OUR VERDICT
- High performance
- Thin bezels
- Display is much brighter
- Pretty impressive color gamut results in nice color accuracy
- Thunderbolt port
- Long-lasting battery
- Smooth, accurate, and responsive glass precision touchpad
- Better cooling system
- Arrow keys are enough bigger in size and well-placed
- Pretty tactile keyboard
- Fingerprint doesn't really show up
- Pretty solid all-metal build
- 180-degree hinge
- Opens by just one finger
- Per-Key RGB backlighting
- Fans become noisy at max speakers
- Palm rest feels some vibration at max speakers
- WHAT IT CAN DO
- Web Programming
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- PC-Game development
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Small-scale Deep Learning
- Run high-end PC games
- WHAT IT CAN'T DO
- iOS/Mac Programming
- Medium to high-level of machine learning
Hello guys! What's up? In this article, I am going to review the Lenovo Legion 7i Gaming laptop. The review unit which I have received is not a brand-new, it's 7 months used one of the high-tech configuration model received from New Delhi for making the review on it. The following are the specs of the review unit that I got.
The Lenovo Legion 7i is one of the most interesting gaming laptops. It can be used for programming, especially for small-scale machine learning. So, let's dig into it and find out what it can do for you guys.
Lenovo Legion 7i's Technical Specs
- CPU: 5.0GHz 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H Processor | 6 Core.
- GPU: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6.
- RAM: 3200MHz 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD.
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Display | IPS technology | 144Hz refresh rate.
- Battery: 80Wh 4 Cell Li-ion battery | Lasts up to 1 hour and 24 minutes on Gaming.
- Weight: 4.98 Pounds (2.26 kg)
- Product dimension: 36 x 25.5 x 2 cms
- Ports: 1 USB Type-C (thunderbolt-3 supports), 1 Display Port, 1 3.5mm audio jack, 2 USB Type-A 3.1 Gen 2, HDMI 2.0, Power input, Gigabit Ethernet, and Kensington Lock
The Build Quality and Material
This Lenovo Legion 7i laptop has an all-metal build with a slate-grey finish. In addition to that, the overall build feels quite sturdy with no sharp edges or corners. Furthermore, My testings and usage for 5 days revealed that this machine has above an average build quality. It's really nice.
Also, I have checked the weight of 7i and found my configuration got 4.98 lbs (2.3 Kg) for a laptop only and 6.89 lbs (3.13 Kg) for a laptop with charging cables.
The size of this laptop is fairly standard that should be for a decent gaming laptop. It's 14.1 x 10 x 0.8 inches (36 x 25.5 x 2 cms) - W x D x H. So, the 0.8 inches thick laptop isn't too thick when compared to Dell Alienware and MSI gaming laptops.
There is an RGB light line that runs along the front and both sides that gives a sudden underglow effect, more lighting from the air exhausts at back, and also from the Legion logo on the lid can be controlled using the Corsair iCUE software.
All of them can be turned into white color but here is something to note that during boot you will get RGB lighting effects and I have found no ways to stop this. For me, it isn't much distracting but for someone, it may be.
Display Quality and Color Accuracy
Size and Quality
The 15.6-inch FHD (1080p) IPS display is surrounded by the 3 sides by just 7.5mm thin bezels with thick bezel from the bottom side. However, there is multiple version of the screen also available.
The screen of this laptop has a 144Hz refresh rate with G-Sync available and no feature of Advance Optimus. My unit has come with G-Sync available display, but not all the models have it. The highest configuration variant has a 240Hz display. See, below the screen's average Gray to Gray response time.
The screen's average Gray to Gray response time 7.63 ms that I got in my testings, which is not incredible but not too high. Note that the low response time is recommended. If you need to what these numbers states mentioned in the just above image, you can read my article on the explanation of G2G response time.
Color Accuracy
I have tested the screen's color gamut and nits using Spyder 5 Pro. So, the following are the results that I got in my testings.
- 100% of SRGB
- 96% of NTSC
- 100% of AdobeRGB, and
- 90% of DCI-P3
The display got 474 nits at 100% of brightness and a 970:1 contrast ratio which is pretty high but less than Razer Blade Pro 17. So, overall, very good color gamut, nits, and contrast for a gaming laptop. The display, In my opinion, Fits best in the category of laptops that are used for content creation.
Is there any Flex?
My tests revealed that there is some screen flex when intentionally moving it. Also, I have noticed that the laptop was slightly sliding during the flex tests. But, the overall screen build feels quite sturdy, thanks to the metal exterior.
