Lenovo’s Legion Slim 5 review: A stunning OLED gaming experience at an unbevably affordable price.

OLED technology has captured the imagination of consumers and critics alike, offering unparalleled visual experiences. If you’re seeking exceptional colour accuracy, breathtakingly dark blacks, lightning-fast response times, and top-notch refresh rates, then few – if any – panel technologies can match the comprehensive package offered by this singular solution. This 14-inch laptop boasts a remarkable value at an unusually low price point, offering exceptional value straight away.

It’s not without flaw, in reality. Lenovo reportedly sacrificed some quality control to achieve the significant investment, compromising mainly on the OLED display’s specifications, which now features a notable resolution of 2,880 x 1,800 pixels alongside its impressive display screen. While the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is undoubtedly a top-notch gaming laptop currently available, its price tag makes it an even more impressive achievement.

Who’s it for then? In no-nonsense terms, a budget-conscious gamer who refuses to break the bank. The fewer finances one possesses, the more crucial they become when it comes to allocating them effectively. Lenovo has strived to strike the perfect balance, preventing the risk of inadvertently buying a laptop with performance limitations, through diligent effort.

However, a significant exception exists; I will address this point in more detail within the performance metrics section. For nearly two weeks, I’ve been thoroughly testing the Legion Slim 5, using it as my primary daily driver in various situations, including gaming sessions, and running it through a range of benchmarking tests. After a long day, I still found time to squeeze in a few delightful hours of Baldur’s Gate 3 playtime.

Specs

At the core of the Legion Slim 5 is situated one of the most captivating laptop processors currently available to consumers. The Ryzen 7 7840HS is a formidable eight-core, 16-thread processor, boasting a base clock speed of 3.8GHz and the ability to turbo-boost up to an impressive 5.1GHz, rivaling the performance of Intel Core Extreme chips found in gaming laptops like the Alienware M16 R2?

What’s particularly captivating about this processor is its innovative hybrid design, seamlessly integrating the cutting-edge technology of Zen 4 architecture alongside a substantial portion of the powerful RDNA 3 GPU structure. In reality, the 7840HS bears a striking resemblance to the desktop Ryzen 7 8700G, sharing similar core counts, maximum clock speed, cache, and integrated graphics – specifically, the Radeon 780M is identical in both instances.

That device, specifically the 7840HS, is roughly equivalent to approximately 37.5% of a Radeon RX 7600 at its core? AMD has incorporated a dedicated Ryzen AI Neural Processing Unit (NPU), optimised to support AI tasks integrated into Windows 11.

Talking about GPUs, we’re certainly not relying solely on integrated graphics in this case, as Lenovo has also equipped the device with a dedicated mobile graphics card, specifically the Nvidia RTX 4060 with 8GB of memory. Unlike many of Nvidia’s mobile GPUs, this notebook chip genuinely equals the desktop RTX 4060 in almost every aspect, mirroring its 115W TDP to a tee. Notwithstanding, Lenovo has significantly reduced that energy consumption rating to 105W, thereby ensuring greater stability of the internal thermal load.

One aspect that’s undoubtedly seen a substantial decrease is the value associated with achieving that target. Since the display screen itself operates at 120Hz with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,800, it’s inevitable that the RTX 4060 will struggle to handle any AAA titles at that resolution above 60fps. The implication that dropping the frame rate is a necessary compromise to appreciate modern gaming on lower-end GPUs may be a bitter pill to swallow, but the NVIDIA DLSS technology helps mitigate this concern by significantly improving performance.

The subtle sacrifice in quality of life manifests at the threshold of nostalgia. The Slim 5 features soldered LPDDR5X memory directly onboard, rather than utilizing SODIMM slots. If you proceed with this upgrade, it could significantly shorten the lifespan of this machine, rendering any future RAM upgrades impossible.

While the 7840HS is only capable of running DDR5 memory at up to 5,600MHz, the new CPU boasts a significantly faster RAM speed of 6,400MHz, offering a notable performance boost. Despite this, having the flexibility to upgrade your RAM in the future would have been desirable.

Options

Within the realm of hardware, the standout feature of this laptop is its stunning display screen – a true visual masterpiece that demands attention. The upfront funding secures you an exceptionally sharp 14.5-inch OLED display, boasting a 120Hz refresh rate and a high-definition resolution of 2,880 x 1,800 pixels.

This yields a pixel density on the Windows desktop of approximately 234.22 pixels per inch (ppi). While some 32-inch 4K gaming monitors may top out at 137.68 ppi, the Legion Slim 5’s display boasts a critically sharp and crisp visual experience. Experience the thrill of a meticulously organized digital workspace – this is your destination.

