Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is the world's lightest gaming laptop with RTX graphics

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The Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is one of the thinnest gaming laptops around

lenovo legion slim 7i
(Image credit: Lenovo)

While the PS5 and Xbox Series X may dominate gaming headlines this fall, Lenovo wants to remind customers that gaming laptops are still an option — particularly those who will be traveling to and from school around the holidays. Enter the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i: a customizable gaming laptop that can cram a 10th-gen Intel Core i9 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, 32 GB RAM, 2 TB storage and a 4K display into a chassis just 0.7 inches thick.

The Legion Slim 7i isn’t cheap, and it’s not quite as powerful as a full-featured gaming desktop. But if you want one of the most powerful gaming machines on the market in a package that weighs less than four pounds, the Slim 7i looks like a laptop to watch.

lenovo legion slim 7i

(Image credit: Lenovo)

Lenovo Legion Slim 7i price and release date

The Lenovo Legion Slim 7i’s starting configuration — with an Intel Core i5 processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU, 8 GB RAM, a 512 GB SSD and a 1080p display — will cost $1329. All configurations of the system will be available in October.

Lenovo hasn’t revealed exactly how much it will cost to deck the laptop out with all available options, but we imagine it could get pretty expensive. Lenovo’s existing Legion 7i 15-inch model ranges up to $4,000, and while that laptop includes similar CPU, GPU and RAM options, you can’t get it with a 4K screen. In other words, if you want the Legion Slim 7i to be as powerful as possible, expect to drop a few thousand dollars on it.

lenovo legion slim 7i

(Image credit: Lenovo)

Lenovo Legion Slim 7i specs

Like most Legion laptops, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i has a variety of options for everything from the processor to the keyboard backlighting. While it would take too long to list every possible configuration, here are the minimum and maximum specs for all of the Legion Slim 7i’s major components:

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Lenovo Legion Slim 7i specs
Row 0 - Cell 0 MinimumMaximum
Processor10th Gen Intel Core i5-10300H10th Gen Intel Core i9-10880HK
GPUNvidia GeForce GTX 1650 TiNvidia GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
Memory8 GB 2933 MHz DDR432 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
Storage516 GB SSD2 TB SSD
Display15.6-inch (1920 x 1080, 144 Hz)15.6-inch (3840 x 2160, 60 Hz)
KeyboardWhite backlightCorsair iCue RGB

All Legion Slim 7i models come with a 71 WHr battery (up to 7.5 hours of use, according to Lenovo), a slate gray aluminum chassis, a fingerprint reader, a 720p webcam, an Intel WiFi 6 (802.11 ax) chip, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and two Dolby Atmos speakers.

In terms of ports, you’ll get an SD card reader, an audio jack, two Thunderbolt ports, two USB ports and a power port.

The system measures 14.0 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches, and weighs just under 4.0 pounds — at least, the base model does. More powerful gear is generally a little heavier, so the weight will probably creep upward as you add fancier hardware to your configuration.

lenovo legion slim 7i

(Image credit: Lenovo)

Each Lenovo Slim 7i model comes preloaded with Lenovo, Dolby and McAfee software, which will help regulate your interface, audio and security, respectively.

Lenovo draws attention to a handful of other features that the Legion Slim 7i can leverage for both productivity and gaming. The system’s Max-Q Dynamic Boost system manages power between its CPU and GPU more efficiently, which should preserve battery life and performance when switching from productivity to gaming, or vice versa. You’ll also be able to activate DLSS 2.0, which can boost framerates and sharpness when playing games that support ray tracing.

The laptop is also compatible with the Lenovo BoostStation eGPU, which will let you hook the Lenovo Slim 7i to an external GPU and SSD. It’s a workable option for those who perhaps need the Slim 7i for productivity while on the road, but more heavy-duty gaming at home.

Tom’s Guide will have a full review of the Legion Slim 7i when we receive a unit. Until then, consider whether you want to save your money this fall for a new console, or for a high-end gaming laptop.

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Marshall Honorof
Marshall Honorof

Marshall Honorof was a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.