Budget Choice Gaming Laptop for 2024: Lenovo LOQ

The Lenovo LOQ series occupies a strategic position in Lenovo's gaming laptop segment. Positioned as a rebranded budget IdeaPad gaming series, it brings a fresh approach to naming conventions in the gaming laptop landscape. With a wide range of options, from Intel Core i5 12th generation to i7 13th generation and RTX 2050 to RTX 460, the LOQ series offers versatility with a total of seven variants.

Our review unit, the i5-12450H with RTX 4060, may seem like an unusual combination, blending a last-gen budget CPU with a current-gen high-end GPU. Despite this, the laptop shines in build quality, featuring robust construction with minimal flex and a sleek design suitable for formal settings. The LOQ logo on the top lid follows the classic Legion style, contributing to its overall appeal.

The laptop boasts a full-sized keyboard with good key travel and a classic Lenovo keyboard feel. While it offers a single-zone white backlight, the absence of a more advanced lighting setup is a letdown. However, the keyboard is comfortable for typing, and the trackpad, though slightly lacking in the upper part's clickability, provides a decent experience.

In terms of ports, the LOQ series offers a well-thought-out arrangement. Three USB Type-A ports and one USB Type-C port on the right side, with additional ports, including USB Type-A, USB Type-C, HDMI 2.1, and an RJ45 Ethernet port at the back, contribute to a cleaner look.

Moving to the display, the laptop features a Full HD 15.6-inch IPS anti-glare display with a 144Hz refresh rate, making it suitable for esports gaming. While it excels in gaming performance, the 45% NTSC color gamut might be a drawback for color accuracy tasks.

The laptop's internals, featuring an Intel Core i5-12450H processor, RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and a 512GB Gen 4 SSD, deliver commendable performance. Benchmarks indicate its suitability for tasks ranging from gaming to 4K editing, 3D modeling, and AI work.

The laptop lives up to expectations with a robust build quality and a sleek, low-profile appearance suitable for formal settings. Sporting the iconic Legion style logo on the top lid and a classic Lenovo tag, it features high-quality polycarbonate plastic that minimizes top lid flex and keyboard flex.

The laptop's design is both timeless and functional, with easy one-handed opening of the screen that tilts back to about 150°, allowing for versatile use in different postures. While the laptop has minimal screen wobble when pushed, it exhibits slight wobbling on its own under direct fan, a minor inconvenience during filming. The full-sized keyboard, while comfortable with good key travel, disappoints with only a single-zone white-light keyboard, considering the laptop's specifications and price.

A notable feature is the multitude of ports, with three USB type-A ports, one USB type-C port, and additional ports on the backside, providing a cleaner look. The 15.6-inch IPS anti-glare display offers a Full HD resolution with a 144Hz refresh rate and 6-millisecond response time, making it a suitable choice for esports gaming. However, its 45% NTSC color gamut may not be ideal for color accuracy tasks.

The laptop's cooling system comprises air exhaust vents with a distinctive blue accent, adding a visually appealing touch. With dimensions of 14.2 x 10.42 x 1 inches and a weight of 2.5 kgs, the laptop is easily manageable and portable. The laptop's speakers, however, are a drawback, offering low volume, unclear audio, and minimal bass, potentially influenced by the unit reviewed.

Moving on to specifications, the laptop is powered by an Intel Core i5-12450H processor, an RTX 4060 GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and a 512GB Gen 4 SSD. While the i5-12450H combined with the high-powered RTX 4060 may seem like an unconventional pairing, the laptop delivers decent performance across various tasks, including gaming, streaming, coding, editing, 3D modeling, and AI work.

Despite the laptop's performance capabilities, it suffers from a relatively short battery life of 2.5 to 3 hours in regular usage, dropping even further during gaming sessions. Additional features include a 1080p webcam, a color-changing power button indicating different performance modes, and the inclusion of Microsoft Office 2021.

The Lenovo LOQ series emerges as a strong contender in the budget laptop segment, offering a blend of performance and affordability. Its varied range of configurations allows users to find a suitable match for their specific needs. With a solid build, thoughtful port arrangement, and competitive pricing, the Lenovo LOQ deserves consideration for those in search of a budget-friendly yet capable laptop.