If you are looking for a gaming laptop that combines a slim design and powerful performance, you might want to check out the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16IAH7. This laptop is one of the thinnest and lightest gaming devices on the market, yet it packs a punch with its 12th Gen Intel Core processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series GPU.
It also features a stunning 16-inch WQXGA display that supports Dolby Vision HDR and a 165Hz refresh rate. In this review, we will take a closer look at the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16IAH7 and see how it fares in various aspects such as design, display, performance, thermals, battery life, and connectivity. Let’s dive in.
Design & Build
Looking at it straight on, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i doesn’t exactly scream slim and light, especially when compared to standard laptops. However, the 16-inch device is actually considerably less chunky than most gaming laptops on the market, measuring 14.08 x 10.24 x 0.67 inches and weighing 4.79 lbs.
The laptop’s design is simple yet stylish, with a minimalistic Legion logo on the lid, going against the conventional “gamery” aesthetic you often associate with gaming-focused devices. It has an anodized aluminum body with a metal trim, giving it a really solid build and feeling very robust and sturdy. In fact, almost everything about it feels strong, from the hinge to the chassis with no flex or give.
The lid has a small notch at the top which houses the webcam. For those concerned with privacy, there’s a physical e-Shutter Switch that disables the camera. Meanwhile, the notch doubles as something you can hold on to when opening the laptop.
The keyboard is full-sized with good spacing between the keys. It is backlit with RGB lighting. You can change the lighting style or disable it by pressing FN + Spacebar.
The key travel measures 1.3mm, which is short but makes it feel more responsive because of the softer keypress. It has a number pad, with its keys slightly smaller compared to the rest of the keyboard keys to fit the frame. The arrow keys, on the other hand, are placed lower than the rest of the keys, giving them good separation and making them easier to hit.
If you’re not used to a full-sized keyboard on a laptop, typing does require a small adjustment as your hands get used to the keyboard’s off-center position. The same goes for the touchpad, which is slightly on the left, causing my palm to accidentally swipe at it from time to time. The touchpad, however, is average-sized, but the glass surface is smooth and feels great to touch.
Above the keyboard sits the power button with a fingerprint scanner. It has an illuminated ring around it, which is a nice touch. On its sides are air vents. I first thought they were speakers but rather vents for air intake. There are also vents on each side of the laptop, as well as on the back.
The speakers are at the bottom, which sounds good, by the way. We also have two strips of rubber feet that slightly elevate the gaming laptop for added circulation. You can also see the large vents and two fans there as well.
Display
The Legion Slim 7i comes with a 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) matte display with up to 165Hz refresh rate. It covers 100% sRGB with up to 500 nits of brightness, VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, Dolby Vision support and NVIDIA G-SYNC support, and TUV Rheinland certification. It is an excellent display for gaming, with fast response times and vibrant colors.
And since the display supports HDR, so you’ll get even better color reproduction when playing games that support HDR or while streaming content on supported platforms. Meanwhile, the bezels are thin, making the screen look even larger and giving it a modern look.
I/O Ports
As far as I/O ports are concerned, the Legion Slim 7i is well-equipped. On the left side, there are two USB-C ports. One is a Thunderbolt 4 while the other is USB 3.2. Both support DisplayPort 1.4 and 135W Power Delivery.
On the right side, you have an SD card reader and a combo audio jack. And at the back, the laptop has a DC-In plug, three USB-A 3.2, and an HDMI 2.1 port.
Performance
The Legion Slim 7i is powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H Processor, making it one of the most powerful slim gaming laptops available. It comes with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB of vRAM and an integrated Iris Xe GPU. The laptop also comes with 16GB of RAM and a fast 1TB SSD, which is enough for most games.
From my experience, this laptop can most games you throw at it, triple-A or not. I’m not much of a gamer, but for this review, I bought an Xbox PC Game Pass (₱119/month) and downloaded and played several games, such as Minecraft, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Valorant, The Forest, Gang Beasts, High on Life, Poppy Playtime, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. These games I tried played exceptionally well.
As for the thermals, the fan ran quite often while gaming. I didn’t find it too loud or distracting but it is quite audible. And since it exhausts hot air through the back vents, that area gets hot to the touch. On the bright side, the keyboard area is just reasonably warm.
You might also like: ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED review: Lightweight, powerful, and stylish
As for benchmarks, the Legion Slim 7i scored 30,926 on 3DMark’s Night Raid with a graphics score of 43,354 and a CPU score of 11,784. In Time Spy, the laptop managed a score of 7,544 with a graphics score of 7,037 and a CPU score of 12,757.
Battery Life
The Legion Slim 7i is equipped with a 99.9WHr battery. Battery life is okay at around 5 hours, give or take. It is a power-hungry machine, so that’s to be expected. You won’t get a full day of use, but it should be enough to get you through a few hours of work. Meanwhile, you’ll get around 2 hours while gaming.
The supplied 230W Slim Adapter can charge the laptop to full in 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Verdict
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is a great gaming laptop that’s slim, sleek, and powerful. It’s a good option for those looking for something with a stylish design, a great display for gaming, and excellent performance. The battery life could be better, but that’s to be expected with a gaming laptop.
If you’re in the market for a gaming laptop, the Legion Slim 7i is definitely worth a look.
Price
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16IAH7 is available in the Philippines at a price of ₱134,995. It comes with a free Microsoft Office Home & Student Lifetime license, 3-Year Premium Care, and 3-Year Legion Ultimate Support.
The laptop is available for purchase in Legion Exclusive Stores, Lenovo Experience Stores, Legion Flagship Store on Lazada, and authorized retailers nationwide.
Lenovo Legion Slim 7i (Legion S7 16IAH7) specs
| Display | 16-inch WQXGA IPS Display, 2560×1600, 165Hz Refresh Rate, Anti-Glare, 100%sRGB, 500 nits, 3ms Response Time, VESA DisplayHDR 400 Certified, Dolby Vision, NVIDIA G-SYNC, TÜV Rheinland Certified |
| Processor | 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H Processor |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 |
| RAM/Storage | 16GB DDR5 RAM 1TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 TLC |
| Front Camera | FHD |
| I/O Ports | 1x USB-C Thunderbolt 4 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 1x Power Input 1x HDMI 2.1 1x SD Card Reader 1x Audio Jack |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Others | Backlit Keyboard with RGB, Power Button/Fingerprint Scanner, Webcam e-Shutter Switch, 2W Harman Stereo Speakers |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Dimensions | 14.08 x 10.24 x 0.67 inches 2.175 kg / 4.79 lbs |
| Battery | 99.9Wh, 230W Slim Adapter |
