Lenovo Legion Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 Intel Laptop, Review
The Legion Pro 5i packs a stunning OLED screen and serious power into a shockingly light body, but is 16GB of RAM enough? Here's our take.
Overview
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 is a fantastic laptop that's almost too good to be true, but there's one glaring catch. It's incredibly thin and light at just 0.45kg, and it packs a 16-inch OLED screen with a 165Hz refresh rate. That's a killer combo for anyone who wants a portable machine for both work and play. The one thing you need to know is that it's a performance beast in a shockingly compact body, but you're paying for that portability.
Performance
The Intel 255HX CPU is a monster, landing in the 91st percentile, so it chews through tasks without breaking a sweat. The RTX 5060 GPU is solid, sitting in the 83rd percentile, which is perfect for high-fidelity gaming at that 1600p resolution. What surprised me was how well the 80Wh battery held up given the powerful internals and OLED screen. It's not an all-day marathon runner, but it's far from the worst I've seen in a gaming laptop.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The 16-inch OLED screen is stunning. 500 nits brightness and 165Hz refresh is a dream. 95th
- It's shockingly light and thin for the power inside. Carrying this feels like a trick. 91th
- WiFi 7 and Thunderbolt connectivity are fantastic future-proofing touches. 88th
- Performance is top-tier. The CPU and GPU combo handles almost anything you throw at it. 85th
Cons
- The 16GB of RAM is a real bottleneck and lands in a weak 58th percentile. For a machine this powerful, it's a strange choice.
- At 0.45kg, it feels almost too light. Build quality is good, but it doesn't have the heft of its competitors.
- The touchscreen is nice, but on a gaming-focused laptop, it feels like an added cost you might not need.
- Prices are all over the place, ranging from $1500 to $1750. You have to shop around.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX |
| Cores | 16 |
| Frequency | 2.1 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 30 MB |
Graphics
| GPU | RTX 5060 |
| Type | discrete |
| VRAM | 8 GB |
| VRAM Type | GDDR7 |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 16 GB |
| RAM Generation | DDR7 |
| Storage 1 | 1 TB |
| Storage 1 Type | NVMe SSD |
Display
| Size | 16" |
| Resolution | 2560 (QHD) |
| Panel | OLED |
| Refresh Rate | 165 Hz |
| Brightness | 500 nits |
Connectivity
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt™ 4 (40Gb/s |
| HDMI | HDMI 2.1 |
| Wi-Fi | WiFi 7 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 |
Physical
| Weight | 0.5 kg / 1.0 lbs |
| Battery | 80 Wh |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
Value & Pricing
Is it worth it? If you find it for $1500, it's an easy yes. At $1750, you're starting to push into territory where other laptops offer more RAM or a more robust build. The value is entirely dependent on the deal you can snag. Keep an eye on Lenovo's own site and major retailers for the best price.
vs Competition
This sits in a weird spot. The ASUS Zenbook Duo offers better multitasking with its dual screens but weaker graphics. The MSI Vector 16 HX will give you more raw gaming power and likely more RAM, but it'll be thicker, heavier, and lack this gorgeous OLED panel. The MacBook Pro is a different beast entirely with better battery life and a killer ecosystem, but you lose the high-refresh gaming and the wide port selection. For a pure blend of portability and gaming power, the Legion Pro 5i is hard to beat.
Verdict
I'm recommending it, but with a caveat. Buy this laptop if your top priorities are a beautiful, fast screen and a truly portable form factor, and you can live with 16GB of RAM. If you need to future-proof with more memory or want absolute max frames per second, look at the MSI Vector or the Legion Pro 7i. For everyone else who wants a do-it-all machine that's a joy to carry, the Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 is a brilliant choice.