Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD) review: great performance at a reasonable price

Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD): One-minute review

The Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD) is just one of the several Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050-equipped laptops vying for budget-level PC gamers while still offering current-gen level performance. Like those models, the quality of gaming on offer is much better than a lot of other cheap offerings sporting older generations of GPUs such as an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050.

While the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD) is not necessarily going to top the best gaming laptops, it can certainly compete with the best budget gaming laptops. The question then is how it compares to those more affordable alternatives.

As we’ll see, the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD) is a solid consideration for cash-strapped gamers since it can handle most gaming tasks without too much sacrifice. There are some drawbacks, but they’re mostly intrinsic to lower-priced gaming laptops. That said, none of those are enough to discount this gaming laptop, especially considering the price.

Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD): Price & availability

• How much does it cost? Starting at $1,189.99 / £1,080 / AU$2,199
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD), also designated as model 15APH8, is priced very reasonably. You get an AMD Ryzen 5 7640S, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 8GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD for $1,189.99 / £1,080 / AU$2,199. If you want a little more power, you can upgrade to AMD Ryzen 7 7840S, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD, which will set you back a total of $1,379.99 / £1,300 (Aussies won’t be able to upgrade to the RTX 4060). 

The test unit reviewed here is much like the base model but with the more powerful AMD Ryzen 7 7840S, which has 8 cores and 16 threads to the AMD Ryzen 5 7640S’ 6 cores and 12 threads. This upgrade adds $40 / £40 for a price of entry of $1299.99 / £1,120.

Compared to other gaming laptops with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, you can spend a little less if you want. The MSI Katana 15 (2023), for instance, is a bit cheaper at $999 (about £785 / AU$1,543). However, its battery life is a bit worse during everyday non-gaming use, its trackpad is worse, and it has a somewhat cheaper look to it.

Remember to check out the latest Lenovo coupon codes for ways to save on this laptop and more computing devices from the manufacturer.

• Price score: 4 / 5

Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD): Specs

Lenovo has a very limited range of options for the LOQ 15 (AMD) model. You can only choose between two AMD CPUs, the AMD Ryzen 5 7640S and the AMD Ryzen 7 7840S, and you can only choose between two GPUs as well, namely the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060. Likewise, RAM options are either 8GB or 16GB, while you can only choose between 512GB or 1TB for the SSD. 

Outside of internal component considerations, there are only two other places where you have options, namely the webcam and the display. And, strangely this is only in the UK. You can upgrade the 720p webcam to 1080p for £10 and you can upgrade from a 1080p @ 144Hz display to a 1440p one with a 165Hz refresh rate. That will cost you £50. Oh, and if you care about RGB lighting, an extra £20 will upgrade the keyboard’s backlighting from white to 4-zone RGB.

Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD): Design

• A bit heavy
• Decent display with fast 144Hz refresh rate
• Awkward port placement

One of the things that I appreciate about Lenovo gaming laptops is that they have a distinctive look. Just like Razer or Alienware, when you see a gaming laptop from Lenovo, you’ll recognize it as such.

To start, they all seem to come in what Lenovo calls Storm Gray, which is an imposing, brooding color that sounds boring on paper but works much better than a plain matte-black would.

Interestingly, like Alienware laptops, the lid opens up from about an inch into the laptop, meaning there’s a section that juts out. Just like Alienware, this is where some important heat piping is located to keep things cool. And, when under duress, the Lenovo LOQ 15 manages to do a pretty good job of that.

As this is Lenovo’s budget line, it is on the heavier side, weighing in at 5.3lbs. Compare that with the slightly bigger, slightly better, and slightly more expensive Lenovo Legion Slim 5 and its 5.07lb weight and you’ll see that keeping the weight down is not going to be as much of a factor when the price is lower.

Moving on to the display, it’s not going to wow with color accuracy or HDR, but it’s a solid 1080p IPS panel with 350 nits of brightness. Its best feature is probably its 144Hz refresh rate.

There’s a 1080p webcam that’s adequate if a bit choppy. At least, Lenovo included a manual toggle located on the side of the computer to open or close a privacy shutter.

