Lenovo Legion 5i Pro (2022) review: very speedy, very serious
The 2021 Lenovo Legion 5 Pro was my favorite gaming laptop of last year. I loved its keyboard, its 16-inch QHD 16:10 aspect ratio display, and, of course, its powerful RTX 3070 GPU. What I loved the most was that Lenovo achieved in a $1,599.99 machine what most competitors charge close to $2K or more for.
The 2022 version of the Legion 5 Pro brings more of the same but with an as-tested $1,999 price that costs $500 more than the AMD-based version that we tested last year. It still delivers one of the best typing experiences that I’ve experienced on a gaming laptop, and Lenovo improved on its display by adding variable refresh rate support to keep games looking smooth.
As for what’s new, it’s faster, with support for the latest 12th Gen Intel processors and AMD’s Ryzen 6000 H-series processors, along with new and more powerful GPUs. Also, last year’s edgier-looking top shell looks a little more toned down now.
Some downsides have carried over from the 2021 version, however, including the base model’s paltry 512GB of storage. It only takes a few games to all but use up such a small amount of space. And while I gave mild praise to its speakers last year, I’ve tested a few competing gaming laptops, like the Asus Strix Scar 17 and Razer’s latest Blade, that prove how much better they can sound if you’re willing to spend more. And some of Lenovo’s preinstalled apps and bloatware like McAfee anti-virus software regularly serve annoying pop-ups on the corner of the screen.
Then, there’s the matter of supply. The 2021 Legion 5 Pro was sold exclusively at Walmart, and it was sold out for most of the year, though it’s now more readily available for $1,399.99. I’m not sure if the pandemic’s effects on chip shortages are to blame,
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