Lenovo LOQ 2024 Review: A Solid RTX 4060 Mid-Range Gaming Laptop!

As part of its attempt to bring quality machines to first-time gamers across India, Lenovo released a slew of brand-new LOQ laptops back in 2023. The Lenovo LOQ series has now been refreshed with a 2024 lineup, packing the latest specs that include the Intel 14th Gen CPU built on the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture. It also features RTX 40-series GPUs from Nvidia.

Well, even though I am a seasoned gamer, I was super interested in testing a LOQ laptop to see what it has to offer for newbie gamers. As such, I decided to pester the Lenovo team and grab a 2024 LOQ 15IRX9 laptop, which I put through its paces for a week. Since the machine promises a lot, I tested it thoroughly across a variety of tasks, and here is what I think about the Lenovo LOQ 2024 laptop.

Specifications & Variants

You can build your own LOQ (2024) gaming laptop on Lenovo’s website starting from Rs. 85,900. The entry-level variant has the Intel Core i5-13450HX (13th Gen), and there are other CPU options available, including the Intel Core i7-13650HX (13th Gen) and Intel Core i7-14700HX (14th Gen).

When it comes to GPUs, users can select between the RTX 3050 (6GB GDDR6), RTX 4050 (6GB GDDR6), and RTX 4060 (8GB GDDR6). Elements like the storage, webcam, and screen are also customizable. Display-wise, users can get a 1080p FHD (300 nits, 144Hz) or a 1440p QHD (350 nits, 165Hz) panel.

The LOQ 2024 review unit I received from Lenovo has the following specifications:

CPU14th Gen Intel Core i7-14700HX (PL1= 90W, PL2= 162W)
Up to 5.50 GHz, 8+12 (P+E Cores), 18 Threads
RAM16GB DDR5 5600MHz (2 RAM Slots, second slot empty)
Display15.6-inch 16:9 IPS panel, 144Hz
Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution
100% sRGB color gamut support
Nvidia G-Sync Support
300-nits peak brightness
GPU8GB GDDR6 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (TGP=115W)
Storage1TB NVMe Gen 4 TLC SSD
I/O Ports1x Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort 1.4 & 140W PD Support
3x Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1
1x HDMI 2.1 (8K@60Hz/4K@120Hz)
1x 3.5mm headset jack
1x Ethernet (RJ-45)
1x Power connector
Speakers2 x 2W speakers, Nahimic Audio Support
Battery & Charging60 Whr (4 Cell), 220W Adapter
Camera1080p Webcam, Privacy Switch
Wireless ConnectivityIntel WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
Weight2.38 kg
Specifications of Lenovo LOQ (2024) 83DV007FIN Gaming Laptop

The Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9 (2024) gaming laptop we are reviewing today is available for Rs 1,22,990 on Amazon. Users who buy the Lenovo LOQ (2024) also get 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. In addition, a trial of Microsoft 365 is also included along with Office 2021 for certain models.

Speaking of the most affordable RTX 4060 laptop variant of Lenovo LOQ (2024), you can configure one by selecting the i5-13450HX CPU and 16GB DDR5 RAM (2x8GB) for Rs. 102,200 on Lenovo’s website at the time of writing this. With that, let’s dive in.

Design & Build Quality

The Lenovo LOQ 2024 has a super minimalistic design. The company has mostly diverted from generic gaming laptops with designs that scream ‘gamer!’ ‘The LOQ laptop follows that with its grey finish that looks and even feels great. This tone follows across the entire laptop, making LOQ 2024 even better for professional scenarios.

Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen 15IRX9 (2024) Display Lid Design

The display lid sports the Lenovo LOQ logo with a shiny metal-like finish. Like its Legion series, the company has placed the laptop’s port at the back, making cable management super easy.

Opening up the lid, you are met with a 180-degree display hinge with minimal flex and a sturdy feel. The added angle made it easier for me to share content with friends across from me. It also let me position the hinge to avoid our annoying office lights.

Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen 15IRX9 (2024) Front Body

While a tiny part of you expected the keyboard to have lots of RGB, that isn’t the case. Too much color and pop aren’t components of the Lenovo LOQ laptops. However, the keyboard does have 4-zone backlighting and solid construction, which I loved. The power button is at the top of the keyboard, under the screen.

The machine weighs 2.38 KG (5.24 lbs), which is in line with many 15.6-inch gaming laptops out there. While Lenovo offers a plastic body here, it feels robust and has a heft. The construction itself is solid. But the laptop did get a few scuffs here and there. However, they were barely visible because of the finish.

The LOQ 2024 is not a portable laptop, but it is not a brick to lug around either. I have been able to use it comfortably in my day-to-day, working, gaming, and binge-watching some Suits. The machine is also decent to have on your lap for a few hours. Putting the laptop on the table does make the heat reach the keyboard deck, but not too much.

Overall, the Lenovo LOQ 2024 has a distinct yet subtle design that is in line with the company’s previous IdeaPad offerings. Stylish enough to stand out but still blending in, I loved the LOQ 2024’s aesthetic.

Display Performance

The 15.6-inch display on our unit has an FHD resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate, and up to 300 nits of brightness. We confirmed this with SpyderX and got 304.3 nits as the peak luminance. I found the display bright enough while watching content and playing games. The display also supports G-Sync, which I enabled for both fullscreen and windowed apps to ensure it worked across different games.

Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen 15IRX9 (2024) Display

This display is advertised to have 100% sRGB color space coverage. I again decided to verify this through the SpyderX and got a result of 98%, which is close enough to the company’s claims. The Lenvo LOQ’s display covers 84% of DCI P3 and 82% of Adobe RGB as well.

lenovo loq 2024 display performance review

The contrast was tested at 1340:1, and it is an IPS panel. I found the black tonality deep across content with the backlight uniformity not too bad either.

Overall, the Lenovo LOQ 2024’s display is decent at best and will provide the users with a good experience at Full-HD. The company does offer a QHD 350 nits panel, so I figure the experience should be a bit better there.

Day-to-Day Performance

Performance in day-to-day usage is smooth on this gaming laptop. Throughout my time using it, I experienced no slowdowns. This was while I ventured across opening multiple apps and generally power working. While I was able to overwhelm the 16GB DDR5 RAM at one point, it was only after an ungodly number of apps were open.

Do keep in mind that my “general usage” is heavy compared to most people, with an unfathomable number of Chrome tabs open during peak research hours. These tabs always included photo editing tools, YouTube videos, and resource-heavy websites.

No matter what type of gamer or productivity user you are, I believe Lenovo LOQ 2024 can handle all your play and work needs with ease. Now, let’s move on to some gaming benchmarks, which is something you’ve been waiting for.

Gaming Benchmarks

I am a gamer through and through. My playstyle dabbles into all types of games, even if I like games like Helldivers 2 more. As such, I decided to take 10 of the best AAA and e-sport titles out there and throw them at the Lenovo LOQ 2024. Check out the detailed results and how it performed below.

Forza Motorsport

forza motorsport gaming benchmark on lenovo loq 2024 gaming laptop with i7-14700hx and rtx 4060

The graphics settings need to be toned down in Forza Motorsport as this game is quite demanding. With full ray-tracing at high settings and DLSS quality, the Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen gaming laptop gave an average of 67.1 FPS. At worst, the FPS dipped to 61.6 and at its best, it reached up to 73.7. Since I got a consistent above 60FPS experience, it was good enough for me.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III

call of duty modern warfare 3 gaming benchmark on lenovo loq 2024 gaming laptop with i7-14700hx and rtx 4060

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is a well-optimized title. Playing this game at maxed settings was a breeze, even at native settings with DLAA enabled. The in-game DLAA setting is essentially the deep learning aspect of DLSS working to promote image quality but without any resolution decrease. The result was 87 FPS on average, with the minimum FPS being 68.2 and the maximum FPS reaching 105.

