Lenovo Legion 7i vs ASUS Zephyrus G16 - Best Premium 16” Gaming Laptop?

Summary

In this comparison, ASUS's Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo's Legion 7i, both premium 16-inch gaming laptops, are evaluated on design, performance, and features. The Zephyrus G16 stands out for its portability and battery life, with a lighter build and an OLED screen, while the Legion 7i offers a more powerful processor, upgradeable memory, and better cooling. Despite the G16's sleek design, the Legion's performance and customization options give it an edge, making it a top contender for gamers and creators alike.

Takeaways

• 💻 Both ASUS’s Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo’s Legion 7i are premium 16-inch gaming laptops with similar pricing.
• 🌌 The Zephyrus G16 features ASUS’s new slash lighting and is available in light or dark finishes, while the Legion 7i also comes in both finishes but with a simpler design.
• 📦 The Zephyrus G16 is smaller and lighter than the Legion 7i, making it the lightest 16-inch gaming laptop tested, but the Legion is still relatively portable.
• 🔌 The Legion 7i is 26% heavier without the charger and 36% heavier with the charger included compared to the Zephyrus G16, which has a less powerful but more efficient Intel processor.
• 🖥 Both laptops have NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 graphics and 32 GB of RAM, but the Zephyrus uses OLED for its display, while the Legion offers different screen options.
• ⌨️ The Legion 7i has a numpad and per-key RGB lighting customization, whereas the Zephyrus G16 has front-facing speakers instead of a numpad.
• 🔌 The Zephyrus G16 has a more extensive port selection and better placement, including the new DisplayPort 2.1 standard on one of its Type-C ports.
• 🛠 The Legion 7i is easier to open and upgrade, with two SODIMM memory slots, while the Zephyrus G16 has soldered memory that cannot be upgraded.
• 🔉 The Zephyrus G16 has better speakers and an OLED screen with faster response time, but the Legion 7i has a physical camera disconnect switch for privacy.
• 🔋 The Zephyrus G16 has better battery life, lasting 49% longer in video playback tests compared to the Legion 7i, which has a larger battery but uses more power.
• 🎮 In terms of gaming performance, the Legion 7i generally has a slight edge with higher FPS, especially when the GPU is under less load, like in CPU-intensive games.

Q & A

What are the main differences between ASUS's Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo's Legion 7i?

The main differences include the Zephyrus G16 being lighter and having an OLED screen, while the Legion 7i has a higher-tier HX processor, more upgrade options, and a higher GPU power limit.

Which laptop is lighter, the ASUS Zephyrus G16 or the Lenovo Legion 7i?

The ASUS Zephyrus G16 is lighter than the Lenovo Legion 7i, being the lightest 16-inch gaming laptop tested.

How does the build quality of both laptops compare?

Both the ASUS Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo Legion 7i have excellent build quality with an all-aluminum construction and only minor flex to the keyboards and lids.

What are the port options on the ASUS Zephyrus G16?

The Zephyrus G16 has an HDMI 2.1 output, Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port, 3.5mm audio combo jack, USB 3.2 Type-A port, and a full-size SD card slot on the left side. On the right, it has USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports and USB 3.2 Type-A ports.

Does the Lenovo Legion 7i have any unique port placements?

Yes, the Legion 7i has its HDMI 2.1 output and power input on the back, which helps keep bulkier cables out of the way.

What is the difference in weight between the ASUS Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo Legion 7i with chargers included?

The Lenovo Legion 7i is 36% heavier with the chargers included compared to the ASUS Zephyrus G16.

Which laptop has better battery life, the Zephyrus G16 or the Legion 7i?

The ASUS Zephyrus G16 has significantly better battery life, lasting 49% longer in YouTube video playback tests compared to the Legion 7i.

How does the gaming performance of the Legion 7i compare to the Zephyrus G16?

The Legion 7i generally performs better in games, with a higher GPU power limit and an average FPS boost of around 7-9% over the Zephyrus G16 in some games.

What are the upgrade options for the memory in the ASUS Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo Legion 7i?

The Lenovo Legion 7i has two SODIMM memory slots allowing for upgrades, while the ASUS Zephyrus G16 has soldered memory which cannot be upgraded.

Which laptop has better speakers, the ASUS Zephyrus G16 or the Lenovo Legion 7i?

The ASUS Zephyrus G16 has better speakers, offering more bass and clarity at higher volumes compared to the Legion 7i.

