Once again, Lenovo is trying to make our life easier. By scrapping the previous naming system, they have introduced a more simple, and easier to remember one – like the Legion 5 and Legion 7. Today, we have the more premium of the two – the Legion 7 (15). Apart from the name, there is little more that has changed in comparison to the Legion Y740. Largely, the design remains the same, but there are some neat little tunes here and there, but let’s save that for later.
What is more important here is the hardware. Lenovo is offering you a choice of pretty much the entire Comet Lake-H series of processors. This includes the Core i5-10300H, which is quite honestly should be purchased if you are very tight on the budget. Then, there is the six-core Core i7-10750H, and the monstrous Core i7-10875H and Core i9-10980HK. At sub 20mm, this device definitely has balls (or a good cooling) in order to boldly offer the latter two.
Nevertheless, this is not the only feature that should catch your eye. You can also equip the laptop with the GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q. We are talking about the 90W version of the model, and in our view, this would be an even bigger challenge to the cooling of the device.
Other exciting features include the 144Hz display option, RGB backlight, Wi-Fi 6 support, and who knows what more? Let’s find out.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-legion-7-15/
Contents
Specs Sheet
Lenovo Legion 7 / 7i (15″ Intel, 2020) - Specs
All Lenovo Legion 7 / 7i (15″ Intel, 2020) configurations
What’s in the box?
Inside the package, you’ll find a 230W charging adapter, as well as some mandatory, yet boring paper manuals.
Design and construction
Honestly, this is a very well built machine. Its body and lid are made out of aluminum, while there are a couple of plastic elements on the sides and on the back. As you can see from the images below, the Legion 7 (15) retains the design features from its predecessor, which includes an elongated backside and non-intrusive look. This just may be a laptop good enough for both gamers and business people. As of the measurements, this notebook stands at 19.9mm above the ground and weighs 2.25 kilos – 50 grams more than the Legion Y740, but we were promised a better cooling.
And that is until you open the lid and see the flashing RGB, which feeds the kid in you but also disgusts the grown man that has to take it to a meeting. Let’s leave your personalities row in the background and focus on what we just did – we’ve opened the lid with a single hand. This was easy, thanks to the balanced hinges and the protruded notch on the lid, which also happens to house the camera and its privacy shutter assembly.
By the way, in addition to being sleek, this machine is pretty though. Neither the lid nor the base can be too bothered with twists and turns.
Next, let’s pay some attention to the keyboard deck. As we said, it is an RGB unit, which actually looks pretty neutral, when the backlight is off. Don’t forget you can also make it shine in one color – like White, which would make it far more appealing to most people above age 12. Additionally, in contrast to last year, Lenovo was kind enough to include a NumberPad section. Yes, the keys are smaller than the rest, but hey – it is there, right?
What is really important, however, is the experience. And it doesn’t let you down, indeed – the feedback is clicky, the keycap size is pretty large (and especially the arrow keys, thanks for that Lenovo), but on the downside – the key travel is a little shorter than what we would like. Nevertheless, we would give it a rather high score for gaming and typing.
What about the other input device? Ah, yes – the touchpad. At first, we thought it has a glass cover, but upon further inspection (or rereading the specs sheet from Lenovo), it looks like it is Mylar. Ultimately, this is a transparent polyester material that should be a lot more durable than glass, if you happen to drop the laptop. Thankfully, it still has good gliding properties, while tracking is more than fine. Well, obviously, you won’t be gaming on the thing, but it is great for daily use.
Some time ago, when Lenovo launched this product, they promised a larger ventilation area. Boy were they right. While the size of the grill is pretty similar, the actual area it takes is a lot larger, thanks to the lack of the plastic details that were found on the Legion Y740. Once again, the hot air escapes the laptop from four different cutouts, and if you like Christmas, you can have one in June, as well, thanks to the RGB strips placed all around the notebook.