Still, by enabling DLSS Quality, you can get a very good image, and the FPS increase is delightful. Now, we are getting 112.6 FPS on average on our review unit. However, I still felt it could be pushed further.

By enabling DLSS 3 frame generation, we got a nice boost in the perceived gaming performance through fake AI frames. Everything felt buttery at that point, and even though there was some input lag, it wasn’t that big of a deal. At 147.5 FPS on average, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III was a delight to play on the Lenovo LOQ (2024) gaming laptop.

Tekken 8

Tekken 8 Gaming benchmarks

Tekken 8 is the newest sensation in fighting games right now. The Lenovo LOQ (2024) gaming laptop performed admirably, reaching and maintaining the 60FPS cap of the game at max settings at all times.

However, when I played this game at 4K, the FPS dropped below 40-50, and the game went in slow motion. This shows that when put above 1080p, the RTX 4060 can struggle a bit. Enabling DLSS Balanced and lowering the settings to Medium was enough for a smooth experience at 4K.

Cyberpunk 2077

cyberpunk 2077 gaming benchmark on lenovo loq 2024 gaming laptop with i7-14700hx cpu and rtx 4060 gpu

It is no secret that Cyberpunk 2077 is a very demanding game. At the maximum possible settings, the game did not run well on the Lenovo LOQ. I got an average FPS of 22.8, which was naturally not enjoyable. DLSS set to the Quality preset helped things a bit by putting us above the playable range at 34.2 FPS.

RT Overdrive is super hard to run on the RTX 4060. Still, with the DLSS 3 frame generation enabled (exclusive to RTX 40 Series), I saw the FPS on the Lenovo LOQ 2024 laptop jump to 63.7 FPS on average, with 40.7 FPS as the min and 70.2 FPS as max. The graphical fidelity here was amazing, and all made possible due to DLSS 3.

You can also choose not necessarily to use RT Overdrive as we did. By going down a few presets (such as Ray-Tracing: High) and using DLSS 3 AI Frame generation and DLSS Quality, you can easily run Cyberpunk 2077 at above 100FPS on the Lenovo LOQ 2024.

Hogwarts Legacy

Lenovo LOQ 2024 Hogwarts Legacy Benchmarks

Hogwarts Legacy is a game where things weren’t running very well on the RTX 4060, with sharp drops below 30 FPS on anything higher than the settings above. I observed an average FPS of 74.3 at high settings with no RT in a densely crowded section. The minimum FPS here was 42.3, and at max, it went to 93.1 FPS.

I decided to employ some DLSS 3 frame generation. At the same high settings and no ray-tracing enabled, we got 126.4 FPS on average, reaching up to 158.8 FPS at max. At worst, the FPS on these settings dipped to 84.5, and overall, the experience was super satisfying.

Starfield

Starfield gaming benchmark on lenovo loq 2024 gaming laptop with i7-14700hx and rtx 4060

Starfield is yet another tough game to run, even with DLSS enabled. The laptop achieves 42.5 FPS on average & 56.8 FPS at most tested at native 1080p and maxed-out settings. With DLSS Quality enabled, we get a slight increase in performance, with 47.5 FPS on average. At worst, the FPS dipped to 34-40 FPS range.

Introducing DLSS 3 frame generation into the mix worked wonders. The average FPS jumped to 74, even at maximum settings. The minimum FPS came at 63.1, and the maximum at 93.9, with a smooth gameplay experience. It is also in the G-Sync range of the laptop display, so the variable refresh rate works to make the image look artifact-free.

Red Dead Redemption 2

red dead redemption 2 gaming benchmark on lenovo loq 2024 gaming laptop with i7-14700hx and rtx 4060

It’s hardly a secret that RDR 2 eats machines for breakfast. As such I was happy to see Red Dead Redemption 2 get 61.8 FPS on max settings at 1080p. At worst, the FPS dips to 34.2, and at max, it reaches up to 122.2 FPS, as tested with the in-game benchmark. With DLSS Quality enabled, the average FPS increases to 70.7 FPS. An overall satisfying score, I would say.