What is the screen resolution and refresh rate of the ASUS Zephyrus G16?

The ASUS Zephyrus G16 features a 2560 by 1600 resolution OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate.

Does the Lenovo Legion 7i have any unique security features?

Yes, the Legion 7i has a physical camera disconnect switch for privacy and a fingerprint scanner, which the Zephyrus G16 lacks.

Outlines

00:00

💻 ASUS Zephyrus G16 vs Lenovo Legion 7i Overview

The ASUS Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo Legion 7i are premium, thin 16-inch gaming laptops with similar pricing. Both are available in light or dark finishes and boast high-quality aluminum builds with minor flex. The Zephyrus features ASUS's new slash lighting, which is customizable. It's smaller and lighter than the Legion 7i, especially without the charger, making it the lightest 16-inch gaming laptop tested. However, it makes some compromises in terms of less powerful specs to achieve this weight. Both laptops have NVIDIA's RTX 4070 graphics, 32GB of RAM, and 16-inch screens, but the Zephyrus uses OLED and a more efficient Intel processor. They both offer RGB or white-only keyboard options, with the Legion providing per-key customization. The Legion also has a numpad, while the Zephyrus prioritizes front-facing speakers over it. The Zephyrus has a larger and quieter touchpad, and it wins in terms of port variety and placement, including the new DisplayPort 2.1 standard on one of its ports.

05:00

🛠️ Internals and Upgradability

The Legion 7i is easier to open and upgrade, using common Phillips head screws compared to the G16's less common TR6 screws. Internally, both have two PCIe Gen 4 M.2 storage slots and a Wi-Fi 6E card, but the Legion has two SODIMM memory slots, allowing for future upgrades up to 64GB, unlike the Zephyrus's soldered memory. The Legion's battery is larger, but the Zephyrus's Meteor Lake processor offers better power efficiency, resulting in longer battery life. The Legion's fans are slightly louder but keep the internals cooler, and it has a higher GPU power limit, which translates to better gaming performance. The Legion also has a better BIOS with more customization options, including overclocking.

10:02

🎮 Gaming and Performance

In gaming performance, the Legion 7i generally outperforms the Zephyrus G16, especially in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2, where it shows higher FPS and more stable performance due to its more powerful processor. However, the difference is not always significant and depends on the game. The Legion's CPU also shows superior performance in benchmarks like Cinebench. Both laptops handle thermals well, but the Legion runs slightly cooler. The Zephyrus, while having a high-pitched fan noise at max, generally operates quieter. The Legion offers more consistent performance on battery power compared to the Zephyrus, which has better overall battery life.

15:03

🖥️ Display and Audio

Both laptops have 16-inch screens, with the Legion offering a choice between a 2560x1600 240Hz screen or a brighter 3200x2000 165Hz panel, while the Zephyrus has a 2560x1600 240Hz OLED panel. The OLED panel on the Zephyrus provides better color gamut, faster response time, and no backlight bleed, but it's also more prone to reflections and potential burn-in. The Legion's speakers are above average, but the Zephyrus's front-facing speakers offer a superior audio experience. Both have 1080p cameras, with the Zephyrus including IR for Windows Hello face unlock and the Legion offering a physical camera disconnect switch for privacy.

20:05

💰 Conclusion and Recommendation

Both the ASUS Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo Legion 7i are high-quality, portable gaming laptops with their own strengths. The Legion 7i offers better performance, upgradability, and a cooler running system, making it a good choice for those who want more power and flexibility. On the other hand, the Zephyrus G16 boasts a lighter design, better battery life, and an OLED screen, which is ideal for users who value portability and screen quality. The decision ultimately comes down to personal preferences and priorities, such as the importance of upgradable memory versus the benefits of a lighter, longer-lasting laptop.

Keywords

💡Gaming Laptops

Gaming laptops are specialized portable computers designed for running graphically intensive games smoothly. They typically have high-performance hardware, such as powerful CPUs, dedicated GPUs, and fast memory. In the video, ASUS's Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo's Legion 7i are compared as premium gaming laptops, highlighting their performance in gaming scenarios and their ability to handle demanding tasks.

💡Portability

Portability in the context of laptops refers to their ease of carrying and mobility. It often involves a balance between size, weight, and performance. The video discusses the portability of the Zephyrus G16 and Legion 7i, noting the G16's lighter weight and smaller form factor, which are significant for users who need to carry their laptops frequently.

