Lenovo’s ThinkPad Carbon line is known for being thin and light, but these carbon-fiber ultraportable laptops have only been available to business users. The Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon is a small consumer system with the same thin, light design. The 13.3-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is related to the 14-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon, which AMD powers.
Like the 14-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon, the 13.3-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has Intel Core i7 performance, luxury features like a factory-calibrated display (but not the deluxe OLED screen of the Slim 7 Carbon), and even a USB-C hub to give you extra ports that other systems might not have. It could be better in some ways, like having a better webcam or a longer battery life, but overall, it’s a good ultraportable, even if it’s not in the top tier.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]Slim 7 is now a darker grey design with metal edges that have been machine-milled. They sell this in two different shades of grey, and this is the Storm Grey model. There’s also a model called “Onyx Grey,” which is almost black and looks like the Slim 7 from before. In fact, the whole thing feels strong and sturdy, which is one of the things we like best about this design.
The lid is sturdy, the hinges feel strong and move smoothly when the screen angle is changed, and the main chassis doesn’t bend or make noises. This Legion Slim 7i feels about as well made as a modern MacBook. Even though this Slim 7 is thinner and lighter than the other Legion laptops, it is not as small or light as other options on the market today. In the version that was tested, it weighed 2.2 kg (4.8 lb) and had a bump behind the screen.
The design is still one of the best you can find in a portable laptop today, as long as you don’t mind that it has a NumPad section instead of a simpler design in the middle. The main set of keys are all full-size, and the arrow keys are all full-size as well. The keys in the NumPad section are narrower. The keycaps are made of plastic and are the same colour as the dark-gray chassis. That means they won’t get as dirty as easily as black keys, but they don’t feel as good to the touch as other brands’ rubberized keycaps.
The four-cell 60.7Wh battery inside the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i is supposed to last up to 14 hours. My tests showed that this claim was half wrong. With normal use, we found that the battery life was limited to about 7-8 hours. This isn’t bad, but it’s also not great. Most mid-range laptops will last about 7 hours on a single charge, which is fine.