Lenovo Legion S7 Assessment

Lenovo proclaimed the Legion S7 (quick for Slim 7) to be ‘the world’s lightest RTX laptop computer,’ which was disproved. The precise lightest RTX laptop computer is the ROG Movement Z13 from Asus. However, that machine’s removable keyboard and dinky 13-inch touchscreen arguably qualify it as extra of a hybrid pill than an actual laptop computer, so we’ll enable Lenovo the loophole.

With a weight of 1.9kg, it’s arduous to disclaim that the Legion S7 is impressively light-weight given its 15.6-inch show and full-scale keyboard. At lower than 20mm thick, it lives as much as the ‘slim’ moniker too. However, it doesn’t compromise for that slender slight remotely. In reality, the Legion S7 sits among the absolute best gaming laptops by way of design and construction high quality, regardless of the comparatively bright asking worth of $1,770 (£1,500, around AU$2,510).

A couple of completely different fashions of the Lenovo Legion S7 are accessible properly now. That worth will get you the model we’ve despatched for assessment, which packs an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card and an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, together with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of speedy SSD storage. With these specs, we’d say that the Legion S7 sits roughly in the course of Lenovo’s gaming laptop computer vary, with the worth tag to match.

We’ll get into the specifics of the efficiency additional down. However, the RTX 3060 is a reasonably reliable GPU for full high-definition gaming; a much better selection for sensibly-priced graphics than the cheaper, however considerably lackluster RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti.

We’re anticipating strong gaming efficiency at 1080p without having to drop the graphical settings an excessive amount. Equally, the octa-core 5800H is a superb selection of laptop computer processors that ought to guarantee clean framerates in CPU-bound video games and customarily stutter-free efficiency when utilizing the laptop computer for work or net shopping.

Our assessment unit additionally comes with non-obligatory RGB backlighting on the keyboard, which might be swapped out for plain white LEDs if you wish to save a couple of dollars. This model of the Legion S7 has a 1080p show, and however, pricier fashions packing 1440p and 4K panels are additionally accessible. Learn about the nitty-gritty particulars of our Lenovo Legion S7 assessment, and discover why we expect it’s the most effective gaming laptop we’ve seen in years.

CPU: 3.2GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (octa-core, as much as 4.4GHz enhance clock)

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q 6GB

RAM: 16GB SODIMM DDR4 (3200MHz)

Display: 15.6-inch 1440p IPS panel, 165Hz

Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen3 SSD

Optical drive: None

Ports: 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, SD card reader, combi audio jack

Connectivity: Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 11AX (2×2), Bluetooth 5.1

Digicam: 720p webcam with privateness shutter

Weight: 1.9 kg

Measurement: 1.6 x 35.6 x 25.2 cm

Lenovo Legion S7 assessment: Worth and availability

The bottom worth for the Lenovo Legion S7 is $1,200 (£1,400, around AU$1,720), though that solely will get you the lowest-spec mannequin of the S7, which makes use of an RTX 3050 Ti GPU reasonably than the RTX 3060 we’re testing, which prices $1,770.

We’d strongly advocate springing for the RTX 3060, as its higher quantity of VRAM and better clock velocity make it a way more dependable selection for secure 1080p gaming.

Paying extra allows you to improve the CPU, GPU, show, reminiscence (as much as 32GB whole), storage (as much as 2TB), and keyboard backlighting. We’d advise not to trouble with the CPU improvement, which swaps out the Ryzen 7 5800H for a Ryzen 9 5900H; it’s not a change prone to make an enormous distinction in most video games. Each mannequin comes with Home windows 11 as commonplace, the new regular for gaming laptops.

It’s worth noting that at the time of writing, all US fashions of the Legion S7 are discounted by 20% if you purchase straight from Lenovo’s website, the place you’ll be able to ‘construct’ your ultimate mannequin from a choice of components.

Consumers in different territories must accept choosing from a small pool of pre-selected fashions. If you’ve been chasing from Australia or New Zealand, consider that import charges could apply.

Worth and availability: 4/5Image of the Lenovo Legion S7 laptop with the lid closed.

Lenovo Legion S7 assessment: Design

The Lenovo Legion S7 is an immediate eye-catcher, from its modern metallic chassis to the gently pulsing LED embedded within the Legion emblem on the lid. It’s undeniably skinny and lightweight for a gaming laptop computer with a devoted GPU, presumably one of the vital moveable 15-inch laptops we’ve seen for some time.

The hinge is about ahead about 1.5cm from the rear of the laptop computer, which allowed Lenovo to incorporate small LED indicators for the facility port and two USB-A ports located on the again edge.

Trying across the different edges, we’ve obtained two USB-C ports on the right-hand aspect, an SD card reader, and an audio jack on the left. We might’ve preferred to see an even wider choice of ports. Nevertheless, it’s sufficient for regular use.

The entrance fringe of the laptop computer tapers upwards away from no matter floor you place it on, with your complete meeting sitting on agency rubber toes. The twin audio system is correctly positioned on the angled undersides at every entrance nook, stopping them from being silenced.

