Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022) review

The Legion 5 has worked its way to become a more premium gaming notebook, rather than one that suits all kinds of budgets. This is helped by the rise of the IdeaPad Gaming 3 family, and undoubtedly, the higher performance figures of all Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA.

However, Lenovo isn’t the only brand that is comfortably offering better-looking and better-equipped laptops as the years go by. Acer is an example with its revamped Nitro 5 series, which offers extremely good cooling and very high TGP graphics cards. So is the case with the Legion 5 by the way. You can choose from the RTX 3050 (95W) all the way up to the RTX 3070 Ti (140W).

This leads to a very high discrepancy in the prices between the lowest and the highest specs model. This means that sometimes it is better to get a less impressive laptop – like the IdeaPad Gaming 3 for example, as it will provide better hardware than the Legion 5 for the same money.

And this is where the more expensive device has to prove its worth. Which inevitably leads to it escaping the low-budget territory. This is not bad news, though, because it opens the door for stuff like the 1440p 165Hz IPS display with a MUX switch and a better build quality. Not to mention the absurdly extensive I/O.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-legion-5-15-amd-2022/

Contents


Specs Sheet

Lenovo Legion 5 (15" AMD, 2022) - Specs

  • BOE NE156QHM-NY4 (BOE0A2D)
  • Color accuracy  4.4  1.0
  • HDD/SSD
  • up to 4000GB SSD
  • RAM
  • up to 64GB
  • OS
  • Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro, Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Home
  • Battery
  • 80Wh, 60Wh
  • Body material
  • Plastic / Polycarbonate, Aluminum
  • Dimensions
  • 358.8 x 262.35 x 19.99 mm (14.13" x 10.33" x 0.79")
  • Weight
  • 2.40 kg (5.3 lbs)
  • Ports and connectivity
  • 2x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Sleep and Charge
  • 1x USB Type-C
  • 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort
  • 1x USB Type-C
  • 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery (PD), Sleep and Charge
  • 1x USB Type-C
  • 4.0, DisplayPort
  • HDMI
  • 2.1
  • Card reader
  • Ethernet LAN
  • 10, 100, 1000 Mbit/s
  • Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax
  • Bluetooth
  • 5.1
  • Audio jack
  • 3.5mm Combo Jack
  • Features
  • Fingerprint reader
  • Web camera
  • HD / FHD with Privacy Shutter, Fixed Focus
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Microphone
  • Dual Microphone Array
  • Speakers
  • 2x 2W Stereo Speakers, Nahimic Audio
  • Optical drive
  • Security Lock slot

All Lenovo Legion 5 (15″ AMD, 2022) configurations

#CommissionsEarned

What’s in the box?

Inside the package, we see a 230W charger, as well as the mandatory manuals and warranty papers.


Design and construction

Finally, Lenovo has decided to put metal on the Legion 5. It can be found on the lid, and not only does it provide a more premium feel, but it also makes the lid far more resistant to flex.

The body, however, remains plastic. Interestingly, the design has been changed slightly in an attempt to deprive Legion 5 of all the little aggression it had left. Furthermore, the laptop has a profile of 20mm and weighs 2.40 kilos. This makes it a bit heavier than some of the competitors, but at the end of the day – it is pretty standard.

Expectedly, the lid can be opened with a single hand. The hinges are significantly more stable than those on the IdeaPad Gaming 3 (15″, 2022), which is the second reason we would justify paying more for the Legion 5. It also sports thin top and side bezels, with the former featuring an optional Full HD Web camera. As you can see, there is no privacy shutter, but on the side, you will find a switch that electronically disables the camera.

Now, the keyboard on this beast is absolutely amazing. It has a ton of key travel and features clicky feedback. It makes it one of the best units for gaming (which are not mechanical), and basically perfect for typing. As you can see, it has a NumberPad and huge Arrow keys. Moreover, the backlight is offered in White and 4-zone RGB illumination.

Once again, you can toggle between three performance presets with the combination of “Fn” and “Q” keys. This makes the LED of the Power button shine in either Blue, White, or Red, depending on the mode you select.

Here, the touchpad is quite big with a size of 75 by 120mm. Its Mylar surface is smooth, the tracking is good, and the response time is super quick, which is further aided by the 165Hz display.

If you turn the laptop upside down, you will see the ventilation grill and the speaker cutouts. The heat exhaust happens through two vents on the back and one on each side of the laptop.

Ports

On the left side, there is a USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2) port with DisplayPort 1.4 output, as well as a USB4 (upgradable after June 28th, 2022 BIOS update). Respectively, on the right, there is a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port and an Audio jack. Most of the ports are situated on the back. There, you will find a LAN port, another USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2), an HDMI 2.1 connector, two USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) ports, and the power connector.


