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While the trend is currently towards smaller gaming laptops, Lenovo is not forgetting its roots by offering the Lenovo Legion Pro 5.
An imposing 16” certainly, but which in return offers a muscular configuration, for a relatively reasonable price. Let's see together if this year's refresh is worth the detour.
Our test version is the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16IRX9. .
| Lenovo Legion Pro 5 | |
|---|---|
| Screen | 16″ WQXGA (2560×1600) IPS 300nits Anti-glare, 100 % sRGB, 165Hz, Dolby Vision, G-SYNC |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-14700HX |
| RAM | 2x 16GB SO-DIMM DDR5-5600 |
| Map graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (8GB GDDR6 VRAM) |
| Storage | 1TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0×4 NVMe |
| Connectivity | 1x USB-A 3x USB-A 1x USB-C 1x USB-C 1x HDMI® 2.1 1x Headphone/microphone combo jack (3.5mm) 1x Ethernet (RJ-45) 1x Power connector |
| Network | Wi-Fi 6E, 11ax 2×2 + BT5.2 |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, 2W x2 |
| Battery | 80Wh |
| Weight/Dimensions (mm) | 2, 5 Kg/363 mm x 261 mm x 27 mm |
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Although the Pro 5 is the size of a classic 16”, it still remains particularly large. With its 2.7 centimeters thick and its 2.5 kilos, it is one of the heavyweights in the category. The 2024 edition of the laptop PC is not lazy, as its design suggests. Lenovo has added many edges to the Pro 5 here, so much so that it could seem like a strange partnership with Lamborghini.
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A design that we don't particularly like anymore, this one lacking finesse in execution. It must be said that the combination of plastic and aluminum of the PC struggles to offer a feeling of a premium product overall.
If the envelope is not perfect, it still remains practical with well-thought-out elements. Its size logically requires it to be left on a desk, to transport it as little as possible. In this way Lenovo has located most of the Pro 5's connectors at the back of the chassis. A good decision, as it avoids cluttering the work space with cables on the sides of the machine. The 16” format even offers the luxury of having an RJ45 port.
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As for the Legion Pro 5 keyboard, this one This offers a pleasant and precise typing. Note in particular that it is one of the latest 16” models at integrating a numeric keypad. A luxury for people who regularly work with numbers, without reducing the size of the letter keys.
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Where this possibly poses a problem is in the position of the touchpad. To leave space for the keyboard arrows, it is slightly offset to the left, which makes it inconvenient to use. Right-handed people will have to adopt an unnatural posture, and thus make a right click instead of the desired left click. We will also regret the sluggish feeling of the click of this trackpad, which is not very satisfactory to use.
In life, you have to make choices. Here at equivalent configuration, the Legion Pro 5 has an overall price lower by 400 euros compared to the competition. Suffice it to say that, to offer such a price, it was necessary to find a way to reduce costs. Here, the Lenovo PC offers an IPS panel with a refresh rate of 165 Hz for a resolution of 2560 x 1600.
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The matte panel has a correct and fair reproduction of colors, but poses here a major concern for players who would like to be competitive. Indeed, the response time of the screen is 11.9 seconds, which for a gaming PC is very high. Knowing that OLED screens show response times of 0.2 ms, FPS enthusiasts will instead have to go for another model of laptop PC.
This is the area where the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 stands out the most. With its imposing chassis, the laptop does not really have any thermal management problems. It therefore offers an Intel Core i7-4700HX processor as well as an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card.
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A configuration that allows you to play in the native resolution of the Pro 5 comfortably. This is how, as with the Razer Blade 14 with a similar configuration, we did a benchmark of the Lenovo PC with 3D Mark:
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On Cyberpunk 2077 using the following configuration , we averaged 62 FPS, with drops to 54 and peaks to 78 FPS. For the competitive aspect, we also tested the machine's capabilities on Counter Strike 2. The average FPS on our session was 180, with drops to 135, and peaks to 270.
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Overall, gaming performance was particularly good for a laptop priced lower than the competition.
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The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 comes with a huge charging brick of 300 watts. If we regret its size and its significant weight, it is also possible to charge the machine using a more compact USB-C charger.
The advantage at least is that a full charge takes barely an hour, when the norm is around an hour and forty. A specificity that will be very useful, since the autonomy of the Legion Pro 5 melts like snow in the sun.
Using it to work with note-taking and web browsing, the 80 Wh battery lasted barely 4 hours. A more than limited autonomy which prevents you from moving even a little bit from an electrical outlet.
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The most attractive point of the Legion Pro 5 is its performance in game, solid for a PC with a configuration that costs 400 euros more among the competition.
Only, we will have to accept the idea that The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is a PC that is more transportable than truly portable. With its 2.5 kg weight, its imposing chassis and its aptly named charging brick, it is one of the largest 16” on the market.
A chassis which visually is not the most rewarding, like its screen which we do not recommend for gamers. Indeed, its response time is too high to remain competitive in the game. People wishing to work with the Lenovo PC will also have to take into account its more than limited autonomy.
Ultimately, the Legion Pro of 2024 makes too many concessions for our tastes to make it a truly attractive machine.
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