💡Build Quality

Build quality pertains to the materials, construction, and overall durability of a laptop. It can affect the user's perception of the product's value and longevity. The script mentions that both the Zephyrus G16 and Legion 7i have a solid build quality with an all-aluminum design, suggesting a premium feel and robustness that consumers expect from high-end gaming laptops.

💡Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

A GPU is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. In gaming laptops, a powerful GPU is crucial for rendering high-quality graphics. The video compares the NVIDIA RTX 4070 graphics in both laptops, discussing its impact on gaming performance.

💡Weight

The weight of a laptop is a critical factor for users who require portability. The script highlights the weight difference between the Zephyrus G16 and Legion 7i, with the latter being 26% heavier without the charger, which is an important consideration for gamers who travel with their devices.

💡DisplayPort

DisplayPort is a digital display interface standard used to connect a video source to a display device, such as a computer monitor. The video mentions DisplayPort 2.1 support in the Zephyrus G16, which offers higher bandwidth for higher resolutions and refresh rates, showcasing the importance of this technology for gaming and content creation.

💡Upgradeability

Upgradeability refers to the ability to modify or replace components of a device to improve its performance or capabilities. The script discusses the Legion 7i's upgradeable memory as a key advantage over the Zephyrus G16, which has soldered memory, emphasizing the importance of future-proofing for potential buyers.

💡Thermal Management

Thermal management in laptops involves the systems and technologies used to prevent overheating and to maintain optimal temperatures for the hardware. The video compares the thermal performance of the two laptops, noting the Legion's ability to run cooler despite its higher power consumption, which is crucial for sustained performance during intensive gaming sessions.

💡Battery Life

Battery life is a measure of the amount of time a laptop can operate on a single battery charge. It's particularly important for gaming laptops, which are often power-hungry. The script reveals that the Zephyrus G16 has significantly better battery life than the Legion 7i, which is a notable advantage for users who require long periods of unpluged use.

💡Performance Modes

Performance modes on gaming laptops allow users to adjust the balance between performance and power consumption. The video mentions that both laptops offer multiple performance modes, which can impact the system's cooling, noise levels, and overall performance, providing users with the flexibility to optimize their experience.

💡Optimus Technology

Optimus is NVIDIA's technology that allows for automatic switching between the integrated and dedicated graphics cards to optimize power consumption. The script explains how both laptops handle Optimus, with the Zephyrus G16 providing more flexibility in display output when Optimus is turned off, which can be important for gamers who want to tweak their settings for specific games.

Highlights

ASUS’s Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo’s Legion 7i are both premium, thinner 16 inch gaming laptops.

Both laptops are available in light or dark finishes.

The Zephyrus has ASUS’s new slash lighting on the lid, which can be customized through software.

Both laptops are made of all aluminum with minor flex to the keyboards and lids.

The Legion’s lid is easier to open and goes back further than the Zephyrus.

The Zephyrus is smaller in all dimensions but the Legion is still portable compared to other 16 inch gaming laptops.

The Legion is 26% heavier without the charger and 36% heavier with the chargers included.

The Zephyrus uses a less powerful but more efficient Intel processor and OLED screen.

Both laptops have white or RGB keyboard options with different levels of customization.

The Legion has more rounded keycaps, a numpad, and a larger touchpad.

The Legion’s power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner, which is not available on the Zephyrus.

The Zephyrus wins in terms of ports, with faster USB Gen 2 and more versatile charging options.

The Legion is easier to open and has upgradeable memory, unlike the Zephyrus which has soldered memory.

The Legion’s SSD was faster, while the Zephyrus had better SD card slot speeds.

The Zephyrus has better speakers and an OLED screen with faster response time.

The Legion has a 99.9Wh battery compared to the 90Wh one in the Zephyrus, but the Zephyrus lasted longer in video playback tests.

The Legion was found to run cooler and quieter, especially in higher performance modes.

The Legion has a higher tier Intel HX processor, resulting in higher single core and multi core performance.

The Zephyrus has better battery life, which is one advantage of its Meteor Lake chip.

The Legion has more customization options in BIOS and better Linux support.

In gaming performance, the Legion showed a slight edge with a 7-9% FPS boost over the Zephyrus in some games.

