Best Lenovo laptops in 2024

The best Lenovo laptops consistently rank near the top of our overall best laptops rankings, and that is unchanged as we start 2024. Whether you are considering a ThinkPad business laptop, a sleek Yoga notebook, or an affordable IdeaPad laptop, Lenovo offers something for every user. 

Lenovo is a consistent presence, from the best business laptops to the best 2-in-1 laptops. It is no surprise that Lenovo makes some of our favorite laptops, from the business-focused ThinkPads to the gaming-centric Legion laptops. For the full spectrum of Lenovo laptops for consumers and beyond, scroll down for a closer look at our favorites across every category.

CURATED BY
Claire Momo Tabari
CURATED BY
Momo Tabari

Momo Tabari graduated with a bachelor's degree in Journalism & Media Studies at Brooklyn College and has been covering tech for four years. She has written over fifty reviews and has plenty of experience testing and critiquing laptops.

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The best Lenovo laptops in 2024

Why you can trust Laptop Mag Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Best overall Lenovo laptop

1. Lenovo Yoga 9i

My favorite laptop ever

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-1360P
GPU: Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB LPDDR5
Storage: 512GB
Display: 14-inch, OLED, 2880 x 1880-pixel touchscreen at 90Hz
Battery life: 10:10
Size: 12.5 x 9.1 x .6 inches
Weight: 3.09 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Breathtaking 2.8K OLED display
+
Great productivity performance
+
Blisteringly fast SSD
+
Loud and impactful audio
+
Decent battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Display could be brighter

The Yoga 9i is a superb 2-in-1 laptop that quickly became one of Laptop Mag's most beloved of 2023. It's my favorite laptop ever, achieving excellence on all fronts without sacrificing essential elements of its compelling design.

Its balance between a gorgeous 2,880 x 1,880-pixel OLED touchscreen, phenomenal productivity performance with its Intel Core i7-1360P processor, excellent aluminum build, and great speakers make the ideal system for those picky about their experience using a laptop. After all, spending potentially thousands of dollars on anything can be terrifying. But this one will fulfill your needs, as when lifting the lid on the Yoga 9i and going to town to study, work, or watch films/TV, it never feels as if my experience is lesser.

Its OLED display channels a mouthwatering 142.1 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut, demolishing its competition in panel vividness. While its 353 nits of brightness isn't quite as high as some might like, it's still bright enough to take on the go without issue.

If you're worried about it dying prematurely, we tested it at 10 hours and 10 minutes of battery life in the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over wifi at 150 nits of brightness.

If your 2-in-1 feels like it might snap every time you extend its 360-degree hinge, you'll likely have an anxiety attack whenever moving the lid. Thankfully, the Yoga 9i is amazingly sturdy, with its aluminum hinges providing no shakiness as I poked and prodded at the lid.

If you're a gamer, on a tight budget, or just looking for something unique, you may need to look further down this list. For the average user, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 is the best of the best, and don't worry about the rest.

See our Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8) review

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Best Lenovo laptop under $500

2. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

A great Chromebook for under $500

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i3-1315U
GPU: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics
RAM: 128GB eMMC
Storage: 256GB
Display: 13.3-inch, 1080p
Size: 12.3 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 2.8 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Speedy AI-infused performance
+
Great keyboard
+
Sturdy hinges
+
Attractive

Reasons to avoid

-
The display could be brighter
-
Lackluster panel

A Lenovo laptop for under $500? No, this isn't a trick, the budget-friendly IdeaPad Flex 5i with an Intel i3-1315U processor delivers some of the best elements of the IdeaPad lineup at a much lower price than we're used to.

Some of those features include excellent battery life at 9 hours and 50 minutes, a lightweight 14-inch build that comes in at 3.57 pounds, and surprisingly good performance for this price range. You can also expect the potency of Google's AI-enhanced ChromeOS to pack a great performance boost.

Chromebooks get a bad reputation as being lower quality, but considering how lightweight its operating system is, it perfectly compliments the reduced cost for a laptop. Its Geekbench 6 multi-core performance score of 5,384 isn't fantastic by any means, especially when compared to the Yoga 9i's 9,954, but the price difference is massive enough that the former is worth it for those who need something affordable.

The one criteria in which we would never recommend the IdeaPad Flex 5i is if you're a stickler for quality displays. It covered a startlingly low 46.5 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and while you might think that's normal for this type of laptop, it's actually below the 64.8 percent Chromebook average. Its 306 nits of brightness isn't awful, but having a panel that can handle bright sunlight is vital for some users.

