Lenovo Legion Slim 7i (Gen 8) gaming laptop review: Slick hardware outperforms baffling design choices

Looking for one of the best gaming laptop computer is a complicated journey of sifting via producers, all claiming to supply the identical factor: desktop-grade efficiency on the go. Some can ship, however others miscalculate crucial elements that by no means seem in promoting. Fortunately, Lenovo is a well-adjusted vendor within the laptop computer house, at the very least for the business-conscious viewers, however pivoting to players should not be so difficult, proper?

At first look, the Legion vary seems to be like Lenovo re-purposed some leftover ThinkPad shells and adjusted the internals to suit extra intense thermal options, which is not a nasty concept, however it’ll take some testing to see if it really works. I am going to run the same old benchmarks and break my findings into easy classes for my Legion Slim 7i (Gen 8) gaming laptop computer overview that will help you determine if it is value your money.

Lenovo Legion Slim 7i Gen 8 at Lenovo USA for $1,499.99

Disclaimer: This overview was made doable by a overview unit supplied by Lenovo. The corporate didn’t see the contents of the overview earlier than publishing.

Legion Slim 7i: Pricing, specs, and availability

Lenovo sells a customizable ‘construct your PC’ Legion Slim 7i mannequin via its official storefront alongside three inventory eighth Gen sequence variants. Additionally accessible by way of third-party retailers, together with a Finest Purchase unique duplicate of the Intel Core i9-13900H mannequin with an RTX 4070 GPU examined on this overview, the inventory fashions begin at $1,770 MSRP for an entry-level Intel Core i7-13700H CPU and RTX 4060 GPU.

Lenovo supplied me with its top-spec Legion Slim 7i Gen 8 mannequin, which normally retails for $2,100, that includes an Intel Core i7-13900H CPU; nevertheless, the worth was discounted to $1,650 on the time of writing for a 21% low cost. Packaged solely with an AC adapter appropriate to your area, it is accessible for buy now. 

Every Legion Slim 7i variation options an Intel thirteenth Gen H-series cell processor, selling highly effective efficiency for skinny and moveable machines for players and different fanatics. All three inventory fashions embody a 240Hz IPS panel supporting as much as a 2560 x 1600 decision with HDR 400 and the most recent Wi-Fi 6E commonplace for ultra-first wi-fi networking.

Reminiscence is similar for every inventory mannequin, with 16GB of soldered LPDDR5 clocked at 5200MT/s, however you possibly can improve to 32GB for an additional $55 in case you configure your personal Legion Slim 7i spec. You will at all times get a single M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 TLC solid-state drive with both 512GB or 1TB of space for storing, and the latter is on the market as a $50 improve for a customized construct. NVIDIA GeForce RTX cell GPUs deal with the visuals with both an RTX 4060 or 4070 L, with the extra highly effective graphics tied to the Core i9-13900H CPU possibility bundled with a 1TB SSD. There’s additionally a fingerprint reader constructed into the ability button, irrespective of which mannequin you select.

Going on to the official Lenovo retailer, you possibly can improve the Legion Slim 7i Gen 8 to a 3.2K (3200 x 200) display screen for $15, however the most refresh charge drops from 240Hz to 165Hz. Maxing out all of the {hardware} choices alongside the boosted show, together with Home windows 11 Professional for a $70 premium, an i9-13900H CPU, RTX 4070 L GPU, 1TB SSD, and 32GB of RAM, would price you $2,549 earlier than any reductions.

Lenovo Legion Slim 7i (Gen 8) beneficial configuration

Legion Slim 7i: Design and construct high quality

It is a aid to see a development of extra normal-looking gaming laptops in recent times, with Lenovo among the many producers resisting the urge to totally embrace sci-fi aesthetics with a chassis that appears like a disassembled UFO. A Legion motif is stamped into the lid, reverse a standard metallic Lenovo icon, identical to you’d see on any ThinkPad. It is slim however weighs 2.11kg in comparison with Lenovo’s ‘below 2kg’ declare, feeling dense however not too heavy.

The unmistakable giveaway that exposes the Slim 7i as a gaming-centric machine is a conspicuous array of vents, able to exhaust warmth as effectively as doable whilst you’re enjoying high-end video games. A protruding dock sits behind its display screen hinge to accommodate quite a lot of ports chunkier than the side-mounted USB-C choices, together with 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (1x with always-on 5V2A energy,) HDMI 2.1, and AC energy — a intelligent determination by its staff of designers when you think about the supposed viewers.

