Experience Unmatched Flexibility with the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i Gen 7

The Core i7-1280P processor by Intel was previously seen in Dell’s XPS 13 Plus, but it was underwhelming. However, it has made a strong comeback in this outing with impressive specs, including 6 high-performance cores (totaling 14) and a peak of 4.8GHz.

Its powerful performance is reflected in its Cinebench R23 score of 9,620 and Geekbench 5 score of 11,424, thanks to fast Gen4 M.2 SSD and 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, as well as Lenovo’s prioritization of cooling over aesthetics.

The Slim still maintains its slim form factor at 14.9mm thick, but only has room for a 3.5mm jack and three USB-C ports. The included travel adapter offers a USB-A port, HDMI, and a D-SUB connector to make up for this. Wi-Fi 6E is the only option for networking.

If you were hoping for the iconic ThinkPad keyboard in the consumer-focused Yoga Slim 9i, you may be disappointed. Although the keyboard is usable, its lack of travel and cushioning make it less enjoyable to type on. However, the large touchpad is impressive, with a smooth glass coating.

You can navigate Windows 11 through the touch screen, but this is not a traditional 2-in-1 design as the screen only folds 180 degrees. The 14-inch AMOLED screen is a mix of good and bad. While typing in Word, the warm white balance makes the display mediocre.

You can adjust the color temperature, but the maximum is only 6500K. On the other hand, the 90Hz screen is amazing for movies, games, and photos, with 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut and VESA HDR 500 support.

Despite consuming more power than IPS displays, the Slim 9i has a long-lasting 75Wh battery, providing 9 hours 59 minutes of office use and 11 hours 10 minutes of video playback. Additionally, the Slim 9i deserves recognition for its 1080p webcam, excellent microphone setup, and booming speakers.

The news regarding sustainability and repairability of the Slim 9i is mixed. Despite having a one-tonne carbon offset and an EPEAT Silver rating, the laptop lacks TCO certification.

Lenovo has provided helpful repair videos, but the use of Torx screws and hidden crosshead screws under a rubber foot make accessing the interior challenging. Replacing the battery and SSD is simple once inside, but the RAM is soldered to the motherboard. Availability is also a concern, with only a 512GB SSD version (82T0001WUK) available for purchase for a cost of £1,500, with a discount offered for signing up for Lenovo’s newsletter.

The test model (82T0002BUK) was unavailable at the time of writing. The only difference between the two versions is the size of the SSD.