What’s the best Lenovo gaming laptop? It’s a tricky question and depends on your budget, the specs you’re after, and how you’ll use your laptop. We’ve tested the best Lenovo laptops for gamers to give you a steer on where best to spend your hard-earned cash.
Since Lenovo acquired IBM’s laptop division in 2005, it’s carved out an enviable reputation as a gaming laptop brand, picking up IBM’s tired ThinkPad range and transforming its offering into a versatile selection of portable workhorses, creative devices, and gaming machines. Legion – Lenovo’s flagship gaming brand was launched in 2017, and its LOQ brand of budget gaming laptops followed in 2023. These two brands combine to make the best Lenovo laptops for gaming.
Lenovo isn’t known for not being overly showy, preferring to channel its efforts into creating powerful, functional performance laptops with fewer bells and whistles than its rivals. You get quality components that work together to create cutting-edge gaming powerhouses.
If you prefer to shy away from gaudy RGB lighting, then Lenovo has plenty of options. But which of the latest budget and performance laptops do we recommend? We’ve put together a list of the best Lenovo gaming laptops currently on the market to help you decide.
Why you can trust our advice ✔ At PCGamesN, our experts spend hours testing hardware and reviewing games and VPNs. We share honest, unbiased opinions to help you buy the best. Find out how we test.
Best Lenovo gaming laptops in 2024:
- Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16 – best for portability
- Lenovo LOQ 15 – best budget
- Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 – best-specced
- Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 – most flexible
1. Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16
Best Lenovo gaming laptop for portability
Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16 specs:
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 |
| CPU | Up to Intel Core i9 13900H |
| RAM | Up to 32GB DDR5-5200MHz |
| Storage | Up to 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4 |
| Display | 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, IPS, 240Hz / 16-inch , 3200 x 2000, IPS, 165Hz |
| Battery | 99.9Whr |
Pros:
- Slim and lightweight
- Great display
- Solid battery life
Cons:
- Expensive
- Can run hot
- Touchpad is a little small
Lenovo’s Legion range puts it slap bang at the heart of laptop PC gaming. The company’s no stranger to power-packed gaming laptops, with its Legion brand having been in service since 2017, and it’s within this line-up that you’ll find the best Lenovo gaming laptops.
As the moniker suggests, the Slim 7i is no portly portable, measuring just 0.69in thick. Despite its diminutive form factor, it still manages to pack in a good helping of power thanks to a 13th Gen Intel Core processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card. Storage comes in the form of a 1TB SSD.
The Legion Slim 7i is available in two colors – stone gray and glacier White – and is, unusually for a gaming laptop, a lesson in design restraint, with none of the RGB frippery of many gaming laptops on the market. The Slim 7i could easily pass for a run-of-the-mill laptop workhorse, but it’s what’s under the hood that sets it apart.
The 7i’s 16″ WQXGA screen delivers visually, with smooth, tear-free gameplay and a nippy 240Hz refresh rate with 3ms response time. G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync support is included. It’s also available in a 3.2K configuration.
In port terms, you get two USB-C slots, two USB-A versions, a combo audio mic jack, an SD reader, and an HDMI 2.1 port for big-screen gaming action. Bluetooth 5.2 is included, and the dual 2w Harman speakers, optimized for Dolby Atmos are capable of pleasing sonics, although those looking for thunderous audio effects would do well to invest in a larger 2.1 or 5.1 audio system.
Given the size and portability of the Legion Slim 7i, it’s a stunning feat to have packed in so much power. Even hardened gaming laptop aficionados will be impressed with its all-round performance.
2. Lenovo LOQ 15
The best budget Lenovo gaming laptop
Lenovo Legion LOQ 15 specs:
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 |
| CPU | Up to Intel Core i7 13700H |
| RAM | Up to 16GB DDR5-5200MHz |
| Storage | Up to 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4 |
| Display | 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080, IPS, 144Hz |
| Battery | 60Whr |
Pros:
- Strong performance
- Great keyboard and touchpad
- Affordable
Cons:
- Some build quality compromises
- Not the lightest
- Solid – not spectacular – display
Released in early 2023, Lenovo’s LOQ gaming laptop range brings gaming chops to the budget end of the laptop market. Despite the price tag, the LOQ range is anything but dull and uninspiring. In fact, it looks every inch the understated gaming laptop sleeper. Look a little closer, and you’ll find more plastics than evident in the Legion range, and, at 5.29 lbs, this isn’t as notable as many higher-end, higher-priced gaming laptops. However, that’s the price you pay for having less of a price to pay.