The Legion's physical camera disconnect switch and fingerprint scanner provide additional privacy and security features.

Transcripts

ASUS’s Zephyrus G16 and Lenovo’s Legion 7i are  both premium, thinner 16 inch gaming laptops.

But they’re available for around the same price,  

so which should you get? I’ve compared  both to find out which is the best!

Both laptops are available in light or dark  finishes. I just happen to have the eclipse  

gray version of the Zephyrus G16, and the  glacier white version of the Legion 7i.

Both laptops look fairly clean. The Zephyrus  has ASUS’s new slash lighting on the lid,  

which you can customize a bit through software.

Overall build quality feels great  with both. They’re both all aluminum,  

and there’s only minor flex to the  keyboards and lids when pushing hard.

The Legion’s lid is a bit easier to open  because it sticks out a little in the middle,  

and it goes back further than the Zephyrus.

The Zephyrus is smaller in all dimensions,  but honestly the Legion is still on the more  

portable side compared to many  other 16 inch gaming laptops.

The bigger difference is in the weight. The  Legion is 26% heavier without the charger,  

and 36% heavier with the chargers  included. The Legion’s charger is  

a little bigger, but it’s also more powerful too.

The Zephyrus is the lightest 16 inch gaming  laptop we’ve ever tested, coming in slightly  

under Razer’s smaller Blade 14 - impressive  stuff. The Legion is still lighter compared  

to most other 16 inch gaming laptops, but that  changes a bit when including the chargers. The  

Zephyrus makes a number of compromises to  reduce its weight, like less powerful specs.

Both of my laptops have NVIDIA’s RTX 4070  graphics, 32 gigs of RAM and 16 inch screens.  

But the Zephyrus uses OLED and has a less  powerful, but more efficient Intel processor.

Both laptops have white only or RGB keyboard  options. My Zephyrus happens to be white only,  

but I think the RGB option is 1 zone,  whereas the Legion has per-key customization.

They both have 3 levels of key brightness  control through keyboard shortcuts,  

but the Legion’s software goes further  and gives you 9 levels of customization.  

The Legion has more lighting effects, at  least with the per-key lighting option.

The Zephyrus has slightly more key travel at  1.7mm compared to the Legion’s 1.5, and yeah I  

think it feels a little nicer, but it’s subtle. I  liked typing on both keyboards, they’re both nice.

The keycaps on the Legion are more rounded than  square, and I like that it has bigger arrow  

keys. The Legion has a numpad, the Zephyrus  does not in favor of front facing speakers.

The touchpads on both laptops are great,  but the Zephyrus has a quieter click and  

is much larger. The touchpad should be  centered with regards to the letter keys,  

and because the Zephyrus doesn’t have  a numpad this means that its touchpad  

is also centered on the laptop, whereas  the Legion’s is over to the left a bit.

The Legion’s power button  doubles as a fingerprint scanner,  

which works fast and accurately.  The Zephyrus does not have one.

I think the Zephyrus wins in terms of ports. The  

Legion has its HDMI 2.1 output  and power input on the back,  

which I prefer as it keeps bulkier cables out  of the way. The G16 has no ports on the back.

On the left side they both have a Thunderbolt  4 Type-C port, 3.5mm audio combo jack,  

and USB 3.2 Type-A port, but the G16’s  is faster Gen 2. The Zephyrus also has  

its HDMI and power input here, while  the Legion has an extra Type-C port.

On the right they’ve both got a full size SD card  slot, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, and USB 3.2  

Type-A ports - but again, the G16 supports faster  Gen 2. It’s also nice that the G16’s ports are  

closer to the back, which helps keep plugged  in stuff out of the way of your mouse hand.

Both laptops support charging over USB  Type-C with two of their Type-C ports.  

For the Legion it’s the two Type-C ports on  the left side, and for the Zephyrus it has  

one Type-C port on either side that can  be used for charging, which personally I  

prefer because it gives you the option of  which side you want to plug the cable in.

Type-C charging on the Zephyrus goes up to 100  watts and the Legion supports 100 watts too,  

but technically if you use a special  Lenovo charger it can go up to 140 watts.

Now those same two Type-C ports that can be  used to charge the laptops also have DisplayPort  

support for connecting monitors. But  only the newer Zephyrus G16 offers  

the new DisplayPort 2.1 standard on its left  port. All of the others are DisplayPort 1.4,  

which is pretty standard.  But that new 2.1 port has  

more bandwidth for supporting higher  resolutions at higher refresh rates.

