The Legion 5i Pro Gaming laptop from Lenovo with an Nvidia RTX 3050 is not the most powerful gaming machine on the market. It offers an incredible level of performance for the price. This review covers performance, specs, and more of this friendly option for gamers.
Lenovo's Legion 5i Pro gaming laptop does everything it needs to do just fine. The model I received was the mid-range model – it features an Intel i7 processor with eight cores, NVIDIA RTX 3050 graphics, 165Hz, 1080p screen – and it suits all of my needs more than well. It was a perfect match to dish out some crazy gameplay in Warzone, Final Fantasy XIV or Cyberpunk 2077.
Quick Thoughts
The exact model sent to me for review only appears to be available in the US and comes in with a price tag of US$1,299.99 at the time of writing – and you get more than what you pay. With an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 4GB GPU, 16GB of RAM and 1080p display with a refresh rate of 165Hz, the only thing I have an issue with is the price. I find it's inflated. I think this is likely a result of the shortage of components for electronic devices.
Unlike some gaming hardware out there, the design of this feels premium and not cheap. It could very well be suitable for an office environment. A vast array of well-positioned ports are also available for all your add-ons. Even though I would have liked an SD card slot, it's not that important on a gaming laptop.
The Legion 5i Pro performs well in terms of performance. A gaming laptop at this price will undoubtedly sacrifice a few frames to achieve Ultra quality graphics but will do superbly at 1080P. I would consider setting the device to full performance, but I would highly recommend you use headphones as the fans tend to get a bit noisy.
The Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is an excellent gaming laptop if you're willing to make some sacrifices.
Let's get down to the details on the Legion 5i Pro!
Price & Availability
With decent components at a decent price, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro laptop line occupies the medium-high range of gaming laptop options. In my opinion, the price is too high. I think a reasonable price would be close to US$1,099.99, but the current retail price listed is US$1,299.99. Now I can only imagine how much it would cost in Canada.
You shouldn't have a hard time finding one of the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro laptops wherever you shop. This laptop comes with a renowned RTX 3000 series GPU, so you may have to battle bots to get one.
The Design
While the Legion 5i Pro looks fairly bland, it has a premium finish, and everything is laid out well. The design is very reminiscent of past iterations.
The keyboard can be lit in white or RGB, but by and large, this is a laptop you'd be comfortable taking to the office despite its more subdued approach. The lit-up top cover Legion logo is pretty neat.
Despite its minimalist style, this laptop has plenty of ports to fit all your needs and is conveniently placed around. On the left side, you have a USB-C 3.1, you will find USB-A 3.1 port on the right, and on the back, you will find three more USB-A 3.1 ports.
An HDMI 2.0 port can connect a second monitor, an Ethernet port will let you increase your internet speed, and a USB-C 3.1 port can be used to connect and charge other devices.
Also, on the left side, there's an aux port for headphone/mic, letting you connect a headset to speak to your teammates on your next multiplayer excursion.
Especially appealing are the backports, which not only feel more convenient but help maintain the laptop's clean look. You won't have to bother with a mess of wires on the side.
Due to the large 16-inch 1080p display, I can see how thin the display edges are. There is just a thin margin around the sides and one slightly thicker border around the webcam. The webcam also comes with a privacy shutter. I appreciate that it needs to be toggled manually – providing us with extra assurance that nobody can spy on us without our permission.
Beastly Performance?
I have no complaints about gaming or anything else I do on the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro.
My Legion 5i Pro managed to do everything I asked it to on a day-to-day basis. Booting Windows 10 is a breeze, and the speed carries over into its programs as well.
On the gaming front, I found this machine to be capable of playing some of my favourite games – like Warzone, Final Fantasy XIV, The Witcher 2. Despite only having 1080p gaming options, the Legion 5i Pro does this so well you won't necessarily miss 4K. In my opinion, 4K gaming on a laptop is not necessary, but maybe on a 65-inch TV.
Even though the FPS drops under 50 at the highest settings in the benchmarks, you're still getting around 50 FPS, and at this price point, a little give and take are acceptable. Boosting FPS doesn't require dropping settings far either. Setting your device to HIGH settings will be plenty for any gamer.
While the webcam is a letdown due to a blurry picture unless you're in a very bright area, the 512GB NVMe drive holds plenty of titles to keep me entertained.
The fans can be noisy, which is a slight inconvenience. There's no doubt the cooling system works – but the noise can break immersion at times. Wear headphones. Gaming aside, the laptop is virtually silent when I'm not gaming.
Battery Life
Battery life is also a problem with the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro. If you're on the go, you still need to bring your charging cable around with you. It's not as bad as some other gaming laptops on the market, but you'll still want to keep it with you.
I got just over 6 hours and 15 minutes on our movie test and 5 hours and 38 minutes on my PC Mark 10 test, which simulates daily tasks. As a portable device intended for use when out and about, these two are a bit disappointing.
It was somewhat expected that this laptop would have a short battery life, given that it is supposed to be an affordable gaming laptop with relatively power-hungry components. Although, it is always nice to get a little more power from your gadgets.
Final Thoughts
Despite being a bit on the pricey side, Lenovo's Legion 5i Pro is a great gaming laptop with only a few compromises in terms of performance. You can get a fantastic 1080p gaming experience with the Lenovo Legion 5i if you're fine with 1080p and the lack of 4K isn't an issue for you. In terms of design, the Lenovo Legion 5i is top-notch. Even though this laptop is slightly more minimalist than some gaming laptops, it gives off a cool, premium vibe.
Come check out all the other reviews I've done on other Lenovo laptops here.
