1. The list in brief
2. Best overall
3. Best budget
4. Best gaming
5. Best for students
6. Best for creators
7. Best business
8. Benchmark comparisons
9. Recently reviewed
10. How to pick a Lenovo laptop
11. FAQs
12. How we test
13. Why Trust Laptop Mag
The best Lenovo laptops consistently rank highly among the best laptops overall, and that remains true as we near the end of 2024. Whether you are considering a ThinkPad business laptop, a sleek Yoga notebook, a Legion gaming laptop or an affordable IdeaPad laptop, Lenovo offers something for every user.
I've personally reviewed eight Lenovo laptops in 2024, with a few of those making this list. Lenovo consistently impresses us, from the best business laptops to the best gaming laptops. If you're in the market for a top-notch Windows 11 laptop, you've come to the right place. We've curated the very best Lenovo laptops in several core categories from the dozens we review each year. You can rest assured you're getting a great device when you choose one of these top picks, which have all been put through the paces in Laptop Mag's thorough benchmark testing.
Our current pick for the best Lenovo laptop overall is the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9, which is a powerhouse of a laptop that will please creators and content consumers equally. The 4K display is simply gorgeous and one of the most vibrant laptop panels we saw this year. Battery life is one of our only concerns with this laptop, a trade-off for that 4K display, but if that's a dealbreaker for you rest assured there are long-lasting laptops on this list like the record-breaking Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6.
From affordable student laptops to gaming powerhouses, here are this year's top Lenovo laptops.
Quick List
Best overall
The Yoga 9i is once again our favorite Lenovo laptop thanks to its strong performance, stellar display, and a design that's hard not to love, whether you're a student, professional, or casual user.
Best budget
For well under $1000, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 delivers impressive performance, plenty of storage, and a surprisingly solid gaming experience, making it a great budget pick.
Best gaming laptop
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 is tough to beat when it comes to gaming thanks to its top-tier specs, incredible display, and full-size keyboard. With an RTX 4080, it can handle even the most demanding games.
Best for students
The Yoga Slim 7x is one of the best Lenovo laptops all around, and it's especially well-suited for students thanks to its slim-and-light design, stellar performance, and approachable price.
Best Lenovo laptop for creators
The Yoga 9i 16 Gen 9 is the ultimate creator laptop thanks to its stunning display and powerful specs. It combines an Intel Core Ultra processor with an Nvidia GPU for the pro-level performance creators need.
Best Lenovo business laptop
If you want a top-tier business laptop, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 is tough to beat. It features a lightweight design, strong performance, and an incredible 20+ hours of battery life.
Stevie Bonifield is a freelance tech journalist who loves laptops, mobile computing, and gaming gear. After reviewing dozens of laptops for Laptop Mag, Stevie has become an expert on the top Lenovo laptops for everyone from students to professionals.
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
The Yoga 9i is a superb 2-in-1 laptop that quickly became one of Laptop Mag's most beloved of 2024. Last year's model topped our rankings, too, and the updated 2024 version takes things a step further with a more powerful processor and an even better display.
Whether you're looking for a versatile 2-in-1 for graphic design, a sleek laptop for school, or a stylish powerhouse for work, the Yoga 9i is up to the task. The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor is powerful enough to keep up with demanding tasks like video editing, on-device AI, or even casual gaming.
The Yoga 9i's 14-inch 4K OLED display reproduced an impressive 136% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, so everything from games to presentations looks sharp and vibrant. It's an especially good pick for students and artists since the 2-in-1 design allows you to use the Yoga 9i in tablet mode (which is also great for watching movies).
The only drawback to the Yoga 9i Gen 9 is its battery life. It lasted 7 hours and 24 minutes in our battery test, which is a few hours less than the Gen 8 model. That's especially disappointing since the Gen 9 model won't last most people through a full workday, so you will need to bring a charger with you. If that's a deal breaker for you, don't worry. Our top Lenovo business laptop is a great alternative.
