Introduction: Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022 Review
Lenovo recently held the local launch of their new 2022 refresh line-up of Legion laptops which finally debuted Intel 12th-gen Core CPUs on Legion laptops. We’ve already seen how powerful Intel’s Core i9-12900H and it marked a turnaround for Intel as it proved to be a powerhouse in applications that can utilize its hybrid core structure. Speaking of hybrid, Intel’s 12th-gen Core CPUs P-core/E-core setup means that Intel has found a workaround in extending battery efficiency as we’ve also seen improvements in battery life.
Focusing on Lenovo, their Legion laptops spurred many changes in the local scene. Lenovo uses SSDs on all their SKUs for at least the past 3 generations and they’ve also pushed QHD resolutions configurations rather than 4K options. And now they’re doing it all over again with a string of value-added services including accidental damage protection covering bumps, spills and falls. We’ll discuss this in detail before the conclusion as I feel there needs to be a discussion about this but regardless, this is a first for a gaming brand to offer inclusions on their products with ADP.
Ultimately though, would the Legion 5i Pro 2022 be enough of an upgrade as the 2021 Pro models have really done well to utilize Lenovo’s more advanced cooling to really push the Intel CPUs and RTX 30-series GPUs further.
In this in-depth performance review we’ll take a closer look at the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 16IAH7H (2022), particularly model code 82RF004NPH which features an Intel Core i7-12700H, a Geforce RTX 3070 Ti (150W TGP), 16GB (2x8GB) DDR5-4800 memory and 1TB Gen4 NVMe SSD. The rest of the available models for the Philippines are below:
- 82RF004LPH – i7-12700H / 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5-4800 / RTX 3070 Ti (150W) / 1TB Gen4 NVMe
- 82RF004NPH – i7-12700H / 16GB (2x8GB) DDR5-4800 / RTX 3070 Ti (150W) / 1TB Gen4 NVMe
- 82RF004MPH – i7-12700H / 16GB (2x8GB) DDR5-4800 / RTX 3060 (140W) / 1TB Gen4 NVMe
Your region configuration will vary. Read on to find out more or see our video review:
Closer Look
For their 2022 lineup, the Legion 5i Pro receives a slight facelift with the Legion logotype replacing the Y logo. The placement is off to mid-top instead of centered. The logo badge is a chrome inset and is not RGB.
Legion’s modern design moves from the old boxy look of the older Y-series to a more modern take on the Legion design.
Intel’s 12th-gen pushes Thunderbolt 4 onto more devices and laptops are no exception. With this, the standard single Type-C port on the left of the Legion 5 now shares with a Type-C Thunderbolt 4 port with the USB3.2 Gen2 remaining in there for high-speed connectivity and/or DisplayPort output.
Lenovo has moved the audio jack meaning that the Type-A mouse port and the audio jack now jut out from the the right side. While logical, some people do find this weird with the plugs sticking out, bumping on to the mouse which I can agree with. Still, Legion is choosing this design. Last up is the E-shutter button which activates the webcam cover which physically blocks the webcam. Take note that the laptop has to be powered for this to activate so if you’re very concerned about privacy, please just close the lid.
At the rear is the wider array of IO for the Legion 5i Pro with a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port, an always-on USB 3.2 Type A port, a USB-A 5Gbps port, a Type-C 10Gbps port which also doubles as a PD port for up to 135W Power Delivery charging or DisplayPort 1.4 output. Last up is the LAN port and power input.
Depending on the lighting, the Storm Grey color of the Legion laptops will swing from gunmetal to steel grey. This applies to the entirety of the case including the keys. Lenovo’s TrueStrike keyboard is by and far my favorite keyboard with no close second and I swear by that.
The trackpad also remains unchanged. Still large and unibody, the left and right click are distinct despite not having tactile markets. The surface feels more refined in terms of material by this release.
By this generation, Lenovo is now fully divorced with Corsair for their keyboard RGB software. RGB also bleeds onto Legion 5 and Legion 5 Pro models with 4-zone lighting for more customization option.
Teardown
Lenovo’s Legion cooling is one of the densest cooling we’ve seen. Lenovo dubs their cooling solution CoolFront and has largely remained in the backseat in terms of marketing but Lenovo has always been very generous in sharing their TGP rating for all their laptops. This generation retains their traditional approach with the large vapor chambers covering the silicon units and then splaying over heatspreaders on the removable components.
Lenovo has always ran with Samsung components for the units we’ve tested for both the SSD and the RAM.
