Lenovo LOQ 15 Review Ryzen 7 7435HS And RTX 4060 Good Or Bad

The Lenovo LOQ 15 has entered the gaming laptop arena, armed with the potent combination of an AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card. This pairing promises a compelling blend of performance and affordability, making it an attractive option for gamers seeking a balance between budget and power. However, the question remains: does the Lenovo LOQ 15 truly deliver on its promise? This in-depth review will dissect every aspect of this gaming laptop, exploring its strengths and weaknesses to help you determine if it's the right choice for your gaming needs. We will delve into its performance benchmarks, thermal management, display quality, keyboard and trackpad, battery life, and overall value proposition. By the end of this review, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of the Lenovo LOQ 15 and its capabilities.

In this section, we'll be discussing the design and build quality of the Lenovo LOQ 15 gaming laptop, an important first impression for any potential buyer. The Lenovo LOQ 15 showcases a design that subtly nods to Lenovo's Legion series, featuring a more understated aesthetic compared to some of its flashier competitors. The laptop's chassis is primarily constructed from plastic, which helps keep the cost down, but it doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. The lid and keyboard deck exhibit minimal flex, instilling confidence in the laptop's durability. The overall design language is clean and functional, with a focus on practicality over extravagance. The dark grey color scheme lends a professional look, making it suitable for both gaming and work environments. The LOQ 15 features a well-ventilated design, with vents strategically placed on the rear and sides to facilitate efficient cooling. The hinge mechanism feels sturdy and allows for smooth opening and closing of the laptop. While the plastic construction may not exude the premium feel of some high-end gaming laptops, the LOQ 15 strikes a good balance between build quality and affordability. The design is understated yet functional, making it a versatile option for a wide range of users. In terms of dimensions, the LOQ 15 is fairly typical for a 15.6-inch gaming laptop, striking a balance between portability and screen real estate. The weight is also reasonable, making it manageable to carry around in a backpack. However, it's worth noting that the plastic construction does make it slightly more prone to scratches and scuffs compared to metal-clad laptops, so care should be taken to protect it during transport. Despite this minor drawback, the LOQ 15's design and build quality are generally solid, offering a good level of durability and a professional aesthetic.

Moving into the heart of the matter, the performance capabilities of the Lenovo LOQ 15, particularly its AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, are critical to understand its true potential. The Ryzen 7 7435HS is a powerful mobile processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, capable of handling demanding tasks such as gaming, content creation, and multitasking. It offers a solid foundation for a gaming laptop, providing ample processing power to drive modern games and applications. Paired with the RTX 4060, a mid-range graphics card from NVIDIA's latest generation, the LOQ 15 promises excellent gaming performance at 1080p and even 1440p resolutions. The RTX 4060 boasts NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture, bringing with it features like ray tracing and DLSS 3, which can significantly enhance visual fidelity and performance in supported games. In our testing, the Lenovo LOQ 15 demonstrated impressive performance across a range of games. Titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Forza Horizon 5 ran smoothly at high settings, with frame rates consistently exceeding 60fps at 1080p. The RTX 4060's ray tracing capabilities allowed for stunning visuals in games that support the technology, while DLSS 3 helped to maintain smooth frame rates even with ray tracing enabled. Beyond gaming, the LOQ 15 also performed admirably in content creation tasks. The Ryzen 7 7435HS handled video editing, photo editing, and 3D rendering with ease, making it a versatile machine for both work and play. The laptop's ample RAM and fast SSD storage further contributed to its smooth performance in these tasks. However, it's worth noting that the LOQ 15's performance can be affected by its thermal management system, which we'll discuss in more detail later. In some demanding scenarios, the CPU and GPU may thermal throttle, leading to a slight decrease in performance. Despite this, the LOQ 15 generally delivers excellent performance for its price point, making it a compelling option for gamers and content creators alike.

Continuing our exploration of the Lenovo LOQ 15, the display quality is a crucial aspect to consider for any gaming laptop. The LOQ 15 typically features a 15.6-inch Full HD (1920x1080) IPS display with a refresh rate of 144Hz. This combination is ideal for gaming, providing a smooth and responsive experience with minimal motion blur. The IPS panel technology ensures wide viewing angles and accurate color reproduction, making the display suitable for both gaming and content consumption. In our testing, the LOQ 15's display exhibited good color accuracy and contrast, resulting in vibrant and immersive visuals. The 144Hz refresh rate made a noticeable difference in fast-paced games, providing a smoother and more fluid experience compared to standard 60Hz displays. The display also boasts a decent level of brightness, making it usable in most indoor environments. However, it may struggle in direct sunlight or brightly lit outdoor settings. While the Full HD resolution is sufficient for a 15.6-inch display, some users may prefer a higher resolution, such as 1440p, for a sharper and more detailed image. However, the 1080p resolution is a good compromise between visual fidelity and performance, allowing the RTX 4060 to deliver high frame rates in most games. The LOQ 15's display also supports NVIDIA G-Sync technology, which helps to eliminate screen tearing and stuttering by synchronizing the display's refresh rate with the GPU's output. This further enhances the gaming experience, providing smoother and more responsive gameplay. Overall, the Lenovo LOQ 15's display is a strong point, offering a good balance of color accuracy, refresh rate, and responsiveness. It's well-suited for gaming and general use, making it a key factor in the laptop's overall appeal. However, users who prioritize higher resolution displays may want to consider other options.

