We’ve seen some budget-busting high-end laptops over the years, but bringing liquid cooling—yes, liquid cooling, like in your gaming desktop—to the inside of any mobile gaming machine has to be a new high. Lenovo aims to combine the performance and trim design of its Lenovo Legion Pro and Lenovo Legion Slim lines into one all-powerful, but still portable, gaming laptop.
(Credit: Molly Flores)The result? The 16-inch Lenovo Legion 9i seen here, the laptop leader’s new flagship gaming system. The self-contained liquid cooling loop is for the graphics chip, which I'll detail below. But, before that, watch our hands-on video above to get an overview of this pricey, power-grabbing beast.
The 9i Configurations: Premium Power, Plush Price
Let’s get one thing out of the way up top: This thing isn’t cheap! Because it brings the best elements of two product lines together, this is an expensive system aimed at enthusiasts with deep pockets. Even the base model of the Legion 9i includes high-end parts. The starting cost for this laptop is a whopping $4,399.
(Credit: Molly Flores)That may be too much dosh for you even to consider, but if you can shop at that level, you’ll find lots of exciting features here. Responsible for much of that cost are an Intel Core i9-13980HX processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. Those are Intel's and Nvidia’s two most extreme high-performance parts for a desktop-like gaming experience.
The system is rated for a maximum 230-watt TDP for high performance, and the liquid-cooling loop, co-engineered with Cooler Master, is built over the GPU to keep things running cool. The liquid cooling only kicks on when the GPU hits 84 degrees C, to help sustain longer gaming sessions without pulling down the graphics for thermal throttling. The liquid-cooling arrangement uses what Lenovo says is an AI-tuned triple-fan cooling system. Plus, thousands of small top-facing intake perforations forward of the keyboard complete the cooling setup, and the underside has plenty of ventilation, too.
(Credit: Molly Flores)What's that add up to, as a chassis? Between the 16-inch screen, and the beefy components plus cooling, the Legion 9i weighs 5.6 pounds and measures 0.89 inch thick. (We expected it to weigh more, actually.)
So, about that 16-inch display: It’s a beautiful 3,200-by-2,000-pixel-resolution mini LED panel with a 165Hz peak refresh rate. If you are a creative pro, you can switch between the DCI-P3 and sRGB color spaces with pre-installed X-Rite software.
(Credit: Molly Flores)The Design: Carbon Fiber Flair, and RGB Glare
This laptop has some aesthetically interesting features, too. The lid of each Legion 9i model will be unique, because it’s made of carbon-fiber strands that lay out in different patterns when pressed during the manufacturing process. You’ll also find a strip of customizable LEDs at the rear, and a front underglow-lighting strip, too.
(Credit: Molly Flores) (Credit: Molly Flores)The full-size keyboard includes swappable ceramic keycaps, as well as its own per-key RGB lighting, but you’ll notice that the placement of the keyboard is different than on most laptops. The main key layout is placed closer to you than most laptop keyboards are, making room for more air intake between the keyboard and the display. Of course, this also means Lenovo had to shrink the touchpad, which is still smooth and responsive here. It’s a simple enough style overall, but the lid and lighting are what give the system its appeal, and the laptop feels luxury-built in your hand.
(Credit: Molly Flores)You’ll enjoy a whole lot of ports here, too, mostly located around the back. In total, the system includes three USB Type-C ports (two supporting Thunderbolt 4), two USB Type-A ports, an HDMI output, an Ethernet jack, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack. The power connector is located in the rear, too, and the laptop holds a large 99.9Whr battery. (99.9Whr is the highest capacity rating that the TSA allows for carry-on aboard an aircraft in the USA.)
(Credit: Molly Flores) (Credit: Molly Flores)The laptop also includes Tobii eye-tracking sensors, which are built in next to its 1080p webcam in the screen bezel. These sensors work in conjunction with the Tobii Horizon software in compatible games. Finally, Lenovo includes an e-shutter switch for the webcam, for camera privacy.
(Credit: Molly Flores)This should no doubt be a high-performing laptop, with the other welcome high-end features adding to the cost alongside the premium core components. However, will it be worth the exorbitant price? We look forward to putting this elite gaming laptop to the test ourselves, answering this question when the Lenovo Legion 9i launches in October, starting at $4,399.