Power Draw, Clock Speed and Temperature
Back2Gaming is proud to partner with OCCT for this test to allow us to set various stress loads without using mixed-load benches like AIDA64. OCCT allows granular control on the testing. It also features monitoring and logging for troubleshooting problems and performance analysis . OCCT is available for free for all users with a paid version for power users and businesses. This stress test goes through different workloads with 5-minute breaks in between. The loads run for 10 minutes and goes through SSE, AVX and AVX2 workloads. The last test is a combined CPU and GPU test which should push our unit to a very intense loading scenario which should show us a good indicator on the peak load temps of this laptop.
Our extended endurance test is a near 2-hour stress test that stresses the 1) CPU then the 2) GPU and lastly both 3) CPU and GPU to test cooler endurance and performance.
In the first arc of the test, our CPU AVX2 test pushes the CPU to the higher 60W as its a dedicated CPU workload, this sees temperatures rise to 75*C with CPU clocks dropping to 3.2Ghz. AVX2 is a very intense workload and while this CPU can boost further than 60W, an SSE workload won’t be much of a challenge to Lenovo’s cooling as even a 60W CPU took nearly 30 minutes to reach peak temperatures.
On the 2nd arc of the test, we have our GPU test. We’ll discuss the GPU on the next section and go straight to the 3rd arc which is another 30-minute stress test but now combines the CPU and GPU. As you can see in our CPU power chart, the CPU now drops to around 40W with the GPU operating at 100W. The CPU clock drops to 2Ghz to adjust for the added load of the GPU on the system.
To fully utilize the maximum potential TDP/TGP of the configuration, you’ll need to run in Turbo mode. As most laptops have multiple profiles and overclocks on top of their turbo profiles, we’re testing using out-of-box settings which means Balanced mode for the Lenovo Legion laptops.
Gaming
Lenovo lists their TGP for their RTX 3070 Ti at 150W. This is actually broken down into the maximum NVIDIA rating of 125W and another 25W from Dynamic Boost. In our gaming chart above, we can see Balanced Mode sticking to a modest 100W TGP but keeps the GPU at 80*C which is an ideal target for most users. In exchange for a bit more power, Turbo Mode gives us an extra kick on the GPU but costs us around +5*C in average temperatures. The actual value of this boost is dependent on the game you’ll be playing. In our test, there is only a +4FPS increase so that heat penalty is surely not worth it. In lighter games though, this will surely mean more with CSGO and Valorant being games who can take advantage of such an increase.
Battery Life
Our battery life test uses PCMark 10’s Modern Office battery test which comprises of the Modern Office benchmark within PCMark 10 but looped ad infinitum until the system shuts off due to low battery.
The test sees teleconferencing, browsing, spreadsheet, word processing and video viewing to simulate daily office tasks. This is very consistent with most daily tasks that we see today.
Very good battery management from the Legion 5i Pro 2022, pushing in just a little over 4 hours in office usage off the socket.
Performance Testing – System
System Performance Test Methodology
All systems tested use the same version of the application and no data from previous reviews are used for this test. All games are updated to their latest version and are set to details indicated in their charts. Back2Gaming prefers running games in max detail with motion blur off.
Rendering
Blender
Office and Productivity
Office
Potentially the most used desktop software next to Windows OS is Microsoft Office. . This tests the responsiveness and system performance of the Legion 5i when doing common office-users tasks, such as copying, pasting, cutting, adding images, resizing, saving, etc..
Photo and Video
PugetSystems is a US-based system builder that provides high-performance computers built for workstation solutions. They developed an in-house benchmarking tool for various apps including Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Davinci Resolve and a few others. These benchmarks put a professional-level workload on systems and are scored based on a reference system. The current version PugetBenchmark for Photoshop is scored against a Core i9-9900K system while the Premiere Pro benchmark is scored against a Ryzen 9 5900X. PugetBench is a plugin to the software it is named after and requires actual Adobe software to function. For a detailed description of the benchmark, see here (Ps) and here (Pr).
PCMark 10
PCMark is a global standard in benchmarking PCs to meet organizational as well as consumer requirements. PC Mark 10 is the latest version and provides details for office, multimedia use as well as extended features like battery testing for mobile devices, storage testing and a lot more advanced testing features.
BAPCo CrossMark
CrossMark is a cross-platform benchmark aimed to provide comparative data for different platforms. It uses application models and gauges system performance and responsiveness to generate a score.
SPECWorkstation
SPECworkstation is part of multiple benchmark suites provided by the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) aimed at providing a standard and unified benchmarking system to meet organizational requirements and performance expectations.