The keyboard and trackpad are the primary interfaces for interacting with the Lenovo LOQ 15, so their quality and functionality are paramount to the user experience. The LOQ 15 features a full-size keyboard with a dedicated numeric keypad, which is a welcome addition for users who frequently work with numbers. The keycaps have a slightly textured surface, providing a comfortable and secure feel for typing. The key travel is decent, offering a tactile feedback that makes typing enjoyable. The keyboard layout is standard and easy to adapt to, with well-spaced keys that minimize accidental keystrokes. The LOQ 15's keyboard also features customizable RGB backlighting, allowing users to personalize the look of their laptop. The backlighting is bright and even, making the keys easily visible in low-light conditions. The keyboard also offers a variety of lighting effects, which can be customized using Lenovo's Vantage software. In terms of gaming, the LOQ 15's keyboard performs well, with anti-ghosting technology that ensures every keystroke is registered, even when multiple keys are pressed simultaneously. The keycaps are also durable and can withstand the rigors of intense gaming sessions. The trackpad on the LOQ 15 is adequately sized and responsive. It offers smooth and accurate tracking, making it easy to navigate the operating system and perform everyday tasks. The trackpad also supports multi-finger gestures, such as scrolling, zooming, and switching between applications. The integrated left and right mouse buttons have a satisfying click feel, providing tactile feedback for every click. However, some users may prefer a dedicated left and right mouse button configuration. Overall, the Lenovo LOQ 15's keyboard and trackpad are well-designed and functional, providing a comfortable and efficient user experience. The keyboard is particularly well-suited for gaming, while the trackpad is responsive and accurate for everyday tasks. These input devices contribute significantly to the laptop's overall usability and appeal.

Now, let's address a critical aspect of any gaming laptop: thermals and cooling on the Lenovo LOQ 15. A powerful processor and graphics card like the Ryzen 7 7435HS and RTX 4060 generate a significant amount of heat, and effective cooling is essential to maintain performance and prevent thermal throttling. The LOQ 15 employs a dual-fan cooling system with multiple heat pipes to dissipate heat away from the CPU and GPU. The fans draw in cool air from the bottom of the laptop and exhaust hot air through vents on the rear and sides. This design aims to create a consistent airflow to keep the components cool. Under normal usage scenarios, such as web browsing and office tasks, the LOQ 15's cooling system performs admirably, keeping the laptop relatively cool and quiet. However, during demanding gaming sessions or other resource-intensive tasks, the cooling system is put to the test. In our testing, we observed that the LOQ 15's CPU and GPU temperatures can rise significantly under heavy load. While the laptop is generally able to maintain acceptable temperatures, we did observe some instances of thermal throttling, where the CPU and GPU clock speeds were reduced to prevent overheating. This thermal throttling can impact performance, leading to lower frame rates in games or longer processing times in other applications. The LOQ 15's cooling fans can also become quite noisy under heavy load. While the fan noise is not excessively loud, it is noticeable and may be distracting for some users. The laptop's chassis can also become warm to the touch during prolonged gaming sessions, particularly in the areas around the keyboard and trackpad. This warmth is generally not uncomfortable, but it is worth noting. To mitigate thermal issues, it's recommended to use the LOQ 15 on a hard, flat surface to ensure proper airflow. Using a laptop cooling pad can also help to improve cooling performance. Overall, the Lenovo LOQ 15's cooling system is adequate for most usage scenarios, but it can struggle under sustained heavy load. Thermal throttling and fan noise are potential concerns, but they are not uncommon in gaming laptops in this price range.

