Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14aph8 Laptop Review: 120 Hz 2.5k Oled Sweet Spot

The Legion Narrow 5 14 is the primary and smallest 14-inch Legion pc within the circle of relatives. It distinguishes itself from others available in the market with its 120 Hz OLED show and moderately increased 14.5-inch display screen dimension while choices from Razer, Acer, or Asus typically generally tend to return with 14.0-inch IPS panels.

Our assessment configuration a mid-range SKU with the Zen 4 Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU and 105 W GeForce RTX 4060 graphics for about $1500 USD retail. Different SKUs come with the quicker Ryzen 9 7940HS or slower RTX 4050, however the 14.5-inch 2.8K 120 Hz OLED non-touch show is fixed during all choices. No Intel variants were presented on the time of publishing.

The Lenovo type competes in an instant with different 14-inch gaming laptops similar to the Acer Predator Triton 14, Razer Blade 14, Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, or Alienware x14.

Further Lenovo evaluations:

Lenovo employs an identical clean steel fabrics in monotone grey during a number of its Legion and ThinkBook fashions. Avid players who are not inside the eccentric designs of Alienware or Asus ROG laptops would possibly to look out the flatter and RGB-free design of the Legion Narrow 5 14 to be additional eye-catching specifically for school rooms and non-gaming environments.

Chassis high quality is robust from best to backside for forged first impressions. Surfaces are not as inflexible as at the Blade 14 or Alienware x14 and that is the reason maximum noticeable when making use of power down the keyboard center or palm rests or when twisting the lid, however any flexing is still minimum.

The hinges deserve a point out as they are able to open all the 180 levels in contrast to on different 14-inch gaming laptops. Hinge power is just right sufficient, however it will were stiffer at wider angles for a greater sense of longevity.

The bigger 14.5-inch display screen dimension and prolonged rear of the Legion design give our Legion Narrow 5 14 a bigger footprint than competition similar to the Blade 14, Zephyrus G14, or Predator Triton 14. All of them however weigh in regards to the an identical, on the other hand, and so the Legion Narrow 5 14 is just not as dense.

Port choices are maximum very similar to the Blade 14 albeit with very other positioning. We discover the internet web page to be adverse at the Legion Narrow 5 for the reason that ports don’t seem to be frivolously allotted and maximum of them are alongside the rear along side the USB-A ports.

The sort sadly lacks USB4 and Thunderbolt reinforce. There is not any Kensington lock as appropriately.

The built-in SD reader is a long way sooner than the only at the Predator Triton 14 however not as fast as those at the Zephyrus G14 or Alienware x14. Transferring 1 GB of images from our UHS-II check out card to desktop takes about 12 seconds in comparison to simply section that at the Alienware x14.

A MediaTek MT7922 comes usual instead of the extra now not odd Intel AX211 for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. We skilled protected efficiency and no problems when paired to our 6 GHz AXE11000 group.

The two MP webcam is usual on gaming laptops. Every IR and a virtual digicam kill transfer are integrated.

The ground panel is secured by way of 10 Phillips screws for simple removing. RAM is soldered leaving the 2 M.2 2280 SSD slots and the WLAN module as the one upgradeable parts. Compared, RAM is user-upgradeable at the 2023 Blade 14 and Zephyrus G14.

The retail field accommodates the AC adapter and paperwork and not using a extras. The usual one-year restricted producer guaranty applies if bought in the us.

The keyboard maintains the texture and dimension of the primary QWERTY keys at the increased Legion Narrow 5 16 however with smaller arrow keys and an now not famous numpad on account of floor house constraints. The typing revel in feels company and with more potent comments from every key when in comparison to the softer keys of the Blade 14. On the other hand, the slender PgUp and PgDn keys are squeezed in between the arrow keys and they’re uncomfortable to press.

Lenovo provides just a single-zone white backlight whilst fashions from Razer, Asus, and Alienware all have multi-zone RGB lights.

The clickpad (12 x 7.5 cm) is greater than at the Alienware x14 (10.8 x 5.5 cm) however smaller than at the Blade 14 (15 x 8.5 cm). It is nevertheless clean and dependable with quiet clatter when pressed. Comments when inputting a click on on on is typically a little of a lot much less assailable as it’s at the softer facet.

