Lenovo - Legion 7i 16" Gaming Laptop WQXGA - Intel 14th Gen Core i9 with 32GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB - 1TB SSD - Glacier White
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Customers are saying
Customers frequently mention the Legion 7i's fantastic performance and solid build quality as major strengths. The keyboard and display also receive positive feedback, with many praising their features. However, some users point to less-than-ideal battery life and occasional heat generation as drawbacks. While some find the fan noise noticeable, others report it as manageable or even quiet under certain conditions.
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The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products or points for an honest, helpful review.
- Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best of both worlds
What can I say? This Laptop is incredible! I got this one for video editing with my DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone mainly. I also game fairly often. It has met all of my expectations! I wanted something that looked professional and can be on the go for video editing and gaming. As a business owner for a roofing company, closing home owners with a gaudy laptop looks unprofessional. This laptop is the best of both worlds in terms of business and play. The screen resolution is beautiful. I love that there is upgradability. I just purchased a new SSD for the extra m2 slot. Samsung 990 PRO 2TB Internal SSD PCle Gen 4x4 NVMe. My next upgrade will be the ram, just because I can do it, (it's perfectly fine for my needs without this upgrade). Eventually, upgrade the wireless card to the next best when that time comes. It also just looks great! My only downside, which isn't a problem really, is that there is no ethernet port. I have a great desktop, and I use this laptop for work/play when not home. Everything is basically wireless anyways. For serious gaming, that may be your hiccup if you do not have a strong wireless connection/speed. I purchased this laptop for $2k, and a week later it went on sale for $1850, (within the 14 day return window). I contacted Best Buy via their website chat and they refunded me the $150! I'll say it again. This laptop is the best of both worlds, for business and gaming. Not bulky, looks sharp, runs fast, renders videos fast, and plays every game I've thrown at it at max settings without stutters, (Baldur's Gate 3 to name one).
Posted by claus808
- Rated 4 out of 5 stars
HX + Slim 7i = This Beast! A detailed review.
Chassis Overview Chassis Dimensions are 14.08 x 10.33 x 0.78 inches, which is basically identical to the Slim 7/7i from last year. It’s relatively compact and weighs exactly 5 lbs. The charger adds an additional 2 lbs., but is relatively compact. Build quality is also impressive sporting an all-aluminum chassis, with the white chassis being treated with anodized electrophoresis deposition (e-coating) for its color, which also does a remarkable job at resisting fingerprints or other markings. Because it’s not unibody, it’s still not quite at the same level as the newly-released Zephyrus G16 or a Blade 16 in terms of chassis rigidity, but it’s by no means disappointing. The 7i doesn’t exhibit any creaking when applying torque to the chassis or screen and has very little flex anywhere. The edges of the chassis have a smooth/round and shiny finish that elevates the look of it when closed, and doesn’t dig into your wrists while typing. Port Selection is also relatively well-rounded for most use cases. Some may wish for an ethernet port as well, but it does at least support Wi-Fi 6E. Input Devices (Screen, Keyboard, Trackpad) The Display is what disappointed me a little bit – not because it’s a bad display, but it now falls behind what’s available from competing devices, even from Lenovo itself. Here is some detailed info on the same panel from Notebookcheck. It’s fast and bright, but only offers 100% sRGB coverage. Games still look and feel great, but I would look elsewhere (or do a CTO option and go to the 3.2K 165Hz option for better colors) for color-sensitive workflows. The 2024 Legion Pro 7i, for example, comes with a 100% DCI-P3 16-inch IPS display and looks incredible with the extra color coverage. The Zephyrus has the 240Hz G-Sync OLED display on their 4070 unit (albeit with soldered RAM) also boasting excellent color reproduction and solid brightness. Most of MSI’s higher-end devices also offer higher color coverage with comparable brightness. The keyboard is definitely a winner in my book, though. It still uses the same layout and switches as the last few Legion Slim 7 laptops, so if you have any familiarity with prior generations, you’ll feel right at home. It offers respectable travel, isn’t particularly loud, and overall feels great to use. The RGB also looks awesome, even with the white keys and the legends illuminate well regardless of ambient conditions. A fingerprint reader is also embedded into the power button. The trackpad is the same story as the keyboard. It’s glass, well-sized, and accurate. No issues with gestures, misclicks, or ‘wobble’ when using tap-to-click (a particularly annoying issue I look out for on all of my laptops I use). Sure, it’s not GIGANTIC like a MacBook or 2024 Zephyrus, but palm rejection should never be an issue by comparison either. Power Limits & Synthetic Benchmark Performance The 2024 7i has an unlocked CPU, so the stock power limits are configurable to your wants and needs, given that you aren’t throttling or maxing out the current limits in place by Lenovo. But, by default, the 14900HX is configured with a 162W PL2, and 105W PL1 after Tau (Turbo Time Parameter) in Performance and Custom mode. In Balanced, they are 119W and 70W, and in Quiet, they are 65W and 55W, respectively. For CPU+GPU crossload, the CPU can be configured to max out at 60W in Custom mode. (This also can be pushed higher with BIOS modifications, but would advise against it without replacing the PTM7950 with liquid metal.) The 4070 has a 115W TGP with an additional 25W of Dynamic Boost available to use, though you will rarely see above 120-125W in most titles, just in benchmarks. As found previously, performance per watt severely stagnates above 100W anyway. NOTE: All tests, both synthetic and games, were ran with a +100/+500 core/memory overclock on the GPU, and a -125mV Core/-50mV cache offset on the CPU. Custom mode with max fans and max sliders, and the rear of the laptop elevated to showcase best-case scenario for the designed cooling solution. Cinebench R23 Single-Run scored 30,596 points, with an average power draw of 161W and a maximum package temperature of 95C. No thermal throttling measured. 