See our Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 9) review
Best budget Lenovo laptop
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 combines strong performance with a versatile design and a sub-$1000 price, making it great value for your money. If you're on a tight budget or just looking to save on your next laptop, this one is definitely worth considering.
The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 starts at just $752 for an AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and an AMD Radeon 760M integrated graphics. You can often find it on sale for even less. Upgrades are reasonably priced, as well. Our review configuration, priced at $861, includes an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor, AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.
Those are some strong specs for a laptop under $1000. They also performed well in our benchmark tests. The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 scored 11,209 on the Geekbench 6 test and 7,851 on the 3DMark Fire Strike graphics test. While it's not a gaming laptop, the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 kept up surprisingly well in our hands-on gaming tests. It can handle casual, indie, and cloud gaming fairly well considering it relies on integrated graphics.
The only significant downside to the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 is its battery life. It lasted just 6 hours and 26 minutes, which is disappointing to say the least. Of course, if saving money is your top priority, bringing a charger along to work or school might be a worthy compromise.
See our full Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 review
Best Lenovo gaming laptop
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 is one of Laptop Mag's best gaming laptops of 2024 and it's no contest. This gaming powerhouse boasts top-tier specs that can take on even the most demanding titles with ease. The full-size keyboard and stellar display make for a superb all-around gaming experience.
The Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 blew through our gaming benchmarks with flying colors. It scored an incredible 29,875 on the 3DMark Fire Strike graphics test and ran every game we threw at it smoothly. For example, the Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 averaged 123 FPS in Assassin's Creed Mirage, 105 FPS in Far Cry 6, and 96 FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2.
That's more than enough power for today's top AAA titles. The Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 can also be great for getting work done when you're not gaming on it, especially for resource-intensive tasks like video editing. It scored 17,329 on Geekbench 6 and blew threw the HandBrake video transcoding test in just 3 minutes and 11 seconds.
Unfortunately, the Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 isn't without its weaknesses. The main drawback to be aware of is its battery life. It lasted just 4 hours and 29 minutes, which is low even for a gaming laptop. Of course, it's also quite bulky so you may not be taking it on the go with you much anyway, but if you do, make sure you bring a charger.
See our full Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 review
Best Lenovo laptop for students
Students need a laptop with a lightweight design, long battery life, and enough performance for tasks like creating presentations or editing videos. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x offers all of that and more.
The slim, sleek design looks great and includes one of the best laptop keyboards we've ever tested. Plus, the 3K OLED display is perfect for watching movies or YouTube videos during your study breaks. With over 14 hours of battery life, you can bring the Yoga Slim 7x along to class and leave your charger at home without worrying about the battery dying.
Don't let the thin chassis fool you, either. The Yoga Slim 7x offers an impressive amount of performance, more than enough for everyday schoolwork. It scored 13,750 on Geekbench 6 and 5,800 on the 3DMark Fire Strike graphics test. So, you can even do some casual gaming on it.
It's worth noting, however, that the Yoga Slim 7x is a Snapdragon-powered laptop, so there may be some apps and games that aren't compatible with it. Most of the typical apps you would need for school run natively on the Yoga Slim 7x, though, such as Chrome and the Microsoft Office suite.
You may also want to pick up one of the best docking stations to go with the Yoga Slim 7x since it only has USB Type-C ports.
See our full Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x review
Best Lenovo laptop for creators
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 is one of the top laptops for creators thanks to its phenomenal display and top-tier specs. Plus, it has a stylish design and enough battery life to get you through a full day of work.
The Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 knocked it out of the park on our display tests, reproducing 105.7% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. It got plenty bright, too, with an average of 373 nits. The 165Hz refresh rate means games and video content will render with minimal screen tearing and stuttering, making for an all-around stellar display that's perfect for everything from graphic design to video editing.
You won't have to worry about performance, either. The Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 scored 12,141 on Geekbench 6, which is even higher than the MacBook Air M3, one of its most competitive rivals. The Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 also completed the HandBrake video transcoding test in just 3 minutes and 53 seconds and its SSD transferred data at a blazing fast 2,100 MBps. So, you won't have to wait long for tasks like rendering in video or photo editing apps.