Valorant

Valorant benchmarks

It’s time to begin with the competitive multiplayer scene. And what better way to start off than with Valorant? The Lenovo LOQ 2024 with Core i7-14700HX shows prowess here since this is a more CPU-intensive game. We see an average of 297.9 FPS on 1080p High Settings, with 2X MSAA only dipping to 221.8 FPS at worst. At best, the FPS went up to a high of 401.1 FPS.

My experience was great in these settings. However, some competitive gamers like to get all FPS they can, which can help with input latency.

At low settings in Valorant, we get 340.3 FPS on average, with an increased minimum FPS of 259.1 and a higher maximum FPS of 439.1. I experienced no stutters, and my overall ride through with Valorant was quite amazing.

Counter-Strike 2

counter strike 2 benchmark lenovo loq 2024 review gaming laptop with i7 14700hx cpu and rtx 4060 gpu

If I were to list down all the Counter-Strike 2 features, it would be a long list. However, being a demanding FPS is also one due to the Source 2 engine upgrade. At high settings with 2X MSAA, we get 193.7 FPS on average with the Lenovo LOQ 2024. The minimum FPS here was 138.5, and the maximum FPS was 261.3.

At low settings, the laptop gave a slightly increased 223.1 FPS on average. The minimum FPS was 145.3 and at maximum, it went up to 326.4 FPS. Overall, the Lenovo LOQ 2024 gave me no issues in CS2 throughout my time with it.

Synthetic Benchmarks

It is now time to get to some synthetic numbers. While I believe day-to-day real performance speaks better, I know some of you love these numbers more. As such, I ran the benches I considered the best. Have a look at them below.

Cinebench 2024

lenovo loq 2024 i7 14700hx rtx 4060 cinebench 2024

In Cinebench 2024, the Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9 (2024) gaming laptop gets 9906 pts on the GPU (RTX 4060). The multi-core CPU score here is 1080 pts, and the single-core CPU score is at 119 pts. The laptop has the Intel 14th Gen Core i7-14700HX processor with 28 threads and 20 cores.

Cinebench R23

lenovo loq 2024 i7 14700hx cinebench r23

Intel’s Core i7-14700HX on the Lenovo LOQ 2024 in Cinebench R23 multi-core got 21,272 pts. The processor has a PL1 of 90W and a PL2 of 167W. It rarely goes to 167W during extended heavy usage situations, but this 167W power limit does help in giving short bursts of performance. The single-core score here is 1923 pts.

Comparing this to the desktop 14th Gen i5-14600K, that processor (PL1/PL2 set to 180W) gets 22,955 pts. So yes, the i7-14700HX here on board on the Lenovo LOQ is quite performant and has a comparable score to the 14th Gen Core i5 desktop CPU.

Speaking of a comparison to the Intel 13th Gen Core i7-13700H (non-HX, reaching up to 115W power), that processor from a different Lenovo Legion gaming laptop gets 17,507 pts. As you can see, the 14th Gen i7 is much better than the 13th Gen i7.

3DMark Time Spy

3D Mark Time Spy benchmark

In 3DMark Time Spy, the RTX 4060 GPU and i7-14700HX CPU combo of the Lenovo LOQ delivers 11,340 pts. This benchmark is taken in 1440p. The CPU score was 15,038 pts.

PCMark 10

lenovo loq 2024 i7 14700hx and rtx 4060 pcmark10 score

PCMark 10 tests the laptop in various scenarios, such as work, video conferencing, browsing, and more. The Lenovo LOQ gaming laptop scored 7,470 pts, which is pretty good and suggests the laptop has no problem handling everyday tasks.