Disassembly, upgrade options and maintenance

To get this notebook opened, you need to undo a total of 10 Phillips-head screws. Then, pry the bottom panel with a plastic tool, and remove it from the chassis.

If you need to take the battery out for some reason, you should first remove the two SSD heat spreaders. By the way, the battery has a capacity of 80Wh. It lasts for about 15 hours of Web browsing, or more than 9 hours of video playback.

Memory-wise, there are two SODIMM slots, placed beneath a metal shroud. They work in dual-channel mode and support DDR5 modules. As for the storage, there are two M.2 PCIe x4 slots, both of which work with Gen 4 SSDs.

The cooling seems like nothing too special with one heat pipe shared between the CPU and GPU, and one more for each of them. Then, there are four heat sinks, two fans, and a couple of big heat spreaders for the VRMs and the graphics memory.


Display quality

Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022) in the configuration we tested has a Quad-HD 165Hz IPS panel with a model number BOE NE156QHM-NY4 (BOE0A2D). Its diagonal is 15.6″ (39.62 cm), and the resolution is 2560 x 1440 pixels. The screen ratio is 16:9, and we are looking at a pixel density of – 188 ppi, and a pitch of 0.13 х 0.13 mm. The screen turns into Retina when viewed at distance equal to or greater than 46cm (18″) (from this distance one’s eye stops differentiating the separate pixels, and it is normal for looking at a laptop).

The viewing angles are excellent. We offer images at 45° to evaluate image quality.

Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

We measured a maximum brightness of 391 nits in the middle of the screen and 372 nits as an average for the whole area, with a maximum deviation of 10%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen is 8000K – colder than the optimal for the sRGB standard of 6500K.
In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. In other words, the leakage of light from the light source.

Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work. The contrast ratio is good – 1130:1.

To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.

Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people on HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.

Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.

The yellow dotted line shows Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022)’s color gamut coverage.

Its display covers 97% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976.

Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.

We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results in factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.

Below you can compare the scores of Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022) with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right).

The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light.

The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale, and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.

Response time (Gaming capabilities)

We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.

We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 9 ms.

After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude.


PWM (Screen flickering)

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022)’s display doesn’t flicker at any brightness level. This provides comfort in extended periods of use.

Blue light emissions

Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.

Gloss level measurement

Glossy-coated displays are sometimes inconvenient in high ambient light conditions. We show the level of reflection on the screen for the respective laptop when the display is turned off and the measurement angle is 60° (in this case, the result is 50.5 GU).


Buy our profiles

Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022) configurations with 15.6″ QHD IPS BOE NE156QHM-NY4 (BOE0A2D).

*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].

Read more about the profiles HERE.

In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.

Office Work

Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.

Design and Gaming

This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.

Health-Guard

Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.

Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount


Sound

Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022)’s speakers produce a sound of decent quality. On the other hand, the mid and high tones both have some deviations from clarity.


Drivers

All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/legion-series/legion-5-15arh7h/downloads/driver-list

Battery

Now, we conduct the battery tests with Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. This unit is equipped with an 80Wh battery pack. It lasts for 15 hours and 13 minutes of Web browsing, or 9 hours and 22 minutes of video playback.


CPU options

The AMD version of this device can be found with the Ryzen 5 6600H, or the Ryzen 7 6800H.


GPU options

In terms of graphics, you can choose between the RTX 3050 (95W), RTX 3050 Ti (95W), RTX 3060 (130W*), RTX 3070 (140W), and RTX 3070 Ti (140W). We put an asterisk next to the RTX 3060, because Lenovo’s official documents show a 140W TGP value, while the driver on our device displays 130W.


Gaming tests

Metro ExodusFull HD, Low (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Extreme (Check settings)
Average FPS139 fps74 fps37 fps

Borderlands 3Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Badass (Check settings)
Average fps108 fps92 fps76 fps

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon WildlandsFull HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Very High (Check settings)Full HD, Ultra (Check settings)
Average113 fps97 fps64 fps

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Highest (Check settings)
Average129 fps124 fps83 fps

[eBook Guide + Tools] How to MAX OUT your Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022)

Your Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022) can be Faster. LaptopMedia has tested thousands of models in the last 15 years, and we’re yet to see a notebook that couldn’t be made more powerful through modifications. And have you seen the most popular search on Google related to “how to make my …”? No? OK, here it is:

As you see, having a faster laptop is more important than having more hair.