A gaming laptop computer is much extra prone to be flanked at each side by a mouse and exterior keyboard or joypads, so trailing AC cables are higher suited on the rear. Nonetheless, there was a missed alternative to incorporate Ethernet LAN on this thick dock, particularly contemplating what number of ultra-thin laptops nonetheless handle to side-mount their HDMI-out ports.

Players are one of many few remaining audiences that also keep away from Wi-Fi the place doable, opting to cut back the probabilities for elevated latency by sticking to wired networking. A 2.5Gb port would have higher suited the Slim 7i, completely aligning with its advertising by promoting a no-compromise answer to lag-free gaming.

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I am blessed with sturdy Wi-Fi protection in my dwelling. Nevertheless, I would nonetheless desire a LAN possibility on as many gaming laptops as doable since not everyone seems to be fortunate sufficient to have dependable connections in bedrooms or different far-reaching rooms. It would look like a distinct segment function to give attention to, however you need to think about your community surroundings earlier than selecting up {hardware} solely designed for gaming in case you plan to play on-line.

A mix audio enter/output sits alongside 2x beforehand talked about USB-C ports on the left-hand facet, with one providing Thunderbolt 4 usefully highlighted by a bolt icon.

The opposite is rated for USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, however each USB-C ports supply DisplayPort 1.4 output and 140W energy supply regardless. The correct facet holds solely a 4-in-1 SD card reader and a bodily webcam shutter. I can not think about players frequently counting on full-size SD playing cards, however it’s sensible sufficient for microSD with adapters to increase the storage of handheld units.

Legion Slim 7i: Show

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Lenovo advertises this model of the Legion Slim 7i with a WQXGA (2560 x 1600) 16:10 IPS panel supporting as much as 240Hz of VRR (variable refresh charges) and round 3-5ms response time. By default, Home windows 11 sticks to the native decision with a 150% zoom, and HDR is disabled, although it’s VESA DisplayHDR 400 licensed and might be activated in settings. G-Sync is on the market when utilizing the devoted RTX 4070 L GPU alongside the assorted NVIDIA 40-series enhancements like DLSS for picture upscaling and decreased display screen tearing.

Testing the panel with a SpyderX Professional colorimeter reveals the marketed 500-nits brightness is completely achievable when the brightness is ramped as much as 100%, and dropping to the minimal 0% creates a comfortably dim output for gaming in the dead of night. Solely 100% sRGB is claimed by Lenovo, which is correct. Nonetheless, a decrease results of 80% of Adobe RGB and 80% of P3 means creators on the lookout for excellent shade accuracy will not be glad with this gaming laptop computer.

However, the display screen seems to be attractive in movement at 240Hz, and the colours are vibrant sufficient for gaming. Allow HDR for supported apps and video games, and also you get a reasonably spectacular expertise that makes the decrease shade accuracy outcomes much less of a problem. All that is housed in a lid with skinny bezels and a inflexible hinge that permits the laptop computer to open with a single finger.

Legion Slim 7i: Keyboard and touchpad

Lenovo consists of its Legion TrueStrike keyboard with the Slim 7i, supposedly designed for intense gaming. Per-key RGB lighting actually matches that theme and appears implausible with a couple of tweaks within the Vantage companion app. For instance, the third pre-set RGB profile triggers a reactive ripple impact as you kind, however the default pace is much too sluggish, wanting extra like a slow-pulsing neon signal from a gasoline station than a cyberpunk keyboard.

Interchangeable keycaps are marketed in its advertising, however there is no signal of a keycap puller within the field and no units of replacements within the suitable equipment class of the official Lenovo retailer. However, I doubt I would ever really feel tempted to swap out the keycaps because the default set completely enhances the Slim 7i chassis. The per-key RGB does many of the heavy lifting for personalisation choices anyway.

As on most Lenovo keyboards, a 1.5mm journey distance feels completely tactile. Having not too long ago written my ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 8) overview, the identical slight protrusion of every key continues to be glorious for contact typing. I would fortunately dim the keyboard backlight to avoid wasting battery energy with out worrying about shedding my place, apart from a few events brought on by the dropped arrow keys and Lenovo’s inclusion of a quantity pad shifting every part to the left.

The numpad is considerably of an elephant within the room as a result of I can not work out the way it appeals to players. Do not get me mistaken; there was a gradual interval the place I believed giving up a numpad would drastically have an effect on my workflow. Nevertheless, I’ve written nearly each article with a 60% SteelSeries Apex Professional Mini since its overview and have not regarded again. Plus, it is the identical keyboard I exploit for evenings of gaming, and I’ve by no means felt like I’d profit from a devoted quantity pad.

