Not way back, they have been in every single place, however now, 15-inch laptops are all however extinct, changed by 16-inch fashions with a 16:10 as a substitute of 16:9 display screen facet ratio. However Lenovo ideas its hat to custom with its PureSight Professional panel on the Yoga Slim 7i Aura Version (begins at $1,099.99; $1,299.99 by way of Greatest Purchase as examined). This desktop alternative’s 16:10 show measures 15.3 inches diagonally, very similar to the big-screen MacBook Air, making it trimmer and lighter than most 16-inch notebooks, and the high-quality display screen is joined by different interesting options. So long as you don’t need a 2-in-1 convertible—this can be a typical clamshell regardless of the Yoga title—it is a succesful laptop computer and an reasonably priced one if Greatest Purchase and/or Lenovo runs the $999.99 particular served up throughout our testing. In any other case, the MSI Status 16 AI Evo stays our high choose for midrange desktop alternative laptops.
Configuration and Design: Branding Run Amok
Lenovo invented the favored 360-degree-hinge convertible design and established the Yoga model in 2012, nevertheless it has deserted pill and tent modes with current methods just like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x. The Slim 7i makes use of an Intel x86 processor as a substitute of the 7x’s Snapdragon Arm CPU—and provides the catchphrase “Aura Version,” Lenovo’s model of the “Now with AI!” label at the moment showing on the whole lot from smartphones to shampoo.
To be particular, Aura Version is an Intel three way partnership that allows a number of working modes (accessible right here by urgent F9): Collaboration, which boosts conferencing video; Defend, which alerts you or blurs your display screen when somebody is close to; Wellness, which reminds you to thoughts your posture and look away from the display screen periodically; and Consideration, which silences notifications and blocks social media for a set time. Like most AI hype, it is a lot ado about virtually nothing.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
Our Yoga Slim 7i take a look at unit (mannequin 83HM0000US) groups an eight-core Intel Core Extremely 7 256V processor with 16GB of reminiscence, a 1TB NVMe solid-state drive, and a 2,880-by-1,800-pixel contact display screen with a 120Hz refresh price—quick sufficient for average gaming. Nevertheless, the CPU’s Intel Arc 140V built-in graphics aren’t.
Clad in “Luna” Grey anodized aluminum, the Lenovo measures 0.6 by 13.5 by 9.3 inches. It is not the lightest at 3.2 kilos—the Acer Swift Edge 16 qualifies as an ultraportable at 2.71 kilos—nevertheless it’s undoubtedly sleeker than the likes of the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus (0.78 by 14 by 9.9 inches, 4.87 kilos).
The system has handed MIL-STD 810H exams in opposition to journey hazards resembling shock and vibration; you may really feel a little bit of flex for those who grasp the display screen corners or mash the keyboard. A slight bump alongside the highest edge holds the webcam, which gives face recognition for Home windows Hi there logins (with no fingerprint reader) and makes it simpler to open the laptop computer with one hand. Stereo audio system flank the keyboard.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
The skinny Slim has two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, one on all sides (and both appropriate for the AC adapter). The left flank additionally holds an HDMI monitor port and a headphone jack, with a 5Gbps USB-A connection, an influence button, and a tiny toggle swap for the webcam on the suitable aspect. Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth, and Windows 11 Residence all include this laptop computer normal.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
Utilizing the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Version: Two Strikes and You are Out
I usually reward Lenovo laptop computer keyboards, however the Yoga Slim’s commits each of my navigational pet peeves: You will need to crew the cursor arrows and Fn key within the absence of actual Residence, Finish, Web page Up, and Web page Down keys, and stated arrows are organized in a careless row with hard-to-hit, half-sized up and down keys stacked between full-size left and proper.
It is made worse by a shallow, rubbery typing really feel—keystrokes are quiet however uncomfortable. The decently sized, buttonless touchpad is extra pleasing, with a easy glide and simply the correct amount of strain for a delicate click on.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
The 1080p webcam captures well-lit (truly virtually pale or washed-out) and colourful photographs with minimal noise or static. Oddly, the Home windows Digital camera app does not present the just lately added Studio Results, resembling auto framing or background blur.
The stereo audio system pump out reasonably loud, crisp sound, full with a little bit of bass—not tons, however greater than most laptops—and snappy percussion. Audio does not sound hole or tinny from these audio system, and you may make out overlapping tracks. Dolby Atmos software program (additionally reachable by means of the Lenovo Vantage app that handles system updates and different settings) gives dynamic, music, film, and recreation presets and an equalizer.
