Lenovo Legion 5i: A Smart Refinement

Lenovo rebranded its midrange and high-end gaming laptops into the Legion line a few years back, and we’ve been fans of most of the Legion models since then.

- MATTHEW BUZZI

The Legion Y530 and the Legion Y740 were strong 2019 entries, and the new Legion 5i ($1,599.99 as tested) evolves the line further. Besides a streamlined naming scheme, the 5i features an evolved design with an updated keyboard, a more logically placed webcam with a privacy shutter, and a 10th Generation Intel Core i7 processor. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU and the 144Hz display in our review model provided a smooth, full HD gaming experience, and it’s all rounded out by plenty of storage and ports. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 edges it out currently as an unmatched value, but this is an appealing 15.6-inch midrange laptop that costs less than truly premium alternatives.

A CLEAN LOOK, WITH REFINED FEATURES

The Legion 5i shares a general design style with the previous generation of Legion gaming laptops, with just a few visual changes. It’s quite similar to the Legion Y530 and Legion Y740, which is largely positive, as we rated those builds nicely. While the design may be a little tame for some, it’ll be preferable to garish alternatives for others, and the quality of the construction is strong.