The OLED show is the spotlight of the Legion Narrow 5 14 as it may be discovered on no different 14-inch gaming pc these days. it provides a space 120 Hz refresh price, dense 2.8K answer, and entire DCI-P3 colours to be fit for every gaming and content material subject material subject material introduction functions. Maximum different OLED panels like those for the less expensive Asus VivoBook collection are restricted to 60 Hz or 90 Hz when put next. The panel correct proper right here even ships Pantone qualified which we wouldn’t have anticipated from a Legion pc designed essentially for gaming.

A very powerful downside to the show is its loss of G-Sync reinforce which is a bummer for a pricey gaming pc.

The show is well-calibrated out of the field against the DCI-P3 usual and so an end-user calibration would possibly not be crucial for a lot of shoppers. Colour temperature is moderately too heat at 6300K, on the other hand, however this is just a small nitpick. Our ICM profile is to be had to obtain above without spending a dime.

Precise-world most brightness is round 386 nits in comparison to Lenovo’s declare of 400 nits for SDR content material subject material subject material. If HDR is enabled, most brightness could be as excessive as 515 nits which might in all probability fit Lenovo’s declare of HDR500 compatibility. The matte IPS panels at the Blade 14 or Zephyrus G14 are noticeably brighter at round 550 nits every for SDR content material subject material subject material for greater out of doors visibility when in comparison to our very shiny Lenovo type.

We set Lenovo Vantage to Efficiency mode and dGPU mode with GPU Overclock lively previous to running the benchmarks underneath. It is really helpful that customers transform conversant in Vantage because it the keep watch over hub for adjusting efficiency profiles and dGPU/iGPU settings.

The Ryzen 7 7840HS plays appropriately and not using a primary throttling problems and with multi-thread effects which could be simply 10 % in the back of the typical thirteenth gen Core i7-13700H. Upgrading to the Ryzen 9 7940HS configuration is anticipated to spice up efficiency by way of 10 % which might in all probability successfully shut that hole. In a large number of phrases, you would need to enhance to the Ryzen 9 configuration if you need the an identical processing energy for the reason that Intel Core i7.

Further difficult Ryzen HX-class CPUs similar to the Ryzen 9 7945HX are most straightforward to be had on increased display screen sizes. 

PCMark rankings are related to different competing 14-inch gaming laptops by way of mere single-digit share issues. We skilled no notable problems in all places our time with the check out unit in contrast to at the recent Legion Narrow 5 16 or Alienware m16 R1.

LatencyMon shows DPC problems when opening a couple of browser tabs of our homepage. 4K video playback at 60 FPS could also be imperfect with 4 dropped frames recorded within a one-minute timespan.

Our unit ships with a 1 TB SK hynix HFS001TEJ9X115N SSD which is a high-end PCIe4 x4 pressure. The pressure would do not need any problems keeping up very fast switch charges of with regards to 7100 MB/s when beneath rigidity to show no throttling problems regardless of the smaller Legion Narrow shape issue.

Graphics efficiency is superb with effects which could be consistent with different laptops provided with the an identical RTX 4060 GPU to suggest no primary throttling problems. The RTX 4070 within the Blade 14 runs 15 % sooner, however such an variety isn’t to be had for the present Legion Narrow 5 14 type.

Downgrading to the RTX 4050 configuration will affect efficiency by way of about 20 to twenty-five % consistent with our time with the Acer Predator Triton 14. Operating on Balanced mode instead of Efficiency mode would additionally affect graphics efficiency by way of as much as 15 % as showed by way of our Hearth Strike effects desk underneath. On the other hand, Balanced mode runs slightly quieter to compensate for the lowered efficiency.

All examined video video video games run appropriately at the Legion Narrow 5 14 despite the fact that set to the local 2.8K answer. On the other hand, we propose tuning the settings to Medium if collaborating in tricky titles like Well known person Wars Jedi Survivor or Returnal to stay body charges at or above 60 FPS specifically for the reason that primary show lacks G-Sync.

The internal enthusiasts are at risk of pulsing despite the fact that set to Balanced mode. Fan noise would range between 23 and 31 dB(A) from merely internet surfing or video streaming. It is as a result of this truth really helpful to run the software on Quiet mode if decrease fan noise is desired.

Gaming on Balanced mode instead of Efficiency mode would scale back fan noise moderately from 52.8 dB(A) to 49.3 dB(A). In every case, the Legion Narrow 5 14 is still an overly loud gaming instrument very similar to the Blade 14,  Zephyrus G14, or Alienware x14.

