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| Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i 15 G11 |
Let’s be honest: when Nvidia launched the RTX 5070 laptop GPU earlier this year, a lot of us raised an eyebrow. Not because of raw performance, but because of memory. Eight gigabytes of VRAM in 2024? For a 70-class card? It felt like a step sideways, not forward. The old RTX 4070 also had 8 GB. There was literally no upgrade path if you cared about texture-heavy games or creative workloads.
Well, someone at Nvidia was clearly listening.
We didn’t get a full next-gen mobile graphics overhaul this year, but we just got the next best thing: a refreshed GeForce RTX 5070 that now ships with 12 GB of VRAM. And that changes the conversation entirely.
Why 12 GB Actually Matters (Not Just Marketing Fluff)
If you follow laptop GPUs closely, you know that VRAM has become a genuine bottleneck. Modern games at 1440p, AI image generation, video editing with large timelines—all of it eats memory for breakfast. The old 8 GB limit meant your shiny new RTX 5070 laptop would choke on the same things that tripped up the previous generation.
That’s gone now.
The new RTX 5070 12 GB doesn’t just add a sticker on the box. It eliminates the single biggest criticism reviewers (including us) had from day one. And here’s the kicker: unlike the larger RTX 5070 Ti, this updated 5070 does not require a new motherboard layout. That’s huge. It means manufacturers can drop this chip into existing designs without re-engineering entire cooling or power-delivery systems.
Translation? You’re going to see this GPU in everything from high-end multimedia laptops to proper mainstream gaming rigs. No exclusivity tricks. No “premium only” nonsense.
First Out of the Gate: Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i 15 G11
One of the first laptops to officially feature the new 12 GB RTX 5070 is the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i 15 G11. And before you yawn at another Yoga refresh—hold on. This isn’t just a spec bump.
Lenovo is pairing Nvidia’s updated GPU with Intel’s new Panther Lake CPUs (the Core Ultra 9 386H in our review unit). That’s a combo we haven’t seen in the wild yet. You can configure the Yoga Pro 7i with a range of dGPUs:
- RTX 5050 (8 GB VRAM)
- RTX 5060 (8 GB VRAM)
- RTX 5070 (12 GB VRAM) ← the one to watch
Each GPU is capped at a maximum TGP of 85 Watts. For a slim-ish 15-inch multimedia laptop, that’s actually a sweet spot. You get decent performance without melting your lap or needing a brick-sized power adapter.
That said, there’s a catch. Lenovo lists an “up to 85W” TGP, but hitting that peak setting is… tricky. We’re not going to spoil our full review, but let’s just say the software and thermal profiles matter more than the spec sheet suggests.
We’re Testing One Right Now (No, Not the 5070 Yet)
Before you ask: no, we didn’t get the RTX 5070 SKU for testing. At least not yet.
Our current review unit is the Yoga Pro 7i 15 G11 with an RTX 5060 (8 GB) , paired with 32 GB of RAM, a 1 TB SSD, and that gorgeous high-resolution OLED touchscreen. And honestly? Even the 5060 version has been eye-opening—both in performance and in price.
Because, oof. Let’s talk about that price.
The Elephant in the Room: €3089 for a Multimedia Laptop?
Here’s where things get real.
Lenovo’s configuration with the Core Ultra 9 386H, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, RTX 5060, and the OLED touchscreen is currently listed at €3089 from Lenovo directly.
Yes, you read that right. Over three thousand euros. For a 15-inch Yoga.
That is not cheap. And Lenovo isn’t alone here—memory prices have gone absolutely haywire, and every laptop maker is passing those costs down to us. But still. Three grand for a laptop with an RTX 5060 (not even the 5070) is a tough pill to swallow.
We’re hoping the RTX 5070 12 GB configurations come in at a more sensible price point. Because if they don’t, Nvidia’s thoughtful VRAM upgrade will be locked behind a paywall most people can’t justify.
What’s Next? Our Full Review Drops Soon
We’re currently putting the Yoga Pro 7i 15 G11 through its paces—real-world gaming, productivity benchmarks, thermal testing, and battery life (spoiler: OLED and 85W GPUs make for interesting trade-offs).
Our full, detailed review will be published in the next couple of days. We’ll cover:
- Whether the 85W TGP limit holds the RTX 5070 back
- How Panther Lake compares to AMD’s Strix Point
- Whether that OLED touchscreen is worth the premium
- And most importantly: should you buy one, or wait for cheaper alternatives?
Bottom line for now: The new RTX 5070 12 GB is a genuine, meaningful upgrade. Nvidia fixed the one thing that made the original launch feel cynical. But whether that matters in real-world laptops—especially at €3000+ price points—is something we’ll answer very soon.
Stay tuned. And if you’re in the market for a high-end multimedia or gaming laptop, hold off pulling the trigger for just a few more days.
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| GPU options Yoga Pro 7i 15 G11 |