Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Review: Power Meets Portability Without the Flash

Gaming laptops have always been powerful, but rarely portable. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 wants to be both. At around 2.4 kg, it trims the bulk of traditional rigs without cutting too deep into performance. It handles modern titles, offers a sharp 165 Hz display, and stays cooler than expected for a slim body. But like any compromise machine, it comes with caveats.

Design That Tones Down the Flash

The Slim 5 skips the loud “gamer” look. Its metal chassis feels premium, sturdy, and subtle enough for classrooms or meetings. It’s slimmer and lighter than Lenovo’s full-sized Legion 7 or 9, though still not in ultrabook territory.

The Legion TrueStrike keyboard is comfortable for both typing and gaming, with good key travel and feedback. The layout is roomy, but the lack of a full number pad may bother some. The trackpad is large and responsive, handling gestures smoothly. 

Connectivity Without Compromise

Slim laptops often drop ports. This one doesn’t. You get USB-A, USB-C, HDMI 2.1, and even RJ-45 Ethernet. That last one is rare in thin machines and makes a real difference for wired gaming and fast transfers.

Performance: Ryzen + RTX Muscle

This model (PN: 83DH0053IN) packs an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and an NVIDIA RTX 4060 (140 W TGP) with 16 GB DDR5 RAM and a 1 TB Gen4 SSD. Out of the box, the single-channel RAM setup limits peak performance, but it can be upgraded.

In practice, performance is strong. Cyberpunk 2077 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider run smoothly at QHD+ with DLSS. Esports titles like Valorant easily push high frame rates on the 165 Hz G-SYNC panel. Content creators also benefit: video editing and AI workloads use both CPU and GPU well.

Cooling That Holds Up

High specs in a slim chassis often mean throttling. Lenovo’s ColdFront 5.0 cooling keeps temps stable, with 99% stability in 3DMark stress tests. The price is fan noise, noticeable in Performance mode, especially in quiet rooms. Heat near the WASD keys is also something gamers will feel during longer sessions.

Display That Works for Gaming and Work

The 16-inch WQXGA (2560×1600) panel is sharp, smooth, and color-accurate with 165 Hz refresh and 100% sRGB coverage. G-SYNC support makes gaming fluid. Indoors, it looks fantastic. Outdoors, the brightness is just average, so visibility takes a hit in sunlight.

Battery Life: The Weak Spot

Battery life is where the Slim 5 stumbles. The 80 Wh cell lasts 5–6 hours in light use like browsing or streaming. Gaming drains it in under an hour, even with performance cuts to save power. In short, it’s portable for productivity, but serious gaming still requires a charger.

Benchmarks in Context

• PCMark 10: 7,748 overall (strong multitasking and creation scores)

• 3DMark Time Spy Extreme: 5,254 (solid RTX 4060 showing)

• Steel Nomad RT: 1,713 (17 FPS native, ~60 FPS with DLSS)

• Storage: Gen4 SSD delivers responsive everyday use

• AI/creation: Stable Diffusion ~6.3s per image, fast LLM inference

These numbers confirm what day-to-day use shows: the Slim 5 is versatile, responsive, and stable under load.

Verdict: A Balanced Contender With Caveats

The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 strikes a careful balance. It’s slimmer and lighter than traditional gaming rigs but still strong enough for 1440p gaming and creative work. The RTX 4060 + Ryzen 7 combo delivers excellent value, the display is tuned for both games and content, and the port selection is generous. But compromises show up in short unplugged gaming time, noticeable fan noise, and single-channel RAM. It’s not the quietest or longest-lasting laptop, but it’s practical.

If you want a gaming laptop that can double as a productivity machine without looking over-the-top, the Slim 5 fits the bill. Just keep it plugged in when it’s time to play hard.