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Buy at Lenovo

Retail Price: $1,769.99

DISCLAIMER: LENOVO SENT US A LOANER REVIEW UNIT OF THE LENOVO LEGION SLIM 7 BUT ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE OUR OWN

Product Specs +

15.6" 1920 x 1080p display
AMD Ryzen 7 5800H Processor
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GPU
Windows 10 OS
Up to 165 Hz refresh rate
16 GB of RAM
512 GB of SSD storage
720p Camera
2x USB A ports
2x USB-C
SD card slot
Headphone/mic combo
RGB backlit programmable keyboard
230W battery

A while back, we reviewed the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro and although it was powerful and great to use, I really had trouble grasping the portability aspect of that gaming laptop because it was just so bulky and heavy. At that point, maybe a PC tower would make sense. However this Legion Slim laptop is indeed slimmer, but with that design choice comes limited trade-offs in performance and usability.

A Slim and Clean Look

The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 features a matte shadow black brushed casing with comfortable and clean design cues. I personally love how clean and subtle this laptop looks. Although Lenovo calls it a gaming laptop, the simple aesthetics give it a professional demeanor that can very well be used in an office or classroom setting as well. As mentioned in the unboxing video, the Legion Slim 7 is a fingerprint magnet but can be easily wiped with a microfiber cloth. Weighing in at about 4.2 pounds, this laptop is much lighter than some of the other gaming laptop competitors.

Once opened, you’re introduced to a spacious 15” display with a lit up power button located just above the keyboard. Speaking of the keyboard, I found the layout to be fairly comfortable but wish the keys had a bit more tactile feedback. Lenovo uses its TrueStrike Gaming Keyboard here, which enables fully personalized RGB lighting with the Corsair iCUE software. Although these keys felt comfortable to type with, I felt like they just needed a little more oomph to them. There isn’t much travel or resistance to the input of the keys. In fact, that’s kind of how I felt about the trackpad too. While it is responsive, there isn’t much of a premium feel to it during usage. The build quality is solid and the space is large, but it just felt like there was something missing still.

All the Space You Need

For being a portable gaming laptop, I was quite impressed with the number of ports housed on the Legion Slim 7. The left hand slide houses an SD card reader, headphone jack, and vent while the right hand side includes two USB-C ports in addition to another vent. Like other Legion designs, you’ll find the majority of ports along the back of the laptop. In this case, you’ll also have access to two USB-A ports and the power port in addition to more vents. Although I’m used to having charging ports located along the side of my laptop, I found having it located in the back and center of the Legion Slim 7 also allows the device to remain balanced while charging due to its large charging brick.

Versatile Performer

For about $1,500, it’s hard to complain about the performance of the Legion Slim 7. This version that Lenovo sent us features an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor running on Windows 10 Home. There’s 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD. The Legion Slim 7 also features an Nvidia RTX 3060 6 GB graphics card. There honestly has not been much to complain about when it comes to the performance of this laptop. It’s buttery smooth and great performing no matter what you’re doing. I’m also the type of person who enjoys watching media like Netflix and YouTube on my laptops and the Legion Slim 7 performed exceptionally in those settings as well thanks to the well sized display.

What adds on to the great package that Lenovo already offers in the Legion Slim 7 is the 15.6 inch FHD 1920 x 1080p display with a 165 Hz refresh rate and Dolby Vision. I wouldn’t necessarily say colors are the best I’ve ever seen on a laptop, but they’re really quite good. Images are clear, vibrant, and true-toned. Although I have had no issues using the laptop in an indoor setting with both bright and dim lighting, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for gaming if you’re outside waiting for class or sitting at a park table due to the display. It doesn’t get as bright as I needed it to in that regard.

I did try playing a few games on this laptop including Dead Rising 3 and Pikuniku. By no means am I an expert when it comes to gaming laptop performance but there were no stutters during my time playing and everything felt immersive from the sound to colors and overall experience. Although I have no doubt that this laptop would be able to handle most Triple-A games with at least 30 FPS, I think what impresses me most about the Legion Slim 7 is that it’s a chameleon. The Legion Slim 7 is both versatile and powerful enough for a gamut of things such as editing, data science work, and gaming without needing to be too large in size.

Bulky Battery

Needless to say, there’s a good amount of juice needed to power the Legion Slim 7. Although it’s evident that Lenovo tried creating a small-ish brick to charge this laptop, it is probably the least portable part of this device. This is a normal aspect for gaming laptops that we have to accommodate as users. With a 230W power brick and Lenovo’s Rapid Charge Pro feature, the Slim 7 fully charges in just under 6 hours. Overall, battery life is steady for a gaming laptop and unless you’re exclusively playing games every single minute on the Legion Slim 7, it will offer a comprehensive battery for everyday tasks.

What’s Not to Like?

It’s clear that Lenovo put a lot of thought into the functionality and design of the Legion Slim 7. With an impressive spec sheet for the $1,500 price range, it’s definitely a laptop that should be worth considering for gamers looking to bring gaming with them outside of their home. When paired with additional features like Bluetooth 5.1, a decent 720p webcam camera, and bottom firing Harman Kardon speakers, it’s hard to go wrong with the Lenovo Legion Slim 7. For those who don’t necessarily want an outrageous looking laptop and want some semblance to the portability of an ultrabook with the performance of a gaming computer, this may very well be one of the best options on the market right now.

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Lida

Always the number cruncher, the former narrative journalist turned data scientist, can’t help but find herself bursting with excitement with each new generation of tech gadgets. After all, predicting future trends is Lida’s forte. Any gadget that survives Lida’s torturous, adult working woman itinerary of over 700 notifications a day deserves praise!