Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro (2022) review

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Professional proves that gaming and leisure laptops don’t need to be costly – this rig prices $1,149 within the US and £970 within the UK with cheaper fashions accessible.

You get a good quantity of machine to your cash, too. This rig boasts a 16in, high-resolution display screen, Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics and a good AMD Ryzen processor.

Lenovo’s laptop computer isn’t the one reasonably priced leisure machine available on the market, although. Laptops from Asus, MSI and Dell all provide comparable specs at comparable costs, and two of these occupy long-term positions on our greatest low-cost gaming laptop computer chart – so the Lenovo IdeaPad has sturdy competitors.

Design & Construct

• Handsome, slim and light-weight
• Spectacular construct high quality
• Good on a regular basis connectivity

The IdeaPad is designed for on a regular basis use alongside gaming, so its aesthetic is extra restrained than many rivals – and for a lot of consumers, that’s factor. The IdeaPad has a smooth gunmetal exterior with slim bezels and no RGB LEDs, so it’ll match into any state of affairs.

Construct high quality is persistently good, which isn’t all the time a given at this worth. That’s all of the extra spectacular when you think about the Lenovo’s modest 1.9kg weight and slim 18mm physique.

On the right-hand edge, you’ll discover two USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 ports and an SD card reader, and the left-hand facet deploys a Kind-C reference to charging and an HDMI 1.4b output. There’s additionally a 720p webcam with Home windows Whats up for face log-in. On the within, there’s dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, however no Gigabit Ethernet.

That’s good connectivity, though keep in mind that the Lenovo has no Thunderbolt help and no fingerprint reader.

Regardless of these omissions, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Professional competes nicely in opposition to its rivals. It’s slimmer and sturdier than the MSI GF63, and that laptop computer has no card reader – however it does have wired web and newer HDMI if these are vital to you.

The Asus TUF Gaming A15 and Dell G5 15 Gaming are each bigger than the Lenovo, and each have wired web – however the former suffers with mediocre construct high quality, and the latter has slower USB ports.  

Keyboard & Trackpad

• A sensible, versatile keyboard format
• Quick buttons however with a delicate, underwhelming motion
• Disappointingly spongey trackpad

The keyboard is wise moderately than spectacular. The format is nice; it’s obtained a quantity pad, separated cursor buttons and enormous keys, which make up for the dearth of RGB LEDs.

The buttons have affordable velocity, so that they’re tremendous for gaming and typing, however they don’t have the crisp motion that you just’ll discover on the very best gaming laptops. If that’s of curiosity, the Asus and MSI rigs are each higher.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

The trackpad, in the meantime, feels hole and shallow, so it’s not satisfying however tremendous for on a regular basis fundamental use however nothing extra. And since the pad sits on the left-hand facet of the wristrest, it’s too straightforward to set off its floor throughout gameplay. A USB mouse will probably be much better for video games and for environment friendly working.

Display & Audio system

• Massive and immersive show
• Spectacular high quality
• 120Hz refresh charge
• Poor audio

The Lenovo’s show is extra immersive than the screens of rivals – and never simply due to its 16in dimension, both. This panel has a 16:10 side ratio for further peak, and its 2560 x 1600 decision outstrips the competitors, too.

The distinction ratio of 1,293:1 beats each rival and supplies lashings of punch and depth, and the show’s delta E of 1.49 and sRGB protection degree of 97.7% are equally spectacular. They imply that each color wanted by video games will probably be rendered precisely so video games look wonderful on the IdeaPad.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

The color temperature of 7165K is barely cool, which implies the show misses a bit of vibrancy however it’s not a dealbreaker. And whereas the brightness degree of 362 nits isn’t fairly excessive sufficient for respectable out of doors use, that’s not a giant difficulty both.

The 120Hz refresh charge isn’t sensible. It’s tremendous for single-player gaming, however decrease than the charges on rivals and never excessive sufficient to fulfill anybody serious about eSports.

If refresh charge does concern you, then the Asus TUF Gaming A15 is your finest various. Its 2560 x 1440 decision is marginally decrease than the Lenovo’s determine, however it has good high quality and it runs at 165Hz.

The audio system underwhelm right here; they mix tinny high-end noises with clunky, overbearing bass. A headset or exterior audio system are beneficial to take pleasure in media and, after all, for a greater gaming expertise.

Specs & Efficiency

• AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050
• 16GB RAM
• 1TB SSD

The IdeaPad 5 Professional pairs an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics core with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor. The GPU is a modest chip with 4GB of reminiscence, whereas the processor is an inexpensive octo-core half with a 4.4GHz high velocity. Elsewhere there’s 16GB of dual-channel reminiscence and a speedy 1TB SSD.

This mid-range specification delivered middling benchmark outcomes. The AMD chip delivered a Geekbench multi-core rating of seven,149. That’s simply forward of the i5-11400H contained in the MSI GF63, and it’s sufficient energy to sort out on a regular basis computing, a great deal of browser tabs and mainstream inventive work like photo-editing.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

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That’s nice, however extra processing energy is simple to seek out: the TUF Gaming A15 consists of AMD’s newer Ryzen 7 6800H and the Dell is now accessible with that AMD chip and Intel Twelfth-Gen silicon. They’re all a lot quicker and higher for inventive workloads.

