The design of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 2023 generation differs significantly from previous models of the Legion 5 Pro. Thankfully, the majority of these changes are positive. There are only a few things they missed, but they are minor in my opinion. The model I bought is a high-end model from Lenovo’s website. It has an Intel Core i9-13900HX CPU and an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU. I chose the fastest 16″ panel with HDR support and maxed out the RAM to 32GB.
So, after a few weeks of use, here are my thoughts on this model. You can find i7 models with RTX 3060 for INR 1,29,999 on Amazon and on Lenovo’s website, you can get a base model for INR 1,15,999.
Design and Build
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is a very familiar design that shares many similarities with the previous two generations. However, there are some subtle differences that, in my opinion, are both good and bad. Thankfully, the majority of them are positive.
However, in terms of overall construction, I believe this is a well-made laptop. The metal lid and choice of sturdy plastic for the lower half give the impression that the quality of this model has been preserved and that it can withstand a beating over time.
In terms of handling, the material difference is actually advantageous, as I find metal on both sides to be a little slick. The bottom plastic isn’t the most grippy, but the foot pads and vents offer more than enough grip to handle the laptop with ease. I did notice some creaking when handling the laptop by the corners while it was open. It’s very subtle and almost unnoticeable, but I feel obligated to mention it. This is fairly typical for thin plastic chassis that are close to the design limits. The lid is made of a thin piece of aluminium that appears to have been CNC cut rather than stamped. Despite its thinness, it is very rigid and looks very nice in comparison to the lid from previous years.
Connectivity
Let’s take a look at the sides and the IO now. Starting on the left, we have one USB-A and one USB-C port, both of which support USB 3.2. DP 1.4 is also supported by the USB-C port. The exhaust vent is in the back, and the left speaker grill is in the front. The right side looks just like the left, with the exhaust and speaker perfectly matching. There’s also a USB-A 3.2 port on this side, but no USB-C. Instead of a physical shutter, there is a shutter switch that disconnects the webcam. Finally, a headphone/mic jack is provided.
Keyboard and Trackpad
I’m guessing that the keyboard is the same across the last three generations. That’s probably a good thing, because I was perfectly fine with it the first time I used it. The keys are a little soft to press, but I’ll get used to it. In some ways, it’s nice because it makes using the keyboard quieter, which I liked about the previous model as well. The keys also retain a slight concavity, making them easier to strike. With that and the 1.5mm key travel, I can type just as fast as I do on my daily driver while maintaining a low error rate. In fact, I had a lot of fun writing this review about it.
Another feature that is becoming increasingly rare these days is the full layout with a Numpad. The only drawback is that the Numpad keys are slightly smaller than the others. This is definitely the right move to keep the entire keyboard from feeling cramped. On the other hand, the trackpad. I believe it has been updated because it performs significantly better than the previous model.
Display
The model I have in stock has a 16″ 240Hz 25601600 px screen. BOE created an IPS variant. It’s a fantastic panel that has almost everything you could want, including good viewing angles, sharp resolution, and minimal backlight bleed. It also has an extremely fast refresh rate and a low response time, making playing first-person shooters on this panel a fantastic experience.
The only thing missing is the wide gamut colour coverage found in many competitor laptops these days. Only 100% sRGB is reported for this unit. At the very least, the screen is as bright as it was in this machine’s previous generation.
Hardware and Performance
My model is a high-end configuration of the 2023 Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, with an Intel Core i9-13900HX processor, 513GB of fast SSD storage, 32 GB of DDR5-5600 memory in dual channel and dual graphics: an Nvidia RTX 4070 dGPU with 8 GB of vRAM and an Intel processor-integrated UHD iGPU.
The Core i9-13900HX is a hybrid Raptor Lake 13th generation HX processor with 8 Performance Cores, 16 Efficiency Cores, and 32 Total Threads. It’s paired with fast memory (5600 MHz DDR5) and gen4 storage. The Nvidia RTX 4070 is a mid-tier dGPU in the RTX 4000 Ade Lovelace series, a few steps down from the top-tier RTX 4090 Laptop variant. However, because the 4080 and 4090 are only available in the Legion Pro 7, this GPU configuration is the top of the line for this series.
The overall impression of this machine’s performance is excellent. This is at least the third laptop I’ve tested with this CPU and RAM configuration, and each has performed admirably. In daily use, programmes open and run quickly and reliably, and I don’t feel falsified in any way.
Battery Life
This year’s power brick is 300W, which is more than enough to power both the CPU and GPU at full power. It’s “thin,” as described on my order invoice, but the footprint is massive! It doesn’t fit in the battery compartment of my backpack, so it’s a deal breaker for me if I wanted to use this laptop on a daily basis. However, there is power delivery support via a USB charger. For what it’s worth, this year’s Pro 7 models include a redesigned and more compact GAN charger, but the Pro 5s retain the bulky design from previous years.
Verdict
If you haven’t already guessed, I like what this laptop has to offer, especially for the price. The performance is comparable to the top competitors, and the package includes a lot more, such as a nice screen, plenty of IO, and decent build quality. I also give it bonus points for having a good webcam, keyboard, and trackpad. I could easily see using this as a daily driver if you don’t mind the extra weight over more portable options.