Ports
The I/O here is scattered all around the device. On the left side, you can see two USB Type-C ports – one Thunderbolt and one 3.1 (Gen. 1) with DisplayPort output, as well as an audio jack. Switch sides, and you’ll see a single USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 1) port. The rest of the ports are located on the back, and they include the proprietary power plug, a USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 2) port, followed by an RJ-45 connector and another USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 2) port, and it finishes with an HDMI 2.0 connector. Ultimately, there is no Mini DisplayPort here, however, with the inclusion of two Type-C ports, which can both output a DisplayPort signal, we don’t see the need for one.
Disassembly, upgrade options and maintenance
To get inside this device, you need to remove 10 Phillips-head screws. Then you need to pry your way around the base, starting from either of the front corners.
One of the big deals with this Legion 7 is its cooling. Interestingly, Lenovo has diverted from the conventional way of putting a ton of heat pipes. Instead, they opted for something that looks like a huge vapor chamber plus two tiny heat pipes supposedly cooling the VRMs and the graphics memory.
As of the memory, there are two RAM SODIMM slots, supporting up to 32GB of DDR4 memory. Now, the Core i7-10875H and the Core i9-10980HK versions support speeds up to 3200 MHz, while the other two options go as high as 2933 MHz. Storage-wise, there are two M.2 PCIe x4 slots, which can run independently or in RAID 0 mode.
Lastly, the battery has an 80Wh capacity, which supports what Lenovo calls the Rapid Charge Pro. Essentially, this enables it to get charged up to 50% for no more than 30 minutes.
Display quality
Lenovo Legion 7 (15) in the configuration we tested has a Full HD 144Hz IPS panel with a model number BOE NV156FHM-NY5 (BOE08EA). Its diagonal is 15.6″ (39.62 cm), and the resolution 1920 х 1080 pixels. The screen ratio is 16:9, and we are looking at a pixel density of – 142 ppi, and a pitch of 0.18 х 0.18 mm. The screen turns into Retina when viewed at distance equal to or greater than 60cm (24″) (from this distance one’s eye stops differentiating the separate pixels, and it is normal for looking at a laptop).
Viewing angles are excellent. We offer images at 45° to evaluate image quality.
We measured a maximum brightness of 570 nits in the middle of the screen and 550 nits as an average for the whole area, with a maximum deviation of 7%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen is 7160K – 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 – 1170:1.
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 in 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 7 (15)’s color gamut coverage.
Its display covers almost fully (99.4%) the colors of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976. Moreover, the Primary RGB values are a lot more saturated than the standard seen on the Web, thus enabling a Gamut volume of 130% of sRGB, making the image attractive and vibrant.
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 at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.
Below you can compare the scores of Lenovo Legion 7 (15) 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 = 8 ms.
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 7 (15)’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.
Conclusion
Lenovo Legion 7 (15)’s display has an IPS panel with a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, good contrast ratio, and extremely high maximum brightness (570 nits). It also has a very wide color coverage (of around 130% of sRGB), which makes the image punchy and enjoyable from pretty much every perspective. Additionally, it doesn’t flicker at any brightness level and its 144Hz refresh rate is complemented by a pretty quick pixel response time.
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 7 (15) configurations with 15.6″ FHD IPS BOE NV156FHM-NY6 (BOE08EA).
*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.
Sound
Lenovo Legion 7 (15)’s speakers produce a relatively loud and clear sound with good quality. Additionally, the low, mid and high tones are clear of deviations.
Drivers
All of the drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/legion-series/legion-7-15imh05/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. We got 5 hours and 40 minutes of Web browsing and 6 hours and 40 minutes of video playback.
In order to simulate real-life conditions, we used our own script for automatic web browsing through over 70 websites.
For every test like this, we use the same video in HD.
We use F1 2017’s built-in benchmark on loop in order to simulate real-life gaming.
CPU options
This device is sold with the Comet Lake-H processor options. They include the budget-friendly Core i5-10300H, the most popular – Core i7-10750H, and the 8-core behemoths – the Core i7-10875H and the Core i9-10980HK.
Results are from the Cinebench 20 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Fritz chess benchmark (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from our Photoshop benchmark test (the lower the score, the better)
Lenovo Legion 7 / 7i (15" Intel, 2020) CPU variants
Here you can see an approximate comparison between the CPUs that can be found in the Lenovo Legion 7 / 7i (15" Intel, 2020) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Lenovo Legion 7 / 7i (15" Intel, 2020) model is the best bang for your buck.