Alright, with optimus turned on, one  of the Type-C ports on both of these  

laptops connects to the Intel integrated  graphics. But if you turn optimus off,  

that same port on the Zephyrus instead  connects to the Nvidia discrete graphics.  

However, on the Legion that port simply stops  working for display output. So if you turn optimus  

off on the Legion only one of the Type-C ports  gives you display output instead of two on the  

Zephyrus. But the second Type-C port on both  of these laptops always connects directly to  

the Nvidia graphics, whether optimus is on or off,  and that’s the same with HDMI on both laptops too.

The Legion was easier to open and  get inside. It has fewer screws,  

uses the more common Phillips head rather  than the G16’s TR6 screws, and the G16 also  

has rubber covers over 2 of the rear screws for  some reason. At least they’re easy to remove.

Once inside, both laptops have  their batteries down the front,  

two PCIe Gen 4 M.2 storage slots, and a Wi-Fi  6E card. The Legion has two SODIMM memory slots,  

while the Zephyrus has soldered  memory which can never be upgraded.

This is one of the biggest tradeoffs of  the G16’s thinner and lighter design,  

and is why it’s got such a lower upgrade score  compared to the Legion. In the US it seems like  

the G16 is only available with 16 gigs of RAM in  the RTX 4070 configuration, but here in Australia  

I was able to get it with 32 gigs. In the US they  make you spend more for the RTX 4080 version if  

you want 32 gigs. So with the Zephyrus you have to  buy the RAM you’ll need in the future upfront, but  

for the Legion, even if you buy it with 16 gigs  you could just upgrade to 64 gigs at any time.

Steve from Hardware Unboxed recently tested 30+  

games and found that a few of them were  indeed using more than 16 gigs of RAM,  

at least at max settings with a desktop RTX  4090 at 1440p. Given our 4070s have less VRAM,  

it’s more likely that will fill up and things  spill over into memory. He goes on to say that  

the majority of games today will run fine with  16 gigs, but yeah when you’re spending so much  

money on a gaming laptop you’re going to use  for years, I think 32 gigs is a smart move.

Both laptops came with PCIe Gen 4 SSDs installed,  but the one in my Legion was notably faster.

The speeds from the SD card slot were better  with the Zephyrus though. Copying footage would  

be more than twice as fast on the G16. The card  doesn’t click in for security in either laptop,  

but it goes in deeper on the G16  and the slot is further back,  

so less chance of bumping  it compared to the Legion.

Wi-Fi performance was a little faster with  the Legion, despite both laptops having  

the same Intel 6E Wi-Fi card. Both  are well over gigabit speeds though,  

so this difference won’t matter  in the real world for most people.

They both have speakers underneath on the  left and right sides towards the front,  

but the Zephyrus also has those front facing  speakers on either side of the keyboard.

Now the Legion’s speakers are above  average compared to other gaming laptops,  

but Zephyrus definitely sounds better. The  G16 is one of the best gaming laptop’s I’ve  

ever heard with plenty of bass while  staying clearer at higher volume.

Speaking of sounds, the Zephyrus plays this  sound by default on boot. Fortunately you  

can disable it in software or BIOS,  but the Legion does not do that.

The latencymon results were a  little better with the Legion,  

at least in terms of highest  measured interrupt latency.

The Legion has a bigger 99.9Wh battery  compared to the 90Wh one in the Zephyrus.

But despite that, the Zephyrus ended up lasting  49% longer in our YouTube video playback test,  

a big difference. Intel’s Meteor Lake processors  

are just more power efficient compared to the  more powerful HX chip found in the Legion.  

Battery life was much closer with a game running  though, with the Zephyrus only lasting 5% longer.

Let’s check out thermals next. Both laptops have  heatpipes shared between the CPU and GPU, but the  

Zephyrus has an extra third fan inside. They both  have holes directly over the fans for air intake,  

and they both exhaust air out of the back. Neither  of them can blast hot air on your mouse hand.

Both laptops have 4 different  performance modes that can be  

set through software as well as custom fan  control. They’ve both got a nice amount of  

customization in terms of adjusting CPU  and GPU power and temperature limits,  

but there are more granular options available  with the Legion, so Lenovo is better if you  

like fine tuning. Plus the Legion’s unlocked  HX processor means you can enable overclocking  

in the BIOS, which then becomes available in  software. This also allows you to undervolt,  

however we have not tested that as results will  vary based on the silicon lottery, aka luck.

