The latest RTX graphics in a laptop that has a pretty solid build and pricing towards it, Lenovo branching out to add another series besides the Legion line has been a sight for those wanting another choice in the ultra-competitive gaming laptop market.
So how does the Lenovo LOQ 15 fair? Quite well in our books.
Review Unit Specs
Here are the bits and bobs that make up the LOQ 15 (in our review unit).
- CPU: Intel Core i5-13450HX, 10C (6P + 4E) / 16T, P-core 2.4 / 4.6GHz, E-core 1.8 / 3.4GHz, 20M
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 6GB GDDR6
- RAM: 8GB SO-DIMM DDR5-4800
- STORAGE: 512GB SSD M.2 2242 PCIe® 4.0×4 NVMe®
- PRICE: Starting at RM4,328.86
Build Quality
For a start, the LOQ 15 feels solid to the touch even with their switch from the metallic display lids to a quite sturdy plastic that has the feeling of their other more robust stuff such as the Thinkpads, with their design really masking itself as a gaming laptop when you turn off the keyboard lights, which I believe is what they are aiming for. Its 15.6 FHD inch screen can output its refresh rate upwards of 144Hz at 1080p, complimenting its Nvidia RTX 4050 (more on that later), Lenovo is also quite generous with the ports, with one 1 USB-C and 3 USB-A ports around the laptop that fits the average user’s typical usage rather well.
However, my only complaint would be some of the placement being near one of its few fan exhausts, which makes some of the cables (including Lenovo’s iconic charger port) quite heated during normal usage. ‘Tis the Achilles heels of a form factor like this one even on their rivals, but an interesting observation nonetheless.
One positive that I like to mention is the LOQ’s keyboard, which I just love typing on. The keys feel smooth to the touch, and even typing a long-form essay or Key-DDRing in games such as HellDivers 2 makes its asking price worth it, besides the RTX Hybrid GPU coursing through it.
As for battery life, The LOQ 15 can withstand 5.6 hours of idling on a 24-hour live stream on YouTube, which is quite fair considering how Windows also has some backend stuff running even on standby. 4K Videos also don’t impact its performance at all either, with little to no drop frames in an F1 4K Broadcast we use to test it.
In short, the build stuff in this Lenovo machine rocks so far.
Software
The LOQ includes Lenovo’s own Vantage software, which is different from their Business-oriented variations that are on the likes of the ThinkPads and such, and are similar to the ones you would see within the Legion series.
Here, you get to control the thermals, GPU overclocking, and a toggle to see what mode you can set your GPU in during plugged-in or during battery life. It’s more robust than many of its contemporaries and easier to navigate, which is a solid plus.
Gaming Performance
So the meat and potatoes of the review is how the LOQ 15 runs video games, and they did it quite well. With testing out my personal library which includes stuff like the availability of Nvidia’s DLSS tech, and stuff that runs well in full motion. Most of these games tested run well on High settings with 60fps solid and barring one, most of them are recent releases.
And with almost 1TB SSD of Storage, of course, the issues of game sizes aren’t really a thing, so you can install the newest Call of Duty without fear of storage issues thereafter.
So here is the list of games tested:
- F1 22
- Persona 3 Reload
- Helldivers 2
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Death Stranding Director’s Cut
- Flatout 3 Ultimate Carnage
And like the Avatar game’s Unobtanium settings, Cyberpunk’s RT Overdrive does kick the LOQ’s butt with 10-20ish fps, but it’s nice to see the fan doing its job to make sure it doesn’t crash. But in normal service, it can run 60fps on High with some DLSS tweaks on the Quality setting and perhaps if you’re feeling spicy, RT Low to see those puddles shine.
Helldivers 2, the most recent game on this testing list, did quite well on High. 60fps solid even during the chaos that is 500KG bombs and strafing runs on the automatons with particles everywhere, they can manage it without breaking a sweat. On the opposite side, Death Stranding’s mostly calm atmosphere does well with rendering all the vegetation and such, all with the same solid power.
Persona 3 Reload looks vibrant with all the solid colors and fast-paced action, even though technically it is a turn-based RPG, which pairs actually well with F1 22 and how the older games handle reflection and colors during a night race that’s wet, with an older DLSS version mind you.
Lastly, for something unserious, our wildcard game is Bugbear’s sentimental destruction derby racer, Flatout 3 Ultimate Carnage, which during the writing of this review, was updated to be included within the Steam Deck compatibility list and it does well on the Lenovo laptop, as it should. It is just nice to see an almost two-decade-old racer still performing well on modern hardware thanks to its developer.
Verdict
The Lenovo LOQ 15 perhaps might be the best choice for those wanting a gaming laptop that’s under the 5k range and doesn’t feel as underpriced with its pretty incredible build quality that can play the newer titles quite well, and can do your Excel sheets rather well if you wish it to run like an Office powerhouse with it’s quite subtle looks.
The power of Ray Tracing in games is becoming cheaper, and we’ll all for it.
Review unit provided by Lenovo
Lenovo LOQ 15
Perhaps might be the best choice for those wanting a gaming laptop that’s under the 5k range and pretty incredible build quality that can play the newer titles quite well.
- Hardware 9
- Value 8
- Gaming Performance 8.9