Moving on to the battery life of the Lenovo LOQ 15, this aspect is often a compromise in gaming laptops, which prioritize performance over longevity. The LOQ 15 typically comes with a 60Wh battery, which is a decent capacity for a 15.6-inch gaming laptop. However, the power-hungry components, such as the Ryzen 7 7435HS processor and RTX 4060 graphics card, can quickly drain the battery, especially during gaming sessions. In our testing, the Lenovo LOQ 15 achieved around 4 to 5 hours of battery life during typical usage scenarios, such as web browsing, word processing, and video playback. This is a respectable result for a gaming laptop, but it's important to note that battery life can vary significantly depending on usage patterns and power settings. When gaming, the LOQ 15's battery life drops considerably, typically lasting for around 1 to 2 hours. This is a common limitation for gaming laptops, as the CPU and GPU draw a significant amount of power when running games at high settings. To extend battery life while gaming, it's recommended to lower the graphics settings, reduce the screen brightness, and disable unnecessary background applications. The LOQ 15 also supports fast charging, which allows you to quickly replenish the battery when needed. The included power adapter can charge the battery from 0% to 50% in around 30 minutes, which is a convenient feature for users who are frequently on the go. However, it's worth noting that the LOQ 15's performance may be limited when running on battery power, as the CPU and GPU may be throttled to conserve energy. For optimal performance, it's recommended to connect the laptop to a power outlet when gaming or performing other resource-intensive tasks. Overall, the Lenovo LOQ 15's battery life is decent for a gaming laptop, but it's not exceptional. Users who prioritize long battery life may want to consider other options, but the LOQ 15's fast charging and respectable battery life for typical use cases make it a viable choice for many users.

Connectivity is key, and the Lenovo LOQ 15 offers a solid selection of ports to cater to various needs. On the left side, you'll typically find a USB-C port (often with DisplayPort and Power Delivery support), a USB-A port, and a headphone/microphone combo jack. The right side usually houses another USB-A port. The rear of the laptop is where you'll find the power connector, an HDMI port, and an additional USB-A port, keeping cables neatly out of the way. This array of ports provides ample connectivity for external displays, storage devices, peripherals, and other accessories. The inclusion of USB-C with DisplayPort and Power Delivery is particularly useful, allowing you to connect to external monitors, charge the laptop, and transfer data using a single port. The HDMI port enables you to connect to TVs or projectors for larger screen viewing. In terms of wireless connectivity, the LOQ 15 typically features Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 or 5.2. Wi-Fi 6 offers faster and more reliable wireless internet speeds, while Bluetooth allows you to connect wireless peripherals such as headphones, mice, and keyboards. The LOQ 15's wireless performance is generally good, providing stable and fast connections in our testing. However, the exact wireless configuration may vary depending on the specific model and region. The placement of the ports on the LOQ 15 is generally well-thought-out, with the most frequently used ports located on the sides for easy access. The rear-mounted ports are ideal for devices that are typically connected for extended periods, such as external monitors and power adapters, helping to keep the workspace clean and organized. Overall, the Lenovo LOQ 15 offers a comprehensive selection of ports and connectivity options, making it well-equipped to handle a variety of peripherals and accessories. The inclusion of USB-C with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, along with Wi-Fi 6, ensures that the LOQ 15 is up-to-date with the latest connectivity standards.

Finally, let's delve into the overall value proposition and conclusion for the Lenovo LOQ 15, especially concerning its configuration with the Ryzen 7 7435HS and RTX 4060. The Lenovo LOQ 15, with its Ryzen 7 7435HS processor and RTX 4060 graphics card, presents a compelling package for gamers and content creators seeking a balance between performance and affordability. The combination of these components delivers excellent gaming performance at 1080p and even 1440p resolutions, making it capable of running most modern games at high settings. The LOQ 15 also performs well in content creation tasks, thanks to the Ryzen 7 7435HS's multi-core performance and the RTX 4060's GPU acceleration. The laptop's display, keyboard, and trackpad are all well-designed and functional, providing a comfortable and efficient user experience. The LOQ 15's cooling system is adequate for most usage scenarios, but it can struggle under sustained heavy load, leading to thermal throttling and fan noise. The battery life is decent for a gaming laptop, but it's not exceptional. However, the LOQ 15's fast charging capabilities and respectable battery life for typical use cases make it a viable choice for many users. In terms of value, the Lenovo LOQ 15 is competitively priced compared to other gaming laptops with similar specifications. It offers a good balance of performance, features, and build quality for its price point. However, it's important to consider the potential for thermal throttling and fan noise when making a purchasing decision. Overall, the Lenovo LOQ 15 is a solid gaming laptop that offers excellent performance for the price. It's well-suited for gamers and content creators who are looking for a powerful and versatile machine without breaking the bank. While it has some minor drawbacks, such as potential thermal issues and average battery life, its strengths in performance, display quality, and keyboard/trackpad design make it a worthwhile option to consider. If you're in the market for a mid-range gaming laptop, the Lenovo LOQ 15 is definitely worth a look.