Lenovo Legion 5i 16 G9 Review: The No-Compromise 14th Gen Powered Gaming Laptop

The Lenovo Legion 5i 16 G9 is making waves in the gaming community, and for good reason. This gaming laptop offers a compelling blend of performance, design, and usability, making it one of the top contenders in the 14th Gen gaming laptop category.

The Legion 5i is a great gaming laptop for those who need good performance without the expense of burning their pockets. So, the latest generation packs a powerful Intel Core i7-14650HX processor inside, coupled with GeForce RTX 4060 graphics, this is a formidable combo for max gamers out there.

Now, should you buy it? Let’s have a deeper look at this Legion 5i gaming laptop (2024) edition:

Lenovo Legion 5i 16 Review

Lenovo Legion 5i Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core i7-14650HX | Speed: 2.2GHz (Base) – 5.2GHz (Max) | 16 Cores | 24 Threads | 30MB Cache
• Display: 16″ WQXGA (2560×1600) IPS Dolby Vision | 165 Hz Refresh Rate |Brightness: 350Nits Anti-glare | 100pct. sRGB || Connectivity : Wifi 6E 11ax (2×2) | Bluetooth 5.2
• Memory: 16GB RAM DDR5-5600 | Storage: 1TB SSD (Expandable upto 2TB)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB GDDR6 Dedicated Graphics Boost Clock 2370MHz with max TGP 140W | Free-Sync and G-Sync || Cooling: Legion ColdFront Hyper innovative thermal system features fans spinning both inward, working in tandem to efficiently expel hot air from the rear, ensuring uninterrupted gameplay. A dedicated hyperchamber maintains optimal temperatures, delivering 15W more power in Extreme Mode, reducing skin temperature by 2°C, and cutting noise by 2db.
• AI Engine +: Improve FPS and Performance with Auto Detect Mode (Top 16 AAA Titles) and Auto Optimisation Mode | Puresight Gaming display optimises your PC for the best performance for gaming or the best battery life for work
• OS and Pre-Installed Software: Pre-Loaded Windows 11 Home with Lifetime Validity | MS Office Home and Student 2021 || Battery Life: 80Wh (upto 5 Hrs) | Rapid Charge Pro (100pct. Battery Life in 1 Hr )
• Audio: 2x 2W HD Stereo Speakers, with Nahimic Audio with Surround Sound, Sound Tracker, Night Mode, Sound Sharing & Content Profiles || Camera: FHD 1080p | E-cam Shutter: Physical kill switch for 100pct. privacy protection | Integrated Dual Array Microphone
• Keyboard: 4-Zone RGB Backlit Legion TrueStrike Keyboard with 100pct. Anti-Ghosting, Swappable Keycaps and Soft-Landing switches | 1.5 mm Key Travel | Large Arrow Keys | Large one-piece Track Pad
• Warranty: This genuine Lenovo laptop comes with 1-year onsite manufacturer warranty and 1 Year Legion Ultimate Support
• Ports:- 2x USB-A (USB 5Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 1) | 1x USB-A (USB 5Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 1), Always On | 1x USB-C (USB 10Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 2), with PD 140W and DisplayPort 1.4 | 1x USB-C (USB 10Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 2), with DisplayPort 1.4 | 1x HDMI 2.1, up to 8K/60Hz | 1x Headphone / microphone combo jack (3.5mm) | 1x Ethernet (RJ-45) | 1x Card reader | 1x Power connector

Sleek and Subtle Design

If you’re looking for a flashy, eye-catching gaming laptop, the Lenovo Legion 5i might not be your first choice. However, its sleek and professional design makes it perfect for those who prefer a more understated look. It retains the iconic Legion series layout and is really functional for daily usage.

The Legion 5i laptop features a black keyboard and bezels, with no additional color contrasts or case lighting—except for a status LED that changes colors based on the current energy profile. This minimalist design makes it suitable for professional settings like universities and offices.

Despite the modest appearance, the build quality is impressive. The lid is made from aluminium, giving it a premium feel, while the base unit is crafted from durable plastic. The laptop’s surface is resistant to dirt and fingerprints, adding to its overall clean look.

The stability is robust, thanks to the thick base unit, and the display hinges are sturdy, allowing one-handed opening and a maximum angle of 180 degrees. Overall, the design and build quality of the Legion 5i is impressive and remains to be functionally sound.

Display

The Legion 5i features an IPS panel that stands out in terms of brightness and color coverage, making it a strong contender among its peers. Although it doesn’t match the color fidelity of some high-end models, it remains a respectable option for gamers. The 2,560 x 1,600-pixel display is enough for most gamers out there, and thanks to a 165Hz refresh rate, you can play games at QHD with high refresh rates.