Given this laptop computer’s display screen decision of two,880 by 1,800 pixels, I initially typed “OLED” out of behavior, however the Slim’s is an IPS panel. You would possibly make the identical mistake because the display screen’s colours are wealthy, deep, and vivid, its distinction is excessive, and its viewing angles are huge. I discover fantastic particulars are sharp on the display screen, with no pixelation across the edges of letters, and white backgrounds are clear as a substitute of dingy. The show is a particular spotlight on the laptop computer’s cheap value.
(Credit score: Eric Grevstad)
Testing the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Version: Completely Perky Efficiency
Among the many different desktop replacements which have accomplished our just lately up to date benchmark suite, the equally configured Acer Swift 16 AI is roughly within the Yoga’s value ballpark, whereas the Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 7 is beneath it ($819.99 as examined). The Asus Zenbook S 16 ($1,699.99) is above it, with an AMD Ryzen AI processor that makes it the overdog in our exams. So is the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 ($1,749.99 as examined), whose Snapdragon CPU makes it the joker within the deck.
Productiveness and Content material Creation Checks
Our main general benchmark, UL’s PCMark 10, places a system by means of its paces in productiveness apps starting from net shopping to phrase processing and spreadsheet work. Its Full System Drive subtest measures a PC’s storage throughput.
Three extra exams are CPU-centric or processor-intensive. Maxon’s Cinebench 2024 makes use of that firm’s Cinema 4D engine to render a fancy scene; Primate Labs’ Geekbench 6.3 Professional simulates widespread apps starting from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine studying; and we see how lengthy it takes the HandBrake 1.8 transcoder to transform a 12-minute clip from 4K to 1080p decision.
Lastly, workstation maker Puget Techniques’ PugetBench for Creators charges a PC’s picture enhancing prowess by executing numerous automated operations in Adobe Photoshop 2024.
The Zenbook’s highly effective Ryzen processor jockeyed with the Galaxy Book4 Edge’s Snapdragon on the entrance of the pack. Nonetheless, the Yoga Slim 7i wasn’t far behind, with wonderful scores in PCMark 10 and PugetBench for Photoshop. It is no cellular workstation, nevertheless it’s no slouch both. That is efficiency becoming of this laptop computer’s midrange positioning. Addressing the apple-shaped elephant within the room, the 15-inch MacBook Air (not charted right here, based mostly on Apple M3) outperformed the Yoga Slim on a number of of those exams by various margins, most notably Photoshop by greater than 3,000 factors.
Graphics Checks
We problem laptops’ graphics with a quartet of animations or gaming simulations from UL’s 3DMark take a look at suite. Wild Life (1440p) and Wild Life Excessive (4K) use the Vulkan graphics API to measure GPU speeds. Metal Nomad’s common and Mild subtests concentrate on APIs extra generally used for recreation growth, like Steel and DirectX 12, to evaluate gaming geometry and particle results. A fifth take a look at, Photo voltaic Bay, emphasizes ray-tracing efficiency.
None of those laptops can compete with a gaming rig with a discrete GPU, however the Yoga places up credible numbers for informal gaming and video streaming. Samsung’s Qualcomm built-in graphics proved aggressive with its x86-based rivals. In the meantime, the 15-inch MacBook Air outpaced the Yoga Slim in two graphics exams by small margins, however Intel’s Arc 140V GPU crushed the Apple M3 GPU in ray tracing, with a more-than-3,000-point benefit in Photo voltaic Bay.
Battery and Show Checks
We take a look at every laptop computer’s battery life by taking part in a regionally saved 720p video file (the open-source Blender film Tears of Steel) with show brightness at 50% and audio quantity at 100%. We make sure that the battery is absolutely charged earlier than the take a look at, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off.
We additionally use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and Home windows software program to measure a display screen’s coloration saturation—what share of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 coloration gamuts or palettes the show can present—and its 50% and peak brightness in nits (candelas per sq. meter).
The Slim 7i led the way in which in battery life and brightness, and its IPS panel nearly matched the OLED screens in coloration constancy. It is a tempting selection for content material creation and productiveness apps. The thrifty ThinkBook lagged with a Chromebook-class show.
Verdict: Le Modern, C’est Stylish
This is able to be a four-star evaluate if Greatest Purchase’s $999.99 value had caught, however even an added $300 does not wholly dampen our affection for the Yoga Slim 7i. The keyboard is a disappointment, however the display screen, sound, general construct, and port structure go an extended strategy to make up for that. We’re not speaking about an Editors’ Alternative award, which stays with the MSI Status 16 AI Evo, however if you would like a desktop alternative that is something however cumbersome, you might do quite a bit worse.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Version
Cons
The Backside Line
You will not mistake its keyboard for a ThinkPad’s, however Lenovo’s 15.3-inch Yoga Slim 7i Aura Version laptop computer has a beautiful contact display screen and prolonged battery life for a good value.
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About Eric Grevstad
Contributing Editor