Its port selection includes two USB Type-C ports, a Kensington Lock, microSD card reader, 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB Type-A port. If you're in need of Thunderbolt 4, this budget laptop will absolutely not satisfy you on that front.

There are much more powerful laptops on this list, but when it comes to value, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is hard to beat.

See our full Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review

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Best Lenovo gaming laptop

My favorite budget gaming laptop

Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe SSD
Display: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, IPS, 165Hz
Size: 14.3 x 10.25 x 0.86-1.05
Weight: 5.5 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Exceptional performance
+
Decent color and brightness
+
Sturdy chassis and hinge
+
Perfect keyboard
+
Highly affordable

Reasons to avoid

-
Subpar battery life
-
Grainy webcam

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is one of the best gaming laptops of 2024 and it's no contest. It possesses superb RTX 4070 performance that outperforms its many competitors without a sweat, alongside excellent productivity scores to satisfy your needs in everyday tasks.

The Legion 5 Pro also has a personal favorite keyboard, and I even went as far to call it my keyboard soulmate in 2023. By giving the arrow keys its own little nook, featuring its own touchpad, and having a wonderful feeling 1.5mm of key travel, it stands out and excels as one of the best.

And while the Legion 5 Pro doesn't have the best display, it is surprisingly high quality for a laptop at this price point. Managing a DCI-P3 score of 82.4 percent and 319 nits of brightness at this cost is often unprecedented. It even has a surprisingly powerful audio system.

With a AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, this laptop excels with a Geekbench 6 score of 13,063, alongside only taking 4 minutes and 5 seconds to convert a 4K video into 1080p resolution through the HandBrake app. And with the final cherry on top being 2,150 megabytes per second transfer rate, every aspect of its performance is unbelievable.

But what really impresses us is that the Legion 5 Pro goes above and beyond competitors that similarly use an RTX 4070. For example, In Borderlands 3, it managed 110 frames per second when compared to the Razer Blade 14 (98 fps), Origin EON16-S (106 fps), and MSI Katana 15 (99 fps). It similarly managed first place against these same laptops in tests for games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Metro Exodus, Dirt 5, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Grand Theft Auto V. It was only defeated once against the EON16-S in Far Cry 6.

See our full Lenovo Legion 5 Pro review

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Best ultraportable Lenovo laptop

As light as a feather

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-1360P
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
Display: 13.3-inch 2K (2160 x 1350) IPS touchscreen
Size: 11.5 x 8.2 x 0.58 inches
Weight: 2.2lbs

Reasons to buy

+
Recycled magnesium chassis
+
Bright 13.3-inch 2K display
+
2.2lb weight
+
Competitive performance
+
Blizzard-proof security

Reasons to avoid

-
Lack of ports
-
Small trackpad
-
Battery life

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 takes the concept of ultraportable to a new level, built with a total weight of 2.2 pounds in an 11.5 x 8.2 x 0.6-inch frame. If you need something truly light and capable, look no further.

It's built with an Intel Core i7-1360P processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage space, and a 13.3-inch 2K-pixel IPS touchscreen at $1,599 for the model we reviewed. Its Geekbench 5.5 multi-core performance of 9,268 puts it in a pretty solid spot, but it's important to remember that it's packing a processor from the previous generation.

And since it's an ultraportable, you will naturally be taking it on the go. Laptops of this kind need a bright panel that can handle the sunniest days, and the Nano does precisely that. With a 483-nit peak brightness, we were amazed by how bright this thing can get. Its 70.9 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut isn't quite as impressive, but it's fine.

The Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits), managed a subpar 8 hours and 28 minutes. This is pretty weak compared to the original's 12 hours of battery life and is significantly below the 9-hour and 45-minute ultraportable average.

You should also expect a lack of ports, featuring only two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an audio jack. As this is a thin, lightweight laptop, it's not too surprising that it has a small selection. In a worst-case scenario, we recommend investing in the best laptop docking stations to get the most out of the laptop without

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 review

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Best dual-screen Lenovo laptop

Need two screens? Look no further!

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-1355U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB SSD
Display: 13.3-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED
Second display: 13.3-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED
Size : 11.78 x 8.03 x 0.63 inches
Weight: 2.95 lbs

Reasons to buy

+
Stunning, vivid dual OLED displays
+
On-screen keyboard has excellent haptics
+
Speedy, smooth performance
+
Sturdy yet elegant design
+
Winning audio performance

Reasons to avoid

-
The price point is higher than most 2-in-1 laptops
-
Displays could be brighter

If you need power, versatility, and aesthetics in a productivity laptop, the Yoga Book 9i can meet those standards. It's a convertible 2-in-1 with dual 13-inch OLED displays that combine to give you a 16-inch WVA 3K OLED that can flex from business to creative needs. 

