Lenovo Legion vs ASUS ROG 2025: Gaming's heavyweight clash ends in a photo finish

OLED or Mini LED will power the spec-for-spec showdown for the gamers at the top of their game.

It’s April 2025, and the battle has never been more fierce for gaming laptop supremacy. Lenovo’s Legion and ASUS’ Republic of Gamers (ROG) series are now on the shelf, and they are their most “beefy” models yet. With next-gen CPUs, monster GPUs, and gaming-focused designs, both series are the distance leaders in handheld performance. But who and what brand “wins”?

In this article we have taken the flagship model from each of these respective brands (Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18) and put them through the gaming test.

Lenovo Legion vs ASUS ROG 2025

Count the CPUs and unified GPUs: are they the same?

Both laptops have an Intel Core i9 275HX, and all laptops with this chip go over 5.3 GHz, enough to play AAA titles at 60 fps. If you go with a Lenovo or ASUS laptop, the computing power is the same (as much as other conditions allow).

If we compare GPUs, there’s some variation. Lenovo’s Legion Pro 7i can be configured with an NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPU with 24 GB of VRAM (all subject to change before the May 2025 launch date), which means 4K gaming grades will render faster frame rates and creative workloads. ASUS’s Strix SCAR laptop line has the same GPU, RTX 5090, so there’s some parity — but they usually price it a bit closer to a high-end card like the RTX 5080. In reality, the difference will matter less — both laptops will produce elite-level frame rates — but on the spec sheet, Legion comes out on top.

Note: As of May 2025, the RTX 5090 GPU has not been officially released. Specifications and availability are based on credible leaks and OEM teasers.

Display Showdown: OLED vs. Mini LED

Lenovo goes with a 16-inch OLED panel at 2560×1600, a 240 Hz refresh rate, and 100% DCI-P3. It’s perfect for content creators and competitive gamers alike with super-fast response times and great color accuracy.

ASUS counters with Mini LED on its 18-inch Strix SCAR 18, with Dolby Vision, 240 Hz refresh, and G-SYNC. Its 2,000+ dimming zones give deep contrast and HDR accuracy, perfect for story-driven, cinematic games.

It’s a matter of personal preference: OLED has better blacks and color contrast, and Mini LED has more brightness and consistency.

Innovation and design: Function vs. flash

ASUS wins with tool-less design and Q-Latch SSD. Upgrades are plug-and-play. Add in Thunderbolt 5 (confirmed for select ROG models in 2025), AniMe Matrix LED displays, and RGB, and ROG screams gamer.

Lenovo takes a more subdued approach with ColdFront vapor chamber cooling, a 99.9 WHr battery, and a matte chassis. It’s more boring but just as effective. For those who want power without the gamer aesthetic, Legion is the subtler option.

Price to performance: Clarity vs. customization

Lenovo offers a more transparent pricing structure, which helps budget-conscious gamers avoid the maze of regional markups. ASUS, on the other hand, sells through multiple regional configurations, making pricing unpredictable but offering a broader selection.

Note: ASUS pricing in India varies widely depending on local distributors, import duties, and configuration availability. Premium models with high-end GPUs may not have a fixed MRP.

Real-world user experience: What reviewers say

• Lenovo Legion Pro 7i: Often praised, the Legion was a laptop that got consistent reviews saying it was quiet and had great thermals and decent battery life—over 6 hours of use on hybrid mode (mixed usage).

• ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 18: Praised for its screen and at-load performance, reviewers noted that, as with more gaming-intensive laptops, there was less battery life and fan noise was consistent throughout the review process.

What is the final conclusion: Who is the winner?

Choose Lenovo Legion if you want:

• Quieter thermals with vapor chamber cooling.

• Longer battery life (up to 99.9 WHr).

• Simpler pricing and better after-sales.

• Simpler and straight-lined design with a creator-friendly OLED.

Choose ASUS ROG if you want:

• Internals are custom upgradeable and tool-less.

• Mini LED features with G-SYNC and HDR.

• Recreationally high refresh rates or RGB features and esports-level specs.

• Thunderbolt 5 with massive I/O.

At the end of the day

When buying a Lenovo Legion or ASUS ROG in 2025, the choice is not which one is better, but what kind of gamer you are. For value and thermals, Legion wins; for customization and visuals, ROG is the winner. Whatever you choose, you’ll be getting one of the best gaming laptops out there today.

Which one’s your pick for Player One? 

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