In addition to that, the lags are not grippy. So, it is possible to move the machine with little to fewer efforts.
It's possible to open the display using just one finger. So, What does it tell? It gives information about the evenly distributed weight between the display and the rest of the parts of the laptop connected with the hinge.
The hinges are found at the back corners and let the display turn to 180 degrees. So, you can use it on the bed with no problem that you may face with 145-degree hinge laptops.
Keyboard - Tactile, Flex, Build, and RGB Backlit?
Flex Info and Build Quality
There is some keyboard flex on this laptop when pushing the keyboard down hard intentionally. But, it immensely feels sturdy, thanks to its metal build.
Per-Key RGB Backlighting
The keyboard has a Per-Key bright RGB backlighting which illuminates all keys and secondary keys function. And, it can be controlled through the Corsair iCUE software coming with the laptop. In that software, there is several effects and customization that can be made easily.
On the keyboard, Something from which I really got impressed is the big and well-placed arrow keys. While playing The Witcher 3, I found no chances of the miss-press the arrow keys.
Tactile Feedback
During typing, the keys travel 1.3mm amount distance. The keyboard isn't noisy and despite less than 1.5mm keys travel when pressed, It has given the pretty tactile feedback. So, you will get a better typing experience on this tactile feedback keyboard. You're lucky now, otherwise you have to look for other gaming laptops or an external gaming keyboard.
Touchpad - Precision, Smooth, and Accurate?
The precision glass touchpad is smooth, clicks down anywhere, and feels nice to use. I found it very responsive and accurate in handling the gestures, So, no need to buy an external gaming mouse. Although, I recommend buying so for better entertainment. It also supports all user gestures. However, It isn't much big but not much smaller, Its size is just 4.13 x 2.76 inches (10.5 x 7 cms).
Fingerprints
A fingerprint does appear but it difficult to see on the matte finish. And, as the surface is clean, it is easy to clean using micro-fiber cloths.
Processor and Graphics Chip
This Lenovo Legion 7i is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor with a dedicated NVIDIA Graphics chip with 8GB GDDR6 memory. It has a 16GB of 3200MHz DDR4 RAM and 1TB SSD for the smooth and optimized performance.
I have played various PC-games on it to check the FPS marks and other details like thermal management. The following images show the performance of this gaming laptop.
I have run the Cinebench R20 3 times and showed the average results of the three tests. The score tells that in Quiet, Single and Multi-Core scores are pretty low compared to Balanced, Performance, Performance + Cooling Pad, and Performance mode with 0.1v CPU undervolting.
Furthermore, the Cinebench Score also gives information about whether you have to use a cooling pad or not. In my testings, There is almost no difference between the tests in performance mode alone and performance mode with a cooling pad. But, undervolting the CPU has shown a considerable peak in the multi-core score.
My tests of CPU and GPU average clock speed in a different mode with a cooling pad revealed that it's not possible to achieve the 5.0GHz clock speed. I was just able to reach 4GHz during Gaming in Performance mode with a cooling pad and 0.1v undervolted CPU.
In addition to that, Undervolting the processor in gaming has shown an effect on lowered GPU clock speed in performance mode from 1557 to 1510 and during stress tests, the same found decreasing from 1460 to 1440.
But, what these numbers tell to you?
The higher the clock speed, the better the performance you will get. So, I have tested the following 5 ways to measure the possible CPU and GPU clock speed.
- Gaming/Stress - Quiet
- Gaming/Stress - Balanced
- Gaming/Stress - Performance
- Gaming/Stress - Performance + Cooling Pad
- Gaming/Stress - Performance -0.1v CPU UV
- Gaming/Stress - Performance -0.1v CPU UV + Cooling Pad
So, the highest clock speed achieved was the last way (Gaming/Stress - Performance -0.1v CPU UV + Cooling Pad).
The above clearly states that an increase in performance doesn't show any considerable change in the power limit of GPU. But, for CPU it is quite low in quiet mode - just 24.9 in gaming and stress tests and raised to 45.6 watts and 52.3 watts in stress and gaming tests respectively in the last mode.
Also, I have noticed that in both gaming and stress tests, undervolting the CPU has shown a little bit more decrease in the power limit of GPU. In stress tests, It was dropped to 83.2 from 81.3 and in gaming tests, the same drop happened from 85.7 to 82.5. So, I recommend playing games in the last mode which enhances the performance.
The above shows the Frames Per Second (FPS) in the different gaming modes of a laptop. It gives you an idea of how these modes are different from one another in terms of performance, CPU and GPU power limit, and clock speed including the temperatures.