It is purposeful, and boy, are you able to kind 2FA codes with speedy accuracy when logging into Steam, however that is the place the novelty ends. I would gladly sacrifice any inclusion of a numpad in favor of side-mounted audio system to reinforce the stereo impact for each gaming laptop computer. Maybe slicing it out would have saved the arrow keys from dropping under the underside row and allowed for a bigger touchpad, which might have been vastly appreciated.

The touchpad is not dangerous, however Lenovo advertises it as ‘giant’ when it isn’t. I am not asking for bodily mouse click on buttons, simply one thing that makes higher use of the free house across the backside facet of the chassis. Hidden left and proper buttons are embedded within the backside in a typical vogue. Nonetheless, it is too straightforward to unintentionally press each collectively, inflicting failed proper clicks as a result of I wasn’t far over sufficient on this left-aligned touchpad.

Legion Slim 7i: Gaming and efficiency

It would not be a lot of a revelation for me to say that the Legion Slim 7i performs brilliantly with processor-focused benchmarks because it’s packing a “skinny fanatic” thirteenth Gen Intel Core H-series CPU with 14 cores and 20 threads. A fast keyboard shortcut (Fn + Q) switches between thermal modes, recognized by an RGB ring mild across the mixture fingerprint reader energy button.

I switched to the pink ‘efficiency’ setting for exams, which comes with the caveat of thunderous fan noise. Not a terrific shock, given the variety of vents, and the slim design should include a trade-off. The i9-13900H positioned principally the place I anticipated it will, barely under some extra monstrous gaming laptops with chunkier chassis designed for improved airflow.

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My colleague Zachary Boddy reviewed the Lenovo Legion Professional 5i (Gen 8) and identified a thicker design, so its i7-13700H was presumably capable of barely edge previous the Slim 7i in Geekbench 6 benchmarks due to barely much less thermal throttling. In any other case, the numbers all match the speculation of coming under the high-end i9-13950HX from Intel’s thirteenth Gen however above most twelfth Gen performance-focused laptop computer equivalents.

On the graphics facet, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 L matches into the center of the 40-series laptop computer class, however I would not essentially promote it as mid-range. For those who’re primarily enjoying on AC energy (and let’s face it, you’ll be,) then the Slim 7i barely breaks a sweat whereas sustaining the 60-120 FPS vary on high-ultra settings for contemporary AAA video games. Drop to 1080p whereas using the ability of NVIDIA’s DLSS upscaling tech can push you nearer to the utmost 240Hz refresh charge of its WQXGA display screen.

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Cyberpunk 2077 is raring to default to its extremely graphics preset with ray tracing enabled on launch, however it means averaging 49 FPS as you navigate the shiny streets of Night time Metropolis. I dropped the decision to 1080p, disabled ray tracing, and activated DLSS body era on the Legion Slim 7i to catapult as much as a median of 173 FPS.

It is the identical story with high-end titles like Far Cry 6 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, main with the default 1600p decision and across-the-board excessive graphical settings that can maintain you above 60 FPS. Nevertheless, DLSS can upscale a barely decrease decision in favor of considerable efficiency features pushing gameplay over 120Hz.

Booting up a aggressive shooter like CS:GO confirmed no struggles, simply sustaining a 240 FPS+ body charge throughout multiplayer matches. I do know, it isn’t precisely a cutting-edge shooter anymore, with Counter-Strike 2 simply across the nook. Nonetheless, most eSports fanatics would possible inform you they prioritize framerates over visible constancy anyway, so the Legion Slim 7i is a wonderful match for these titles.

Lastly, together with Tobii Horizon permits for easy head monitoring in supported video games. Whereas not as spectacular because the intricate eye-tracking tech supplied by the identical producer, you should utilize it to regulate your view in video games like Euro Truck Simulator 2. A slim viewers, I do know, however I am all for it.

Legion Slim 7i: Battery life

Testing the common battery lifetime of a gaming laptop computer is a essential evil, regardless of the consensus that attempting to play video games whereas touring is a recipe for catastrophe. Whereas it is true that the majority aren’t as much as the duty of all-day efficiency, the Legion Slim 7i gave a surprisingly spectacular effort in benchmarks and even battery-powered gaming exams.