Thermal Performance

According to the company, the Lenovo LOQ sports a hyperchamber thermal design. The dual fans expel hot air outwards from the laptop’s back. I loved this approach because that ensured my hands were free from sweating. The Lenovo LOQ 2024 gaming laptop’s cooling system features two heat pipes extended across to the 14700HX and RTX 4060. Lenovo also says the fans are 2 decibels quieter thanks to a ‘sealed chamber.’

The dual fans in the LOQ 2024 are surely loud when the system is stressed. At max speeds, these don’t sound as bad as the Acer Nitro V, and the fans took some time to ramp up. Thankfully, throughout my session, the fans were reasonably silent when wearing headphones. Still, do expect the classic jet engine sound from gaming laptops when you play for extended durations!

lenovo loq 15IRX9 2024 gaming laptopo

The 14th Gen Core i7-14700HX on the Lenovo LOQ gaming laptop has a PL2 limit of 167W. This is quite high, but unfortunately, the laptop could not consistently run the CPU at high wattages. Instead, in long gaming sessions (combined CPU+GPU loads), the i7 goes to 65-80 watts.

Thankfully, the laptop could deliver short bursts of CPU performance thanks to the high power limit and HX-class CPU being used instead of the H series. When the CPU does this short boost, one of the cores of the i7-14700HX goes near 100 degrees C for a brief moment. This is how these high-performance Intel chips are designed to run, but you can use the Lenovo Vantage software to control the power consumption and temperature limits as preferred. That’s the Intel HX series chip advantage, so consider utilizing it!

lenovo loq 15IRX9 gaming laptop internals

I did not observe much throttling when it came to the RTX 4060. The GPU ran at an average of 80W in many games. The dedicated graphics here can also go up to 108.4W in the right title, such as Red Dead Redemption 2.

According to Lenovo, the RTX 4060 GPU has a maximum total graphics power (TGP) of 115W. The RTX 4050 and RTX 3050 GPU variants have a 95W TGP. The CPU and GPU temperatures both stayed under the 80-85 degrees C range at most times, but as I said, the CPU can go to 100 degrees C when there is available thermal headroom, and it wants to achieve that sweet 5.50 GHz P-Core boost frequency.

In the Cinebench R23 synthetic benchmark a 10-minute extended CPU benchmark run yields lower numbers and the extended stress results in a drop of below 19,000 pts (also if Cinebench is run repeatedly).

Overall, the i7-14700HX on the laptop could be running better and at less constrained power limits. Still, the 14th Gen CPU provides plenty of performance (better than the Core i7-13700H) under the available thermal headroom of the Lenovo LOQ gaming laptop.

Software Experience

As always, Lenovo has paired the LOQ with its famous Lenovo Vantage software. To its credit, Vantage on the laptop is quite featureful. The highlights here are the different thermal modes. I tested all the above benchmarks with the Performance mode to give you a consistent reference point.

lenovo loq 15IRX9 2024 laptop thermal mode settings

But, if you get the Lenovo LOQ, several customizability options are available for the CPU and GPU under the Custom section of Thermal modes. I experimented with these and was able to get the desired results.

Do note that Lenovo warns users that some of these options are also considered risky, so you should be careful. You can use the Vantage to customize the max temperature limit of the Intel Core i7-14700HX CPU at 100 degrees C or as low as 85 degrees C. The max CPU and GPU wattage can also be customized.

lenovo loq 15IRX9 gaming laptop advanced perforformance settings

The Lenovo LOQ also comes with a MUX Switch. When not gaming, users can configure the MUX switch to Hybrid-iGPU mode that turns off the RTX 4060, and uses the CPU instead. This gave me a ton of versatility.

lenovo loq mux switch settings

There is also a Hybrid-Auto mode. If you game and also have on-the-go work regularly on the laptop, this is perfect. The Lenovo LOQ laptop will go into an integrated graphics-only mode when it is not plugged in. Otherwise, both the Nvidia GPU and Intel GPU will stay active when the charger is plugged in.