To top things off, you can configure the Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or RTX 4060 discrete GPU to get the best graphics performance possible. The only downside here is that the configuration options are a bit limited. The RTX 4060 is only available when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, so you need to get that upgrade as well if you want to get the RTX 4060 GPU.
See our full Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 review.
Best Lenovo business laptop
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 is one of the best business laptops you can buy thanks to its lightweight design and incredible battery life. It currently holds Laptop Mag's record for longest battery life at 21 hours and 3 minutes, putting it closer to a full 24 hours than any other laptop we have tested so far.
If the stellar battery life isn't enough to win you over, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 also offers strong overall performance. It scored 14,486 on Geekbench 6, proving it has more than enough power for everything from daily web browsing to resource-intensive productivity apps. It's also a breeze to bring along on your commute thanks to its ultra-low weight.
The only potential downside to the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 is possible app compatibility issues with the Snapdragon X Elite processor. This CPU performs great, but it uses a different architecture than AMD and Intel chips, which means some apps may not be natively compatible with it. However, many of the most common work-related apps are compatible already, including the Microsoft Office suite and Adobe Photoshop.
Read our full Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 review
Benchmark comparisons
Click to view chart data in table format
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x | Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 | Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) | 12,455 | 11,209 | 17,329 | 13,750 | 12,141 | 14,486 |
| Handbrake time ((MM.SS), lower is better) | 05:10 | 06:17 | 03:11 | 05:16 | 03:53 | 05:34 |
| Battery life - Web surfing (HH.MM) | 07:24 | 06:26 | 04:29 | 14:14 | 09:51 | 21:03 |
| SSD transfer speeds (MBps, higher is better) | 1,016 | 1,446 | 2,025 | 1,416 | 2,100 | 1,069 |
| DCI-P3 Color Gamut (Higher is better) | 136% | 43% | 108.70% | 155% | 105.70% | 70.70% |
| Display Brightness (Nits, higher is better) | 357 | 288 | 456 | 464 | 373 | 451.8 |
| Hottest temperature (95 degree comfort threshold) | 95 | 93 | 106.7 | 86 | 84.6 | 107.6 |
Recently reviewed
Not every laptop can make the best Lenovo laptop page, we wouldn't be doing you that much good if that were the case. We review new laptops every week and over 100 laptops yearly, so here's a look at our most recently reviewed laptops that didn't make this page either due to a fault or simply because it isn't a Lenovo laptop.
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.
- ThinkBook: Similar design to the ThinkPad lineup, but at a more affordable price point. They are less rugged than the business-focused ThinkPads and also drop the signature trackpoint navigation stick.
- 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.
FAQs
- Q: Why should you choose a Lenovo laptop?
A: Lenovo laptops are consistently among our best laptops rankings due to their strong performance, good battery life, and overall quality. While some are certainly a better buy than others, Lenovo laptops often feature some of the best value for your money you'll find in a Windows 11 laptop, whether that's for studying, work, gaming, or anything in between. - Q: Which is better: Lenovo IdeaPad or ThinkPad?
A: Lenovo's IdeaPad and ThinkPad laptops are frequently confused since they have similar names. As a general rule of thumb, IdeaPads are more budget-friendly and geared toward mainstream users while ThinkPads are often more expensive, more powerful, and aimed at business users. Which one is better depends on your needs since laptops in both lines can offer a great experience. If you need more processing power, though, a ThinkPad is most likely the best option. - Q: How long do Lenovo laptops last?
A: How long a Lenovo laptop lasts depends on a variety of factors such as daily usage intensity, durability, and an individual user's needs. In general, it's a good idea to replace your laptop every 5 years or so. A good laptop can last 7 years or more, but if you are a power user or a gamer, you may need to replace your Lenovo laptop more often to make sure you have the latest hardware for running resource-intensive apps and games.
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 6.0 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 11 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.