Heck even gorgeous in-game too. The display boasts negligible ghosting across the board, delivering colour accuracy that’s spot on, particularly when handling HDR content or vivid colour palettes. Latency is slightly slower than ideal, measured at 7.6ms through Blur Buster’s MPRT test, a figure considered sluggish for an OLED display. Nevertheless, the delay remains imperceptible during intense gameplay or conversation sequences.

The connection options are excellent, but perhaps a bit pricey. Without Wi-Fi 7 or Bluetooth 5.4 support, beginners may be initially stymied; however, this device more than makes up for it with an abundance of USB 3.2 Type-C and Type-A ports at your disposal. Additionally, the rear features an HDMI output, while a full-sized SD card reader adds to its impressive array of connectivity options.

Despite the absence of a dedicated Ethernet port, users can still connect via USB-C with an adapter; however, wireless connectivity is available only through Wi-Fi 6E. Despite initial appearances suggesting a potentially devastating situation, your personal network’s limitations might actually conceal opportunities. While Wi-Fi 6E offers ample bandwidth and seamless channel entry, it’s worth noting that Bluetooth 5.2 also provides a significant amount of bandwidth, making it well-suited for contemporary devices requiring low-latency connectivity.

Using the keyboard and trackpad proves to be a satisfying experience. The trackpad features a subtle, rubberised edge that glides smoothly beneath your fingertips, exuding a tactile elegance. Meanwhile, the keys may not be mechanical, yet their smooth motion and hushed silence are accompanied by a subtle softness in every keystroke, devoid of any overly spongy feel. While they do feature some lighting, it’s primarily a dimmable white backlight that is usually turned off. Despite being hilariously marketed, the facility button actually features a colourfully vibrant RGB LED.

You also receive a fairly standard warranty here, valid for just one year via couriered or carry-in service, which is mildly frustrating considering Lenovo is a multi-billion dollar company; the memory is soldered, and you must contend with the potential quirks of the OLED display, such as burn-in. Lenovo offers a lifeless pixel coverage, but unfortunately, it doesn’t provide a comprehensive solution to mitigate the risk of burn-in like some other manufacturers do?

Design

The Slim 5’s construction quality typically sets the standard for excellence, combining durable plastics and lightweight anodized aluminum in its typical build composition. The device features subtle Legion branding discreetly etched on the rear of the display, while its overall design exudes a crisp, refined quality.

The laptop’s design eschews bold, rounded edges in favor of a more streamlined aesthetic, unlike the Alienware M16 R2, which features prominent curves. Meanwhile, the chassis effectively harmonizes its shape with the need for efficient cooling. At just 1.75 kilograms, the Lenovo Legion Slim is remarkably lightweight, paired with a slim profile of only 2.1 centimeters, making it effortlessly portable and easy to tote around in your backpack.

The ports are thoughtfully arranged, with the laptop’s rear housing a 170W power adapter, accompanied by two USB-A ports and an HDMI output. The ports on this device are uniquely designed, featuring LED indicators situated atop a subtle ledge that precedes the main display screen, thereby lending the Legion Slim 5 its distinctive aesthetic.

Unfortunately, the soldered memory feature, as previously discussed, can potentially shorten the lifespan of this laptop, particularly considering the limited 16GB storage capacity. Despite its limitations, one notable advantage is that it supports up to two PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs in the 2280 form factor, providing ample expansion opportunities for users seeking to add a high-capacity games drive or a performance-enhancing solid-state drive.

Lenovo leverages an SK Hynix OEM M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD in this instance, showcasing impressive read speeds that max out the PCIe 4.0 standard – a respectable feat – although write speeds lag behind at just 3.5GB/s, making it a prime candidate for performance enhancement.

The machine’s operating noise levels are remarkably low compared to most gaming laptops on the market, making it an attractive option for those who value a peaceful computing experience. While the fan noise is indeed noticeable, one doesn’t necessarily need a high-quality headset to fully appreciate the Slim 5’s performance. Running at a noise level comparable to a typical gaming PC operating below its maximum capacity – and in some cases, even slightly quieter than that. There is little doubt that this performance is partly attributed to a combination of AMD’s environmentally conscious Zen 4 architecture and the 105W RTX 4060 graphics processing unit.

Benchmarks

I’ve thoroughly tested the Legion Slim against a range of benchmarks, including synthetic evaluations and real-world gaming metrics, to gain a comprehensive understanding of its performance in daily tasks and gaming scenarios. The AMD Ryzen processor has emerged as a dominant force in the market. Cinebench R24 saw the processor earn a multi-core score of 872 and a single-core mark of 102.

The performance of this system’s processor, an Intel Core i9, surpasses even the exceptional results achieved by the same chip in the MSI Stealth 16, but its capabilities are somewhat constrained by the cooling system in that particular device. The 3DMark CPU profile’s average index was 7,519 for the Alienware M16 R2, compared to 7,972 for the Extreme Core i7 in the same device? The premium laptop’s price tag exceeds that of the Slim 5 by a substantial 75%.