Note: The chart shows the cheapest different CPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / CPU.
Results are from the Cinebench 20 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Fritz chess benchmark (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from our Photoshop benchmark test (the lower the score, the better)
GPU options
In terms of graphics, the choice is equally complicated. It starts with the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (6GB GDDR6), then goes through the RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6), RTX 2070 Max-Q (8GB GDDR6), and finishes with the brand new GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q and the RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, both with 8GB of GDDR6 memory.
Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Heaven 3.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Lenovo Legion 7 / 7i (15" Intel, 2020) GPU variants
Here you can see an approximate comparison between the GPUs that can be found in the Lenovo Legion 7 / 7i (15" Intel, 2020) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Lenovo Legion 7 / 7i (15" Intel, 2020) model is the best bang for your buck.
Note: The chart shows the cheapest different GPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / GPU.
Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Heaven 3.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Gaming tests
| Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Very High (Check settings) | Full HD, MAX (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q | 154 fps | 87 fps | 62 fps |
| Far Cry 5 | Full HD, Normal (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q | 129 fps | 119 fps | 113 fps |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, Very High (Check settings) | Full HD, MAX (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q | 167 fps | 93 fps | 66 fps |
| Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Very High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q | 99 fps | 87 fps | 58 fps |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Highest (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q | 111 fps | 108 fps | 72 fps |
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.
| Intel Core i7-10750H (45W TDP) | 0:02 – 0:10 sec | 0:15 – 0:30 sec | 10:00 – 15:00 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo Legion 7 (15) | 3.78 GHz (B+45%) @ 80°C | 3.69 GHz (B+42%) @ 83°C | 3.51 GHz (B+35%) @ 83°C |
As you know, the Core i7-10750H is a 45W CPU. However, the long term power limit here is set to 60W, with 90W being drawn in the first 30-40 seconds of stress testing. This gives quite the headroom for the clock speeds, and thankfully, the cooling is perfectly able to deal with that.
Real-life gaming
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q (90W) | GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min) | GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min) |
|---|---|---|
| Lenovo Legion 7 (15) | 1420 MHz @ 66°C | 1376 MHz @ 72°C |
It is very good to see that the Legion 7 (15) is able to cope with the 90W version of this GPU. Moreover, it boosts way above the supposed maximum frequency of 1230 MHz, and the temperatures seem to be in check.
Gaming comfort
Moreover, the laptop isn’t that loud, as well. Which is something very impressive, given the beast hardware inside. However, the keyboard deck does heat up a little, especially in its middle portion, where the temperatures exceed 50C.
Verdict
So, everybody, we just reviewed a great all-rounder, when it comes to productivity. It can be configured with some of the most powerful mobile processors and graphics cards out there. What’s so special about it? Well, it weighs 2.25 kg and has a profile of 19.9 mm. This is in the MSI GS65 Stealth range. However, unlike the GS65, the Legion 7 (15) makes less noise than the Saturn V rocket, powering the Apollo missions, and manages to provide very respectable frequencies and temperatures.
How does it do it, though? Sadly, we cannot show you footage of the manufacturing process, like the Discovery Channel, but from what we saw, it looks like a huge vapor chamber for the chips and a couple of heat pipes for the VRMs and the VRAM.
As of the performance, we can say that we are satisfied. There is no doubt that sooner or later we would get a notebook that takes better use of the Core i7-10750H and the GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, but for now, we would say that they both are better than their respective predecessors (or pre-refreshed versions). You could and should expect comfortably high fps in pretty much all AAA titles, and if you own a higher resolution monitor – 1440p shouldn’t be a problem, as well.
Lenovo Legion 7 (15)’s display has an IPS panel (BOE NV156FHM-NY6) with a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, good contrast ratio, and extremely high maximum brightness (570 nits). It also has a very wide color coverage (of around 130% of sRGB), which makes the image punchy and enjoyable from pretty much every perspective. Additionally, it doesn’t flicker at any brightness level and its 144Hz refresh rate is complemented by a pretty quick pixel response time.
