Verdict
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X is a well balanced laptop , capable of casual gambling and content creation . If your budget ca n’t elongate to a MacBook Pro , this is a fantastic compromise .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
windowpane laptops have been attempting to declare oneself a similar experience to aMacBook Profor year now , and few have managed to strike that perfect balance of fashionable design , breakneck functioning and retentive battery life-time .
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X is a long path from meeting those lofty mark , settling for an entry - degree graphics performance , but it makes up for that with a more affordable terms item .
There is n’t really any cardinal feature article or spec that makes this laptop computer stand out from the bunch , but it nevertheless has a great all - round balance of specs and features to make this a executable option to the MacBook Pro for those on a budget .
Design
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X has an unremarkable conception that ’s unconvincing to draw the heart in a coffee shop or office . But it still looks nifty , with a thin bezel surrounding the 14.5 - inch screen and round off edge on the brim of the build .
Lenovo lists this laptop as being painted in gray , but I can see a subtle blue tint to it , making it more of an eye pleaser than the ordinary laptop computer .
It ’s amazingly slender consider my framework is packing both a high - last mainframe and a discrete GPU . With a peak of 15.9 mm , it ’s only marginally thicker than the 14 - inch MacBook Pro ( 15.5 mm ) despite the latter using a single chip to store both theCPUandGPUcores .
I ’ve carried the laptop around the spot with one helping hand , although it ’s just about clayey enough ( starting at 1.5 kg ) to stimulate strain to my wrist . It ’s no problem in a backpack though , as I ’ve thrown it inside my bag along with aDell XPS 13laptop and tablet , and still had no trouble change to and from work .
Lenovo has choose for a clean expression on the laptop computer ’s lid , with a shiny ‘ Yoga ’ logo stretching down the top - left niche , and a little Lenovo badge on the diametric side . Otherwise , it ’s just a homely metallic lid . When lighting hits the Earth’s surface , the metal lid does reflect proudly , but also draws attention to all of my fingerprint smudges .
The ‘ Lenovo Yoga ’ moniker is arguably deceptive , as the laptop ’s flexible joint can not be rotated by 360 - degrees , unless you project on snapping it . The laptop computer has apparently done some launching - level yoga division though , as I ’m able-bodied to deflect the screen back as far down as the desk , but I ’m not convinced there ’s much role case for such a form .
Despite the Yoga being so thin , Lenovo has still managed to cram numerous port onto the laptop , including a headphone jack , USB - A larboard , 2x USB - C ( withThunderbolt 4support ) and HDMI – that ’s a superb selection that put the like of Apple and Dell to ignominy , who have suggested their laptop computer are now too thin to host legacy ports .
You ’ll even find a webcam toss off switch on the right edge , which cuts the superpower to the sensor so you may be certain nobody is snooping on you . The 1080p webcam looks a little grainy , struggling to pluck up much particular in scummy light . But it ’s still dead serviceable for Zoom catch ups with supporter and colleagues .
The keyboard is sandwich between two up - terminate Speaker , and yet still has sight of space for chunky key that are easy to hit no subject your typing speed . There ’s no number pad , but that ’s normal for a 14 - inch laptop these day .
I ’m a slight disappointed by the deficiency of a fingermark sensor for hassle - complimentary logins , but Lenovo has ensuredWindows Hellosupport for the webcam or else . That means the laptop will ratify you in as presently as it recognises your face , although this feature can be a little temperamental , especially if you ’re not in a brightly get down room .
Lenovo has prefer for a forcible trackpad rather than being tempt over byhaptic feedback . It ’s massive , smooth and reactive – and so ticks all of my boxes .
Screen
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X features a 14.5 - column inch panel , which does n’t sound huge on theme , but makes the 13 - column inch screen of the Dell XPS 13 look absolutely tiny in comparison . The Lenovo await like a big - screen laptop , and yet remain small enough that it ’s easy to transport .
It features a eminent 3 K ( 3072 x 1920 ) CRT screen resolution . television and painting search sharp , although the IPS screen technology does n’t look quite as sheer and punchy as an OLED ( Dell XPS 13 organic light-emitting diode ) or Mini light-emitting diode ( MacBook Pro ) display .
For testing purpose , I used a colorimeter to plunge deeply into the Lenovo ’s screen specs . A recorded max brightness of 416 nit is above the average ( 300 nits ) for a laptop computer , and so should be able to still be visible in bright light – although that ’s laborious to test in the dark month of February and March .
Sadly , the laptop struggles when expose lurch inglorious vista , which appear a little too Lady Jane Grey for my liking . This is backed up by a second-rate black level of 0.32 nits , resulting in an overall dividing line of 1290:1 . Such a termination is perfectly fine , although you will get better termination by spend more .
The colour coverage is full , with 99 % coverage of sRGB . But the middling Adobe RGB and DCI - P3 consequence both come in in at 73 % , which is just about near enough for entree - level content creators , although seasoned professionals will likely want a more precise display .
A 120Hz refresh pace comes as standard , admit for politic on - screen motion , especially if you intend on play games on this laptop .
