Gaming on a budget used to be difficult. This often meant buying low-end systems and peripherals, but that's no longer the case. The Lenovo Legion R25-30f is one such example, offering good color accuracy and brightness with a 240Hz refresh rate for under $200. The 27-inch gaming monitor is easy to set up and looks good despite its low price.
The budget gaming monitor also features AMD FreeSync Premium technology, which ensures buttery smooth visuals. And if 240Hz isn't enough, you can boost the refresh rate to 280Hz with a quick visit to the monitor's menu. There are a few things to note, like the low number of ports and the lack of Nvidia G-Sync. But if those are just minor issues, you should grab the Legion R25 -30f now.
Best value for money
Lenovo Legion R25-30f
Greatness for under $200
160$ $200 Save $40
The Lenovo Legion R25-30f gaming monitor combines a premium design and a beautiful display for under $200. The budget peripheral offers good color accuracy, sharp details, and high refresh rates, along with AMD's FreeSync Premium technology built in. And if you need to boost the refresh rate, Gaming Mode boosts the refresh rate up to 280Hz. However, with only 1080p resolution, 4K gaming is not possible.
- Great price
- Robust, high-quality looking design
- Bright, vibrant display
- Overclockable refresh rate
- Games cannot be played in 4K
- Not many ports
- No Nvidia G-Sync
Price, availability and specifications
A real bargain
Currently, only one configuration of the Lenovo Legion R25-30f monitor is available, costing $180 from Lenovo or $162 from Newegg for a 24.5-inch monitor with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 240 Hz response rate, 0.5 millisecond response time, and 178-degree viewing angle.
design
A high-quality looking design despite the price
Is this the flashiest monitor I've ever seen? No, not by a long shot. But the Legion R25-30f isn't boring. The LTPS (Lift, Tilt, Pivot, Swivel) stand base is made of silvery plastic, giving the monitor an industrial look that looks cool. As with most Lenovo products, there's a silver metal plate prominently placed that shows the product's origins. On the R25, it's on a pole that sits right between the feet of the base.
The sides of the socket neck are dark grey, while the centre has a silver hexagonal pattern engraved into black plastic, creating a honeycomb pattern. A large blue opening at the bottom of the neck allows you to run any cables you want to connect through it, providing a degree of cable management. The socket is attached to the back of the base with screws. From unboxing to completion, it only took me about 10 minutes to get the R25 up and running.
Once connected, the LTPS stand offers a tilt angle range of -5 to 22 degrees as well as a swivel angle of +30 to -30 degrees. There is also a lift range of 135mm with a swivel range of -90 to 90 degrees. However, if you don't want to use the stand, the monitor can also be mounted using VESA mounts.
Is this the flashiest monitor I've ever seen? No, not by a long shot. But the Legion R25-30f isn't boring.
As for the monitor itself, the bezels around the display and the back are made of matte black plastic. On the right side of the panel are buttons for accessing the menu, game modes, and mirror switch, along with the power button.
It's not as much as you'll find on more expensive models, but the R25 offers a fair number of connectivity options. The monitor has two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, an audio-out jack, and the power-in port on the bottom of the display, as well as a pair of integrated 3W speakers. A Kensington cable lock slot so a thieving thief can't just make off with your shiny new monitor. I wouldn't mind a couple of USB-A and USB-C ports to round out the port portfolio, though.
Without the base, the R25 monitor weighs 7.9 pounds and measures 1.99 x 12.96 x 21.94 inches. With the stand attached, the weight increases to 12.1 pounds, 10.19 x 19.65 x 21.94 inches.
Display and Gaming
A treat for the eyes
The price should be a clear indication that the R25 isn't designed for 4K gaming. However, that doesn't mean you can't have tons of fun at 1080p. Colors on the 27.5-inch monitor are rich and pretty accurate. And to my surprise and absolute delight, the blacks are pretty deep. When I pulled out my trusty colorimeter, I saw that the panel had decent color accuracy, as it hit 99% of the sRGB color space and 89% for Adobe sRGB. The DCI-P3 color space hit 92%, while the NTSC color space hit 85%. And when I measured the screen brightness, I saw a result of 375 nits, which isn't too bad considering the price.
I used the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i with the R25. Whether I was reading on the matte panel or writing an article, I appreciated how defined the text looked. When I watched a few episodes of Castlevania: NocturneColors were vibrant, but couldn't match the vibrancy of the Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved Thunderbolt Hub Monitor. But then again, I wasn't expecting that, since the UltraSharp 40 is about ten times more expensive than the Legion R25.
The price should be a clear indication that the R25 is not designed for 4K gaming.
But while reading web pages and watching movies is fine, you'll want to know how the R25 handles gaming. And I can tell you that you'll get more than your money's worth. Whether it's ForzaHorizon5 or Black Myth: Wukongthe games looked great. The photorealistic gloss of the cars glowed under the setting sun and I could see all the details of my carbon fiber steering wheel. And when I died for the umpteenth time in Wukong, I looked good doing it. I saw every particle of my body as it turned into particles of light on the way to resurrection.
No matter what game I played, I got a silky smooth picture, thanks in part to the built-in AMD FreeSync Premium technology and the 240Hz refresh rate. However, if you want an even smoother picture, the R25 has a sort of overclocking mode that increases the refresh rate from 240 to 280Hz and can be enabled in the monitor's Gaming Mode menu. Unfortunately, the display doesn't support Nvidia G-Sync, but again, certain sacrifices have been made to hit a certain price point.
Should you buy the Lenovo Legion R25-30f?
You should buy the Lenovo Legion R25-30f if:
- You don't want to spend more than $200 on a gaming monitor.
- You want a gaming monitor with AMD FreeSync Premium technology.
- You want a gaming monitor with a high refresh rate.
You should not buy the Lenovo Legion R25-30f if:
- You want a 4K gaming monitor.
- You want a gaming monitor with Nvidia G-Sync.
- You want a gaming monitor with more ports.
For its price, the Lenovo Legion R25-30f is a steal. You get a monitor with a fairly accurate color gamut and solid brightness. While it's not a super high-resolution panel, the R25 still delivers vibrant colors, smooth image rendering, and crisp details. Setup is super quick, and the menu is really easy to navigate. Plus, you get AMD's FreeSync Premium software and a 240Hz refresh rate that can be boosted to 280Hz at the touch of a button. And with such a relatively low price, you could have a three-monitor setup for a little under $600, which could be the cost of just one monitor, depending on the monitor.
There are a few limitations to consider, however, such as the limited port offering and the lack of Nvidia G-Sync. And of course, if you're hell-bent on gaming above 1080p, this monitor just isn't for you. However, if you're looking for a cheap monitor with good colors, detail, and refresh rate, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything better than the Lenovo Legion R25-30f.
Best value for money
Lenovo Legion R25-30f
Greatness for under $200
160$ $200 Save $40
The Lenovo Legion R25-30f gaming monitor combines a premium design and a beautiful display for under $200. The budget peripheral offers good color accuracy, sharp details, and high refresh rates, along with AMD's FreeSync Premium technology built in. And if you need to boost the refresh rate, Gaming Mode boosts the refresh rate up to 280Hz. However, with only 1080p resolution, 4K gaming is not possible.