Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro X (2022) review

Most laptops make compromises to get the job executed – notebooks for creatives eschew slim designs for energy, as an example, and thinner notebooks lack velocity. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Professional X tries to do all of it, although, with a high-end processor inside a glossy design.

There’s masses to love about this machine, particularly if you need a slim and light-weight laptop computer with the grunt for inventive work.

As ever, although, high quality doesn’t usually come low-cost. In order for you the high-end specification we’ve lined right here, you’ll must pay $1,760 or £1,869.

The Lenovo isn’t wanting competitors, both. When you’d desire a small inventive pocket book from Apple then you possibly can take a look at the MacBook Air or MacBook Professional 14, and Microsoft deploys the Floor Laptop computer 4 in case you’d like to stick with Home windows.

Design & Construct

• A glossy, sturdy and handsome chassis
• A stable choice of ports
• Slightly heavier and thicker than rivals

Lenovo’s Yoga machines have seemed sensible since day dot, and nothing has modified right here. The casing is produced from aluminium, and its edges mix delicate curves and glossy traces. There are slim bezels, minutely milled speaker grilles and a shining emblem on the lid. It’ll maintain its personal in any workplace.

The aluminium chassis additionally lends the Lenovo spectacular power, so we’ve bought no issues in regards to the Yoga’s sturdiness.

The left-hand edge has two Thunderbolt 4 ports that help DisplayPort, USB-C and energy supply alongside a HDMI 2.1 output. The fitting-hand facet homes a full-size USB port, an audio jack, an influence button and a bodily swap to disable the webcam.

The MacBook Air has two Thunderbolt ports however nothing extra, whereas the MacBook Professional has an additional Thunderbolt and an SD card slot however no full-size USB. Microsoft’s machine has sole USB-A and USB-C ports. Huawei’s MateBook X Professional is one other contender, a minimum of within the UK and outdoors of the US, and it has 4 USB-C connectors however no HDMI and no full-size USB.

It is determined by the way you’ll use the laptop computer, however the Lenovo strikes an excellent steadiness: the inclusion of a full-size USB port means fewer adapters and the HDMI port means straightforward show connectivity.

Sadly, creatives will lament the shortage of a card reader, and there’s no wired web – connectivity comes from dual-band Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1. There’s no fingerprint reader, though the 1080p webcam does help Home windows Hiya.

At 1.45kg and 15.9mm thick, the Yoga is heavier than each rival besides the MacBook Professional 14 and thicker than all its rivals. It’s not a dealbreaker, however the Yoga is a bit bigger than the competitors.

Keyboard & Trackpad 

• A top-notch, satisfying keyboard
• A big and responsive trackpad
• Join a mouse for shallower, faster clicking

The sunken keyboard is one other top-quality Lenovo design. The keys are barely concaved and there’s a good quantity of distance between every button, which improves consolation and consistency. The buttons are quick and crisp, with a delicate base.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

As ordinary, Lenovo has constructed a typing unit that’s pretty much as good as the rest available on the market. It’s bought a white backlight, too, however there’s no numberpad – although that’s regular on small laptops.

The touchpad is large, {smooth} and responsive, with full gesture help. The buttons have a bit of an excessive amount of downward motion, however that’s a tiny concern and the full-size USB port makes it straightforward so as to add a correct mouse.

Display & Audio system

• Spectacular sRGB distinction and accuracy
• Not in a position to deal with the Adobe RGB or DCI-P3 gamuts
• a 120Hz refresh fee and good audio system for media capability

The Yoga’s 14.5in show boasts a number of attributes that may profit inventive workloads. Its 16:10 side ratio delivers extra vertical house than typical 16:9 panels, and the excessive 3,072 x 1,920 decision delivers more room and sharper imagery.

This show even has a 120Hz refresh fee with Nvidia G-Sync. In on a regular basis duties which means you get butter-smooth movement, and it additionally means you get further velocity in case you use the Nvidia GPU to play fast-paced esports titles.

High quality ranges are nice, too. The delta E of 0.71 is flawless and the color temperature of 6,540K is equally spectacular – each shade will probably be excellent. The brightness degree of 403 nits is excessive sufficient for indoor and out of doors use, and the distinction ratio of 1,259:1 is a good determine for an IPS show.

Mike Jennings

The Yoga’s show has limits, although, they usually hit before different laptop computer screens. Whereas the Lenovo renders an inexpensive 93.7% of the sRGB gamut, it solely produces 65% and 66.8% of the Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 areas respectively – so this display can’t work in both of these color gamuts.

The MacBook Professional’s show has an analogous decision to the Yoga, however its 14.2in panel presents higher brightness degree and P3 gamut help – and the MacBook Air beats the Yoga too. The Floor and Huawei laptops each hit the DCI-P3 gamut with equally excessive resolutions.

