I tested the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 11 — it almost achieves gaming laptop greatness, until you see the upgrade prices
Lenovo has trimmed down the Legion 5i a bit from previous iterations, and fixed its battery life issue, leaving the Legion 5i Gen 11 a powerful mid-range gaming laptop with only few downsides holding it back from affordable perfection.
Lenovo's Legion 5i Gen 11 laptop is a more streamlined version of its Legion Pro series, offering a balance between gaming performance and affordability. It's designed for gamers and STEM students who want a powerful RTX 50-series laptop with Lenovo's sturdy build quality, but at a more affordable price. The Legion 5i starts at $1,899, but a special RTX 5060 configuration brings the price down to $1,899.
The Legion 5i has several features that make it an attractive option for gamers. Its sleek chassis makes it more portable, and it boasts improved battery life, which is particularly beneficial for students and working professionals. The laptop features Lenovo's excellent keyboard, a crisp OLED display, and a powerful Nvidia RTX 50-series GPU.
However, upgrading the RAM, storage, or switching to the RTX 5070 model comes with high premiums, making the Legion 5i a less appealing deal for those looking for more options and flexibility.
Despite these downsides, the Legion 5i Gen 11 still offers a sleek redesign, making it feel more modern and portable than its predecessors. The keyboard remains industry-leading, providing a satisfying typing experience with deep key travel and comfortable key placement. The OLED display offers crisp blacks and vibrant colors, making it an excellent choice for watching movies or playing visually intense games. The laptop's high brightness and wide color gamut make it a standout performer in its class.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Guide's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
