Best Lenovo Legion laptops 2024

Lenovo Legion 7i Gen6 Review
Lenovo Legion 7i Gen6 Review (Image credit: Windows Central)

Lenovo's Legion laptops are some of the best devices for PC gaming available, but while all of them are great, some of them are particularly excellent. These laptops are a cut above the rest and stand out, and of these, we think the best Lenovo Legion laptop is the Legion 7i since it offers a stellar balance between top performance, an awesome display, and a fantastic design. With that said, there are several other fantastic Lenovo Legion laptops as well, and you shouldn't overlook them if the Lenovo Legion 7i isn't a good fit for you.

Best overall: Lenovo Legion 7i

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The Lenovo Legion 7i represents the pinnacle of Lenovo's gaming laptops, featuring top-notch specs like i7 and i9 H-series 11th Gen Intel CPUs, up to an RTX 3080 GPU, up to 32GB of DDR4 memory, and up to 2TB of SSD storage. This hardware allows it to crush modern games on high settings with ease, and you'll also get to enjoy high frame rates thanks to its 16-inch WQXGA (2560x1600) 165Hz display that has a rich color gamut, excellent contrast, and a maximum brightness of 500 nits. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 are also included, and the 5-hour max battery life is pretty solid for something with this much beefy hardware in its chassis.

Design-wise, the Lenovo Legion 7i manages to stay relatively slim despite its advanced specs. The keyboard and touchpad are pleasant to use, and you get an awesome port selection consisting of dual Thunderbolt 4, a trio of USB-A slots, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and 3.5mm audio. Ultimately, the Lenovo Legion 7i is a stellar gaming laptop that we highly recommend, even if it is very expensive.

Lenovo Legion 7i

Cream of the crop

Reasons to buy

+
Fantastic performance
+
Excellent display
+
Decent battery life
+
Awesome design and ports

Reasons to avoid

-
Very expensive

12th Gen Intel: Lenovo Legion 5i Pro

Source: Lenovo (Image credit: Source: Lenovo)

Intel's cutting-edge 12th Gen CPUs were recently made available in gaming laptops, and the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is currently your only option if you want 12th Gen in a Legion device. It features a 12th Gen i7-12700H, an RTX 3070 Ti, 16GB of high speed DDR5 memory, and 2TB of SSD storage. Though it's ultimately less powerful than high-end configurations of the Lenovo Legion 7i due to the lack of an option for i9 CPUs or an RTX 3080, the Legion 5i Pro is a better choice for folks aiming for the i7 and RTX 3070 Ti range since 12th Gen CPUs are more power efficient and deliver more performance compared to 11th Gen chips. Note that the Legion 5i Pro also comes with the same excellent 16-inch WQXGA panel you'll find on the Lenovo Legion 7i, and it has the same maximum battery life of about 5 hours, too.

Design-wise, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is largely the same as the other Legion devices in this roundup, complete with an excellent keyboard and trackpad as well as a large selection of ports. Specifically, the device comes with a Thunderbolt 4 slot, dual USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and 3.5mm audio. It's a bit on the thick side and doesn't come cheap, but ultimately, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro offers plenty of cutting-edge power and is an excellent alternative to the Lenovo Legion 7i.

Lenovo Legion 5i Pro

Enjoy the latest Intel has to offer

Reasons to buy

+
Fantastic performance
+
Excellent display
+
Decent battery life
+
Awesome design and ports

Reasons to avoid

-
No RTX 3080 option
-
Very expensive

Best mid-range: Lenovo Legion 5i

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

If you're looking for a great mid-range option, the Lenovo Legion 5i will be right up your alley. It has a variety of different specs to choose from, including various different i5 and i7 11th Gen Intel H-series CPUs, AMD Ryzen 5 and 7 5000 series chips, and GPU options that range from the humble GTX 1650 to the performant RTX 3070. You can also equip it with up to 16GB of DDR4 memory and up to 1TB of SSD storage, which will be plenty for the average gamer. Its 15-inch FHD display looks and feels good to play on, too, as it features great colors and contrast as well as refresh rates up to 165Hz and 300 nits of brightness. You also get Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, and while the battery life runs down in 3 hours (in under one if gaming), it's unlikely that you'd play games without the laptop plugged in anyway.

The design of the Legion 5i is excellent. The keyboard and trackpad are very comfortable, and the inclusion of a Thunderbolt 4 slot as well as five USB-A ports is fantastic. It's also fairly slim for a gaming laptop, so you won't need to worry about lugging around a bulky chassis. Overall, the Lenovo Legion 5i is perfect for folks who need great performance for an affordable cost.