Well, apart from gaming, if you are watching movies or doing casual YouTube sessions, this laptop streams pretty well with accurate color accuracy. Though I would not recommend this Legion 5i gaming laptop for professional work, yes, you can make your own choice.

Here are some of the display results from our SpyderX Pro:

From the display tests, you can clearly see, for most users, having a 100% sRGB color gamut is enough and also you have 75% AdobeRGB, 75% DCI-P3 and 70% NTSC color accuracy. Also, the other aspects look pretty good, making the Legion 5i’s display to be great for most gamers.

Comprehensive Connectivity Options

While Lenovo has opted out of including Thunderbolt 4, the Legion 5i 16 G9 compensates with a solid selection of ports. The power connection and HDMI port are located at the back, three USB ports on the left, and two additional USB connections on the right. All video outputs are connected via the dGPU, ensuring the Nvidia GPU is always active when an external monitor is connected.

Superior Keyboard and Touchpad

Lenovo is renowned for its exceptional laptop keyboards, and the Legion 5i 16 G9‘s RGB keyboard doesn’t disappoint. The keys offer decent travel and resistance, providing a snappy typing experience. The keycaps are well-stabilized, making rapid typing a breeze.

The touchpad, however, is less memorable. While it has a reasonably smooth surface, it lacks the glassy finish found on higher-end models. The click mechanism is somewhat dull, and achieving a consistent double-click can be tricky. Although its size is sufficient, a larger touchpad would facilitate easier navigation.

Stellar Performance

The Lenovo Legion 5i 16 G9 excels in performance, particularly for a midrange gaming laptop. Powered by the Intel Core i7-14650HX, it outperforms many of its AMD counterparts in various benchmarks. While it may not rival the top-tier Ryzen 9 7845HX or Intel Core i9-13950HX processors, it is more than capable of everyday computing and gaming tasks.

You will be comfortable not only with daily tasks but also with productivity-related work because of the 16GB DDR5 RAM, which is also upgradable, and the 1TB PCIe GEN 4 storage inside. From fast boots to quick program loads, the laptop doesn’t lag even during productivity workloads.

In productivity and content creation tests, the Legion 5i demonstrated impressive results. It scored over 8,000 points in PCMark 10’s productivity summary, indicating its potential for handling intensive workloads. The additional SSD performance, in CrystalDiskMark, was over 7000MB/s read and over 5000MB/s write speeds, this also contributes to a responsive system.

Gaming and Graphics

The Legion 5i was put through rigorous gaming tests, including DirectX 12 gaming simulations from UL’s 3DMark and the cross-platform GPU benchmark GFXBench 5. The results were promising, showcasing its capability to handle demanding gaming scenarios with ease. In 2024, the RTX 4060 graphics, are not the ultimate for QHD gaming performance, but, with DLSS 3, some games do enjoy the extra frame rates.

In most Battle Royal games like Fortnite, PUBG or others, you will comfortably get hundreds of frame rates in High graphics mode; however, for triple-A games like Cyberpunk or Assassin’s Creed, this might be a little difficult. However, for mid-end gamers and those who want a nice gaming laptop at affordable prices, the RTX 4060, paired with the Core i7-14650HX processor, does a pretty decent job.

Here are some gaming benchmarks for your reference:

From the gaming benchmarks, it is evident that the RTX 4060 can handle QHD gaming decently, and you have that magic 60 FPS number in almost all games, even at the highest settings possible. Now, in those triple-A titles in which the laptop struggles, you do have DLSS 3 to the rescue, giving you good framerates, so, all in all, the gaming performance looks decent, and for 2024, it’s good enough.

Battery Life

With an 80WHr battery, the Legion 5i offers impressive battery life for a gaming laptop. It managed eight hours of video playback, although this longevity requires bypassing the discrete GPU. The screen displayed only 87 nits at 50% brightness, which is dimmer compared to competitors like the Acer Nitro.

However, for most work or play, the laptop’s juice only lasts for 1-2 hours, depending on the mode you are using. Yes, you have 3 different modes to choose from. The Ultimate mode obviously demolished the most battery life but depending upon your use, the Legion 5i’s battery life is decent on a gaming laptop.

Final Verdict

The Lenovo Legion 5i 16 G9 is a well-rounded midrange gaming laptop that strikes an excellent balance of performance, design, and value. While it may lack some high-end features like Thunderbolt 4 and an OLED display, it compensates with strong performance, a sharp screen, and an exceptional keyboard. If you’re in the market for a reliable and efficient gaming laptop, the Legion 5i 16 G9 is definitely worth considering.

Buy from Amazon India: https://amzn.to/3S6cS8F, Also Read: Lenovo LOQ 2024 Gaming Laptop Review: An Affordable Entry with Intel Arc A530M