However, for optimal performance, the best configuration for MUX is dGPU. With this, the integrated Intel GPU is disabled, and the RTX 4060 is used for all applications and games. The benchmarks contained in this review are taken on the dGPU MUX Switch mode.

Another option of the Thermal mode is Balanced. Here, Lenovo also offers a feature where the L1 AI chip is used to dynamically adjust CPU & GPU settings with what you are currently doing. I still experienced throttling with this mode enabled and did not find it useful. Instead, setting lower max CPU & GPU temperatures (85 degrees C for both) in the Custom mode of Lenovo LOQ profiles yielded the most favorable results.

lenovo vantage software on loq gaming laptop 15IRX9

You can also turn on the Adaptive Refresh Rate for the 144Hz display through the Lenovo Vantage software. The software also has a Network boost feature, which lets you prioritize the network traffic of your selected games. This can help with lag, which is every gamer’s nightmare.

Lastly, this Vantage software also lets you customize the microphone with various noise-canceling effects along with the customizability of the keyboard’s 4-zone RGB. All in all, I found the Lenovo Vantage very useful for me.

Keyboard & Touchpad

The Lenovo LOQ (2024) gaming laptop features a full-sized keyboard with a numpad. I love how spacious it is. I was immediately comfortable with typing on the laptop and could do so for extended sessions without breaking a sweat. The key switches have a 1.5mm travel, providing me with deep and satisfying keystrokes. The keyboard also supports 100% anti-ghosting technology.

Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen 15IRX9 (2024) Keyboard

It was disappointing that the LOQ does not have a per-key RGB keyboard. At least we get a 4-zone RGG setup. But speaking of how much I like this keyboard, the Thinkpad-esque implementation can be felt here, and I greatly appreciate Lenovo’s keyboard design.

I’m still getting used to a mechanical keyboard with linear switches and can’t hit my peak typing speed despite using it for over a month now. But on the Lenovo LOQ 2024 laptop, I easily achieved 140WPM+ typing speed on Monkeytype. I had the same experience while working.

For gaming, my counter-strafing was on point when playing Valorant or Counter-Strike 2. Efficiently navigating the complex sections of the map when playing ‘The Finals’ requires precise feedback, and I could use the gaming laptop’s keyboard to do this without issues.

lenovo loq 2024 gaming laptop

I found the touchpad plenty spacious and loved that it supported Windows gestures without issues. I could multitask, switch to a different Windows desktop, and scroll when browsing the web without any consistency issues. The texture is also grippy enough, and your fingers will feel a smooth glide when using the touchpad of the Lenovo LOQ gaming laptop.

Ports and Connectivity

The Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9 comes with Intel Wi-Fi 6. I had no issues connecting to WiFi access points throughout my home. The main access point of my residence goes down at times, but Airtel AirFiber, based on a 5G SIM-based network, is mostly always up. I’m on the ground floor, and that AirFiber (WiFi 6 enabled) access point is several floors up. I still got relatively good signal strength with stable speeds.

Bluetooth v5.1 connectivity is also present here, and multiple devices (Two Dualsense controllers and one Bluetooth speaker) work fine when connected to the gaming laptop for multiplayer split-screen PC gaming in games like Road Redemption or Tekken 8.

Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen 15IRX9 (2024) gaming laptop connectivity port selection

Speaking of the port selection, there are three onboard USB-A ports, which are USB 3.2 Gen 1. This allows for plenty of peripherals to be connected, even if you have an individual plug-in for your external keyboard, mouse, and headphones. There is also a Type-C port on-board with USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps speeds) support. This Type-C port can also be used to charge the laptop on the go with a compatible 140W power-delivery adapter.

Apart from this, there is an HDMI 2.1 port, which supports 8K @ 60Hz or 4K @ 120Hz, along with an Ethernet port onboard. The laptop comes with a 3.5mm jack and the proprietary power connector from Lenovo.