CPU
GPU
Performance Testing – Gaming
Games Testing Methodology
For a full-hardware workout, visit https://benchmarks.ul.com for our system warm-up and stress test of choice. For benchmarking methodology, please see our game benchmark method guide. Test results are gathered and produced on CapFrameX. This makes it easier to get both a line graph comparison and raw averages without extra tools. Simply the easiest tool for benchmarking and it is available for everyone to use, free of charge. Check it out at capframex.com. Since this is a GPU review, we benchmarked the area of the games that put heavy load on the GPU. All our test runs are repeatable, click the links below for area and details. Read our benchmarking methodology.
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: FPS Benchmark Workshop Map
- DOTA2 – The International Main Event – Day 6: T1 vs PSG.LGD Game 2 (48:00) – The 10-Man Buyback Fight
- Rainbow Six: Siege – Benchmark Mode
- Apex Legends
- PUBG Battlegrounds
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Valorant
- The Witcher 3 – Woesong Bridge
- Grand Theft Auto V – Palomino Highlands
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Kuwaq Yaqu
- Forza Horizon 5
- Destiny 2 – The Tower
- Resident Evil Village – Church
- Final Fantasy VII Remake – Sector 5 Slums
- Cyberpunk 2077 – Little China, noontime
- Watch Dogs: Legion
- God of War
See our Youtube playlist for benchmark sequences. Note: Some proprietary technologies of NVIDIA like PCSS, HBAO+, and HairWorks work on AMD GPU’s BUT to maintain uniformity amongst GPUs, these have been turned OFF. You can click on any of the benchmark charts to enlarge the photo. You can also move forward and backwards to quickly navigate through our charts via gallery view. For this test, only the out-of-box normal mode will be tested. Notes:
- All data are gathered from exactly the same system, with the exact configuration we list here. No data is reused from another system or from any variations of. We gather data from only one system as indicated here.
- Graphics cards are allowed to heat up prior to benchmarking. Cooler graphics cards may boost higher than normal.
- Following up on the above, we try to enjoy the game and play a bit before proceeding to the actual benchmark scenario. This allows us to detect any other problems like stuttering, frame skipping, or any other problems.
- Games that receive graphical updates that affect performance e.g. (DOTA2 moving from DX9 to DX11) will be retested completely.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, popularly known as CSGO, competes for Steam’s most popular game. It has found a resurgence in its popularity and has recently peaked in 2020 with the number of players that play the game. Based on Valve’s Source Engine, the game received major asset overhauls during the years since its inception nearly 10 years ago. Still, it’s a light game and can be played on fairly lighter systems but the competitive scene for CSGO has seen average players demand high FPS from their systems thus gaining favorable standing with GPU vendors just from the demand for higher FPS alone. CSGO is a game that can easily go past 500FPS on enthusiast systems on maximum settings. We’re including CSGO as requested by our community.
API: DirectX9 (default)
Maximum In-Game Settings
Texture Streaming Disabled
Vsync OFF
DOTA 2
Note: JUNE 2020 – DOTA2 has implemented a transition from DirectX9 to DirectX11 and new install of the game will prompt users to switch from DX9 to DX11. With that said, we are testing DOTA2 in DX11 from as of June 2020.
In contention for the most popular game on Steam and the biggest competition in eSports: DOTA 2 is powered by the Source 2 engine. The game is fairly light on low to medium settings but maxed out with heavy action on screen, especially during clashes which can really stress most systems. This is a game where frame times matter as responsiveness is very important in high-stakes competition. We’re looking at consistently low frametimes in this game for the best experience Our test uses actual game replay, using the segment from game 2 of PSG.LGD versus T1 during Day 6 of the Main Stage. The clash during the 48:00 where we see a drawn-out fight which sees both teams expending all of their buybacks to secure this clash. You can watch the replay of the actual game used in the benchmark in your Dota2 client.
You can browse the TI10 replay files to see the actual match. You can download it for your own reference. (save it to your DOTA2 replays folder)
API: DirectX11 (default)
Best-Looking slider setting (Ultra)
FPS_MAX 0 Vsync OFF
Rainbow Six: Siege
Nearly 4 years later and Rainbow Six: Siege has become a phenomenon after a lukewarm beginning. The massive shift in focus of the game sees it stepping into eSports territory and the excellent mix of gameplay mechanics, good design and a dedicated dev team has put R6: Siege in a position it couldn’t even picture during launch. Rainbow Six: Siege focuses heavily on tactical and creative gameplay and its vertical levels and highly destructible maps encourage players to be quick on their feet so the action is always going. Powered by Ubisoft’s own AnvilNext 2.0 engine which powers some of Ubi’s recent visual masterpieces, R6:Siege also feature excellent graphics and can get very taxing at high detail settings. The game also features an Ultra HD texture pack download for those that want higher resolution textures but will of course demand more from the system.
