Lenovo has quietly introduced a new version of their popular LOQ gaming laptop, called the LOQ Essential. As the name suggests, this version trims down many of the premium features that made the original LOQ an excellent budget-friendly gaming laptop. If you’re considering purchasing a Lenovo LOQ, it’s crucial to understand the differences between the LOQ Essential and the original LOQ to avoid making a regrettable decision.
In this article, we will break down every aspect of the LOQ Essential, including its design, build quality, performance, ports, upgradeability, battery life, and thermal management to help you determine whether it’s the right choice for you.
Design and Build Quality
The LOQ Essential features a grey plastic chassis, making it feel noticeably cheaper than the original LOQ. While the keyboard area has minimal flex, the lid exhibits more flex, especially on the exterior.
The hinge stability is decent—it remains steady while typing, but if the laptop is bumped or moved, the lid wobbles slightly. The middle portion of the lid protrudes slightly for easy opening, but one-handed opening is difficult due to the laptop’s lightweight build.
In terms of portability, the LOQ Essential weighs just 1.85kg (4lb), increasing to 2.3kg (5.1lb) with the included 135W charger. This makes it a lightweight option for a 15-inch gaming laptop, putting it in the same weight class as MSI’s GF63. Compared to the original LOQ with the same RTX 3050 GPU, which weighs 30% more, the LOQ Essential is much lighter.
Display and Configurations
The LOQ Essential is available with various configurations. The model we reviewed includes:
- Intel Core i5-12450HX processor
- NVIDIA RTX 3050 GPU
- 16GB RAM
- 144Hz display
However, you can opt for a cheaper RTX 2050 or upgrade to an RTX 4050 for improved performance. The keyboard backlight option varies by region—while U.S. buyers can opt for a $20 white backlight upgrade, this feature is unavailable in Australia.
Keyboard and Touchpad Experience
The typing experience on the LOQ Essential is subpar compared to the original LOQ. The keys have a grippy, textured feel, 1.3mm key travel, and a slight keyboard deck flex in the middle.
The plastic touchpad feels different from the original LOQ but remains accurate and responsive for navigation.
Ports and Connectivity
Most of the ports are on the left side:
- Power input
- Gigabit Ethernet
- HDMI 2.1
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C (Data Only)
- 3.5mm Audio Combo Jack
The right side includes:
- SD card slot
- Second USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port
Unlike the original LOQ, there are no ports on the back. Additionally, the Type-C port does not support charging or DisplayPort connectivity, a significant downgrade from the original LOQ’s full-featured Type-C port.
Upgradeability
Opening the LOQ Essential requires removing nine TR5 screws (shorter ones in the front). Inside, you’ll find:
- Battery (Front Position)
- Single RAM Slot (Right Side)
- Pre-installed SSD (Middle Position)
- Spare M.2 Slot (Below RAM Slot)
- Wi-Fi 6 Card (Next to SSD)
The biggest downgrade is the single RAM slot, limiting future upgrades. While it’s not soldered, you can only upgrade to a single 32GB or 48GB stick. Additionally, both M.2 slots only support smaller 2242 SSDs, meaning larger 2280 SSDs won’t fit.
Storage and Performance
The 512GB SSD delivers decent read speeds (PCIe Gen 4), but the write speeds are unimpressive.
The SD card speeds are extremely slow, achieving just a fraction of what high-quality laptops provide. However, it’s surprising that an SD card slot was included at all, given that Lenovo aimed to include only the essentials.
Wi-Fi 6 connectivity is available, but Wi-Fi 6E is absent, meaning users might want to upgrade the Wi-Fi card for just $20.
Battery Life and Charging
The LOQ Essential is powered by a 3-Cell 57Wh battery, compared to the original LOQ’s 4-Cell 60Wh battery. Battery-related software features include:
- Adaptive Refresh Rate: Drops the refresh rate to 60Hz when unplugged to save power
- Conservation Mode: Limits charge to 75-80% to extend battery lifespan
- Overnight Slow Charging: Reduces charge speed to improve battery longevity
Despite its smaller battery, the LOQ Essential lasted 5 hours and 47 minutes in video playback tests. This is impressive, as it outlasted the original LOQ 15s with 60Wh batteries and performed comparably to the 80Wh LOQ 16, which only lasted 12% longer.
Thermals and Cooling
The LOQ Essential has a single large 100mm fan, exhausting hot air from one side only. The cooling system consists of two heat pipes shared between the CPU and GPU, but plenty of empty space suggests why this laptop is lighter than other gaming laptops.
Lenovo’s Vantage software allows users to toggle different performance modes, affecting fan speeds and power consumption.
Final Verdict: Is the LOQ Essential Worth It?
The Lenovo LOQ Essential is a stripped-down version of the original LOQ, offering only the bare minimum for gaming. While it is lightweight and portable, Lenovo has made several compromises, such as:
- Cheaper build quality
- Limited upgradeability (Single RAM Slot, Small SSD Slots)
- Slower Type-C port (No Charging or DisplayPort Support)
- Mediocre keyboard experience
- Weaker cooling system
However, it still offers decent performance for budget gamers with RTX 3050 options, a 144Hz display, and solid battery life. If you’re looking for a lightweight gaming laptop and don’t mind the trade-offs, the LOQ Essential is a reasonable option. But if you want better build quality, full upgradeability, and enhanced ports, the original LOQ remains a much better choice.
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