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| The currently discounted Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is a capable OLED gaming notebook with RTX 5070 Ti and Core Ultra 9 |
Despite rising component costs, budget-conscious gamers can still find solid value – if they know where to look. The latest Legion Pro 5i discount at Best Buy offers flagship specs, but there’s a catch.
If you’ve been shopping for a powerful 16-inch gaming laptop recently, you’ve probably noticed the sting of higher RAM and SSD prices. The DRAM crisis isn’t letting up, and that means even “budget-friendly” high-performance machines now carry premium price tags. But for gamers who refuse to overpay, a few interesting deals are still floating around – especially if you’re willing to step up to the upper mid-range segment.
One model that deserves a closer look is the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, currently discounted at Best Buy. Equipped with Intel’s latest Core Ultra 9 275HX, a generous 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a roomy 2TB SSD, this configuration is priced at $2,099 with free shipping or in-store pickup across most US locations. For that money, you’re also getting an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti laptop GPU with 12GB of GDDR7 VRAM – a welcome sight for anyone worried about the infamous 8GB bottleneck that plagues many modern titles.
OLED Display and Performance That Punches Above Its Weight
The display is another standout. The 16-inch OLED panel runs at 165Hz with a sharp 2560 x 1600 resolution and full DCI-P3 color coverage. That means deep blacks, vibrant visuals, and smooth motion – whether you’re diving into competitive shooters or story-driven RPGs. For a laptop in this price range, an OLED screen of this quality is still relatively rare, and it’s one area where Lenovo clearly didn’t cut corners.
If you’re ready to check out the deal for yourself, you can view the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i at Best Buy here before stock runs out. But before you hit that “add to cart” button, there are a few things you should know about the pricing and real-world trade-offs.
37% Off Sounds Great – Until You Compare It to Last Year
On paper, the discount looks impressive: Best Buy lists the original MSRP at 2,099 sale price a 37% saving of roughly 1,800** on sale.
That means today’s “deal” is still about 16% more expensive than what you would have paid just a year ago. The markup is real – though Lenovo and Best Buy aren’t alone here. Many other gaming notebooks have seen even steeper price hikes, so relative to the current market, the Legion Pro 5i remains a reasonable option if you need a powerful machine right now and can’t wait for a potential price drop later in the year.
What the Experts Say: Read the Full Review First
Before you commit, it’s worth doing some homework. The team at Notebookcheck recently published a detailed review of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 (almost identical configuration), and their findings line up closely with what you’d get from this Best Buy model. The same RTX 5070 Ti performance numbers and the same gorgeous OLED screen are praised throughout the review. In short, the core gaming experience is solid – fast, colorful, and capable of handling modern titles at high settings.
But no laptop is perfect, and the Legion Pro 5i has a few notable downsides that shoppers should weigh carefully.
The Catch: Battery Gaming, Missing Ports, and a Fingerprint Magnet
First, don’t expect much gaming performance when unplugged. Like many high-powered Intel gaming laptops, the Legion Pro 5i throttles heavily on battery to preserve power. You’ll get playable frame rates for lightweight or older games, but AAA titles will suffer. If you often game away from an outlet, this is a real limitation.
Second, connectivity feels a bit dated for a 2025/2026 machine. There’s no Thunderbolt support and no WiFi 6 – instead, you’re getting WiFi 5 (802.11ac) and standard USB-C. For a laptop that costs over $2,000, that’s a noticeable omission, especially if you plan to use high-speed external storage or future-proof your home network.
Finally, the chassis. It looks sleek in Eclipse Black, but the finish is an absolute fingerprint magnet. You’ll find yourself wiping it down constantly if you care about a clean appearance. It’s a small annoyance, but one that daily users will notice.
Final Verdict: A Decent Purchase for Impatient Gamers
So, is the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i worth $2,099? That depends on your priorities. If you need a well-rounded 16-inch gaming laptop today with a stunning OLED screen, a VRAM-savvy RTX 5070 Ti, and plenty of RAM and storage, this deal is one of the more reasonable options in a inflated market. The 37% discount off MSRP is real, even if the year-over-year comparison stings.
But if you can wait – or if Thunderbolt and WiFi 6 are dealbreakers – you might want to hold out for a better bargain later in 2026 or consider a laptop with an AMD processor (which often handles battery gaming better). For everyone else, the Legion Pro 5i remains a “decent purchase,” as our source review put it, especially given the current price trend.
*Prices and availability are subject to change. This article reflects the deal as of mid-May 2026.*