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.