Well, the main issue here is that there are thousands of advices on the Web. Some work, some don’t. Some are easy, some are complicated. Some are safe, and some are risky. If only there could be an Easy-to-Follow, Step-by-Step, and Laboratory-Tested guide by a proven organization, right?

That’s what we’ve done. We have hundreds of laptops scattered in our office, and we’ve spent a whole year testing different optimizations. We’ve chosen the ones that really make a difference, that are easy to implement without expert skills, and that are safe for your laptop in the long term.

🚀 What’s the performance boost I could expect?

There’s no general answer but we’ve reached more than 30% GPU Performance boost on some models, while typically it’s between 10% and 20%. You could always go beyond but we want to be sure that our advice will keep your laptop on the safe side in the long term. But you want to get the absolute maximum? We’ll show you how, and then it’s up to you.

We even set several World Records on 3DMark, one being our first Max Out for a specific laptop model – MSI Katana B13V.

We’d be happy to compete with YOU on the 3DMark rank lists, and see what YOUR laptop can do using our guide!

📦 What’s included?

📖 Our eBook includes All the tools you need, along with an Easy-to-follow guide for hassle-free:

GPU Performance boost by vBIOS replacement, Overclocking, and Undervolting
⚙️ Checking the hardware components and finding if you could get a significant boost by upgrading some of them
💾 Installing a clean Windows OS, with all the base settings you need
📋 Software optimization steps that really give a performance boost
Building a RAID Storage configuration for doubling sequential read/write speeds or protecting your data
🎯 Display Profiles bundle for a panel of your choice, enhancing the display for accurate colors, better experience, and protection of your eyes

🎁 To receive the Display Profiles bundle as a gift, simply email us your panel model through our “Contact Us” form.

💵 What is the price?

R&D on laptops isn’t easy nor cheap, especially when you’re not using cherry-picked review samples but real units instead. Our idea is to reinvest the profits from the sales back in our laboratory. However, we also want to make it a killer deal for everyone who is planning or has already spent on a gaming laptop, as this product would significantly boost the performance per dollar they get.

[eBook Guide] How to MAX OUT your Laptop

🛠️ GPU Modifications: vBIOS, Overclocking, Undervolting
⚙️ Building Fast/Reliable RAID configuration
💻 Hardware upgrade tips for best results
🖼 Display enhancing
💾 OS Optimization for best performance

✖ But if these optimizations are easy, why don’t manufacturers do them?

There are a lot of reasons for the manufacturers to put boundaries on your machine, locking part of its performance:

📊 Market Segmentation: To create different product tiers, manufacturers often limit performance. This allows them to target various market segments and price points, encouraging consumers to pay more for higher-performing models.
❓Unknown Potential: Each unit’s performance varies. Checking each one individually isn’t feasible.
🏢 Regulatory Compliance: Certain regions have regulations regarding energy consumption, and manufacturers often place some boundaries to fit all standards.
🏭 Supply Chain Constraints: Limitations are imposed due to the current availability of components.
🫰 Cost-effective solutions: Often, less popular but important details are overlooked. For example, better RAM types can boost performance by up to 30%, but many users ignore this, and many online stores don’t even provide that info.
🔒 Security concerns: Many protections impact performance while being negligible for regular users. However, manufacturers don’t know if their laptops will be purchased by individuals or large corporations, so they can’t disable these features by default.

 

Not a bad performance bump in terms of Storage Speeds:


What are the default apps that impact performance the most?

What to do when RAID drives don’t show up?
How to optimize Windows further for maximum FPS gain in games?

Temperatures and comfort

Max CPU load

In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.

Average core frequency (base frequency + X); CPU temp.

AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (45W TDP)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 min
Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022)3.68 GHz @ 82°C @ 90W3.65 GHz @ 89°C @ 90W3.61 GHz @ 96°C @ 88W
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 FA5073.74 GHz @ 72°C @ 77W3.71 GHz @ 79°C @ 77W3.74 GHz @ 87°C @ 78W
ASUS TUF Gaming A17 FA7073.79 GHz @ 74°C @ 78W3.76 GHz @ 81°C @ 77W3.75 GHz @ 86°C @ 78W
ASUS ROG Strix G17 G713R (2022)3.77 GHz @ 77°C @ 78W3.74 GHz @ 82°C @ 78W3.76 GHz @ 80°C @ 79W
ASUS ROG Strix G15 G513R (2022)3.80 GHz @ 78°C @ 79W3.76 GHz @ 84°C @ 78W3.78 GHz @ 82°C @ 78W

Interestingly, the Legion 5 (15″, 2022)’s processor runs at higher TDP values, but at lower clock speeds than its ROG and TUF counterparts. This may be because of the way Lenovo is handling the voltages or something in the software/firmware end.