Well, there are some downsides, as well – the laptop lacks any forms of an SD card reader, and it warms up noticeably in the middle of the keyboard deck.
One shouldn’t ignore the dual USB Type-C support (one of which is Thunderbolt 3 by the way), and actually, both of them can output a DisplayPort 1.4 signal. Also, you get two M.2 PCIe x4 slots, which support RAID 0, and two RAM SODIMM slots in dual channel, that can be fitted with 32GB of DDR4 memory. The two 8-core models actually support a frequency of 3200 MHz, while the other two have to settle with 2933 MHz.
So, at the end of the day, we didn’t hesitate to give this laptop an Editor’s Choice Award. However, we are looking forward to reviewing its competitors and giving you unbiased advice.
Pros
- Aluminum design and good build quality
- Large arrow keys, RGB backlight, and clicky feedback.
- Thunderbolt certification and two M.2 slots with RAID 0 support
- The display doesn’t flicker at any brightness level (BOE NV156FHM-NY6)
- 570 nits of maximum brightness, comfortable viewing angles and good contrast ratio (BOE NV156FHM-NY6)
- The 144Hz unit has quick response times and covers roughly 130% of sRGB (BOE NV156FHM-NY6)
- Handles the beefy hardware pretty well
Cons
- Lacks an SD card reader
- Gets quite warm on the outside
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-legion-7-15/
Was the battery test done with enabled hybrid mode ( iGPU rendering instead of dGPU)?
What is the model number and key layout for the AX wireless card?
At last, an actual review for this laptop! And a pretty good one as well.
I would be very interested to see the benchmarks and temperature tests with the other CPU options as well, especially the 10875H.
Also, does the machine have support for Windows Hello?
It does not have Windows Hello or a finger print reader.
Such a pity that Lenovo didn’t include Ryzen 4000 processors in their top line. Was thinking of buying one but I’ll skip it for now. It makes no sense to buy a top end laptop without the top end processor available.
I think it’s important to keep in mind that when it comes to laptops Intel cpus are still the best, forget about those synthetic benchmarks when it comes to real use benchmarks like the ones from the Adobe intel cpus are mostly on par with AMD cpus and sometimes you can squeeze more from Intel compared to Amd, but the only downside for Intel is pricing and to be honest with you Intel stuff are quite expensive. As long as thermal performance is concerned although AMD cpus have less Tdp but they have quite the same temperatures as Intel’s(comparing 4800h… Read more »
Kind of a weird question… How warm does the laptop feel when simply browsing the web and typing emails? Obviously it gets warm when being strained, however, how warm does it feel under idle? This is a problem I’ve noticed with some laptops.
When I’m not gaming, I use mine (the 10750H / 2080SMQ variant) on my lap on the couch, without any noticeable issue – even on my legs. On battery, you’re forced to the non performance thermal profiles, but after a few hours I didn’t notice any issues with temps.
There must be aomething wrong with the sound frequency response graph. Cut off below 500 hz? This must be a mistake. My 7 year old Lenovo Y500 cuts off at around 200hz.
Are the ram and ssd’s and WiFi card upgradeable?
How much of the build is aluminum?
I simply don’t understand how you managed to retrieve 340 min of web browsing. I’ve tried almost anything already ( disabling the dGPU, power saver in windows, reducing the luminosity to 30%, using throttlestop to disable turbo boost, installed Intel XTU and undervolt it) and in this condition on my L 7i 10875H Nvidia 2060 i can get maximum of 3 hours(180 min) of really light web browsing.
hei salut , am cateva intrebari legate de acest laptop si vad ca tu ai unul, poti sa imi dai un contact FB sau altceva sa ti le adresez?
Go into Windows services and disable Corsair’s service. Does nothing for the iCUE functionality (that I can find), but gave me an extra few hours of battery life, alone. A few other reviewers have mentioned it, too.
Thats still better than many like myself getting 1 1/2 hours. My system battery was also draining when shut down?
disable rgb keyboard