The lightweight Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon laptop does not just look good, but is also packed with powerful features
LIGHTWEIGHT laptops continue to be affordable while offering plenty of bang for your hard-earned buck, and one of Lenovo's most recent attempts at cracking the code in this market segment is the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon.
The laptop does not come in a shade of silver with shine all over, bucking the trend against the numerous MacBook clones out there.
It is still extremely slim, barely registering itself on a scale. This should carve a smile on the faces of those who have long lugged around laptops that weigh 1.5kg or heavier, as shaving off half a kilogramme is no mean feat without having to sacrifice power and performance underneath the hood.
Arriving in a slender, all-white chassis, the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon features silver accents for the Lenovo and Yoga branding, while everything else remains white.
It is certainly a refreshing change to look at. Using a clever amalgamation of plastic and carbon-fibre, the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon measures approximately 1.5cm in thickness while tipping the scales at a mere 966 grammes, making it one of the lightest laptops in the market that packs quite a punch in terms of performance.
FEATURES
Underneath the hood lies an 11th generation Intel processor, starting with the Core i5-1135G7 with the option of cranking it up all the way to a Core i7-1165G7 if your budget permits.
The review unit in my hands is the latter, where it comes equipped with 16GB of RAM and up to a massive 1TB of storage space on its SSD.
That should be more than enough for the average office worker, although those who are involved in heavy-duty tasks, such as video rendering and creative professionals, would probably fare better by exploring other options.
A 720p camera sits in front is equipped with "Time of Flight" sensors, with Windows Hello integrated to offer a seamless touch-free login experience.
I like the way the eyeball winks and looks around when trying to detect a face upon booting up the laptop.
Where connectivity options are concerned, you end up with a trio of USB Type-C ports, where two of them (Thunderbolt 4) are located on the left side, while the right side of the laptop carries the power button, a 3.5mm audio jack, and the third USB Type-C port. Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6 round off the list of wireless options.
It would have been nice to see Lenovo throw in a USB Type-A port, since it is still extremely difficult to hunt down mice with USB Type-C connectors/dongles from reputable manufacturers. The other thing that grates me is the missing HDMI port, which should be in all modern-day laptops.
The lack of USB Type-A and HDMI ports would mean a USB Type-C hub is a must if you are going to get productive with this mobile workhorse.
DISPLAY
Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7i Carbon features a 13.3-inch Quad HD IPS display (2560x1600 resolution) that offers Dolby Vision support, delivering a sharp screen with strong colour while supporting 100 per cent of the sRGB colour gamut.
I love the 3mm thin bezels at the side, although the top and bottom bezels are noticeably wider to accommodate the camera and sensors. You will not find a touchscreen option here, so it is the keyboard and mouse all the way.
PERFORMANCE
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon does perform admirably with the Core i7-1165G7 chipset running underneath the hood, especially since it is mated to 16GB of RAM.
While most laptops these days come with 8GB of RAM as standard, having double that amount is optimal for Windows-powered machines.
After all, if you are going to invest in something thin and light with the hope that it will serve you well over the next half-decade, it is wise to future-proof your purchase as much as possible — especially since the RAM is soldered on with no room for future upgrades if you opt for the 8GB RAM model.
The integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics works well for older games.
I fired up Quake 4 and Doom 3, with their graphics cranked to the maximum, and did not experience slowdown in any way. Granted, those are at least 15-year-old games, but to play them all over again in their graphical glory smoothly? Pure bliss.
Everyday tasks such as attending to emails, streaming YouTube, Spotify, or Netflix, while having a fair number of tabs open in Google Chrome, worked seamlessly on the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon.
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon may come across as a machine which needs frequent recharging due to the slim size, but it is pretty decent for the average office worker.
It is possible to last me through an eight-hour "typical" work day experience, leaving around 15 per cent of battery life left. But then again, I do throw in up to an hour of video rendering each day.
CONCLUSION
Overall, this smart-looking laptop is extremely capable of everyday productivity tasks. Just make sure you have a USB Type-C hub to keep it company to maximise your productivity.
Verdict: 4.5/5