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Lenovo LEGION laptops are amongst the most sought-after and, well, there’s a very good reason why: they are absolutely incredible from a price-to-performance standpoint and, more often than not, offer a stellar gaming experience with very few compromises.
And that, in short, is quite a rare mix. The world of gaming laptops is a mighty diverse and competitive one. You have traditional clamshell designs, hybrid 2-in-1s, chunky desktop replacements with the latest and greatest internals money can buy and, heck, even a few gaming tablets from ASUS.
To make things even more complicated — and potentially “dangerous” for the informed buyer — these machines range from downright dreadful to wholly awe-inspiring, and much of the same can be said for their MSRPs as well. Some come with horrific displays; dim beyond measure, with terrible response times and no color accuracy to speak of. Others feature plastic chassis, wobbly hinges, miniscule trackpads, and a kind of fan noise that can mimic a Boeing 747 taking off.
The best ones are, therefore, surprisingly rare, as there’s always something to point out and criticize. Lenovo, however, seems to have a winning formula. This venerable OEM — who’s been in first place market share-wise for well over a decade — knows what’s necessary for a stellar gaming experience and, by proxy, which corners it can afford to cut.
Lenovo LEGION laptops aren’t the most jaw-droppingly beautiful, but they’re nonetheless about as well-rounded as it gets — especially for the asking price. And so, with that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what makes them such a stellar option for both the budget-minded and those who are willing to spare no expense so as to get the best possible gaming experience!
Lenovo LEGION — Product Stack Breakdown
The LEGION line-up, at first glance, can seem quite confusing, and well, naturally so: Lenovo doesn’t really excel at nomenclature.
There are three different types of LEGION laptops: Slim, Pro, and just LEGION. The first two are somewhat self-explanatory. That last one, however, is where the confusion starts as it’s comprised of both entry-level laptops and spec’d-out premium ones.
The Pro series, as the name implies, is amongst the most feature-rich and powerful. It’s about as well-rounded as it gets whilst not being too expensive. The Slim one, on the other hand, carries many of the same components and features but is much slimmer and more streamlined. These laptops come imbued with H-series processors (as opposed to HX), and their graphics cards can’t draw as much power as is the case with their more capable Pro brethren.
Still, it’s a worthwhile trade-off for those who don’t need an otherworldly amount of power and would still prefer to have a more portable computer by their side — and are also, by proxy, willing to spend a little extra for said luxury.
The LEGION 7 series, in particular, is the best and most premium (not to mention powerful) which Lenovo has to offer. It has the best of everything and, naturally, a price to match.
LEGION Laptops — Be Mindful of Their Differences
There’s also a difference when it comes to their displays, RAM capacities/limits, battery life, maximum display brightness, and port selections, so make sure to read the fine print before making any kind of purchasing decision. LEGION Slim laptops come with many benefits, but also a few relatively unique drawbacks, some of which may well be deal-breakers depending on your needs and personal use-case.
With that being said, Lenovo tends to offer tremendous discounts (sometimes at the most random of moments), so you may as well check its website to see whether the model you’re most interested in happens to be on sale.
Lenovo LEGION — How Do They Compare to the Competition?
They’re better in some aspects and slightly worse in others. Their screens, in particular, are their biggest selling point. They’re bright, color accurate (depending on the model), and have very acceptable response times. The build quality of some models does leave a bit to be desired though (the lower- and mid-tier ones), and their trackpads, while sufficient, are nothing to write home about.
As already mentioned, it really depends on which LEGION laptop you end up going for. Some adhere to the “budget” formula and, as a result, cut all the necessary corners — hence the less-than-stellar build quality. Others, however, sell for a premium and are indeed top-tier products with impeccable craftsmanship and performance.
Lenovo LEGION laptops offer equivalent or, in some cases, noticeably better performance, for, at times, a lower asking price. They’re not the flashiest laptops around, but that, too, can be deemed as a positive: they’re streamlined and subdued in design, and they don’t adhere to any gamery trends.
LEGION laptops also have better cooling solutions when compared to most of their competitors and can, in a way, be described as “value champions.” They have gotten a bit more expensive lately, but that holds true for all the latest and greatest gaming laptops, no matter the OEM.
Other manufacturers have stepped up, though, and, needless to say, the market is the most competitive it’s ever been. LEGION laptops are no longer quite as alluring as they were just a year or two ago, and that’s primarily because of Lenovo’s competitors improving and iterating on their own designs and products.
Still, they’re as well-rounded as ever, and are definitely worth recommending.
Conclusion — Are LEGION Laptops Worth It?
One-hundred percent. In fact, they’re some of the best gaming laptops on the market which, frankly, speaks volumes. So many different OEMs are trying to one-up each other but Lenovo, for one reason or another, always seems to deliver the most value.
It doesn’t skimp out on anything in particular. LEGION laptops come with bright displays, stellar build quality, powerful internals, incredible inputs, and a diverse selection of ports, too.
Better yet, they are, for the most part, competitively priced. There’s no “Razer tax” to speak of, nor any overly superfluous features that were, one could argue, added with the sole intention of jacking up the MSRP.
Lenovo LEGION laptops are amongst the most popular and, well, with good reason — they’re about as well-rounded as it gets.
Those who are looking for the best possible build quality will still gravitate towards Razer. Others, who prefer a more contemporary look, might opt for an ASUS ROG model. Still, the sheer popularity of Lenovo’s LEGION laptops speaks for itself.
Amazon & Best Buy — The Best Places to Shop
With all of that being said, make sure to buy your laptop of choice from a retailer like Amazon or, say, Best Buy. Lenovo LEGION laptops aren’t known for having bad quality control, but such issues do occur from time to time. Moreover, with the introduction of so many new generations of hardware (processors, DDR5 RAM, NVIDIA RTX 40 series/AMD RX 7000 GPUs), OEMs still have a long way to go before all kinks and bugs are ironed out and dealt with.
Having a lenient return window to fall back on is a great failsafe, and it’s definitely worth exploring, especially in today’s day and age where OEMs don’t seem to excel much at quality control, RMA procedures, and customer service.