10-Minute Run scored 25,370 points, with an average power draw of 107W recorded and a maximum package temperature of 97C. Tau expired just before thermal throttling at 100C, and averaged 79C across the run. 3DMark Time Spy CPU Score: 17,038 | GPU Score: 13,882 | Overall Score: 14,278 Link to run for specific stats: https://www.3dmark.com/spy/47279504 3DMark Port Royal GPU Score: 8,195 Link to run for specific stats: https://www.3dmark.com/pr/2909217 Anecdotal Gaming Performance & Load Temperatures I tested and monitored three titles for gaming performance: Helldivers II, Apex Legends, and The Finals. Helldivers II Settings were all maxed out with ‘Quality’ render scale. Link to recorded gameplay with OSD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk5qlzPraUA Generally sat around ~80FPS without any noticeable hitching or stuttering. GPU pulled 110-115W and averaged 68C (memory junction temperatures were also very solid, around ~80C). The 14900HX CPU pulled 60W and typically sat around 72C with some peaks into the high-70s, rarely ever crossing 80C outside of launching the game initially. Apex Legends Competitive Settings, Low/Off Link to recorded gameplay with OSD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTzHodUXvPg Generally sat around ~195FPS, again without any major FPS drops or poor 1% lows. GPU sat at 105-110W and was always under 70C, typically 68-69C (nice). CPU also once again sat around the mid-70s, with some peaks into the 80s in certain CPU-bound scenarios. The Finals Settings were all maxed out, DLSS set to ‘Balanced’ Link to recorded gameplay with OSD: https://youtu.be/XxtNT45_SMw FPS was also quite smooth, sitting around 105-110FPS with similar power draw to the above two titles (115W GPU + 60W CPU). CPU sat closer to 77C, though, but not at all alarming or drastically different from the other two titles given the power draw was similar. Battery Life For battery testing, I used the ‘Hybrid-iGPU’ mode in Quiet profile, set display to 60Hz, and brightness to 50%, with no unnecessary applications open or in background. For YouTube playback on Edge, after 1 hour, total system discharge averaged 17.4W, which equates to just above 5.5 hours with a 99WHr battery. For general productivity (Excel/Office suite, Teams, Spotify, Discord), I tested the machine from 100% and used it 3 hours (set a timer and checked at time-up) and was left with 42% battery, once again suggesting reasonable runtimes of 5 to 6 hours depending on how demanding the workload is. Internals & Upgradeability The internal layout is a bit different thanks to now having TWO SODIMM slots, instead of having one soldered like the previous Slim 7/7i. Lenovo is also using a new method to forcibly channel intake airflow over certain areas of the cooling module, which removed the side vents and all heat is now vented out of the rear exhaust vents. (Bonus points for this, as it clearly is effective and no worries of your dominant/mouse hand getting warm or having the side vents blocked by cables or other items). It also has two m.2 slots, a fully replaceable Wi-Fi card, and a replaceable 99WHr battery. Fan Noise (Idle/Low Load, Load, Max) Fan noise while idling or under light load is exceptional. Most of the time, the fans are either completely turned off or otherwise inaudible while browsing or doing light office work unplugged, which is a big win. While plugged in, the fans may kick on a little more frequently, but at very low RPMs (1300-1400RPM). Under load, fan noise will change depending on power profile. In Balanced, expect fan noise to be between 48-49dB, depending on system temperatures. In Performance mode, fan noise rises to 52-53dB. In Custom Mode, the end-user can create their own fan profile, and to max them out. At max speed, the laptop reaches just over 55dB, which is still significantly quieter than many of MSI’s and Acer’s offerings, and very similar to the G16 2024 and prior year’s Legion devices at this fan speed. Overall Thoughts/Pros & Cons Pros: (+) Great chassis rigidity and overall build quality (+) Relatively thin (+) Respectable cooling potential and performance for its footprint (+) Upgradability of RAM, SSDs, and Wi-Fi Card (+) Excellent low-load fan curves (+) Unlocked CPU Cons: (-) Middling battery life (-) Average color reproduction on 240Hz QHD+ display (compared to recent competition) (-) Can be costly without sales ($1999 as configured is quite close to other 4080 laptops, albeit thicker) Overall, I think the device is great, though a bit niche. Many individuals that are opting for a slimmer 16-inch laptop will favor battery life over CPU performance, but there is also an audience that sees the appeal of the unlocked 14900HX in a chassis that’s still portable. I like to think it offers an alternative to the workstation-class machines, given you don’t absolutely need vPro or ECC VRAM. This is a great machine that offers an incredible balance of CPU and GPU horsepower in a relatively portable chassis that is barely bigger than the new XPS 16 (same width and thickness, Legion is just slightly deeper). Conversely, I think the Zephyrus G16 2024 (currently $1749 on 4/17/24) is also a contender for folks that are okay with 16GB of RAM and want something even smaller & lighter, an OLED display, unibody design and longer battery life at the cost of CPU performance and upgradability.
Posted by Braxton
- Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great gaming laptop
It took me a while to find the right laptop that would offer great quality for a decent price. I’m in love with my Legion 7i. It works smooth, and runs any game. Additional SSD can be installed. Also RAM has an extra slot for 64 gb. I’ll definitely do it after a few years. I like the keyboard and the trackpad is fine. People complain about audio and fan noise. But to be honest, it’s not an issue for me. I use my headset most of the time. Although we entered the OLED era, trust me this screen is great. I’m satisfied with my purchase.
Posted by Ruslan