Much is gained, and almost nothing is lost…
Except that the price tag is now a little bit higher than before, with few configuration options.
This review was made possible with a review sample provided by Lenovo.
Is this the Gen 9 or Gen 8? Spoiler, it’s the Gen 8. Hard to tell from the outside, though.
The company did not see the contents of the review before publishing.
However, there are still several notable changes.
This configuration is well-rounded and is overall a great value when compared to the competition.
The new Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is refined to near-perfection.
I do think the RGB lighting looks fantastic, too.
Ports-wise, the situation is pretty great.
At least Lenovo didn’t omit the Ethernet port or cheap out on the HDMI port.
In use, the screen looks awesome.
That’s great, because you also getDolby Visionsupport.
Backlight bleed continues to be minimal, and contrast levels have actually improved versus last year.
It’s hard to tell these two apart in pictures, but in person the subtly darker color looks significantly better and resists smudges far more effectively.
As you’d hope, it’s more powerful than last year’s model…
Except the gap is even greater than I expected.
Lenovo Vantage still offers multiple performance profiles and modes to optimize your experience.
An Ethernet port, USB Type-C port, HDMI 2.1 port, two USB Type-A ports, and the Lenovo charging port.(Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)
You lose top-end performance, but the laptop does last longer away from the charger.
Need even more firepower?
you’ve got the option to overclock the GPU and display directly from Lenovo Vantage.
Another USB Type-A port and a USB Type-C port (the Thunderbolt 4 port you see on the Gen 8 only appeared on one retailer-specific configuration).(Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)
There’s still no CPU or RAM overclocking here, though, which is a small omission.
If you want to upgrade your Legion Pro 7i, you do have a little leeway.
Games just worked, and even long play sessions never resulted in slowdown or noticeable dips in performance.
A fourth USB Type-A port, 3.5mm audio jack, and the electronic webcam shutter.(Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)
This is a monster of a gaming laptop.
Gains in games are modest versus last year’s model, but they’re there.
In all of these games, performance also felt more stable, as well.
This display is much better than last year, and it’s a joy to use.
That’s a major improvement, even if the laptop still clocked out after less than three hours.
That’s a big step in the right direction.
It’s a small touch, but it makes the laptop so much nicer to use.
This display’s only weakness is in color accuracy, which falls short of the promised 100% sRGB color gamut.
All-in-all, it’s an excellent keyboard.
That was basically my only complaint with this fine keyboard.
The touchpad is your standardMicrosoft Precisionaffair.
Lots of aggressive vents help keep this monster laptop cool.
It’s smooth, gestures work, and it’s consistent and responsive.
It’s also a good size, and the button action is consistent.
I don’t have any real criticisms, except that it’s boring.
A faster SSD isn’t too noticeable in use, but it does make a difference.(Image credit: Windows Central)
That’s okay, though, because you’re going to hook up yourfavorite gaming mouseanyway.
Finally, the RGB lighting looks great and works as a regular backlight, too, if you want.
The colors and white balance are fine, but the camera suffers alotfrom noise.
Not only is the Legion Pro 7i a fair bit faster than its predecessor, it’s also beating other laptops with the same CPU.(Image credit: Windows Central)
It’s good enough for casual video conferences but not much more than that.
The dual microphones are solid, though.
If you care about that.
The Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) is by far the most powerful laptop we’ve tested with this benchmark.(Image credit: Windows Central)
The Legion Pro 7i is equipped with dual 2W speakers.
On paper, that’s not particularly impressive, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by this system.
Considering the reputation of Windows laptop speakers, I’d say that’s a win.
This laptop also achieved the highest score we’ve seen in a long time in CrossMark, soundly beating Gen 8.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Finally, wireless connectivity is handled byWi-Fi 6Eand Bluetooth 5.1 (strangely not a newer version).
As expected, there’s no cellular connectivity here.
The laptop is powered byWindows 11, a known quantity at this point that runs great on this hardware.
Performance bumps are more modest here, but the Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) is a beast.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Outside of Lenovo, MSI and ASUS both have a wide variety of great gaming laptops at different budgets.
However, the greatest competition for the Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) is honestly its predecessor.
If you want to play every PC game with the highest prefs, this is the laptop for you.
No other laptop Windows Central has ever tested came close to the Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) in PCMark’s Modern Office test.(Image credit: Windows Central)
You want a gaming laptop with a practical, understated design.
A great choice for those who don’t want anything too flashy.
That new matte black color looks awesome, too.
This laptop was also the fastest with encoding a 4K video.(Image credit: Windows Central)
The Gen 9 is just a little better.
The result is not just a top-notch gaming laptop, but one of thebest Windows laptopsin general.
When you might save so much buying last year’s model, though, is it enough?
No matter what you throw at this laptop, it won’t stumble.
Performance is amazing, and small improvements in a few areas make a big impact.
Even using the same GPU, the Gen 9 scored a modest improvement over its predecessor.
We can finally begin shutting the lid on the battery woes of the Gen 8.
The Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) quite literally doubled its endurance in this benchmark with all the same settings.
This keyboard is mostly the same, but there’s less flex in the deck and display hinge, and the new matte black colorway looks slick.
In basically every other way, the Gen 9 feels identical to the Gen 8.
That includes software, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The Gen 9 is absolutely better than its predecessor, but is that enough?
Hands-down one of the best gaming laptops you can buy right now.