The keyboard might not have backlighting, and its travel is not on par with an external keyboard. However, it’s easy and comfortable to type on. The trackpad is similarly capable. Since this is a gaming laptop, you’ll still need a mouse.

Lastly, the port placement is going to be a blessing or a curse depending on your preference. While there’s a USB-C port and 3.5 mm audio jack on the left side and USB-A port to go along with that privacy shutter toggle on the right, most of the ports are on the back. Along with power, an HDMI, ethernet, and two USB ports are centered along the back. This might be great for anyone who likes a clean desk and doesn’t plan on moving their laptop regularly. But, I like to have easy access to all the ports and I found having to reach behind to plug or unplug something to be a chore.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD): Performance

• Good 1080p gaming performance
• Great for competitive games
• Decent speakers

One of the impressive things about this recent slate of Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050-equipped laptops is the fact that they all are capable of good 1080p performance and that’s certainly the case with the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD). Obviously, there are plenty of limitations – just look at its performance during our Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark where it got just 22 fps on Ultra. For comparison’s sake, the MSI Katana 15 gets almost 39 fps in the same game, which might be due to the fact that it comes with 16GB to the Lenovo LOQ 15’s 8GB.

In more real-world testing, I was able to get playable though not completely smooth results in Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, and Starfield on medium settings. I did experience a little bit of stuttering but it was a minor amount. But, playing those taxing games on low settings was rock solid.

Outside of these top-tier and well-known resource-heavy games, not to mention two of them are brand new and the other just got a 2.0 update, everything I played including Battlefield 2042 was rock solid. While you probably won’t be hitting that 144 fps that the display is capable of on more taxing games, the hardware is there for competitive games that are a bit more lightweight. For example, Rocket League was smooth as silk.

In essence, this is great for those playing competitive games while good enough to experience heftier AAA titles though with some limitations.

The sound quality of the built-in speakers is very serviceable. It won’t make you give up on your favorite gaming headset, but it still offers a somewhat decent soundstage and frequency response. It will sound a bit boxy and don’t expect rumble, but it’s more than adequate. Plus, there are some controls through the Nahimic app for EQ and spatial audio that are nice if a bit subtle.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD): Battery life

• Quickly drains when gaming
• Decent battery life with basic use

When it comes to battery life, the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD) isn’t setting any gaming laptop precedents. Under a heavy load such as the PCMark 10 Battery Life gaming benchmark, it lasts a paltry 46 minutes. I even experienced its weak battery life inadvertently when I left it unplugged but asleep for a few hours only to find the battery completely empty.

However, for basic use as shown in our Battery Informant benchmark, it can last a decently long six and a half hours. That’s pretty good compared to other gaming laptops not named Rog Zephyrus. Of course, that’s not anything special compared to most other portables.

• Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD)?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD): Also consider

If our Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD) review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider... 

MSI Katana 15 (2023)
The MSI Katana 15 (2023) might offer subpar battery life (like most gaming laptops) and look a bit outdated, but it’s an ideal entry-level gaming laptop. That’s not only thanks to its relatively affordable price, but the fact that it still manages to provide good 1080p performance with a fast refresh rate no less at that accessible price point.

Read our full MSI Katana 15 (2023) review

Asus ROG Zephyrus G15
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 is the closest one can get in a gaming laptop to that Ultrabook experience. It’s fairly petite and light weight with a respectable eight hour battery life. Plus, it has excellent performance for a fairly reasonable price.

Read our full Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 review

How I tested the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD)

1. Tested for a couple weeks
2. Pushed it as hard as possible gaming-wise
3. Played with various settings

I used the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD) for a couple of weeks, playing several demanding games like Starfield, Hogwards Legacy, Control, and Cyberpunk 2077. While doing so, I ran the games at various settings, particularly at the highest ones with ray tracing on wherever possible, and took note of the results. I also tested each aspect of the laptop from the keyboard and trackpad to the webcam and speakers.

After spending time with the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD), it’s clear that the company managed to balance solid performance with an accessible price point for those wanting great gaming on a budget.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2023