Real-life gaming

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min)GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min)Max Fans
Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022)1875 MHz @ 80°C @ 130W1863 MHz @ 82°C @ 130W
MSI Pulse GL76 (12Ux)1620 MHz @ 77°C @ 105W1608 MHz @ 81°C @ 105W1650 MHz @ 70°C @ 105W
ASUS ROG Strix G17 G713R (2022)1827 MHz @ 83°C @ 139W1825 MHz @ 85°C @ 139W
ASUS ROG Strix G15 G513R (2022)1844 MHz @ 81°C @ 139W1723 MHz @ 74°C @ 118W
ASUS TUF Gaming F17 (FX706, 2021)1548 MHz @ 80°C @ 95W1540 MHz @ 81°C @ 95W
HP Omen 17 (2021, 17-ck0000)1861 MHz @ 72°C @ 129W1857 MHz @ 73°C @ 130W
Lenovo ThinkBook 16p Gen 21535 MHz @ 69°C @ 75W1517 MHz @ 76°C @ 75W
Lenovo Legion 5i (17″ Intel, 2021)1886 MHz @ 75°C @ 127W1879 MHz @ 76°C @ 127W
Lenovo Legion 7 (16″, 2021)1867 MHz @ 70°C @ 126W1858 MHz @ 74°C @ 127W
Lenovo Legion 5 (15″ AMD, 2021)1831 MHz @ 75°C @ 129W1815 MHz @ 80°C @ 129W
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (16″)1803 MHz @ 76°C @ 129W1787 MHz @ 81°C @ 129W
MSI GP66 Leopard1863 MHz @ 72°C @ 124W1852 MHz @ 75°C @ 125W1849 MHz @ 69°C @ 127W
MSI GP76 Leopard1860 MHz @ 71°C @ 129W1857 MHz @ 73°C @ 128W1869 MHz @ 67°C @ 128W

On the other hand, the clock speeds of the RTX 3060 are in check with its 130W TGP. However, we can’t say it’s more impressive than last year’s laptops since many of them were running at lower temperatures.

Gaming comfort

And the laptop tends to get quite noisy when you use the highest performance preset. Thankfully, the external temperature remains below 40°C, which is great.


Verdict

There are few things we would change on the Legion 5 if we were Lenovo. We would definitely add an SD card reader, and we would do our best to optimize the voltages of the processor. Other than that, this laptop is on top of its game.

It will let you browse the Web for more than 15 hours on a single charge, and you will be happy to know that the I/O is extremely generous. With a total of three USB Type-C ports, three USB Type-A ports, an HDMI connector, a LAN port, and more.

Lenovo Legion 5 (15″, 2022)’s IPS panel has a 1440p resolution, high maximum brightness, comfortable viewing angles, and a good contrast ratio. Its backlight doesn’t use PWM for brightness adjustment, and it covers 97% of the sRGB gamut. Furthermore, our Gaming and Web design profile helps it achieve a high color accuracy, which makes this gaming laptop appropriate for professional color-related work. Of course, gamers will be happy with the 165Hz refresh rate, also because of the quick pixel response times. You should also know, that the Vantage app offers an Overdrive function to make the panel even faster.

The laptop also sports a decent upgrade package, as it has two SODIMM slots, which work with DDR5 RAM, as well as two M.2 PCIe x4 slots, which are Gen 4 SSD capable.

Plus, this laptop has one of the best keyboards in its class. It is almost the same as the ones used in ThinkPads, but with the exception of the huge Arrow keys, and the optional backlight. The latter’s 4-zones can be managed through the Lenovo Vantage app.

So, the big question now is – should you buy a less powerful Legion for the same money as a more powerful IdeaPad Gaming 3? The answer to this depends on what you are willing to do with your laptop. If you are after pure performance, then, the biggest part of your budget should go for the best hardware. However, if you want to use your gaming laptop for work, or school, or you just ought after good build quality, then getting the Legion 5 is a no-brainer.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-legion-5-15-amd-2022/

Pros

  • High TGP GPUs
  • 2x M.2 PCIe x4 Gen 4 slots, 2x DDR5 RAM SODIMM slots in dual channel, Wi-Fi 6
  • Covers 97% of the sRGB color gamut and has accurate color representation with our Gaming and Web design profile (BOE NE156QHM-NY4 (BOE0A2D))
  • Snappy panel with quick response times (BOE NE156QHM-NY4 (BOE0A2D))
  • Has a ton of ports
  • Great input devices
  • The keyboard remains relatively cool after long gaming sessions
  • Good build quality


Cons

  • No SD card
  • Gets more and more expensive

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