In tandem with Intel's announcement of its latest and greatest chips, dozens of brands have revealed their latest and best gaming laptop line-ups at the world's largest technology show, CES 2024. I've been given the inside scoop on many, but it's Lenovo's 2024 Legion 7i model that's stood out for me – and for one key reason.
No, it's not the 14th Gen Intel Core i9 (14900HX) chipset that inside – lovely and powerful as that is when paired with Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card – but down to a simple new aesthetic: the Glacier White colourway. As you can see from my photos on this page, the white finish positively glows and makes the Legion 7i look the absolute business.
It's not the first gaming laptop ever to feature a white exterior – and others offer similar, such as Razer's world-first Blade 16 laptop, also revealed at CES, offering a 'Mercury' finish – but it does give a real distinctive point of difference. There's subtle RGB keyboard backlighting to complement the overall look too, which is delicate rather than overly garish.
That RGB lighting is more extreme on the Legion 7i Pro model, also revealed as part of Lenovo's CES 2024 line-up, but that Pro model is only available in a black finish (and also features a front-positioned RGB light bar, which lacks on the standard 7i model). I think both look great, but it's Glacier White all the way for me – and that RTX 4070 is plenty enough (the Pro offers up to RTX 4090 instead).
The Lenovo Legion 7i features a 16-inch screen, which is increasingly becoming the norm for gaming laptops: it was back at CES 2023 when 18-inch gaming laptops were first revealed, and now the typical duo of options is 16- and 18-inch from the majority of brands. Personally I find the smaller option best fitting for portability's sake (the Legion 7i isn't exactly light, given its 2.3kg weight).
The Legion 7i's display features a 3.2K resolution and can deliver up to 165Hz for smooth visuals (plus Nvidia G-Sync), while 100% DCI-P3 colour ensures great accuracy to the image and Dolby Vision ticks the box for HDR playback. Pair that with the Harman sound and this is one super audio-visual experience for gamers.
I'm yet to receive confirmation of pricing, but given how customisable the Legion 7i will be in offering various Intel and Nvidia options, don't expect the 2024 model to be especially budget. It's a smart-looking upgrade to the existing Legion line, though, which can still be picked up in stores today. Albeit not in Glacier White – and that's the one standout feature that further sells this laptop for me.