Lenovo also provides you with the option to pick either a non - glare or glare show , while also offering you to elevate to a touch screen for an extra charge .
Performance
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X is power by Intel ’s 12th Generation of processors , with the option of either an i5 - 12500H or i7 - 12700H chip via an extra raise . Intel recently introduce its thirteenth contemporaries of mainframe , although you ’re still get plenty of office with the Lenovo .
You get Intel ’s stock integrated graphics by nonpayment , although Lenovo is also offering up two optional GPU upgrades : Nvidia ’s GTX 1650 for an redundant £ 160 or RTX 3050 for £ 230 more .
Lenovo sent me the top form , with an Intel Core i7 - 12700H chip , Nvidia RTX 3050 , 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1 TB SSD . The full cost come to £ 1576 , which is extremely undecomposed value – the cheapest 14 - column inch MacBook Pro retail for £ 2149 , although is admittedly more powerful .
If you ’re happy to surmount down the specs ( which includes the remotion of a discrete GPU ) , then you could buy the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X for as little as £ 1063.99 , which remain great value .
But how does the performance of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X compare to other laptops ? I used some benchmark tests to find out , and you may check the results in the graph below .
As you could see , the MacBook Pro wipes the storey with Lenovo , posting superior scores for both the CPU and GPU performance . But it ’s authoritative to remember Apple ’s Pro laptop computer is almost doubly as expensive too .
I ’m impress with the score of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X count its price . I sped through web browsers and apps , to such an extent that it was immediately obvious of the performance boost when switching from the Dell XPS 13 . The performance is even good enough for first appearance - level depicted object introduction such as pic / telecasting editing .
Gaming carrying out was decent – when playing Horizon Zero Dawn with scoop graphic setting and a resolution of 1440p , the Lenovo laptop computer was able-bodied to attain an average frame rate of 33fps . Dialling the resolving power down to 1080p run across that carrying out increase to 36fps .
This is certainly not die to compete with a right gaming laptop such as theAsus Zephyrus G14 , but if you ’re naturalistic with the graphics scope , you could still recreate some free-and-easy games on the side – something like Stardew Valley , Football Manager and The Sims should solve absolutely fine .
But be warned that the fan can whir up to a really loud volume when the laptop is under stress . It ’s nothing a pair of earpiece ca n’t blockade out , but it may show to be a misdirection in an business office setting .
The SSD speed are perfectly adequate , with a read score of 3438MB / s and a write musical score of 3288MB / s. That ’s about mean for a productivity laptop computer , although we are starting to see a trend of laptop computer using super - speedy internals to make boot - up time and app warhead - ups even quicker .
Battery life
The big downside of tally in a discrete GPU , such as the optional Nvidia ’s GTX 1650 and RTX 3050 chips on offer with the Lenovo , is that they can be a major leech on battery life – that ’s the trade - off for speedy graphics performance .
Since my example of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X packs the RTX 3050 , it was n’t a big surprisal to see assault and battery lifetime limited to just 6 hours and 51 Amoy in our PCMark 10 office staff pretending benchmark . That ’s subpar stamina , especially when compared to theMacBook Air M2which can last over 13 hour away from the mains .
I also tested the battery sprightliness by looping a 1440p YouTube television . The Lenovo only endure 4 and a one-half hours this clip , which may be bad word for those who require to watch Netflix at the highest solvent potential .
If you adjudicate to buy a good example that does n’t boast a discrete artwork chip , you will no doubt see a major cost increase to the laptop ’s staying power . It ’s smashing to be able to choose between the two priorities , but it ’s a compromise you do n’t have to make when buy aMacBook melodic line .
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Should you buy it?
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X is one of the best Windows laptops I ’ve tested at this price for ledger entry - level depicted object creation , with a high - resolution display and fantastic carrying out .
The 7 hr bombardment life of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X is by no means short given the spectacles , but you will ascertain much honorable staying power by opt for a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro .
Final Thoughts
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X is one of the in effect value Windows laptops I ’ve see for entry - level content Lord . The price is very reasonable when packing in specification such as an RTX 3050 GPU , 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD .
The MacBook is the most obvious rival , with the Lenovo sitting somewhere between theM2 - power AirandM2 Pro sum Proin term of processing might . But the Lenovo scramble to compete when it comes to bombardment life and colour reporting , do it difficult to recommend to the professional creative crowd .
But if you ’re looking for a monetary value - efficient MacBook choice with enough power for casual gaming , then the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X is a superb option .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we review goes through a series of uniform checks design to guess key thing include human body quality , performance , screen quality and battery life .
These include formal man-made benchmark and written tests , plus a serial of real - earth check , such as how well it go the most frequently used apps .
We also check that to utilise every laptop we go over as our primary gadget for at least a calendar week to ensure our review is as exact as potential .
FAQs
The touchscreen is optional , require an extra £ 50 kick .
The i ordinarily stand for that the laptop computer is power by an Intel central processing unit , opposed to an AMD chip .
