The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i laptop and Legion Tower 7i desktop aim to take the company's gaming hardware profile to the next level.
If you’re after laptop buying advice, I’m your man. I’ve been reviewing PCs and technology products for more than a decade. I cut my teeth in PC Labs, spending several years with PCMag.com before writing for other outlets, among them LaptopMag.com and Tom’s Guide. While computers are my main focus, I’ve also written at length about topics ranging from fitness gear and appliances to TV and home theater equipment. If I’ve used it, I have opinions about it, whether somebody’s paying me to write them up or not.
Lenovo may be announcing scads of new business laptops and productivity machines at CES 2023, but the Legion gaming laptop and gaming desktop lines are also getting a big boost in 2023. Lenovo's Legion desktops and laptops are getting far more than the expected spec bump from the latest Intel and Nvidia hardware.
The laptop maker's Legion 7i products are getting a boost from AI-powered system optimizations, revamped cooling systems, and even boast equipment-free head tracking for more immersive gameplay. Meanwhile, the Legion Tower 7i desktops get hardware to impress through raw performance or dazzle with custom lights, in equal measure. We were able to check out both in person during the show.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i laptop is the latest 16-inch gaming powerhouse from the massive brand. This latest model comes equipped with a range of 13th Gen Intel Core processors, and up to the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX next-generation laptop GPUs. But, the enhancements go far beyond new processing and graphics hardware.
For starters, Lenovo boosts performance with the new Lenovo Legion Cold Front 5.0 hybrid thermals, a collection of thermal management technologies designed to offer a total TDP of 235 watts (W). This cooling solution starts with a liquid metal infusion on the CPU, massive exhaust vents on the rear end sides of the laptop chassis, and an extra wide vapor chamber that covers both CPU and GPU for combined hybrid cooling.
Lenovo's new LA AI chip, which runs Lenovo AI Engine+, is a software machine learning algorithm that monitors in-game performance and dynamically adjusts the system to boost frames per second and offer up to 15% higher TDP.
The Legion Pro 7i also comes with Tobii Horizon, gearless head tracking technology for deeper immersion in supported games. This is on top of existing Tobii Aware software that tracks eye gaze data in real-time. Immersion is further boosted with Steel Series' Nahimic Audio, offering surrounding 3D audio for spatial awareness and improved communication between team members during a game.
All of this is housed in a sturdy but stylish metal shell on the lid and underside of the chassis. Plus, it's powered by a 99.9Whr battery, the highest capacity laptop battery allowed on a commercial flight in the US, which has become the de facto standard for maximum battery capacity.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16-in laptop will begin selling in March 2023 with a starting price of $1,999.99. An AMD-powered variant called the Legion Pro 7 will also be sold, but will not be available in North American markets.
Not to be outclassed by its laptop sibling, the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i is a 34-liter (L) desktop behemoth, imbued with everything from customizable RGB lighting (seen through a beautiful tempered glass side panel) to top-of-the-line hardware. Equipped with the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX desktop graphics, the Legion Tower 7i is made to deliver superb frame rates, low latency, and incredibly realistic ray tracing. Whether it's for gaming, content creation, game streaming, or some combination of the three, the Legion Tower 7i desktop can be outfitted to handle it all. Joining the new processing and graphics hardware is up to 64GB of 5,600MHz DDR5 RAM, up to 6TB of SSD storage (thanks to a trio of SSD slots), and a 1200W power supply to keep it all humming right along.
Cooling gets a makeover as well, with a larger VRM heat sink, as many as six nearly-silent ARGB fans, and a front bezel that uses an airflow-amplifying 3D pattern for optimal cooling. If that's not enough, an optional liquid cooling system can take your Legion desktop to the next level, and Lenovo claims this all adds up to an incredible 260W TDP.
The Legion Tower 7i comes in a cool storm gray color and is outfitted with dual USB-A 3.2 ports, dual USB-A 2.0 ports, and a pair of audio jacks—all easily accessed on the front panel. On the back of the tower are four USB-A 3.2 ports, dual USB-A2.0 ports, a 20Gbps USB-C port, and a 10Gbps USB-A 3.2 port, along with RJ45 Ethernet and stereo audio jacks.
The 34L Lenovo Legion Tower 7i with Intel Core CPUs will begin selling in April, with an expected starting price of $2,479.99.
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If you’re after laptop buying advice, I’m your man. I’ve been reviewing PCs and technology products for more than a decade. I cut my teeth in PC Labs, spending several years with PCMag.com before writing for other outlets, among them LaptopMag.com and Tom’s Guide. While computers are my main focus, I’ve also written at length about topics ranging from fitness gear and appliances to TV and home theater equipment. If I’ve used it, I have opinions about it, whether somebody’s paying me to write them up or not.
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