While the Yoga Book 9i is a bit pricier than your average 2-in-1, you get twice the display. While the battery life could be better, the Yoga Book 9i lasted 9 hours and 18 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test. So it can survive an entire workday with both displays on.

For those who need to create content, the Yoga Book 9i's dual OLED displays cover 136 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is well above the premium laptop average of 93.3 percent. While the displays are a little dim, at 335 nits for the top display and 344 nits for the bottom panel, they are within range of the 392 nit premium laptop average, so you'll have all the color accuracy and brightness you need.

In the Geekbench 5.5 overall performance test, the 9i scored 7,765, which is decent enough for its Intel Core i7-1355U processor and pretty close to the 7,767 premium laptop average. Since the laptop's true appeal is its dual-display, you won't be disappointed as you handle separate tasks on two screens.

See our full Lenovo Yoga Book 9i review.

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Best Lenovo business laptop

It's time for business

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-1355U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
Display: 14-inch, 1200
Size: 12.4 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 2.5 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Shocklingly lightweight
+
Fast SSD
+
Great battery life
+
Excellent keyboard
+
Bright display

Reasons to avoid

-
Disappointing webcam
-
Display could be more vivid

When it's time to get down to business, no one does it better than Lenovo. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 reclaimed the venerable laptop line's top spot on our best business laptops list last year. What had managed to unseat it, you ask? Why another Lenovo ThinkPad, of course.

The X1 Carbon reclaims its spot on the Carbon throne thanks to a combination of features that make it the perfect fit for most business users. That includes nearly 14 hours of battery life and a host of security features, including a fingerprint reader, an optional Windows Hello-compatible IR camera, and a TPM 2.0 chip. It's also MIL-SPEC tested to ensure that an accidental spill of the liquid or drop variety won't immediately have you in the market for a replacement.

At just 2.6 pounds and 0.6 inches thick, commuters and frequent travelers will love that the X1 Carbon Gen 11 doesn't weigh down a laptop bag. Speaking of not cluttering your laptop bag, the pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, a pair of USB 3.2 Type-A ports, an HDMI port, a Kensington lock slot, and a headset jack mean you shouldn't need to toss a USB-C hub in there either.

I haven't even gotten to the excellent keyboard or bright 14-inch display. Our only knocks against this excellent laptop are the weak webcam (considered one of the best webcams) and the display could be more vivid. On that last point, it's not washed out; it just doesn't hold up to more entertainment-focused premium laptops, but the shading on your spreadsheets will still look great.

Read our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 review.

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How to pick a Lenovo laptop

Lenovo is often our top-rated laptop brand for good reason. The company offers an extensive product lineup with some of the best notebooks from any manufacturer. Lenovo makes laptops for just about every type of user, from schoolchildren to gamers and business executives.

We've listed our favorite current Lenovo laptops above, but if you're researching, it helps to know the difference between the company's major product lines.

  • ThinkPad: Lenovo's business laptops have some of the best keyboards in the world and many have incredibly long battery life. They're a great choice, even if you're not planning to use them for work.
  • Yoga: These premium 2-in-1s have great designs, colorful screens, and strong battery life.
  • Legion: The gaming line offers solid performance at reasonable prices.
  • Flex: A line of 2-in-1s that is less expensive than Yoga but still full-featured.
  • IdeaPad: These mainstream consumer laptops range in price from low-end budget systems to more premium Ultrabooks.

How we test Lenovo laptops

We put each Lenovo laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers, and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the laptop's display's brightness and sRGB color gamut. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 5.0 and 3DMark professional graphics tests. 

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and duplicate a 25GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution. 

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over wifi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 10 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result, whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered longer than 5 hours deserve praise. 

These tests are complemented by extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers, who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad. 

Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over a hundred laptops yearly, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming. 

We are 100 percent independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades and continues to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on. 

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it. 

One of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing, enforces our editorial trustworthiness. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

Claire Tabari
Contributing Writer

Self-described art critic and unabashedly pretentious, Claire finds joy in impassioned ramblings about her closeness to video games. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Media Studies from Brooklyn College and five years of experience in entertainment journalism. Claire is a stalwart defender of the importance found in subjectivity and spends most days overwhelmed with excitement for the past, present and future of gaming. When she isn't writing or playing Dark Souls, she can be found eating chicken fettuccine alfredo and watching anime.

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