Taylor Clemons/ZDNETWhat is the deal?
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i laptop is available at B&H Photo for $1,249, which is $550 off the regular retail price. It can be equipped with a 13th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, RTX 4090 graphics card, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD.
Why this deal is ZDNET recommended
The new Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is an excellent gaming laptop with a long list of specs that can do double duty in the office. By limiting RGB lighting to the keyboard, having a straightforward design, and having decent battery life, you can take the Legion Pro 5i to work or on business trips without feeling out of place.
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The best part is that underneath its unassuming facade are some of the best PC components you can find at this price.
View at B&H Photo
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is built with an Intel Core i7-13700HX processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card to give you more than enough power and performance to tackle everything from spreadsheets and video calls with colleagues to late-night squad matches or hanging out with friends in VRChat.
It also has room for up to 32GB of RAM and up to two 1TB SSDs, so you can upgrade the laptop if your needs change later rather than spending $1,000 or more on a new laptop.
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The 16-inch display produces 2560 x 1600 resolution, and you can choose between a 60Hz or 165Hz refresh rate; this makes transitioning from office work to gaming quick and easy. The laptop also has plenty of USB ports and connectivity options, with four USB 3.2 ports, two USB-C inputs, an HDMI connection, Ethernet, a headphone/mic jack, Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6E, and a dedicated power input.
While it’s a little annoying to have a proprietary power connection rather than a universal USB-C, it does mean that you don’t have to sacrifice a port to charge your laptop.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i comes in this calm, matte black finish.
Taylor Clemons/ZDNET
Lenovo has also managed to fit an almost full-sized keyboard with a 10-key input into the design. And even though the keys use a traditional membrane construction, they still feel smooth and satisfying while typing or playing games.
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The 10-key input is also a nice touch for handling office work as well as complicated inputs for MMOs or games like ARMA and DayZ, which require dozens of input commands. The offset touchpad feels super responsive for streaming and everyday use but does take some getting used to, so you don’t end up tapping the wristrest when you want to right-click.
Lenovo claims that the Legion Pro 5i can give you up to 6.5 hours of use on a full charge, and my testing (both video playback and heavy gaming) gave a similar average of about 5-6 hours of real-world use. You can squeeze out another 30-45 minutes by dimming your screen, decreasing audio, and using battery optimization settings. But you’ll need to keep your charging cord handy to get through the last half of your workday.
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The power cable has an extensive power supply; it’s a little bit larger than my iPhone 13 and can be cumbersome, especially since the laptop is on the heavier side at 5.6 pounds. However, the power supply has a thin enough profile to fit comfortably into a laptop bag pocket or backpack.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i base configuration starts at $1,260, while the top configuration retails for $1,800. The configuration I was sent for testing will cost you around $1,450, which is a very decent value for the components and performance you’ll get.
When will this deal expire?
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