Key Takeaways
1. Lenovo has expanded its laptop lineup from the IdeaPad series to include the Yoga, Legion, and LOQ brands for gaming laptops.
2. The Lenovo LOQ Essential 15ARP10 is a new budget-friendly gaming laptop featuring a 15-inch design and AMD Ryzen 7035HS processors.
3. The laptop offers a choice between the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS with Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or an older Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU.
4. Trade-offs for buyers include short battery life and a capped screen resolution of Full-HD (1,920 x 1,200).
5. The LOQ Essential 15ARP10 is upgradeable with multiple SSD and RAM slots, features a 144 Hz refresh rate, and is expected to be available soon.
Once upon a time, Lenovo only had IdeaPads. All laptops for everyday users under Lenovo had this name at one point. However, Lenovo took a different route, first introducing the Lenovo Yoga series and then the Lenovo Legion, which became their new gaming laptop range, taking over from the Lenovo IdeaPad Y series. Later, Lenovo went a step further by launching the LOQ brand, which features gaming laptops positioned just below the Lenovo Legion, such as the Lenovo LOQ 15AHP9. Previously, these models were grouped under the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming label. Now, the most budget-friendly gaming laptops from Lenovo are branded as Lenovo LOQ Essential.
New Addition to the Family
The latest model in this category was launched with the recent update to Lenovo’s product database, known as PSREF. This new laptop is called the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15ARP10. The rather awkward name suggests it is a 15-inch device, maintaining the older 15.6-inch design with a 16:9 screen ratio. It also indicates the type of processors used: AMD supplies these, specifically the Rembrandt Refresh CPUs from the Ryzen 7035HS series.
Specifications and Features
These CPUs were introduced in 2022 under the Ryzen 6000 series. However, the Nvidia RTX 4000 GPUs for laptops were not released until later. Lenovo combines these two older chip generations to keep the cost down. For the Lenovo LOQ laptop, the top choice is the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS paired with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop (65 W TDP, 15 W Dynamic Boost), but there is also an option for the older Nvidia RTX 3050 Laptop.
Considerations for Buyers
As a budget laptop, there are some trade-offs for buyers: The battery life is short for such a large laptop, featuring just a 57.5 W battery, making it more suited for stationary use rather than portability. Additionally, the screen resolution is capped at Full-HD (1,920 x 1,200). On the bright side, the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15ARP10 is upgradeable (with 2x M.2 SSD and 2x SO-DIMM slots), includes an SD card slot and RJ45-Ethernet, and offers a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which could make it a strong choice for daily tasks with some gaming potential.
The Lenovo LOQ Essential 15ARP10 has just shown up on the Lenovo PSREF site, and we anticipate it will be available in the next few weeks.
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