Over the years I’ve used plenty of Lenovo devices – IdeaPad, Yoga series, and their gaming laptops – and they’ve been quite good. In terms of models, availability, pricing and performance, they go head-to-head with Asus’ lineup of notebooks.
The Yoga series has been in existence for over a decade now. Slim laptops and top-of-the-line specs usually don’t go hand-in-hand since there are hardly any thin-and-light laptops without hardware compromises. The Yoga Slim 7i Pro X bucks that trend.
The Yoga Slim 7i Pro X unit that I received for review was spec-ed out. It’s got an Intel Core i7-12700H processor (yes, it isn’t 13th Gen, but those are few and far for now), Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics cards, 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD for storage.
With the Yoga Slim 7i Pro X, Lenovo has crafted a laptop that’s not only good for everyday computing tasks but a notch above for casual gaming as well.
With a lightweight design (yes, it can be opened one-handed), great aesthetics, and a solid build, can the Yoga Slim 7i Pro X match up to the competition?
What’s cooking
First impressions matter, don’t they? The Slim 7i Pro X ticks off that box. It’s got a sturdy and robust build, made from aluminum alloy, rounded edges, attractive colour options, slim bezels around the display and much more. It’s an all-out premium device.
Lenovo has had a history of having sharp edges, and unfortunately, the Slim 7i Pro X continues that trend as it has a sharp edge in front of the palm rests, though it isn’t uncomfortable when typing.
The ports selection is pretty decent here. There are two Thunderbolt 4 ports (Type-C) on the left side along with a full-sized HDMI 2.0 port. On the right, there is a Type-A USB 3.2 (Gen 1) port, a headphone/microphone combo socket, a power button and a toggle switch to disable the webcam.
What stands out here is the gorgeous display (which can be opened up to 180 degrees). It’s a 14.5-inch IPS display (3072 x 1920 resolution) with an optimal 16:10 aspect ratio, 400 nits of brightness, 120Hz refresh rate (for smoother animations) and 100 percent sRGB (though it can’t render Adobe RGB or DCI-P3 colour spaces). It’s a non-reflective display, which helps seal the deal. Photo editing looks crisp, and multitasking is a breeze as there is plenty of space to have multiple windows open at the same time. The thin bezels that surround the display make it an immersive experience.
If you’re one to be doing a lot of typing then you’ll be happy to know that the keyboard is very comfortable. The sunken keyboard is another win for this laptop. With slightly concaved keys and a fair bit of distance between them, comfort and consistency have improved. You get a good amount of feedback as well.
With an Intel 17 12700H processor, RTX 3050, and plenty of storage and RAM, the Yoga Slim7i Pro X breezes through daily tasks without breaking a sweat. Thanks to the dedicated GPU, editing photos and videos is a pleasure. Even casual gaming is a lot of fun.
When editing videos and/or gaming, it’s recommended to be plugged in as you’ll be getting the maximum performance out of the laptop. If you’re using the battery and performing high-intensity tasks, then you can expect the laptop to slow down a little here and there.
If you aren’t pushing the RTX 3050, then you can expect decent battery life at best. I got around 5-7 hours on average, enough to get through a full workday, if you aren’t gaming or performing intense tasks like video editing. It’s certainly nothing to rave about especially vis-a-vis the competition (the Apple Macbooks easily outdo it), it’s decent enough for the specs on offer.
What’s not cooking
While there’s a lot that is good with the Yoga Slim 7i Pro X, it isn’t a perfect laptop. With such powerful specs, in such a thin-and-light design, the laptop is bound to get warm. While playing Forza Horizon 5, and other similar games, the fans got quite loud and the space beneath them became warm. Even some of the keys became warm, but that’s because of the dedicated GPU below them. It’s not something that becomes unbearable, but it is quite noticeable. Still, playing Forza Horizon 5 (with some settings toned down) on a laptop like this is mighty impressive.
There’s a lack of a fingerprint sensor, which is a disappointment. There might be a 1080p webcam (with support for Windows Hello), but it isn’t the best in the business. For it to work accurately, one needs to have good lighting. The backgrounds become blown out and faces are overexposed when on calls. It’s sufficient for work meetings, but nothing to rave about.
A few other nitpicks I have about this laptop: first, there’s no OLED option available. Yes, I’ve been spoiled by Asus and its mission to get OLED to everyone. Second, the speakers could have been a bit louder and slightly less mushy. At 1.45kg and 15.9mm thick, the laptop is also heavier than most rival options.
Is the Yoga Slim 7i Pro X for you?
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X is a thin-and-light laptop that can compete with the best that Dell (XPS), HP (Spectre) and Apple (Macbook) offer. The Yoga Slim 7i Pro X may not excel in any one category but taken all together, it’s well-balanced between design, specs, and portability. It’s got a high-res display, great build quality, speedy performance (though one is hoping for a 13th Gen refresh) and a GeForce RTX 3050 GPU for added performance boost. It’s lacking in a few departments – crucially, battery life and display (lack of OLED) – but nothing that are deal breakers.
The best way to sum it up would be this: the Yoga Slim 7i Pro X is a successful all-rounder.
At a specced-out price of ₹1,61,990 (as per Lenovo’s website), this isn’t a bad deal at all. It wouldn’t hurt to wait for the 13th Gen refresh, but if you must buy now, then this should be near the top of your shopping list.
Sahil Bhalla is a Delhi-based journalist