I like that the Legion’s power button  changes color so you can easily tell  

which performance mode you’re in at  any time, the Zephyrus doesn’t do that.

The Legion was running cooler than the  Zephyrus when doing nothing at idle,  

and in a combined CPU and GPU stress test,  

which aims to represent a worst case full  load scenario. This kind of surprised me. Yes,  

the Zephyrus is a thinner and lighter laptop  with less space for cooling, but the Legion  

has a higher tier Intel HX processor with more  cores and threads and it has higher power limits.

More power means more heat to remove,  but the Legion is handling it fine. The  

Zephyrus was hitting ASUS’s defined GPU  power limit in its two highest modes,  

while the Legion was allowed more power, and  was instead hitting Nvidia’s voltage limit. Not  

only was the Legion’s GPU getting more power,  the CPU was too, yet it was running cooler.

The higher power results in the Legion reaching  higher clock speeds in most cases, but it  

depends on the performance mode. It’s worth  noting that although the G16 is clocking  

the CPU higher in the lowest performance  mode, it’s actually getting less power,  

and that’s because the HX chip has more cores  and threads that need to share the power budget.

It’s worth noting the Legion lost about  5% of battery charge after running the  

stress tests for a couple of hours. This  isn’t enough to be an issue in practice,  

but this didn’t happen with the Zephyrus  despite it having a lower wattage charger,  

and that’s because the G16’s CPU  and GPU don’t use as much power.

But less power means less performance,  and that’s why the Zephyrus was lower in  

terms of FPS in Cyberpunk 2077. Granted the  difference doesn’t look that big here. In  

the highest performance mode the Legion  was reaching an 8% higher average FPS,  

but the difference can be much bigger in  other games, which we’ll get to later.

The CPUs can use more power if the GPU is idle,  

like in Cinebench. The Legion’s more powerful  14900HX starts showing off what it can do here,  

with a 13% higher single core score  and a 32% higher multi core score.

Raw CPU performance is one of the biggest  differences between these two laptops,  

as the HX chip just has more  cores, threads, cache, and power.

Performance lowers if we unplug the charger  and instead run off of battery power. The  

Legion is one of the better results out of  the same selection of laptops, while the  

Zephyrus drops down a few positions. So the Legion  performs better while running on battery power,  

but this may be why the battery life is better  on the Zephyrus - it’s more power efficient.

The Zephyrus was a little warmer to the touch with  both sitting there idle doing nothing, but they’re  

still comfortable. They’re only a little warm  feeling with the stress tests running in their  

lowest performance modes. You want to compare  the temperature values rather than the colors  

here. The next highest performance mode isn't much  different. Both laptops are cool on the WASD keys,  

as air comes in through the keyboard. The back is  hot, but you don’t need to touch there. The Legion  

was slightly cooler with the fans maxed out, but  the fans are louder too, let’s have a listen.

Both laptops were silent when sitting there  idle with the fans off. The Legion was a  

little louder in the higher performance  modes with the stress tests running,  

but the difference isn’t really that big. The  bigger issue is that the fans in the Zephyrus  

have a high pitch sound when maxed out, which  I found more annoying than the louder Legion.

But as we saw in the game performance earlier,  maxing the fans out doesn’t actually boost  

FPS that much, you can play just fine in the  second highest mode without boosting the fans.

Both laptops have 16 inch screens,  but the Legion has 2 screen options.

The Legion is available with a  brighter 2560 by 1600 240Hz screen,  

but my unit has the 3200 by 2000 165Hz panel.

Meanwhile the Zephyrus G16 just has that  

one screen option - which is a  2560 by 1600 240Hz OLED panel.

Color gamut was only a little better with  the OLED panel. Both are excellent results,  

but color gamut will be lower on the Legion  with the lower resolution screen. Lenovo  

still says it has 100% sRGB which is ok  for gamers, but creators may want more.

Brightness isn’t too different,  the Legion in the red line  

was only slightly ahead with brightness  set to 100%. But don’t forget the Legion’s  

2560 by 1600 panel is rated at 500  nits, so that would have more of a lead.