Lenovo Legion 5i

Balanced excellence

Reasons to buy

+
Great performance
+
Good display
+
Affordable compared to other options
+
Awesome design and ports

Reasons to avoid

-
Not as performant as pricier options
-
Battery life could be better

Best portable: Lenovo Legion Slim 7

Source: Lenovo (Image credit: Source: Lenovo)

What if you want something that's as easy to take on the go as possible? Look no further than the Lenovo Legion Slim 7, which slims down Lenovo's beloved Legion design even more to reduce weight and narrow dimensions. It's available with great mid-range specs, including a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, an RTX 3050 Ti or RTX 3060 GPU, up to 16GB of DDR4 memory, and 512GB of SSD space. It has the same great 15-inch FHD display available on the Legion 5i, but it has a significantly better max battery life of 6 hours thanks to the increased power efficiency of Ryzen. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 are also included for excellent modern connectivity.

When it comes to design, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 stands out from other Legion laptops due to its thinner chassis. This makes it easier to slip into a bag and take along during travel, making it the most portable Legion laptop available. The keyboard and trackpad on the Slim 7 are just as fun to use as the ones you'll find on other Legion devices, too. Unfortunately you don't get Thunderbolt 4 or HDMI with the Slim 7, but you do get dual USB-C and USB-A ports, which is still a solid lineup of peripheral connectivity options.

Lenovo Legion Slim 7

Big power in a small package

Reasons to buy

+
Great performance
+
Good display
+
Good battery life
+
Ultraportable design

Reasons to avoid

-
Not as performant as pricier options
-
No Thunderbolt 4 or HDMI

Best budget: Lenovo Legion 5

Source: Lenovo (Image credit: Source: Lenovo)

Gamers who need something that delivers good performance for a budget-friendly price should opt for the Lenovo Legion 5, which is currently Lenovo's most affordable gaming laptop. A variety of solid specs are available with the device, including AMD Ryzen 5 and 7 5000 series CPUs, GPUs like the RTX 3050, RTX 3060, and the Radeon RX 6600M, between 8GB and 16GB of DDR4 memory, and between 256GB and 1TB of SSD storage. Like the Legion 5i and the Legion Slim 7, it also comes with a great 15-inch FHD display with strong colors and contrast as well as a refresh rate of 165Hz and a peak brightness of 300 nits. These specs may not be as impressive as the hardware you'll find in other Legion devices, but the tradeoff is that the Lenovo Legion 5 has a nice maximum battery life of 6 hours. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 are included as well.

The design of the Lenovo Legion 5 features the same sleek and stylish appearance of every other Legion laptop, though like the Lenovo Legion Slim 7, it lacks Thunderbolt 4. Still, you get quad USB-A and dual USB-C on top of Ethernet, HDMI 2.1, and 3.5mm audio. Additionally, the keyboard and trackpad are still great despite this being the least expensive Legion, ensuring that you'll still have an awesome user experience.

Lenovo Legion 5

Gaming on a budget

Reasons to buy

+
Good performance
+
Nice display
+
Good battery life
+
Most affordable

Reasons to avoid

-
Not as performant as pricier options
-
No Thunderbolt 4

Bottom line

At the end of the day, all of Lenovo's Legion gaming laptops are great, and no matter which one you choose, you're going to have a great experience. With that said, we feel that the best overall laptop from Lenovo's lineup is the Lenovo Legion 7i, as it offers a wide range of fantastic specs and comes with a stellar display and design. The new Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is also a phenomenal choice, as it comes with a 12th Gen Intel i7 CPU, DDR5 memory, and an RTX 3070 Ti (the lack of an option for an RTX 3080 is a bummer).

If you're not after top performance and instead want something that balances power with a good price, the Lenovo Legion 5i will be your best alternative option. It comes with an awesome FHD display and a variety of strong mid-range specs like AMD Ryzen 5 and 7 5000 series processors, 11th Gen Intel i5 and i7 chips, and GPUs like the GTX 1650, RTX 3060, and RTX 3070. Don't overlook the budget-friendly Lenovo Legion 5, either, as it also delivers capable performance despite being Lenovo's least expensive Legion device.

If none of Lenovo's Legion laptops is a good fit for you, don't worry; there are tons of incredible devices on the market made by other manufacturers as well, ranging from RGB-covered Razer powerhouses to the futuristic-looking machines of Dell's Alienware brand. For a look at these alternatives to Lenovo's Legion line, don't miss our roundup of the best gaming laptops available.

Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.