You would possibly encounter some gaming points on this laptop computer, too. In Cyberpunk 2077, as an example, it solely achieved a just-playable framerate of 30fps at 2,560 x 1,600 once I used the sport’s ‘Low’ graphics settings. At 1080p and ‘Medium’ settings, the sport hit an inexpensive 39fps tempo, however you lose out on sharpness by dropping the decision.

Fortunately, the state of affairs was higher in less-demanding titles. The laptop computer hit 36fps in Far Cry New Daybreak’s Extremely settings at native decision, and it performed Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege at 93fps.

It’s a blended bag with regards to gaming. If you wish to play mainstream titles and eSports video games – and for those who’re comfortable to scale back decision and graphics settings – you then’ll be tremendous. However for those who’d like a laptop computer that may sort out high titles at 60fps and with out compromise you then’ll need to look elsewhere, wish to the Asus and Dell machines with their RTX 3060 GPUs.

the IdeaPad 5 Professional was a bit inconsistent in thermal exams, too, though it’s a fairly quiet pocket book. Irrespective of the duty, the IdeaPad was quieter than most gaming laptops and in lots of conditions you simply gained’t discover it.

Negatively, although, gaming session makes the metallic above the keyboard extremely sizzling and the underside isn’t far behind. That’s not a dealbreaker as a result of that is the type of laptop computer you’ll normally use at a desk, however it’s an unlucky side-affect of a slim design.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

If there’s one space the place the Lenovo impresses it’s battery life. Throughout a piece take a look at, it lasted for 5 hours and 7 minutes, and it ran for greater than 9 hours in a video take a look at – so for those who’re utilizing this laptop computer for on a regular basis work duties you’ll simply see lunchtime. That’s a much better end result than the MSI and Asus machines and on par with the Dell.

The IdeaPad solely dealt with ninety minutes of gaming, however that’s no shock and no worse than another leisure laptop computer.

Value & Availability

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Professional (16ACH6) prices $1,149 within the US, however for that worth you get an RTX 3050 Ti graphics card with marginally higher efficiency than the RTX 3050. The UK mannequin with the RTX 3050 prices £970, and its worth drops to £799 for those who’re comfortable to accept an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor.

Within the US it’s accessible from Amazon, and in sure configurations from Microsoft and Newegg. It’s additionally accessible within the UK from Amazon, and it will also be discovered at Perception, Box, John Lewis and Currys.

That pricing isn’t all the time nice worth. The MSI GF63 might need a weak chassis, processor and show, however it solely prices $1,003 within the US and £699 within the UK. Improve to an RTX 3050 Ti and it nonetheless solely prices $899 and £799.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

The Asus, in the meantime, prices £1,399 within the US and £1,099 within the UK and it features a a lot quicker RTX 3060 GPU. And for those who’re pleased with the RTX 3050 Ti, the TUF Gaming A15 solely prices $1,079 or £849, so you will get a bit of further grunt at a comparable worth to the Lenovo – albeit in a chunkier, flimsier design.

Dell’s rival, in the meantime, prices £1,129 for a laptop computer with the Ryzen 7 6800H processor and RTX 3060 graphics core, so it’s a major efficiency improve for a comparatively small worth leap – though the Dell does endure from a chunky chassis design and washed-out show. The US worth of $1,049 stays tempting, though that mannequin pairs the higher GPU with the Ryzen 7 5800H processor.

Try our chart of the very best low-cost gaming laptops to see all the highest choices.

Verdict

It’s tough to select the best-value possibility: whereas a few of Lenovo’s rivals serve up quicker CPUs and the RTX 3060 graphics core at comparable costs, they’re typically heavier, thicker and weaker than the IdeaPad.

Certainly, the IdeaPad takes a special method by delivering a chassis that’s slimmer, lighter and extra mature than most of its contemporaries. It’s strong, it has respectable connectivity, and its giant show delivers very good high quality. It’s quiet, too, and has respectable battery life exterior of video games.

It’s not all excellent news, although. The processor provides mid-range tempo, however nothing extra, and the graphics core can’t run high video games at high settings. The keyboard is delicate and the audio system aren’t nice.

Don’t write off the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Professional, although, it’s abilities simply lie in several areas than others and makes a better option for people who desire a extra moveable machine that’s additionally properly suited to work in addition to play.

Specs

• Mannequin examined
• OS: Home windows 11 Dwelling
• Show: 16in IPS, 2560 x 1600, 120Hz
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
• Reminiscence: 16GB onboard
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 4GB
• Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
• Webcam: 720p
• Connectivity: 1 x USB Kind-C, 2 x USB Kind-A, HDMI 1.4b, combo audio jack, SD card reader
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
• Battery capability: 75Wh
• Dimensions: 14.01 x 9.88 x 0.7 inches
• Measured weight: 1.9kg