Most ports are at the back, with one Type-A and the single Type-C on the right. The laptop’s left side has no ports, giving it a clean look. Plugging things in is a slight hassle because of the location, but I still prefer this because it makes managing cables easier. A wired gaming mouse plugged behind will still give you fewer interruptions because of the darned wire when gaming.

Webcam & Microphone

This laptop features a 1080p webcam on board. The starter variants get a 720p webcam, and you have to spend extra money when configuring the laptop or get the more expensive variant to ensure you get this 1080p one. I found the webcam quality quite decent and a welcome improvement over most of the laptops out there right now. The added resolution helps.

You can check out the webcam quality below. The various text at the back of Beebom’s video team’s monitors can be seen well enough, but the ‘ProArt’ text on the monitor on the left side is quite smudgy.

lenovo loq 2024 webcam photo

There is also a software-based privacy switch on the right side of the laptop. In my opinion, this is not as good as a hardware switch when you consider the user’s peace of mind. But yes, no apps can access the webcam, and you get a notification through Windows when your e-shutter Webcam switch is off.

The microphone on the Lenovo LOQ was okayish at best. No one in my Discord channel gave me any positive feedback regarding the audio quality and asked me to wear my headphones as quickly as possible.

Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen 15IRX9 (2024) webcam and microphone

AI noise reduction features toggle through the Lenovo Vantage app and Discord Krisp noise suppression to assist in outputting clean microphone audio. Still, the laptop’s onboard microphone is only passable for gaming sessions. For meetings, the quality is fine.

Speaker Audio Quality

The Lenovo LOQ 2024 gaming laptop has dual 2W speakers. These are not particularly impressive in terms of audio fidelity. I have heard better quality from certain mid-range laptops at this price, but I suppose this is acceptable.

The laptop supports Nahimic audio, which also lets you customize the sound. I found the Music profile with Dynamic EQ to be the best across various genres such as pop, instrumental, and rock. I also enjoyed switching to the Heavy Bass EQ profile when listening to rap, techno, and phonk. There is also 3D audio support, which works fine to emphasize the positional audio when the feature is active.

Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen 15IRX9 (2024) gaming laptop nahimic audio

The speakers get decently loud and are quite enjoyable for content consumption. I watched Lupin on Netflix while using this laptop earlier this week and found the sound stage ample. Overall, don’t expect anything crazy from these speakers. They do deliver an enjoyable experience, but the overall speaker quality is average or above average at best.

Battery & Charging

The Lenovo LOQ 2024 has a 60 Whr battery. In our testing, using the MUX switch and configuring the laptop to iGPU-only mode was the best to extend battery life. In my use, the Lenovo LOQ 2024 gaming laptop lasts for 3-4 hours with this configuration. This was in battery-saving mode with 50% screen brightness and no keyboard backlighting.

Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen 15IRX9 (2024) gaming laptop charging

For a laptop that isn’t aimed towards portability, a 4-hour life is decent but sadly still disappointing for me.

Lenovo says the LOQ 2024 laptop also features fast-charging technology called Super Rapid Charge Pro. With this, the laptop’s 60Wh battery can be quickly topped up to 40% in 10 minutes. In 30 minutes, it will go to 80%, and in 60 minutes, it will reach 100% capacity.

Upgradability

This Lenovo LOQ (2024) allows you to upgrade the laptop RAM easily. In addition to this, there are 2x PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD Slots, so you can plug in a second M.2 NVMe storage drive too. By the way, the SSD already installed in the device is of a shorter size, and only the second slot supports longer-length NVMe SSDs.

Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen 15IRX9 (2024) gaming laptop charging

It is good to see that the RAM is not soldered. You can easily upgrade the memory with higher capacity at a later date. Thermal pads are also present to provide cooling for the DDR5 memory.

Lenovo LOQ 2024: Should You Buy It?

