Lenovo LOQ: Affordable, fast gaming laptop with smooth performance

NEW DELHI: With an aim to captivate gaming enthusiasts, Lenovo has launched a new budget gaming laptop -- "LOQ" pronounced "lock" in India that offers a great balance of features, performance, design, and more to deliver an immersive gaming experience.

It boasts an impressive array of specifications that are certain to accommodate high settings for the best PC games, all at a budget-friendly price for gamers who are looking for something of great value.

We used the 16GB+512GB variant of Lenovo LOQ for almost a month, and here is what we think about the latest device.

Starting with the design and display, the latest Lenovo LOQ draws significant design inspiration from the Legion laptop series. Being a more budget-friendly option, the LOQ had to make certain compromises. Unlike the Legion series, which uses aluminium-magnesium alloy, the whole case of the LOQ is made from plastic. However, we still think that the laptop's overall quality is very good and feels strong.

The LOQ is wider than most 15-inch laptops, but it offers a more spacious and convenient user experience. Unlike other gaming laptops that feature RGB lighting, the LOQ has a more minimalist design.

To prevent entanglement while gaming, wired connection ports such as input source, HDMI 2.1, and Ethernet are located at the back. There are also two additional USB-A ports to accommodate additional peripherals if needed.

On the left side, there's a 3.5mm jack that serves as both a headphone and microphone input, as well as a USB-C port, and on the right side, there's a USB-A port for a mouse and a quick toggle for the webcam to ensure privacy when needed.

The laptop is also relatively lightweight for a gaming laptop, weighing in at about 2.4 kg.

The LOQ features a 15.6-inch screen that's obviously great for gaming, as well as for entertainment, and even work. The screen is fairly bright, reaching 350 nits, and its 2,560x1,440 pixel resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio make it excellent for working on documents.

The laptop offers an impressive refresh rate of up to 165Hz, giving you the flexibility to manually select between three options -- 60Hz, 144Hz, and 165Hz. To enhance convenience, a handy shortcut (Fn + R) is available for seamless switching between 60Hz for regular tasks and 165Hz specifically tailored for an optimal gaming experience.

Now comes the part for which this laptop is specifically engineered -- gaming.

With its impressive hardware configuration, boasting a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700H processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, we had no doubts about the capabilities of the LOQ as a gaming powerhouse at this price point.

The laptop handles demanding titles with ease, providing smooth gameplay and impressive frame rates. The combination of the high refresh rate display and powerful hardware ensures immersive and fluid gaming sessions.

We played several high-end games like -- Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, and Forza Horizon -- and witnessed a smooth gaming experience with less heating.

Talking about the keyboard and touchpad, the keyboard of the Lenovo LOQ boasts a well-designed layout. It features full-size arrow keys, which are always a welcome addition and includes a numpad that proves to be quite helpful. Typing on this keyboard is a delightful experience as it offers a satisfying tactile feel.

The keys have the perfect amount of travel distance, providing a comfortable and enjoyable typing experience. The RGB lighting adds a stylish touch and can be customised to match your gaming setup.

The touchpad is smooth and feels enough for a 15.6-inch laptop and is located quite far to the left. During our testing, we found no issues with precision or gliding properties, ensuring a seamless user experience.

While the LOQ is a high-performance gaming laptop, its battery life is decent considering the power it packs.

During regular usage and less demanding tasks, the laptop can last around 4 to 5 hours, depending on settings and usage patterns. It is worth noting that battery life can vary depending on the specific configurations and usage scenarios.

The Lenovo LOQ comes at a starting price of Rs 73,990 in the country and is now available to buy from the company's online and offline stores and other e-commerce marketplaces.

However, one minor drawback we discovered with this laptop is the lack of a fingerprint sensor and face recognition.

Conclusion: The Lenovo LOQ is an impressive gaming laptop that excels in design, display quality, gaming performance, touchpad, and keyboard at this price point. Its design, high refresh rate display, powerful hardware, and comfortable keyboard make it a solid choice for gamers. While the battery life may not be exceptional, it is on par with other gaming laptops in its class.