The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 is one of the latest gaming laptops to be released in the densely competitive tech industry, and it’s a great choice for gaming on the go. Game Crater was fortunate enough to test out the Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 16IRX8H model, which comes with the powerful Intel i9-13900HX processor, an incredible Nvidia RTX 4080 12GB Graphics card, and a 16-inch screen. A range of configuration options are available under this model so you can make a device that best meets your needs.
Table of contents
Design and Features
Lenovo built the Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 as a no-bells-and-whistles device purely for performance. It skips fancy features like touch screens or fingerprint sensors to focus on delivering results and keeping costs as low as possible.
Its design impresses with its sleek aluminum chassis, blending durability with a premium aesthetic appeal. In particular, I enjoyed how sturdy it felt to open the lid with one hand without any warping or bending. Its 16-inch, large, bright 240hz display steals the spotlight, offering vivid visuals and sharp details, ideal for gaming and multimedia tasks. The laptop’s overall design, particularly at the back, is clean and simple and does not have the aesthetic you typically see on many gaming laptops. Personally, I found this design choice appealing, as it provided a professional-looking machine with a modest gaming style while delivering the high performance required beneath the surface.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 includes per-key RGB lighting on the keyboard, adding a personalized touch and allowing users to customize their gaming setup to their preferences. The configuration flexibility with the keys provides some remarkable features for how the colors appear and special functions are utilized. Furthermore, the keyboard width is generous, so you don’t constantly run into fat-finger errors.
The keyboard and touchpad positioning is shifted slightly to the left of the natural hand position to fit the tenkey setup on the right. This meant that when my left hand was on the WASD keys for gaming, my hand was placed on the laptop’s left edge, making the experience a little uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the left positioning of the touchpad meant more space for larger directional keys than the impractical directional keys seen on many keyboards.
Technical Specifications
| Component | Specification |
| Processor | 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900HX |
| Memory | 16 GB DDR5-5600 (x2) |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro 64 |
| Hard Drive | 2x 1 TB SSD PCIe |
| Wireless Network | Killer Wi-Fi 6E 2×2 AX; Bluetooth 5.1 or above |
| Ports | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, Always-on USB 5V2A, USB 3.2 Gen2 + DP1.4 + PD 140W, Headphone/Mic combo (3.5mm), RJ45, HDMI 2.1, USB 3.2 Gen1 Type A, DC-IN Rectangle, Thunderbolt 4 |
| Camera | 1080P FHD with Dual Microphone and E-camera Shutter |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 12GB |
| Monitor | 16” WQXGA |
Privacy features are well-considered, with the 1080p webcam featuring an e-shutter for added security and peace of mind. This ensures that users can confidently protect their privacy when the webcam is not in use, a thoughtful addition in today’s privacy-conscious environment.
The laptop is relatively large and bulky, impacting its portability – especially when it weighs approximately 2.8kg. However, the design makes it look relatively compact without any exaggerated lines or shapes that you can occasionally encounter in gaming laptops. Surprisingly, the fans are also not too obnoxious and are quiet for a high-performance gaming laptop.
Performance and User Experiences
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 is a powerhouse gaming laptop with a powerful CPU and GPU. This combination delivers exceptional processing power, ensuring smooth multitasking, seamless gameplay, and accelerated content creation.
Gamers will appreciate the advanced gaming technologies supported by the Nvidia GPU, such as DLSS 3.0 and ray tracing, which enhance visual fidelity and realism in supported games. The Legion Pro 7i Gen 8’s robust performance ensures that even the most demanding titles run smoothly at high settings, providing an immersive gaming experience. While gaming through titles such as Starfield and Fortnite, I never noticed any serious lag or performance issues and always received smooth imagery.
The integration of Lenovo’s LA-2Q AI chip and AI Engine+ optimizes performance by dynamically adjusting settings based on usage patterns, ensuring optimal performance while gaming, working, or creating content. Additionally, Tobii-powered head tracking and presence detection enhance immersion and interactivity during gaming sessions.
Despite its impressive performance capabilities, the battery life of the Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 falls short of expectations, lasting approximately one hour for high-demand gaming usage scenarios. This limitation may inconvenience users who rely on extended battery life for on-the-go productivity or gaming sessions away from power outlets.
Additionally, the laptop gets especially hot on its default settings. Even when I wasn’t gaming and just browsing the internet, the device was too hot to sit comfortably on my lap, and it would need to be positioned on a flat surface for proper air ventilation.
Benchmarking
| Game | FPS (Plugged in) | FPS (Battery Power) | Battery Life |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortnite | 160 | 70-80 | 65 Minutes |
| Starfield | 120 | 60-70 | 58 Minutes |
| Palworld | 100 | 60-80 | 50 Minutes |
Integration and Configuration
Users can easily customize their gaming experience through Lenovo’s Vantage software, which provides intuitive controls for adjusting system settings, optimizing performance, and managing gaming profiles. With Vantage, users can fine-tune parameters such as fan speed, display settings, and keyboard lighting to suit their preferences and gaming needs. One particularly notable feature of Vantage is the ability to easily tweak the GPU settings, allowing you to use a hybrid of GPU and Integrated Graphics or fix it to a specific setting based on your requirements. It’s a straightforward and easy-to-use piece of software, but I wish the app had default visualizations for temperature tracking.
Furthermore, the Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 supports integration with all popular gaming platforms and applications, ensuring compatibility and smooth operation with a wide range of gaming software. Whether it’s accessing game launchers, streaming platforms, or communication tools, the Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 provides a seamless and hassle-free experience, as you would expect with a Windows 11 Pro device.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 offers ample configuration options for advanced users to tweak and optimize system performance. From BIOS settings to driver updates, users can customize their system according to their specific requirements and preferences.
From a physical connectivity perspective, the laptop fortunately has an abundance of different connectors – from a USB port on each side and at the back to ethernet and HDMI connectivity. There is also a USB-C slot at the back and left side. This allows you to plug an abundance of connections into the laptop simultaneously.
Value for Money
Starting at AU$4217, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 is not cheap. However, breaking down its components offers excellent value for money compared to other devices with similar specifications. Devices with these levels of technical specifications can typically be over AU$5000.
The extremely high-performing Intel i9 CPU and the NVidia RTX 4080 GPU bring some of the best hardware in mobile gaming. Throw in other quality parts and build, and as a result, you are given a device made perfectly to tackle even the most punishing of games.
While I believe Lenovo has made a device that delivers incredible performance on a budget, it is important to note its shortcomings. Some examples are the battery life and the lack of special hardware features such as a touch screen or fingerprint sensors.
If, like myself, you want a straightforward machine that does exactly what it says it will do with high performance, I highly recommend looking at this gaming laptop. It can play even the most strenuous games at ease and will likely be capable of doing so for many years.
Disclaimer: Game Crater was provided with a review unit for this article.