Considering the asking price and category the Lenovo LOQ 14th Gen (2024) gaming laptop is aimed at, it is a well-performing gaming laptop to buy if you wish to play today’s games at 1080p. The RTX 4060 here also lets you experience games at high fidelity with DLSS 3 AI frame generation. The battery, microphone, and speaker could have been a little better. And while the 1080p panel is quite decent, I would suggest configuring it a step up to get QHD.

This is Lenovo’s foray into releasing the latest gaming laptops with Intel 14th Generation processors. Sadly, not all manufacturers have followed suit with their releases of new laptops in India.

At the price range between Rs 120,000 and Rs 130,000, the Lenovo LOQ (2024) seems to be the only option with the latest i7-14700HX processor. However, a good competition to the LOQ is the HP Omen 16 with Ryzen 7 7840HS & RTX 4060, going for Rs 1,17,490. The Omen has a 165 Hz display and a 140 W RTX 4060 higher than the LOQ. If you want to go for an AMD chip and a higher TGP GPU, this is a good choice.

However, do note that a higher TGP won’t always give you major gains if the GPU is already above 100W. Moreover, Lenovo’s LOQ 2023 lineup has been discounted, and a variant like the Ryzen 7 7840HS with RTX 4060 (115W) is available for Rs 99,990. Due to the lack of major OEMs releasing machines with the latest Intel chips, the Lenovo LOQ (2023/2024) lineup dominates the gaming laptop space with various compelling features!

If we were to go down a peg to the range of Rs 100,000, you could configure the LOQ 2024 on the Lenovo website with Core i5-13420HX, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and an RTX 4060. Comparatively, you can go for a compelling option by MSI, the Sword 15, which comes with Intel i7 12th-Gen CPU and RTX 4060 at a price of Rs 99,990.

While you would think the i7 in MSI would be better, that’s not the case. Both the chips are quite close in performance and feature the same core count, 10 cores & 16 threads. The Lenovo LOQ is better with a newer CPU paired with its 100% sRGB display (IPS). Meanwhile, the MSI has a more average IPS-level display, having 45% NTSC color space coverage.

Overall, I’m quite happy to see this RTX 4060 laptop being offered for the price it’s being offered at. All the aspects are impressive enough, especially if you upgrade the display to a QHD variant, as can be configured on the company website. It’s exciting to see that the RTX 4060 laptop market in India swelling up, and I am hoping for competition to get even more fierce in the coming weeks.

Lenovo’s LOQ 2024 offering is the best overall gaming laptop around the Rs 1,00,000 price point in India. While it doesn’t excel in everything and has a few cons, the Lenovo LOQ (2024) is a solid RTX 4060 gaming laptop you can get!

Pros and Cons
The Pros
Solid mid-range RTX 4060 performance for the price.
Impressive i7-14700HX performance packing 20-cores & 28-threads.
144Hz display variant is smooth in gaming, content and work alike.
A healthy variety of port selection.
Smooth keyboard and trackpad experience.
Lenovo Vantage software is super useful.
The Cons
Keyboard lacks per-key RGB.
Punchy but average speakers.
i7-14700HX can't pull 100W+ for long durations
Gaming performance suffers at higher resolutions; requires manual tuning & FPS capping.
Average battery life of 3-4 hours.
Final Verdict
4
Design & Build
4
Display
4.5
Performance
4
Thermals
4.5
Upgradability
4.5
Keyboard & Trackpad
4.5
I/O Ports & Connectivity
3
Webcam & Audio
3.5
Battery & Charging
The new Lenovo LOQ (2024) brings Intel's latest 14th Gen HX series processors. The Core i7-14700HX here is plenty powerful, although it could have stretched its wings further with a better cooling system than what's on here. Still, it performs well comparing it to the i7 13th Gen. Nvidia's RTX 4060 GPU here provides good performance, and you can double your frames with DLSS 3 as well but I wouldn't go as far as to call it the real performance. Overall, the combo is excellent for 1080p gaming at maxed out settings, but you may need to turn things down in some intensive titles like Forza Motorsport and Hogwarts Legacy.
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