During IEM I had the opportunity to listen to a presentation prepared by John Miedema, a Director of Product and Business Development Management EMEA at Lenovo.
The presentation started with defining gaming as a lifestyle and the implications of such. Gaming has evolved past just the free-time activity it once was and now it embraces several aspects, such as socialising and making acquaintances, competing and connecting with the best, and finally streaming and presence of gaming/gamers in the social media. This also affects the products that have to meet different needs. Lenovo identified the pillars, based on the needs, around which they are building their portfolio.
I think I can see the results of a recent survey about gaming! There are many types of gamers, who share some traits, but can have very different needs as well. The rectangle at the top divides gamers to Savage and Stealth groups. The Savages are high-roller gamers, who want the latest and greatest with a wallet ready to pay up to play, and competitive gamers, focused on the performance and playing on the highest settings. Stealthers are immersed gamers who consider gaming a lifestyle and are in need of a portable device capable of delivering the gaming experiences.
The remaining types of gamers aren't assigned to those groups, probably because there is representation of both. There are solo gamers, who value story driven games, allowing them to enter a new world. Another type is aspirational gamers, who have to balance gaming with life responsibilities and usually are subject to tighter budget constraints. Social gamers, who care mostly about having fun with friends. Lastly, there's a very casual group, who play from time to time and typically do it on a mobile or a console.
To assist with the performance, to perhaps lend the winning edge, Lenovo introduced its new AI Chip. It offers up to 15% performance uplift, which is impressive given it is achieved by redirecting the resources to certain pieces of hardware, based on the scenario recognition. Whenever a game is launched the sensor data is sent to the AI Chip automatically. Then the AI chip determines based on a generated model, which setup would be best for the performance at a given moment and a matching profile is selected in the Legion software.
The AI chip is present in the upcoming Legion Pro 7 and Pro 5 series. The Onyx Grey chassis is a darker colour than what the Storm Grey the previous generation had. Having seen those in person, I can tell they come close to anthracite.
No surprises about the TDP & GPU choices, with the Pro 5 being the Pro 7's little brother.
The Legion Pro 7 boasts largest-on-the-market battery, sporting 99 Wh and supporting fast charge via USB-C. Lenovo also made effort at sustainability, using recycled material for the chassis.
The Legion Pro 7 offers redesigned cooling system, with a vapour chamber to assist with efficient dispersal of the heat from the powerful graphics. Liquid metal on the CPU also offers better heat conductivity than a standard thermal compound.
There are two options available for the display. The first one is 16-inch, QHD 2560 x 1600 px IPS, 16:10 240 Hz 3ms response, VRR support, 500-nits, 100% sRGB and Pantone certified . The cheaper variant is 300-nits and 165 Hz, which might be still perfectly enough, depending on the games and environment one plays in. The bezel is tiny, giving the laptop a sleek look.
The TrueStrike keyboard has a bit deeper travel time and swappable keys. The RGB can be set individually for each key, allowing a possible participation in a competition for the biggest eyesore. 😉
The processors used in the Legion Pro 7 are AMD Phoenix Ryzen 9 7000, up to Ryzen 9 7945 HX (16C/32T) and for the Pro 7i Intel 13th generation Raptor Lake Core HX, up to Core i9-13900HX (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores, 32T), 55+ watt. The graphics are NVIDIA GeForce graphics, RTX 4070, 4080 and 4090. Up to 175W, full power models (so not the low power variants, formerly known as Max-Q).
Legion Pro 5 is no slouch either. It supports the same processors as its bigger brother.
To help with the thermals the fans have been redesigned from the previous generations. I've also noticed an unmentioned slightly taller profile, which helps taking the heat away from the bottom of the laptop.
The screen options are the same as in Legion Pro 7.
The processors used in the Legion Pro 5 are AMD Phoenix Ryzen 9 7000, up to Ryzen 9 7945 HX (16C/32T) and for the Pro 7i Intel 13th generation Raptor Lake Core HX, up to Core i9-13900HX (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores, 32T), 55+ watt. The graphics are NVIDIA GeForce graphics, RTX 4050, 4060 and 4070. Up to 140W, full power model. Similar chassis as in the Pro 7, but no RGB bar. 80Wh battery.
There were some engineering samples on the display, that came with both RGB and white-backlit keyboard. The white-backlit Pro 7 also did not have a RGB bar in the front.
Legion Pro 5i:
Legion Pro 7i in white:
Full-RGB Pro 7i:
The famous AI chip (and some dust specks!):
And an unnamed setup with very nice backlight setup. I have no idea what that is.
I hope that the pictures are still somewhat legible, unfortunately I sat quite far, forcing me to use camera zoom with my not-so-steady hands. Perhaps the Legion team could book me a first row seat for the next time, so that I can write a fancier review?! Just kidding!