API: DirectX 11
Ultra Settings
Anti Aliasing: TAA
Ultra HD Texture pack not installed
Ambient Occlusion: SSBC Vsync OFF
The game automatically drops to 50% render resolution when Ultra preset is selected
Apex Legends
The battle royale genre sees multiple titles emerge and Respawn Entertainment’s most successful title to date, Apex Legends differentiates itself from main rival PUBG as it presents itself in true, fast-paced FPS. Existing in the same universe as Titanfall, Apex Legends sees contenders in traditional battle royale elimination format but gameplay heavily gears towards more familiar FPS mechanics. As a Respawn Ent. game, it is closer to COD versus PUBG’s more sluggish and heavier gameplay.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: High
Texture Streaming Budget: 6GB VRAM
FPS Cap Disabled
Vsync: OFF
Call of Duty Warzone
Previously known as Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Call of Duty Warzone is the free-to-play, battle royale component to the 2019 reboot of the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game featuring a rebooted storyline, set in a different world where you, along with Captain Price have to stop the world from going to war. Call of Duty Warzone reignites the franchise by introducing full crossplay support where Xbox and PS4 players can play together with PC players. On PC, the game features a new engine pushing photorealism for COD far beyond what their older engine is capable of. The new engine also introduces raytracing and the AI is designed to perceive light as well. With a revitalized multiplayer arena, the game will require fast frame rates. Warzone has a slightly higher system load than COD:MW multiplayer and single player campaign mode.
API: DirectX 12
Render Resolution: 100%
Texture Resolution: High
Texture Filter Anisotropic: High
Particle Quality: High
Tessellation: All
Shadow Map Resolution: Extra
Particle Lighting: Ultra
DirectX Raytracing: OFF
Ambient Occlusion: Both
Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2X
World Motion Blur: Off
Vsync: OFF
Shaders Installed before benchmarks*
PUBG Battlegrounds
Developed and published by PUBG Corporation, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (now officially PUBG Battlegrounds) was an ARMA3 mod which has gained a massive global playerbase after being released as a stand-alone game. PUBG Battlegrounds is now available for almost all platforms from PC to mobile but PC has been the definitive edition of the game. The game has evolved much since its release, receiving multiple polish to arrive at its current state.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: Ultra
Vsync: OFF
Valorant
API: DirectX 11
Settings: Max in-game details
Anti-Aliasing: MSAA x4 (highest in-game)
NVIDIA Reflex: Off Vsync: OFF
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
API: DirectX 11
Frame Rate: Unlimited
Nvidia HairWorks: Off
Ultra Settings
Motion Blur: Off
Anti-aliasing: On
Bloom: On
Sharpening: High
Ambient Occlusion: SSAO
Depth of Field: On
Chromatic Aberration: Off
Vignetting: On
Light Shafts: On
VSync OFF
Grand Theft Auto V
The fifth and most successful installment to date in the highly controversial Grand Theft Auto series brings a graphical overhaul to the PC version of GTA V which many have lauded as a superior approach in porting a console game to PC. Featuring large areas and detailing, GTA V is a highly challenging application in terms of scene complexity. Our benchmark uses a run from Palomina Highlands running through a lush area to a remote road all the way to a neighborhood in our car to simulate multiple scene changes.
API: DirectX 11
FXAA Off
MSAA 4x
TXAA Off
Very High settings
Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
Motion Blur disabled
Advanced Graphics enabled
Vsync OFF
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the latest installment in the reboot run of the classic Tomb Raider franchise. The game follows the story set forth by the previous game which Shadow of the Tomb Raider shortly follows after. Technology-wise, the game uses the Foundation engine updated to meet the demand of developer Eidos Montreal to push the engine to its limits. The game supports DirectX 12 and is one of the launch titles to support RTX technology namely DLSS which launched a couple of months post-release.
