black box with Legion written on top. Also included in the box is a 230W power adapter with cable for charging, along with a Quick Start Manual.
Lenovo Legion 7i Design and Display
The Lenovo Legion 7i is a looker, no doubt about it. While Lenovo promotes the Glacier White model for its premium feel, our Eclipse Black review unit also holds its own.
It embraces a classic design with a matte black finish and sharp edges that complement its impressive lightness. The black finish does attract fingerprints, but the Glacier White offers a solution for those who prefer a cleaner look.
The Legion 7i's design might not scream revolutionary at first glance, with some similarities to previous Lenovo Slim models. However, there's a certain comfort in this classic approach.
Moving beyond aesthetics, the Legion 7i boasts a comprehensive port selection fit for any gamer's needs. It features a 4-in-1 SD card reader, a versatile USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port that doubles as a DisplayPort 1.4, supports 140W power delivery, and delivers blazing-fast 10Gbps data transfer speeds.
Security is also prioritized with an e-shutter switch for the webcam. Rounding out the options are two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports , another USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, an HDMI 2.1 for high-resolution displays, a future-proof Thunderbolt 4 port, a DC-in port for charging, and a headphone and mic jack.
The highlight for many gamers is the RGB-lit keyboard. It's super flashy for sure but if you are into that kind of thing then you are gonna love it. It also offers 6 different RGB light patterns to choose from.
But the layout presents an interesting point to consider. While some might find the number pad on the right unnecessary, sacrificing space for other keys, Lenovo cleverly balances the need for a full-sized keyboard on a 16-inch laptop without compromising on key spacing.
The Mylar touchpad is also surprisingly large, making its slightly leftward alignment a non-issue. Where the keyboard truly shines is its wealth of convenient shortcut keys. Pressing the function key illuminates a number of options, including performance mode changes, a refresh rate toggle between 60Hz and 165Hz, and shortcuts for customizing the RGB lighting. The keys themselves are incredibly soft to the touch, further enhancing the overall user experience.
Then you've got a huge 16-inch display with super crisp resolution, almost like a 3.2K version of your phone's screen.
Unfortunately, it's not an OLED screen but the colours are seriously impressive, and very accurate, and it also gets quite bright, so you don't have to worry about squinting even if you're gaming in broad daylight.
The best part is that it's actually easy on your eyes. The blue light that is known to mess with your sleep is specially designed to be low, and there's even a coating that cuts down on glare.
Basically, you can immerse yourself in your favourite shows or games for hours without feeling like your eyeballs are going to explode.
Speaking of immersion, the dual 2W speakers on this thing are no joke. They're made by Harman, which is a big name in sound, and they get surprisingly loud. They even have some cool tech that makes the sound feel more spacious, like you're right in the middle of the game.
Of course it won’t replace your fancy headphones, but for everyday use, it's pretty good.
Lenovo Legion 7i Performance and Thermals
The Lenovo Legion 7i packs some serious muscle. Our review unit features the 32GB DDR5 RAM and 1TB SSD storage that runs on the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, along with Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU.
So naturally, I expected it to be a beast, and it mostly didn't disappoint. I threw some super intense games at it, like AAA titles on 1080p with all the graphics cranked up. Most games ran buttery smooth, averaging between 97 and 112 FPS. Even games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla looked incredible and played without any hiccups. (Please refer to the video above for the complete data of FPS count).
There were a couple of bumps in the road though. Super demanding games like Borderlands 3 on the highest settings did dip a bit, dropping to around 80 FPS. This could be because the RTX 4070 in this model only has 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. It's not the top-of-the-line card, but it’s still pretty good for most games.
Benchmarks also kind of confirmed this, putting the overall performance in a pretty decent to average category. (Please refer to the video above for the benchmark results).
But let's forget the benchmarks for argument’s sake because the real-life performance of this laptop has been incredibly consistent.
I experienced a super smooth gaming session that felt much better than what the numbers might suggest.
The only real downside is that this laptop gets a bit toasty after a while, especially on high-performance mode. It can even throttle a bit, reaching temperatures close to 107 degrees Celsius. This is probably because the cooling system struggles to keep up when things get intense and the fans do get loud.
Lenovo Legion 7i Battery and Power
Also, like most gaming laptops, the Legion 7i's battery life isn't amazing. It's a 99.99Wh unit, which translates to roughly 3 hours on a full charge. Not ideal for long unplugged sessions, but the good news is that the included 230W charger is a beast! It can fully juice this thing up in just over an hour.
So, while you might need to be near an outlet for extended gaming sessions, at least you won't be waiting forever to get back in the action.
Lenovo Legion 7i Software
As for software, the Legion 7i comes with Windows 11 pre-installed, so you're good to go right out of the box. Bonus points for including a free trial of Xbox Game Pass PC – three whole months to try out tons of awesome games!
But the real star of the software show is Lenovo Vantage. Think of it as your one-stop shop for all things gaming on this laptop.
It's super easy to use, unlike some clunky software out there. You can choose from four different cooling modes to keep your laptop from overheating during intense gameplay.
Plus, it's powered by AI tech that can detect when you're gaming and automatically switch to the best performance mode. It's also got a bunch of other tools to optimize your system and keep an eye on its health.
Lenovo Legion 7i Price
The Legion 7i starts at ₹1,64,500 for the base variant. But the top-of-the-line model with the RTX 4070 can set you back much more at ₹2,09,990.
Lenovo Legion 7i Review: Verdict
The Lenovo Legion 7i might not offer the absolute best value, but it's undeniably cool-looking and caters perfectly to gamers who prioritize aesthetics and performance.
If you've got the cash, and want a head-turning laptop to dominate the competition, the Legion 7i could be your champion.
However, you'll be paying a premium for that privilege, especially if you want the top-of-the-line model with the most powerful graphics card.
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