Backlight bleed was only minor and not  a problem, at least for the legion,  

because it doesn’t exist at all with  OLED because there is no backlight.  

Each pixel is controlled individually,  so black just means pixels turned off.

OLED panels are subject to burn-in, but  ASUS have some features built in to help  

reduce it. It’s difficult to say if this is  a problem you’ll experience as it depends  

on how you use the laptop, but it’s good  that ASUS have some mitigations in place.

OLED also means glossy screen, so  reflections will be easier to see  

and can be more annoying depending on your  lighting situation and what’s behind you.

OLED panels are the fastest when it  comes to screen response time. I mean  

the Legion is quite good for a regular  IPS-Level display, anything under 5ms is  

quick if we’re being realistic, but this is  definitely an area where OLED has an edge.

The total system latency is the amount of time  between a mouse click and when a gunshot fire  

appears on the screen in Counter-Strike  2. The Zephyrus was faster here too,  

presumably with its faster  screen giving it the edge,  

but the difference is only small  and not noticeable for most people.

Both laptops have a MUX switch, advanced optimus  so you don’t have to reboot when swapping between  

optimus on or off, and both have G-Sync available  when optimus is off for tear-free gameplay.

Both laptops have 1080p cameras. The Zephyrus  has IR for Windows Hello face unlock,  

but the Legion does not. But the Legion has a  

physical camera disconnect switch for  privacy, while the Zephyrus does not.

Here’s how Lenovo’s Legion 7 camera looks  and sounds. And this is the Zephyrus G16,  

which I think sounds better,  but you can bet the judge.

Alright now for what you’ve all probably  been waiting for - how do they actually  

compare in games? We’ve tested both of  them with these settings for best results.

Cyberpunk 2077 was tested with  our own custom test run, and I’ve  

got both laptops highlighted in red. The Legion  has a 7% lead in terms of average FPS at 1080p,  

and both are fairly similar compared to other  RTX 4070 gaming laptops we’ve tested. The gap  

gets smaller at the higher 1440p resolution,  as the processor difference matters less and  

we start relying more on the GPU. The Legion  still has a higher GPU power limit, but it’s  

less than 3 FPS ahead, not really a difference  you’d be too likely to notice in practice.

Red Dead Redemption 2 was tested with the game’s  benchmark, but this game seems to not work so  

well with Intel’s Core Ultra processors. At  least based on the fact that Alienware’s m16  

R2 with the 185H and 4070 graphics is  basically the same as the Zephyrus G16,  

and both are performing worse than cheaper  4060 laptops. This continues at 1440p too,  

where we’d expect the CPU to matter less. But  again the two Core Ultra 9 185H laptops are  

closer to lower end 4060 options, and this puts  the Legion 7 24% higher in terms of average FPS.

Now don’t get me wrong, the game  still runs and is playable on the G16,  

it’s just that the Legion is  better, but this is just one game.

Control is a GPU heavy game, and the Legion 7 only  had a 5% lead in terms of average FPS at 1080p.  

But the Legion has less dips in performance, as  demonstrated by its 22% higher 1% low, and this  

is likely due to its more powerful processor. The  gap gets a little smaller at 1440p due to the CPU  

difference mattering less, but the Legion’s higher  GPU power limit still gives it a bit of an edge.

The Legion was always ahead in 3DMark,  but the GPU tests were very close. The  

Legion’s higher tier processor gives it  a larger edge in the CPU tests though.

The results are a bit more mixed when it comes  to content creation. Sometimes the Zephyrus was  

ahead, other times the Legion was ahead, but  in most applications the difference is small.  

Both laptops have SD card slots and nice screens  for creators, but the G16’s OLED panel is nicer.

Lenovo’s BIOS has more customization  compared to ASUS’s, despite ASUS’s  

visually looking a bit more impressive,  granted that's my personal opinion. There’s  

just not much you can actually  change on the G16 in comparison.

The Legion’s Linux support is a little better  with an Ubuntu 24.04 Live CD. Both laptops had  

a working keyboard, touchpad, camera, and  Wi-Fi. Speakers were fine on the Legion,  

but were barely audible on the G16, so maybe it  needs some extra drivers. All of the keyboard  

shortcuts on the Legion work in Linux, but the  G16’s shortcuts for adjusting screen brightness,  

keyboard brightness and keyboard  lighting effect did not work.