API: DirectX 12
Graphics Settings Preset: Highest
Texture Quality: Ultra
Texture Filtering: 8x Anisotropic
Anti-Aliasing: TAA
DLSS: OFF
Raytraced Shadow: OFF
Vsync OFF
Destiny 2
Destiny 2: New Light is an MMOFPS which sees a persistently sizable playerbase. The game features traditional MMO elements but played in an FPS approach which allows a more skill-dependent game versus traditional MMORPG formats. The game features a futuristic sci-fi universe with lush and detailed in-game locations that puts respectable workload on a gaming system.
API: DirectX 11 Settings: Highest Vsync: OFF
Forza Horizon 5
Developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios, Forza Horizon 5 is the latest installment in the Forza series, picking up straight after the British escapades of Horizon 4, Horizon 5 takes us now to Mexico for another open-world racing spectacle, that is Horizon. Built on the proprietary ForzaTech engine, the game harnesses its power to provide an excellent experience on both PC and Xbox.
API: DirectX 12
Settings: High
Raytracing: Off
Vsync: Off
Resident Evil Village
Easily one of the best installment in the Resident Evil franchise, Village takes the best of what makes RE4 such an icon and mixes it up with vestiges of classic RE. Built on modern RE Engine, the game supports raytracing as well as other modern niceties. But for the most part, keeps a conservative PC gaming experience. Regardless, the game brings with it classic RE and the RE Engine’s best outing to date on a Resident Evil title.
API: DirectX 12
Detail Settings: Prioritize Graphics
Raytracing: Off
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Exclusively on Epic Game Store Now available in Steam and Epic Game Store as of June 17th of 2022, Final Fantasy VII Remake’s PC port is a much awaited transition from Playstation-exclusive to PC release. Despite its exclusive nature of release on PC, the game still managed to carve a following, many thanks to Epic’s barrage of free games leading up to launch. Built on Unreal Engine 4, the game natively runs on DirectX 12 but like many other Sony Studio games, is a bit restricted when it comes to graphic options. Unlike Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy VII Remake is limited to framerate options as well resolution options. That said, we only test this on our trio of primary resolution targets.
API: DirectX 12
Vsync: Disabled thru mod
Cyberpunk 2077
The most anticipated game of 2020 has just received its sort of “launch patch” this 2022 with version 1.5 changing many things in terms of performance as well as few things in the graphics department. Perhaps the most anticipated game of the last decade, Cyberpunk 2077’s launch has been a rollercoaster to gamers on PC who are largely in agreement that it was definitely worth the wait bar the bugs. Made by CD Projekt Red and based on the REDengine4, Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most modern games introducing full utilization of raytracing amongst others. We do not enable raytracing in this test segment, that will be for the later section of this review if and when listed.
API: DirectX 12
Settings: Ultra Preset
Raytracing Off
DLSS Off
Vsync: OFF
Average FPS
The charts below summarizes performance for all our games to give readers an idea of what to expect from these laptops in gaming at a glance. We use the arithmetic average for an easier reference on the average. The chart is presented to better visualize the totals.
Relative Performance
These charts gives you a quick reference on how the product we’re reviewing performs against similarly tested products.
Value Added Services
By itself, the Legion 5i Pro 2022 along with the rest of the Legion 2022 line-up is a pretty cut-and-dry offering featuring upgraded specs but Lenovo is aware of and front-loads their new line with a hefty inclusion of value-adding services as follows:
- 3-year Lenovo Ultimate Support
- 3-year Lenovo Premium Care
- 3-year Accidental Damage Protection
- Lifetime MS Office Home and Student license
- 3-month subscription to Microsoft PC Game Pass
Initial reviews of this laptop have been lukewarm, voicing that other than a spec bump, there’s nothing much to offer here and many could go for older models to save money. While that’s a fair recommendation, western reviews of Lenovo laptops have not been able to communicate how gracious their add-on have been.
Lenovo Premium Care
Premium Care is Lenovo’s after-sales support coverage program ranging from 1 year to 3 years. In the Philippines, Lenovo has pretty much offered their 3 year support plans straight out of the store. This means that both Lenovo and Legion laptop owners covered by Premium Care can avail of 24-hour email, chat and phone support as well as on-site support. This means you don’t have to bring your laptop to a support center as Lenovo will send someone to assist you once your support ticket requires manual intervention and offers next-day on-site support.
Stand-alone, an annual Premium Care service plan is Php5,200 to Php9,000 based on what your original warranty is.
Legion Ultimate Support
Legion Ultimate Support is another support system built on to of Lenovo Premium Care which is a support system specifically created with gamers in mind. Its support staff are trained to be familiar with modern gaming trends as well meta for certain games so gamers who are less technically familiar can get hardware and software support from people who are familiar with their usage scenario.
