ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is at present accessible for $1,199 on Greatest Purchase
- It combines a powerful 3K OLED show with a stable battery life — two issues that traditionally do not go collectively.
- That stated, the dearth of sure apps on Home windows on Arm may restrict some customers like content material creators.
Of all the brand new Copilot+ PCs across the $1,000 worth level, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x appears like one of the crucial premium. Its darkish “cosmic blue” colorway and modern type issue exude a grown-up, succesful aura that feels each all the way down to enterprise and able to have some enjoyable.
The stable {hardware} on board helps that impression, with the Snapdragon X Elite processor main the cost, and the good 3K OLED show appearing because the cherry on prime.
Lenovo’s Yoga laptops have blown up in recognition this 12 months for his or her versatile type elements that may bend and twist into a number of configurations (as their title suggests) and excessive diploma of {hardware} customization. My colleague Max Buondonno reviewed the Lenovo Yoga 9i, an outright problem to the standard laptop computer type issue with a twin display screen setup, and I took a have a look at the Yoga 7i, a 2-in-1 convertible laptop computer at a extra accessible worth level.
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The most recent addition to the Yoga household, the aptly-named 14-inch, 2.6-pound Slim 7x, departs from its siblings’ flexibility by giving up the 2-in-1 type issue however, in change, features spectacular battery life, elevated efficiency, and a stunning OLED show.
Really, this may be one of many brightest shows I’ve seen on a laptop computer shortly, able to as much as 1,000 nits of brightness for peak HDR content material. The touchscreen show contains a decision of 2944 x 1840 pixels (or 3K), leading to a stunning media expertise. Whereas it does not have a full 120Hz refresh charge, the 90Hz it will possibly obtain is sufficient for that silky-smooth, crisp picture.
The built-in Qualcomm Adreno GPU places within the work right here, sporting stable efficiency in graphics benchmarking checks in 3DMark, and value with video modifying in DaVinci Resolve, which ran easily throughout my testing. Whereas it finally will not compete with different high-end GPUs in the marketplace proper now, it options stable sufficient efficiency for almost all of instances that you will wish to put this laptop computer via.
Rounding out the media expertise, the Slim 7x supplies audio via two upward-firing audio system on both aspect of the keyboard. Not like the show, there’s not quite a bit to say right here, because the audio is obvious however lacks depth, which is typical for laptops. In spite of everything, that is what Bluetooth is for. I like to recommend popping in a pair of Nothing Ear (a) earbuds if you wish to hearken to music or watch a film, particularly for the reason that Dolby Atmos Entry app permits for audio customization.
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As talked about in all of our different critiques of Copilot+ PCs, the brand new Snapdragon X Elite processors with ARM structure cannot run all applications, together with business staples like Adobe Premiere Professional, nor video games, that are nonetheless a hit-or-miss endeavor.
You may definitely sport on the Yoga Slim 7x, however not all titles will work but, and those that do may not be completely optimized. That stated, video games that aren’t on the cutting-edge of graphics and {hardware} necessities look nearly as good as they will on a 14-inch laptop computer.
Whereas the show makes media and gaming one of the crucial apparent first areas to discover on this laptop computer, it is also well-suited to get all the way down to enterprise. From a productiveness standpoint, you have bought every thing you might need right here for a stable work laptop computer.
The X1E-78-100 Processor (3.40 GHz) Snapdragon X Elite processor helps snappy, responsive efficiency throughout multitasking, even with demanding purposes, whereas the 16GB of soldered reminiscence and 1TB of storage is sufficient to future-proof it.
Copilot+ PCs can nonetheless be thought of nascent for the reason that full capabilities of AI-fueled purposes (namely Microsoft’s Recall) have but to reach (which is a narrative for an additional day). For now, the ARM-based processors are quick, run cool, and permit for unbelievable AI efficiency through the NPU.
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x hits benchmarking numbers which can be akin to different Copilot+ PCs across the identical worth level, particularly the Asus Vivobook S 15. In Cinebench, I bought a single-core rating of 108, and a multicore rating of 1,004. Conversely, in Geekbench, the Yoga Slim 7x scored 2,412 on the single-core take a look at, and 13,677 on the multicore.
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The Slim 7x additionally has a powerful 70Wh battery, which might simply energy via a day of labor after which some with extra demanding workflows. Throughout my testing of operating a 4K livestream on YouTube over Wi-Fi with 50% brightness, I bought over 15 hours earlier than it conked out, placing it up close to the highest of different Copilot+ PCs. When it comes to extra actionable battery life, in my testing with intermittent use of work-related productiveness apps, informal searching, and light-weight media playback, I bought a number of days of use out of it.
If I needed to spotlight among the issues I did not love, I might first have to say the port choice, which will not be everybody’s cup of tea. Lenovo appears to have doubled down on its forward-looking design by giving the Slim 7x three USB-C Thunderbolt ports and nothing else — no HDMI, USB-A, or card slots. It appears a little bit puzzling to not drop simply one among these for a minimum of a USB-A port.
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The laptop computer’s trackpad can also be not probably the most delicate I’ve examined. Whereas the keyboard seems to be and feels premium, the trackpad is a little bit too massive and never tremendous responsive. Additionally, the matte casing on the laptop computer attracts fingerprints left and proper, which is definitely not one thing distinctive to this laptop computer, however it’s nonetheless a little bit of a private pet peeve.
In comparison with a MacBook, one might argue that the Yoga Slim 7x is a minimum of higher than the MacBook Professional M2 Max. It has a barely shorter battery life than Apple’s gadget, comparable efficiency, a slimmer type issue, and a extra reasonably priced worth. You are not going to pay 1000’s for this machine.
The MacBook is healthier fitted to the iOS ecosystem, nonetheless Lenovo has been making strides in growing a knowledge switch function between its laptop computer and iPhones. So in case you’re undecided which one to get, the Yoga Slim 7x may be the higher long-term funding.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is a stable addition to the Copilot+ PC line and a laptop computer I would suggest to distant employees, freelancers, and creators on the lookout for a transportable, 14-inch laptop computer with a stunning show. Its skinny and light-weight type issue makes it a stable possibility for anybody who travels ceaselessly and may not have dependable entry to an outlet.
When you’re on the lookout for a cheaper Copilot+ PC (and are keen to considerably downgrade the show), the HP OmniBook X 14 will run you $949. When you like this laptop computer’s stats however need a greater display screen, take a look at the Asus Vivobook S 15.
Creators may also admire the truth that Lenovo can also be giving two free months of Adobe Creative Cloud with the acquisition of any new Yoga laptop computer.