Specs are respectable, including 13th Gen Intel Core processors teamed up with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050. The base spec tops out at just 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, but both can be doubled for a little extra cash.
The 15.6-inch Full HD screen brings visuals to life, albeit not at the eye-popping level of its more expensive Lenovo contemporaries. In the ports department, you get a brace of USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 slots, a single Gen 1 variant, and a single USB-C compatible with DisplayPort 1.4.
The keyboard and trackpad take their design cues from the Legion range and are all the better for it. The keyboard is responsive, and there’s plenty of trackpad real estate to play with.
Ardent gamers may turn their noses up at laptops in this price bracket, but there are plenty of options out there, which means the LOQ 15 is up against some stiff competition. However, if you’re looking for a budget-conscious, eminently capable gaming laptop, you could do far worse than consider the LOQ 15.
3. Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8
The best-specced Lenovo gaming laptop
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 specs:
| GPU | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 |
| CPU | Up to AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX |
| RAM | Up to 32GB DDR5-5200MHz |
| Storage | Up to 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4 |
| Display | 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, IPS, 165Hz 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, IPS, 240Hz |
| Battery | 80Whr |
Pros:
- Cutting-edge performance
- Brilliant keyboard
- Plenty of ports
Cons:
- Bulky and heavy
- Weedy built-in speakers
- Average battery life
The Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 is a high-end Lenovo gaming laptop that sits just below the flagship Pro 7 and features slightly lower CPU and GPU specs. What that means in practical terms is a slight drop in performance for an arguably larger drop in price.
From the off, the Pro 5 impresses with stunning build quality. The lid is aluminum, but unlike the Pro 7, the Pro 5 features a plastic chassis, albeit one made from exceptionally durable polycarbonate.
AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors pair with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs to provide a potent processing team that allows the 16-inch WQXGA, 165Hz or 240Hz display options to stretch their legs and make mincemeat of fast-action gaming with zero tearing.
With a respectable 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, the Pro 5 has plenty of potential, although both RAM and SSD can be specced up to 32GB and 1TB respectively should you yearn for more.
Cooling vents take up a big chunk of the laptop’s rear, but despite that, there’s still a plethora of ports, with four USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 and two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports alongside an HDMI 2.1 socket, an RJ45 port, and a headphone/mic combo jack.
As always, Lenovo’s keyboard design is near-faultless. Corners have clearly been cut with four-zone keyboard lighting instead of per key, but that is the only criticism you can level at this brilliantly laid-out machine’s physical interface.
Ultimately, this is a step down from the Legion Pro 7 for several steps down in price and, as such, represents incredible performance for the money.
How we chose the best Lenovo gaming laptops
- Price: While it’s not the first concern for many when choosing a gaming laptop. Budget options are a welcome addition to any range. For those with serious spending power, we made sure we had options aplenty.
- Power: The best Lenovo gaming laptops live and die by their specs, but it’s the combination of high-quality components that delivers big performance. We looked for expertly packaged systems that could wring every ounce of performance from their constituent parts.
- Style: Even Lenovo’s best gaming laptops aren’t known for swathes of RGB lighting and exuberant design flourishes, but you still want your laptop to look the part.
- Connectivity: The added flexibility that comes with an array of ports and sockets allows you to add plenty of peripherals to augment even the mightiest setup.
Find out more about how we test laptops and PC gaming hardware.
Lenovo LOQ vs Lenovo Legion
Both Lenovo’s LOQ and Legion gaming laptop ranges offer gaming-focused machines, but they are distinct offerings.
The LOQ range is firmly in budget gaming laptop territory, with keener price points, primarily due to lower specs and material compromises.
By contrast, the Legion range offers the very best Lenovo gaming laptops the company has to offer. High-end components and construction make these machines the cream of the Lenovo gaming crop.
For more gaming laptop recommendations, check out our expert guides on Alienware gaming laptops, the best Razer laptops, and the best Dell gaming laptops.