The presentation started with defining gaming as a lifestyle and the implications of such. Gaming has evolved past just the free-time activity it once was and now it embraces several aspects, such as socialising and making acquaintances, competing and connecting with the best, and finally streaming and presence of gaming/gamers in the social media. This also affects the products that have to meet different needs. Lenovo identified the pillars, based on the needs, around which they are building their portfolio.
I think I can see the results of a recent survey about gaming! There are many types of gamers, who share some traits, but can have very different needs as well. The rectangle at the top divides gamers to Savage and Stealth groups. The Savages are high-roller gamers, who want the latest and greatest with a wallet ready to pay up to play, and competitive gamers, focused on the performance and playing on the highest settings. Stealthers are immersed gamers who consider gaming a lifestyle and are in need of a portable device capable of delivering the gaming experiences.
The remaining types of gamers aren't assigned to those groups, probably because there is representation of both. There are solo gamers, who value story driven games, allowing them to enter a new world. Another type is aspirational gamers, who have to balance gaming with life responsibilities and usually are subject to tighter budget constraints. Social gamers, who care mostly about having fun with friends. Lastly, there's a very casual group, who play from time to time and typically do it on a mobile or a console.
To assist with the performance, to perhaps lend the winning edge, Lenovo introduced its new AI Chip. It offers up to 15% performance uplift, which is impressive given it is achieved by redirecting the resources to certain pieces of hardware, based on the scenario recognition. Whenever a game is launched the sensor data is sent to the AI Chip automatically. Then the AI chip determines based on a generated model, which setup would be best for the performance at a given moment and a matching profile is selected in the Legion software.
The AI chip is present in the upcoming Legion Pro 7 and Pro 5 series. The Onyx Grey chassis is a darker colour than what the Storm Grey the previous generation had. Having seen those in person, I can tell they come close to anthracite.
No surprises about the TDP & GPU choices, with the Pro 5 being the Pro 7's little brother.
The Legion Pro 7 boasts largest-on-the-market battery, sporting 99 Wh and supporting fast charge via USB-C. Lenovo also made effort at sustainability, using recycled material for the chassis.
The Legion Pro 7 offers redesigned cooling system, with a vapour chamber to assist with efficient dispersal of the heat from the powerful graphics. Liquid metal on the CPU also offers better heat conductivity than a standard thermal compound.
There are two options available for the display. The first one is 16-inch, QHD 2560 x 1600 px IPS, 16:10 240 Hz 3ms response, VRR support, 500-nits, 100% sRGB and Pantone certified . The cheaper variant is 300-nits and 165 Hz, which might be still perfectly enough, depending on the games and environment one plays in. The bezel is tiny, giving the laptop a sleek look.
The TrueStrike keyboard has a bit deeper travel time and swappable keys. The RGB can be set individually for each key, allowing a possible participation in a competition for the biggest eyesore. 😉
The processors used in the Legion Pro 7 are AMD Phoenix Ryzen 9 7000, up to Ryzen 9 7945 HX (16C/32T) and for the Pro 7i Intel 13th generation Raptor Lake Core HX, up to Core i9-13900HX (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores, 32T), 55+ watt. The graphics are NVIDIA GeForce graphics, RTX 4070, 4080 and 4090. Up to 175W, full power models (so not the low power variants, formerly known as Max-Q).
Legion Pro 5 is no slouch either. It supports the same processors as its bigger brother.
To help with the thermals the fans have been redesigned from the previous generations. I've also noticed an unmentioned slightly taller profile, which helps taking the heat away from the bottom of the laptop.
The screen options are the same as in Legion Pro 7.
The processors used in the Legion Pro 5 are AMD Phoenix Ryzen 9 7000, up to Ryzen 9 7945 HX (16C/32T) and for the Pro 7i Intel 13th generation Raptor Lake Core HX, up to Core i9-13900HX (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores, 32T), 55+ watt. The graphics are NVIDIA GeForce graphics, RTX 4050, 4060 and 4070. Up to 140W, full power model. Similar chassis as in the Pro 7, but no RGB bar. 80Wh battery.
There were some engineering samples on the display, that came with both RGB and white-backlit keyboard. The white-backlit Pro 7 also did not have a RGB bar in the front.
Legion Pro 5i:
Legion Pro 7i in white:
Full-RGB Pro 7i:
The famous AI chip (and some dust specks!):
And an unnamed setup with very nice backlight setup. I have no idea what that is.
I hope that the pictures are still somewhat legible, unfortunately I sat quite far, forcing me to use camera zoom with my not-so-steady hands. Perhaps the Legion team could book me a first row seat for the next time, so that I can write a fancier review?! Just kidding!
Unamused Snarktooth. Advocate for hearing loss & accessibility. Person, friend and a terrible/terrific* artist.
*delete as appropriate
DoctorEldritch
I'm Liue, gamer with epilepsy from Finland. I'm BBA, Business Information Technology student at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and been helping out Legion Gaming Community since the creation of this forum, March 2021. I was one of the first members whom joined and never looked back.