A laptop that disappears in your bag and lasts a day’s work. Solid performance in just 975 grams, an ideal balance point for those looking for a mobile resource with very few compromises.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i weighs 975 grams, less than a one-liter bottle of water, and inside there is a 75 Wh battery and a 16 core processor. An essential technical sheet that already says a lot. Just look a little closer at the notebook we probably have on our desk to understand that this product is close to the “definitive” device.
A laptop exists to remain useful away from the desk, and that’s where the joint work of Lenovo and Intel in the Aura Edition line convinces. The balance between power, weight and durability is the design itself, and the result is a notebook very usable. A device that convinces when you turn it on at the beginning of the day and that convinces when you turn it off, after casual hours of use.
The processor, with a reserve
The configuration we tried fits the Intel Core Ultra X9 378H16 cores up to 5 GHz, with 32 GB of LPDDR5X-9600 memory and a 1 TB SSD. On paper he is a heavyweight. In practice, part of that force remains in the drawer: the chip can reach 80 watts of peak, but in a 13.9 mm thick chassis it can continuously hold much less.
A sacrifice on maximum power makes sense for a laptop with these characteristics, which is aimed at demanding users, but who first of all they focus on versatility and low weight. Those who want graphics desktop performance for heavy video editing or more demanding tasks will find louder, heavier laptops that go faster. The power is there and the Arc B390 graphics with 12 Xe cores also leave room for some fluid and responsive video games.
Autonomy and screen
Here the notebook plays at home. In our empirical tests, based on mixed use between office activities, video playback, some editing and video graphics, the 75 Wh battery exceeded the 16 hours. The 65W USB-C charger is small and easily forgotten in your backpack.
The screen is a 14 inch OLED2880×1800, 120 Hz and touch, with 100% P3 gamma and a declared peak of 1,100 nits in HDR. Of course it is a multi-touch display and for those who have become accustomed to this technology, it is impossible to go back (some fingerprints remain on the screen despite the specific treatment). There remains the slight annoyance of typical glossy screens which is more noticeable in some light conditions, but the Eyesafe certification, the reduction of flicker and blue light emissions generally offer good visual comfort.
The four speakers with Dolby Atmos do a job that is not expected from such a thickness, a full, powerful and well-balanced sound. Also convincing, the glass touchpad responds with light haptic feedback.
The rest of the equipment
The chassis has passed the MIL-STD-810H military testsWi-Fi 7 is standard and the 50 TOPS NPU qualifies the laptop as a Copilot+ PC. Solid hinge and keyboard with good key travel fully respond to the requests of those who know they have a top-of-the-range notebook in their hands.
The 5 megapixel webcam has a infrared sensor for face unlock and an electronic privacy shutter that works, but we prefer the mechanical slider. The fingerprint reader is missing and for some it could be a flaw. For completeness, there is not even pen support.
The shell pearl white (Lenovo calls it Seashell) is one of the distinctive and appreciable aspects of this model. The magnesium and aluminum alloy has a modern appearance and gives the product a decidedly less conventional character than the usual office grey. The bill comes later: it gets dirtier than you imagineespecially the keys. Luckily cleaning is a matter of seconds.
Three doors and a price
The ports are three USB-C Thunderbolt 4. No HDMI, no USB-A, no audio jack. Unfortunately it is the most relevant compromise to make when you have such a light product in your hand. The problem can be solved with a small docking device to carry around.
The real issue is the price list. The Yoga Slim 7i with Intel Core Ultra X9 processor that we tested, it costs 2,699 euros (starting from 1,982 euros), a selective figure that perhaps penalizes too much those who would like to enjoy the tangible advantages of this notebook, i.e. lightness and autonomy. There is no shortage of rivals in circulation that have a more aggressive price tag; however, the versatility and portability are more solid and convincing.