Pricing and availability will change over time,  

so check the links below the video for  updates and current sales. And if either  

of these laptops does have a good sale we’ll  be sure to add it to our gaminglaptop.deals  

website. We update that everyday to include  all of the latest sales, so make sure that  

you check it out regularly to save money on  your next gaming laptop with that link below.

At the time of recording in August, both of  these laptops go for $2000 USD at full price,  

but with their best sales so far, they’ve  both been available for around $1600.

Now that’s still on the more expensive side if  you’re just after an RTX 4070 gaming laptop,  

at least compared to other deals that we’ve had,  

and that’s just because the Zephyrus and  Legion are more portable, premium models.

So if you’re able to buy both laptops for about  the same price, then which should you pick?

Let’s start out by summarizing how they’re  similar. They both have nice build quality  

with that all metal finish. They both  have nice keyboards and touchpads,  

though I’d say ASUS’s were slightly better  for both, Wi-Fi performance is similar,  

and screen brightness and color gamut are pretty  similar too despite the Zephyrus having an OLED  

panel. Though as mentioned that may change a bit  depending on the panel you get in the Legion.

Alright, now for the differences. The  Legion has a higher tier HX processor,  

which results in higher single core and multi  core performance. But this is also why the  

Legion is thicker, heavier, and uses a bigger  charger compared to the Zephyrus. But that said,  

the Legion is still lighter and more portable  compared to most other 16 inch gaming laptops.

And the Legion’s bigger size allows the  internals to run cooler, despite using  

more power. But the Legion’s fans are also a  little louder in order to achieve that. But the  

fans in the Zephyrus sound way more annoying  if you’re maxing them out. But fortunately  

you don’t really need to do that to improve  performance. And along with a faster processor,  

the Legion also has a higher GPU power  limit, so it performs better in games.

Most of the time, the difference doesn’t  seem to be too big. The Legion might have  

a 7-9% FPS boost over the Zephyrus. But  it depends on the game. As we saw in Red  

Dead Redemption 2 the Meteor Lake processor  in the Zephyrus just doesn’t seem to go too  

well. But that said, both of these  laptops still run games very well.  

You’ll have a great time playing on  either of them at the end of the day.

The Legion has more upgrade options, as you  can upgrade the two SODIMM memory sticks,  

while memory in the Zephyrus is soldered to  the motherboard and can never be upgraded.  

So you’ve got to buy it with what you  might need later in future up-front.  

You’ll have to decide if that tradeoff is worth  the thinner and lighter machine. I mean there’s  

a reason that this is the lightest  and smallest 16 inch gaming laptop.

But despite being smaller and having a smaller  battery, the Zephyrus lasted way longer in terms  

of battery life, which is one advantage of that  Meteor Lake chip. The Legion does have better  

performance while running on battery power  though, it just doesn’t last for as long.

The Legion also has a better BIOS with  more customization, better Linux support,  

a fingerprint scanner, and  a camera disconnect switch.

But the Zephyrus has better ports in my opinion,  better speakers, and an OLED screen, and OLED just  

has a faster response time than anything else.  Not to mention the colors and contrast just look  

awesome. But of course the downsides are the  potential for OLED burn-in in future and not  

everyone likes that glossy screen. Ultimately the  screen’s in both of these laptops are pretty good.

All things considered, it’s hard to pick a  winner. They both have their pros and cons,  

and most of the differences aren’t really  that big. They both still perform pretty well,  

run relatively cool, feel nice to use,  have good looking screens and are smaller  

and lighter than most others. These two  laptops are kind of already in a league  

of their own. At this point it feels  a bit like we’re just splitting hairs.

I would be equally happy taking either of these  laptops to use daily. But if I had to pick one,  

personally I’d be leaning towards the Legion.  I don’t mind the slightly bigger machine to  

get the extra performance. And I think  the biggest and most important difference  

between these two laptops is that this  one has upgradeable memory. Of course you  

can reduce that as an issue by spending  more money to get the 32 gig Zephyrus,  

but there’s no getting around the fact that  the Legion is more flexible in that regard.  

But if that’s not an issue for you then yeah,  the G16’s battery life is certainly attractive.

But let me know which one you would pick  down in the comments. And if you want more  

information on either of these gaming  laptops then check out the full reviews  

here. I go into a little more depth in  those, which might help you make the  

final choice before pulling the trigger.  So I’ll see you in one of those next.