Lenovo recently released the Yoga Slim 7i (Gen 9) Aura Edition, showcasing Intel’s latest Core Ultra (Series 2) platform in a premium mid-range Windows laptop. This laptop boasts a slim design, a large 15.3-inch screen, excellent everyday performance, and long battery life. While the Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processors show improvements, they still fall short compared to AMD and Qualcomm offerings.
The pricing for the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition starts at $1,279.99, but for just a little more, you can upgrade the SSD storage to 1TB. Despite not being exceptional value, the laptop offers a good balance of features for its price range. The recommended configuration includes an Intel Core Ultra 7, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage.
In terms of design and build quality, the Yoga Slim 7i follows Lenovo’s familiar design language with a sleek, curvy all-metal body that is sturdy and lightweight. The laptop also offers a decent selection of ports, including HDMI, USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-A, and a 3.5mm audio port.
The display on the Yoga Slim 7i is a 15.3-inch IPS LCD panel with a 2.8K resolution, offering a pleasant viewing experience with above-average color accuracy. While not as vibrant as OLED displays, it performs well in various lighting conditions.
Performance-wise, the laptop runs smoothly for everyday tasks and stays cool under load. However, the multicore performance falls behind competitors, despite improvements in GPU performance with the Intel Arc 140V. The laptop also features AI-centric features, but they may not be as convincing as expected.
The Yoga Slim 7i offers all-day battery life thanks to the efficient Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) chipset, although there may be some inconsistencies in battery endurance. The keyboard on the laptop is spacious and responsive, but the keycaps may feel slippery. The touchpad is accurate and reliable, but lacks haptic feedback.
Other features on the Yoga Slim 7i, such as the average webcam, inconsistent facial recognition, and unreliable Human Presence Detection (HPD) features, may not stand out positively. The laptop also has average speakers that lack in sound quality.
In conclusion, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i (Gen 9) Aura Edition is a well-rounded laptop with a few shortcomings in certain areas. While it offers a good balance of features for its price, it may not excel in every aspect compared to competitors like AMD and Qualcomm. Despite Intel’s advancements with the Core Ultra (Series 2) platform, other options on the market may be more impressive overall.