Accidental Damage Protection
Accidental Damage Protection provides protection from water spills, drops or electrical surges. In normal instances, a drop from a table or spilled coffee will usually void your warranty and repairs for this will be charged to the user as this is outside standard warranty coverage. With Accidental Damage Protection, users will have extra peace of mind as they’ll be covered in these scenarios.
To be fully transparent, this is not quite straight-up and a fall from 50ft doesn’t qualify as well as any sort of negligence such as dropping the entire laptop in a pool. But in most cases, spills and drops as well as electrical issues will be covered. Lenovo will not cover scratches or dents to the case, intentional damage (such as those from modifications to the laptop) or recover data under Accidental Damage Protection.
Lenovo’s Accidental Damage Protection coverage plan is offered at Php2,000 to Php14,900 (varies by year and base warranty inclusion)
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2021 License
A Php6995($149) value, Legion owners will receive a perpetual license for Microsoft Office Home & Student so they can use their laptop for work and study immediately.
Microsoft PC Game Pass
At Php119 monthly, Microsoft’s PC Game Pass is the PC-only version of the venerable Xbox Game Pass ($15/monthly). This subscription service gives gamers access to a huge array of games with no limitations. No more waiting for Steam games to go on-sale or looking for F2P titles, with PC Game Pass you can login with your Microsoft account and enjoy hundreds of titles including AAA smash hits like Forza Horizon 5 or even play launch titles on launch day with no extra cost.
PC Game Pass is a monthly subscription with first-time subscribers charged at Php49 only with succeeding months billed at Php119.
Is it worth it?
At roughly Php40,000 in extras, Lenovo isn’t exactly charging users for these services. Premium Care and Accidental Damage Protection alone are extremely useful and will save anyone the hassle of travelling to a service center, waiting for a response, etc. and knowing that you’ll be covered if do accidentally drop or spill coffee on your laptop is extremely nice to have.
Lenovo is probably doing this to offset the fact that the current PC landscape is very expensive. It doesn’t matter if you look at Intel or AMD or not even the laptop makers themselves. Whether its Lenovo, ASUS or MSI etc., the 2022 line-up from all these companies will see a significant bump in pricing.
At the end of the day, you’ll be paying the same if not more from other companies it just boils down to the fact that should you go with another company, would you have the same after-sales service? As of this writing, only Lenovo has a comprehensive support system like what they have right now with the on-site (read: in your house) support being one of the most highly revered extras from the company.
Value & Conclusion
Looking at it solely from a performance perspective, Lenovo’s Intel 12th-gen Legion systems will have an extremely comfortable lead versus its predecessor but significantly closes the gap against last-gen’s AMD units. With an RTX 3070 Ti, the GPU gets a bump as well but RTX 3060 options will also benefit from the increased gaming performance that Intel’s 12th-gen has to offer.
Barring ADP and all the extra, many of the appeal of this year’s Legion 5i Pro solely focuses on the platform update and while the jump to DDR5 and a hybrid CPU has its advantages, for daily office use or gaming, both 2021 and 2022 Legion models will be very close in terms of user experience.
This extends to the laptop’s design as well and while Lenovo uses the more sleek, modern Pro design rather than the older boxy Legion 5 design, the look remains largely the same and I feel I resonate with some folks who feel that Lenovo’s design language definitely needs an update. While I can appreciate the “Stylish Outside. Savage Inside.” mantra, at half-a-decade in, the design is really showing its age especially for users who came off the Legion Y540 era.
With all of that said, I can highly recommend this generation’s Legion 5i Pro for users who to invest in a laptop but also want to be confident that their unit lasts throughout that period. This should apply for those of you easing back into office work and need a modern system to keep up with that pandemic gaming PC you may have built over the past 2 years. Or you may be a student that want something that could last with you thru college and maybe get beat-up a bit.
This is where Lenovo’s value proposition shines in that even non-tech savvy individuals can enjoy their laptop to its maximum gaming potential while being protected by an industry-leading, comprehensive support system that is yet to be matched to this day.
The Legion 5i Pro 2022 starts at Php119,995 for the Intel Core i7-12700H+RTX 3060 model and is available now with the RTX 3070 Ti configurations available later this month or early next month. The model we’re reviewing today with an Intel Core i7-12700H with 16GB of DDR5 memory and an RTX 3070 Ti will have an SRP of Php139,995.
Lenovo backs the Legion 5i Pro with 3-year Premium Care and an international warranty. I give the Legion 5i Pro 2022 a B2G Value Award.