Opening it up, we get handled to a highly vibrant RGB keyboard and a glossy, colorful LCD screen. The 99.3% sRGB coloration copy is superb, and this show exhibits some unbelievable distinction at most brightness.

The 165Hz refresh price is ideal for esports video games; the place framerates matter above all else; however, remember that the 4K mannequin of the S7 sacrifices this for a set 60Hz show. Our mannequin can swap to a locked 60Hz mode to lengthen battery life.

That rainbow-backlit keyboard is a pleasure to sort and recreate on, with quiet actuation and an excellent quantity of power required to register and enter. The total critical journey is less than comparable laptops. However, that’s unsurprising given the Lenovo Legion S7 ’s slender kind issue. The format is full-scale, with an entire numpad and performance keys, and holding down Fn illuminates the keys with a corresponding version for intuitive use.

The trackpad is sweet and large, with an agency, responsive click-on. In our time testing it, palm rejection worked ultimately; regardless of the trackpad being aligned with the spacebar, we had no points with it choosing up undesirable enter whereas utilizing a USB mouse.

By way of different options, there’s not much to write down house about; we’ve obtained a 720p webcam (however, no IR digital camera) for video calls and a fingerprint scanner constructed into the facility button above the keyboard. Do you have to want to log in utilizing Home windows Howdy? Each is just about necessary inclusion for an excellent gaming laptop computer lately.

Lenovo Legion S7 assessment: Efficiency

The Nvidia RTX 3060 is a great graphics card for gaming in HD, even in its shrunken Max-Q variant for slimmer laptops. As demonstrated in our testing, it couldn’t reasonably handle a clear 60+ frames per second at extreme settings within the newest video games.

Nevertheless, it takes a few minor tweaks (equivalent to reducing texture element to medium) to clear 60 fps. Additional testing confirmed that 1440p is doable in some video games but not ultimate.

Much less GPU-intensive titles shouldn’t have any bother operating at most graphical settings, from older video games to esports mainstays like Overwatch and Valorant. Testing Valorant at most locations noticed secure framerates above 90 fps.

The Ryzen 7 processor performs moderately properly in CPU-bound video games because of the Complete Battle collection, so that received’t show an efficiency bottleneck for followers of technique video games.

Ray-tracing isn’t possible here, except you’re prepared to compromise considerably in different areas. We are trying to run Cyberpunk 2077 on the Extremely RTX preset (which incorporates ray-traced lighting, shadows, and reflections).

Introducing again unplayable framerates that various closely between 10 and 20. Nonetheless, ray-tracing is a good area of interest characteristic that isn’t viable in most laptops at this worth level, so we received’t maintain it towards the Legion S7.

Everyday CPU efficiency is robust, with the eight cores of the 5800H guaranteeing that the Legion S7 received’t battle with CPU-intensive duties. Daily use, from net shopping to video calls, is sweet and clean with no UI delay, and working several Chrome tabs isn’t remotely an issue for the S7.

Though this slimmed-down Legion ran quietly via our testing course, with solely an average hum from the followers at most loads that wasn’t audible when sporting headphones, the thinner chassis doesn’t enable thermal efficiency on the identical stage as its chunkier siblings. We’ve undoubtedly seen worse; however, the S7 runs reasonably scorching when gaming at more ideal settings.

This is how the Lenovo Legion S7 carried out in our suite of benchmark checks:

Cinebench R20 Multi-core: 4382

GeekBench 5: 1,453 (single-core); 7144 (multi-core)

PCMark 10 (House Check): 6,395

PCMark 10 (Battery Life Check): 3 hrs 45 minutes

Battery Life (TechRadar film take a look at): 5 hrs 33 minutes

Complete Battle: Warhammer III (1080p, Extremely): 50 fps; (1080p, Low): 148 fps

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Extremely): 51 fps; (1080p, Low): 98 fps

Dust 5 (1080p, Extremely): 65 fps; (1080p, Low): 139 fps

Lenovo Legion S7 assessment: Battery life

If smaller than some gaming laptops, the Legion S7’s 71Whr battery is vital. Our film took a look at noticed the S7 ran for over five and a half hours at 50% brightness, whereas the PCMark 10 battery life took a look at running the cells dry in three hours and forty-five minutes.

These are undeniably solid figures for a gaming laptop computer, which is usually considerably notorious for its poor battery life.

Utilizing the S7 for prolonged gaming classes without plugging in isn’t going to be a possibility. However, it could comfortably deal with a commute offered you’re prepared to show off the RGB keyboard and drop the brightness a bit. Switching the show from 165Hz to the aforementioned 60Hz mode saves you some energy, too.

Packaged with our Legion S7 was a 230W energy provide, with smaller 170W and 180W fashions accessible depending on territory. The battery expenses to complete in under two hours (wherewhenutilizing the laptop computer) is pretty spectacular.