Flooring temperatures are warmest against the keyboard center and rear the place they are able to succeed in as much as 36 C and 52 C, respectively, when running tricky such a lot like video video video games. The software is moderately hotter than the Blade 14 on moderate despite the fact that the Lenovo design accommodates additional air go with the flow grilles. The palm rests and clickpad stay cooler and additional comfortable to touch.

The CPU would spike to a couple of.8 GHz and 92 W when starting up Prime95 rigidity prior to falling and stabilizing at 4.6 GHz and 84 W a couple of seconds later. Core temperature could be very talked-about at 100 C to suggest that the AMD processor is pushing the cooling talents of the Legion Narrow 5 14 to its limits. Repeating this check out at the Blade 14 with a an identical Zen 4-class CPU would result’s a cooler core temperature of 90 C when put next.

The Nvidia GPU would stabilize at 2625 MHz, 78 C, and 99 W board energy draw when running Witcher 3 on Efficiency mode in comparison to simply 2160 MHz, 69 C, and 69 W when running the an identical recreation on Balanced mode. The lowered efficiency comes with lowered fan noise as discussed above.

Our Legion Narrow 5 14 consumes moderately so much a lot much less energy than our Blade 14 which comes with a sooner Ryzen 9 CPU and RTX 4070 GPU. Efficiency-per-watt stays very good specifically when in comparison to Intel-powered gaming laptops with the an identical RTX 4060 GPU similar to the Legion Professional 5 16 which calls for noticeably additional energy regardless of it appearing simply moderately sooner.

We are ready to file a most draw of 161 W from the medium-sized (17 x 7.6 x 2.1 cm) 170 W AC adapter. The competing Blade 14 and Zephyrus G14 send with increased and additional succesful 230 W and 240 W AC adapters, respectively. The Lenovo type fees additional slowly if running tricky such a lot concurrently.

Battery capability could be very massive for a 14-inch pc at 74 Wh. Runtimes are due to this fact lengthy at on the subject of 7.5 hours of real-world surfing on Balanced mode to be maximum very similar to the Zephyrus G14.

Charging from empty to complete capability may be very fast at simply 45 mins when Lenovo Speedy Charge is enabled. Maximum different laptops take two events as lengthy and even longer to totally rate. The software may also be charged by the use of USB-C, however Lenovo recommends charging with an non-compulsory Lenovo-branded 140 W USB-C AC adapter as maximum different adapters don’t seem to be suitable.

A few aspects lend a hand the Legion Narrow 5 14 stick out from the contest. First of all, its ThinkBook-like design and RGB-free external give an extra skilled aesthetic than the competitive stylings of the Acer Predator Triton or Zephyrus G14. Customers who love to have one pc for every gaming and business conferences would in all probability as a result of this truth make a choice the design of the Legion Narrow 5 14 over others. Secondly, its 120 Hz OLED show simply outclasses the IPS presentations on different 14-inch gaming laptops when it comes to black ranges, reaction instances, and symbol high quality.

Lenovo’s first 14-inch Legion gaming pc is off to a powerful get started with its 2.8K 120 Hz OLED show. Its loss of G-Sync and RGB keyboard backlight, on the other hand, are odd omissions on a gaming pc retailing for appropriately over a grand.

There are a handful of disadvantages that doable customers will have to bear in mind of. One of the egregious is the loss of G-Sync reinforce for the OLED show that means that it is really helpful to have interaction v-sync or function for a steady 120 FPS with lowered settings to restrict display screen tearing. Your next step down is the absence of RGB keyboard lights and GPU choices more than the RTX 4060. Whilst the RTX 4060 is still very good, Lenovo is throwing in the towel at the lovers who would possibly need the RTX 4070 or sooner. The Asus Zephyrus G14 and Razer Blade 14 are every smaller and include every upgradeable RAM and sooner GPU choices.

The loud fan noise and excessive core temperatures are different notable disadvantages, however such characteristics are shared during different 14-inch gaming laptops.

The Legion Narrow 5 14 could also be very best as a very good commute increased section for gaming, graphics processing, and embellishing. For natural gaming functions, on the other hand, choices from Razer, Asus, or Alienware typically generally tend to supply higher-end GPUs and auxiliary possible choices that hardcore avid avid players can recognize.

Lenovo is these days supply its Legion Narrow 5 14 Gen 8 type beginning at $1440 USD for the bottom Ryzen 7 and RTX 4050 configuration as much as over $1700 if configured with the Ryzen 9 and RTX 4060.