Gaming, though, is a special case. I conduct thorough evaluations on these laptops using two distinct benchmark assessment tools. Available in both 1080p and native resolution. This comparison effectively illustrates the performance differences between these devices, when considered in isolation from their respective native screen resolutions.

At 1080p, the Slim 5 exhibits decent performance in capturing body shots, provided the conditions are favorable. Whole Conflict: Warhammer delivered a smooth 72 frames per second, while Cyberpunk 2077, with both DLSS and body technology enabled, managed an impressive 75 frames per second. Meanwhile, F1 2023 averaged a respectable 43 frames per second, and enabling DLSS could potentially boost performance even further to enhance the gaming experience.

While 2,880 x 1,800 resolution may offer impressive visuals, it’s when combined with lower GPU capabilities that gaming performance truly starts to falter. The GPU’s performance took a significant hit, with Whole Conflict plummeting by nearly half, dipping as low as 37 frames per second. Meanwhile, Cyberpunk 2077 struggled along at just 19fps, even with DLSS (deep learning super sampling) enabled, and F1 23 managed only a meager 25fps on average. That’s a painful drop.

If you must play the latest games, consider setting your resolution to a manageable 1920 x 1080 pixels or equivalent. While that’s an impressive pixel density, it’s important to note that it’s not the display’s native resolution; instead, it’s a sharpness adjustment designed for optimal viewing on a 32-inch screen.

Battery

The Slim 5’s battery life performance was somewhat disappointing at first impression. Lenovo has cleverly integrated a 73.6WHr battery pack into the 14.5-inch device, accompanied by a convenient 170W reversible adapter for effortless charging.

Considering its compact size, this is still an impressive feat, albeit one that may come at the cost of reduced battery longevity. The Acer Predator Helios 300’s battery life in PC Mark 10’s gaming test was woefully short-lived, lasting a mere 53 minutes from a full charge to a critically low three percent. Although it’s rare to see gaming laptops lasting more than an hour during gaming tests.

The most concerning outcome arose in the form of a sudden shutdown, with the Lenovo lasting a mere 218 minutes before powering off unexpectedly. Intel’s latest Core-powered laptops have demonstrated impressive battery life in our recent tests, lasting a respectable 360 minutes before exhausting their power supply.

Compared to the Alienware’s Extremely Core 7 performance, the Slim 5 only managed 56% of its output, despite boasting an 82% larger battery capacity. The latest Core i9 chips’ seemingly superior performance can be attributed to Intel’s refined TDP management, enabling them to operate at just 20W compared to Ryzen’s 35W, while also taking advantage of power-efficient core designs.

Value

It’s finally time to say something that has true value. Lenovo has cleverly positioned the Legion Slim 5 at a surprisingly affordable price point. Prices for this exact model have dipped to as low as $1,299 in the US and £1,500 in the UK. These costs are surprisingly affordable. While a 14-inch OLED display screen may not be a standard feature in most laptops, it’s what truly sets the Slim 5 apart from its competitors at this price point.

There are downsides, in fact. This explicit specification won’t fare well in the long run as several competing options on the market lack soldered memory; meanwhile, the RTX 4060 seems like an unusual pairing with a display resolution that caps out at just 5 million pixels? While not perfect, this gaming console offers a solid overall experience, and if you’re willing to compromise on resolution, you’ll enjoy playing games for at least the next couple of years without significant issues.

Alternate options

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

You likely have some disposable income, as Asus’ latest ROG Zephyrus G14 boasts a stunning 14-inch LED display and a sleek, lightweight design that tips the scales at just 1.5 kilograms. The G14 shares a similar concern with the Lenovo Legion Slim 5, which employs soldered memory; however, it is still an outstanding device if specified with 32GB of RAM initially.

Occasionally, you’ll find it available at a discount, such as the reduced price for the 15GB RTX 4060 model on Best Buy, now offering excellent value with a price drop from $1,599 to just $1,299, making it comparable in worth to the Lenovo option.

Discover our comprehensive review of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14.

Verdict

The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offers impressive value, largely due to its stunning OLED display with vibrant visuals and a powerful CPU that rivals more expensive options. Although opting for soldered RAM is a notable drawback, we strongly recommend investing in the 32GB version if possible.

The RTX 4060 GPU falls short of powering video games at the display’s native resolution, but it does excel in handling 1080p gaming seamlessly. Considering its affordable price point, it’s understandable that some compromises were made; however, having an option for upgrading storage capacity would have added significant value and flexibility for users.

Despite its budget-friendly nature, The Slim still checks many boxes, especially when your financial situation is stable. If you’re willing to compromise on a few details, this laptop offers a well-rounded gaming experience with an excellent display and robust performance, especially when you take advantage of Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling and AI-enhanced rendering.