GoKawiilThe term "desktop replacement" gets thrown around a lot when it comes to 18-inch laptops, but even the biggest and fastest notebooks usually come with compromises compared to a desktop PC.
Working and gaming on the Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 10, however, comes with almost no downsides compared to using my PC. This beast has become my favorite of all the laptops I've ever tested, but it comes at a price that's almost comical.
Lenovo aims the Legion 9i Gen 10 at both developers and gamers, which means it packs a punch. Under the hood there's a 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, an RTX 5080 that can consume up to 175W, a massive 64GB of DDR5-4800, an ultra-high-performance SK hynix Platinum P51 2TB Gen 5 SSD, and a 99.9Wh battery.
Despite the name, laptops of this size aren't exactly suitable for laps. The Legion weighs 7.7 pounds, while the entire package comes to just over 10 pounds once you include the hefty 400W power adapter and cables. But then, devices like this aren't usually bought for their portability. It measures 15.87 x 11.69 x 1.10 inches at its thickest point, which admittedly makes it smaller than some 18-inch rivals.
The first thing that strikes you about the Legion is its looks. Like the Razer Blade, it's one of those laptops that even technophobes will compliment with a "wow." It manages to borrow cues from both gaming and professional devices, thanks to the anodized magnesium build and black aluminum lid layered with forged carbon and a lovely paint job. The laptop feels so silky and smooth to the touch that you can't help stroking it like a pet.
There's also a semi-reflective graphite camo design. It might not be to everyone's taste, but I love it. This feels more like a luxury SUV than a flashy sports car.
You do get a big "LEGION" logo that lights up on the lid, but it's off by default. There's also front ambient lighting and per-key RGB customization. The always-on light in the power button, which changes color based on the selected power profile, is nice, unless you want to play in the dark.
Build quality is magnificent: sturdy as hell, with not a hint of flex in the chassis even if you deliberately try to bend it, and a screen that won't flop around at the slightest movement. Everything just screams high-end.
Connectivity, Ports, Keyboard
Because Lenovo advertises the Legion 9i Gen 10 as a laptop for developers as well as gamers, it's not surprising to see an extensive port selection. It comes with three USB-C ports, two of which are Thunderbolt 5 with 140W power delivery, three USB-A ports, a very handy full-size SD 4.0 card reader, an HDMI 2.1 port, a headphone/mic combo port, and, something I always appreciate, a standard-size Ethernet port (Killer E3100G 2.5G).
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