The Yoga’s display is sweet sufficient for mainstream inventive workloads and it’s a crisp, high-quality choice for on a regular basis use, however different notebooks are higher. The upwards-firing audio system are wonderful, with nice quantity and readability. Bass may very well be higher, however they’re simply adequate for background music.

Specs & Efficiency

• Intel Core i7-12700H
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050
• 32GB RAM
• 1TB SSD

There’s no doubting the credentials of Intel’s Core i7-12700H processor: it’s bought six high-performance P-Cores that high out at 4.7GHz, and its environment friendly E-Cores deal with simpler duties at 3.5GHz. There’s 32GB of dual-channel LPDDR5 reminiscence and an impressively fast 1TB SSD, and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 delivers further graphics grunt because of 2,048 stream processors and 4GB of devoted reminiscence.

There’s no scarcity of computing capability right here. In Geekbench’s single- and multi-core benchmarks the Lenovo scored 1,734 and 12,365, giving the Yoga a bonus over most rivals.

The Apple M2 chip deployed in MacBook fashions scores 1,927 and eight,959 in the identical exams, so that you get big beneficial properties in inventive situations. The Huawei’s low-power Core i7-1195G7 solely presents half of the multi-core velocity.

There’s heaps to love in regards to the Yoga’s CPU efficiency, though it’s not flawless. Topic the silicon to long-term inventive workloads and also you’ll see its clock restricted to 2.4GHz, which is a good distance wanting its theoretical high velocity.

That’s not a catastrophe, although: it retains fan noise modest and exterior temperatures heat moderately than boiling. And even in case you solely get the Core i7 chip’s abilities in brief bursts, its nonetheless higher than its rivals. When you’d like extra energy, the one reply is a bigger pocket book.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

The Nvidia GPU scored 28,247 in 3DMark Night time Raid – miles higher than Intel’s built-in cores. It provides you further energy in inventive workloads and means you possibly can run esports video games like Overwatch and League of Legends at 1080p.

The 70Wh battery is the Lenovo’s weakest element. In a video playback take a look at the Yoga lasted for 11 hours and 9 minutes, however that lifespan declined to six hours and eight minutes in a more durable work take a look at.

Until you’re cautious with how you utilize this pocket book, you’ll must plug it in earlier than the top of the working day. That outcomes are comparable with the Huawei, however the Floor and each Apple machines final for much longer. A thirty-minute cost determine of 41% is affordable, however that’s the one shiny spot right here.

Value & Availability

The Yoga we’ve reviewed prices $1,760 within the US and £1,869 within the UK. In order for you the Apple MacBook Air with an equal specification it’ll price you $2,099 or £2,149. The MacBook Professional 14 is even pricier for an identical spec at $2,599 or £2,499. Apple’s laptops have higher shows and batteries however in most different areas they match the Yoga.

It’s finest to purchase direct from Lenovo’s US and UK websites, the place you possibly can select fashions and configure their specs.

Huawei’s MateBook X Professional prices £1,799, so it’s marginally cheaper than the Lenovo. And the Microsoft Floor Laptop computer 4 is extra reasonably priced, at $1,399 and £1,399.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

When you’d like a Yoga at a cheaper price, its entry-level mannequin prices $1,595 within the US and £1,229 within the UK. The US mannequin retains its Core i7 processor however halves its reminiscence and storage. The most cost effective UK laptop computer makes use of a weaker Core i5-12500H processor.

Lenovo additionally produces a model known as the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Professional X. It makes use of AMD processors as an alternative, however the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS within the priciest mannequin can’t compete with the Intel chip, and the AMD rig doesn’t have Thunderbolt or HDMI ports. It’s not beneficial.

Take a look at our chart of 2023’s finest laptops in case you’d prefer to see all your choices.

Verdict

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Professional X ticks a lot of an important packing containers when shopping for a laptop computer. Intel’s Core i7-12700H means you get extra computing and artistic energy than any rival – even when the slim design means the chip can’t all the time run at full pelt. The keyboard is reliably wonderful, the show is sharp and correct, connectivity is first rate and the laptop computer is sturdy, handsome and comparatively svelte. You even get an Nvidia GPU.

Nonetheless, different laptops are slimmer and lighter, and most rivals have brighter screens with broader colors. Apple’s laptops have higher battery life, too, which justifies their greater costs.

Lenovo’s laptop computer delivers ample energy, although, and that sole issue makes it definitely worth the worth in case you want velocity moderately than battery prowess. It’s an excellent transportable, inventive machine.

Specs

• Mannequin examined
• OS: Home windows 11 House
• Show: 14.5in 3072 x 1920 120Hz IPS
• CPU: Intel Core i7-12700H
• Reminiscence: 32GB onboard
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 4GB
• Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
• Webcam: 1080p
• Connectivity: 2 x Thunderbolt 4/USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C/energy supply, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x audio
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
• Battery capability: 70Wh
• Dimensions: 12.9 x 8.7 x 0.62 inches
• Measured weight: 1.45kg