Coming in at a bit of over six hours in our PCMark 10 battery rundown check, which emulates on a regular basis use of an ordinary laptop computer opening widespread apps and video conferencing, nestles the Slim 7i nearer to business-grade machines than its gaming siblings. It is lightyears forward of the Lenovo Legion Professional 5i (Gen 8) outcomes, which noticed it barely handle two and a half hours, and ranks greater than the 18-inch behemoth Razer Blade 18 outcomes that got here in at below 5 hours.

Extra eye-opening than the overall lifespan check, the Legion Slim 7i impressed with its gaming efficiency on battery energy. Certain, after an hour or so of playtime, you are greeted with warnings to connect with AC for charging, however a median FPS of over 120Hz on Cyberpunk at excessive settings and 1080p with DLSS enabled isn’t any joke. Any titles with much less demanding visuals would run even higher and drain much less energy, too.

You’d have the problem to claw me away from my Steam Deck and transfer to a gaming laptop computer for moveable play, however in case you have been caught out for a couple of hours and wished to get some sport time in with out worrying a couple of lifeless battery, the Slim 7i would have your again. The one caveat is the ‘efficiency’ thermal mode is not accessible on battery energy, however the ‘auto’ mode would not appear to battle, and something extra would drain the ability so shortly it will have the entire effort considerably pointless.

Legion Slim 7i: Webcam and audio check

Audio playback sounds higher than anticipated, contemplating the usual double 2W speaker setup on the Legion Slim 7i. It is not too dissimilar to a high-end pill, which is a aid when firing up such a slimline laptop computer and anticipating a dreadful listening expertise. Lenovo advertises Nahimic by SteelSeries because the expertise behind the audio system, claiming a 3D audio expertise, however realistically it is only a cheap effort at stereo.

The webcam and built-in microphone are equally stunning, selecting up vibrant pictures and clear audio with out the terrible limitations anticipated of such microscopic {hardware} constructed right into a chassis as skinny as this. Realistically, you will wish to put on an honest pair of headphones or a gaming headset whereas enjoying AAA titles as a result of the fan noise will at all times outrank any potential of those audio system. Nonetheless, the setup is sweet sufficient for informal use and even some mild content material creation.

Legion Slim 7i: Competitors

Actual matches for the Legion are slim (pun supposed,) however ASUS does supply a robust various in its 2023 ROG Zephyrus G16. Promoting for as little as $1,599.99 at Finest Purchase as I am penning this overview, it options the identical i9-13900H CPU and RTX 4070 L GPU combo paired with a 240Hz panel. Nevertheless, it is a 16:9 display screen, so that you’re getting a most 2560 x 1440 display screen decision, which could really feel extra acceptable for video games, however I am a sucker for 16:10 and three:2 with new laptops.

Alternatively, the HP Omen Ascend (2023) bumps the CPU to an i9-13900HX, preserving the RTX 4070 L GPU the identical. It is a 16:10 display screen operating as much as 240Hz, identical to the Legion Slim 7i, however you are paying further for the processor. Discounted to $1,999.99 at Finest Purchase as I am looking, it is normally listed for $2,300, which is much much less interesting in comparison with Lenovo’s providing. HP does cowl the Omen Ascend in a beautiful all-white chassis, which might look considerably extra delicate than your common gaming laptop computer (if it weren’t for the highlighted WASD keys.)

Legion Slim 7i: Must you purchase it?

You can purchase this if …

You need one of the best worth gaming laptop computer with out going overboard.You could have dependable entry to sturdy Wi-Fi networks.You like quantity pads.

You shouldn’t purchase this if …

You depend on Ethernet connections for lag-free gaming.It’s good to keep a quiet gaming surroundings.You hate quantity pads.

If Lenovo retains making laptops like this, they’re going to be inside a shot of turning into my new favourite {hardware} producer. Including per-key RGB keyboards and a slick emblem on the chassis would not assist keep away from that unusual feeling that Legion machines are nothing greater than re-purposed ThinkPad shells, however who cares if they’re? If nothing else, it’d clarify the weird inclusion of a full-size SD card reader and the dearth of an Ethernet port (which is baffling for lag-conscious players.)

Nevertheless, the efficiency on show from the i9-13900H CPU and RTX 4070 L GPU combo is spectacular, even on battery energy, which equally impresses with its lifespan throughout informal duties.

Lenovo may take a couple of further steps to separate its Legion vary from the business-focused flagships, however I respect its resistance to going overboard on ugly aesthetics. It is not one of the best gaming laptop computer I’ve ever used total, however it checks sufficient bins to come back extremely beneficial as a correct bang to your buck possibility.