Lenovo Legion R25f-30 280 Hz gaming monitor review: Premium speed and response at a low price

The Lenovo Legion R25f-30 is a 25-inch FHD VA monitor with 280 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR and wide gamut color.

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Lenovo R25f-30
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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Lenovo R25f-30
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The R25f-30 is one of the brighter VA monitors I’ve tested, with a max output of 373 nits in SDR mode. That’s more than enough light for any indoor environment. Few users will need to set brightness above 200 nits so there is plenty of headroom for HDR content and its specular highlights.

Though it takes third place in the contrast contest behind the 27G15 and GS27FC, the R25f-30 is still above the VA average with a respectable 3,737.4:1 ratio thanks to its low black level.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Lenovo R25f-30
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Calibration doesn’t change much except for the output level equaling 200 nits. The Gigabyte and AOC screens have a slight edge but, in a side-by-side comparison, you’ll be hard-pressed to see a difference. In the ANSI test, the R25f-30 is within a whisker of the numbers posted by the top two screens. That’s definitely a photo finish. With over 3,000:1 intra-image contrast, the R25f-30 is one of the better VA panels I’ve tested.

Test Takeaway: The R25f-30 has plenty of light output and overhead for HDR content. Its contrast is above the VA panel average and image quality is well above what you’d expect for the price. None of these monitors are expensive, but the R25f-30 delivers champagne quality for little more than beer money.

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.