In the performance mode, I got 89 Frames while in quiet mode I just achieved 85 frames. Also, note that in gaming laptops, these frames are subject to drop when the machine is in continuous use. Also, see the FPS data that tells the Frames I was able to get during the last mode in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Far Cry 5, and Battlefield V.
Furthermore, It has ported the 16:13 long video file to YouTube 4K H.264 present in on average 597.2 seconds which is pretty low export time. The low export time is recommended. I have carried out 5 tests to export the same video as shown in the just above the image.
So, this is the way I used to describe the CPU and GPU performance. Now, your laptop is definitely gonna heat up when you start using it due to high-performance CPU and GPU. Hence, the thermal performance of this laptop needs to be measured. And, you gonna see the results I have achieved through my testings in the just following section.
Thermal and fans Performance - Throttling, Rise in Keyboard Temperature, and more
Thermal Performance
In the CPU and GPU's gaming and stress tests, I have measured the temperatures the hardware was touching along with the results of Average Clock Speeds, Gaming FPS, Power limit, and Video export tests.
The above image clearly states that GPU temperature increases rapidly with an increase in mode during stress tests. But, In the case of Gaming tests, The same appeared decreasing. During Gaming tests, the use of the cooling pad shows better improvement in the temperature reduction of CPU (94 to 91 C) and GPU (79 to 74 C) from compared to CPU undervolting. And, In stress tests, Use of a cooling pad considerably reduces the temperature of both chip and CPU undervolting with it worked as an aid in my testings.
In addition to that, I have also tested for keyboard and bottom of the display for heat pick up. And, I found the following results.
At Idle - Quiet mode, The middle of the keyboard was at 33.5 degrees C whereas the left and right sides were reached 31.3 C and 24.7 C respectively. So, feels cool and not problematic for normal use.
In balanced mode, The middle of the keyboard was getting hotter. It was trying to go beyond 40 C. As you can see, My temperature gun measured 40.7 C in the middle and 33.9 and 34.9 C on the left and right sides. The touchpad found pretty cool including the bottom the display.
In performance mode, the middle of the keyboard feels hotter than average. The gun has a measured temperature of 44 C at that place. The keyboard sides were at a normal temperature range - 33 to 34 C. In addition to that, the bottom of the display was found picking up the heat.
Underneath the laptop, there are some air intake vents to suck the cool and fresh air to clean it.
Fans performance
At Idle, the fans were just audible. The Digitech sound level meter has detected 36.3 dB of the level.
During stress tests in quiet mode, the fans become audible but not distracting. The sound coming from the fans was similar to the sound comes out when a BIOS update is in process. So, my sound level meter has shown 43.9 dB.
In balanced mode, there was a slight jump detected from 43.9 to 45.9 dB. So, the fans are a little louder than other gaming laptops I have tested. Also, distracting me.
And, In performance mode, the meter has detected 52.4 dB. This mode has made all system noisy to keep the laptop cool.
Sound, Microphone, and Camera
Sound
The 2 speakers are placed at the from corners underneath the laptop. They sound pretty solid for the gaming laptop.
The speakers are enough to clear and loud at maximum volume with the little bass present. Moreover, you will also notice the vibration on the palm rest at the maximum volume. I have also tested them using the LatencyMon. The LatencyMon results were looking good. The below image shows the results.
Microphone and Camera
The microphone of this laptop isn't incredible but not too bad even. It just catches the sound with noise also. Furthermore, It has no support for noise reduction.
The 720p camera is just okay. It doesn't support Windows Hello unlock. Furthermore, It has a shutter for privacy which I damn like.
Ports
On the left side, It has air exhausts, one USB Type-C port that supports thunderbolt-3 port, one Display Port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
On the right side, It has just one USB Type-A 3.1 Gen 2 port with air exhausts.
At the backside, there is an RGB backlighting two air exhausts at the corners. Then from left to right, HDMI 2.0 output, USB Gen 2 Type-A port, Gigabit Ethernet, USB Gen 2 Type-A port, Power input, and Kensington lock port.
Similar to the other laptops, There are illuminated icons at the top of each port which makes it easy for you to find the port's use and where to plug the cable in. So, by this, You don't need to look at the specs sheet or manual every time.
So, that's all for Lenovo Legion 7i. I have also reviewed other laptops as following:
- Dell Alienware m15 R2 Gaming Laptop Review
- MSI GS65 Stealth-004 Gaming Laptop Review
- Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop Review
- Dell G3 3500 Review
- Acer Nitro 5 AN515 Review
