Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro overview: huge display for the mainstream

I just lately reviewed the Gigabyte Aero 16, a 16-inch Intel-powered workstation with a robust GPU. It was sizzling, heavy, costly, and had… little in the best way of battery life. The 16-inch laptop computer class has historically been dominated by these types of desktop replacements.

Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 7 is attempting one thing completely different inside its 16-inch body. This is an AMD-powered, transportable laptop computer with a extra midrange-level GPU and a 16-inch display. It lasts all day on battery. And it’s a lot, rather more reasonably priced than many laptops of this measurement, with a price ticket of simply over $1,000 ($1,015, to be actual) for this take a look at configuration. (This unit is presently offered out on Lenovo’s web site, however the firm says it ought to be again in inventory quickly.)

With a strong construct and an unobtrusive look, a complete port choice, and a high-resolution, excessive refresh charge, 16:10 show, the Slim 7 (if you’ll find one in inventory) is a aggressive machine throughout. It received’t be your best option for everybody, nevertheless it’s a very good reminder that many individuals don’t must pay 1000’s of {dollars} or sacrifice all-day battery life as a way to get a large-screened laptop computer.

Part of that is most likely that Lenovo’s title is on each of those gadgets, however utilizing the IdeaPad feels much like utilizing a (rather more costly) ThinkPad in some ways. It’s not as immediately recognizable as a ThinkPad (the 2 thrilling shade choices are Cloud Gray and Storm Gray), however it’s actually constructed as properly, with a sturdy aluminum chassis and a snug end that didn’t scratch simply in my testing interval. You might discover that there’s a slight lip on the high of the show the place the webcam lives. By slight, I do imply slight — it’s a considerably much less noticeable protrusion than you’ll discover on, say, the ThinkPad Z Series. It blended in in a short time and didn’t have an effect on my expertise with the laptop computer in anyway.

The keyboard additionally approaches ThinkPad high quality (which is excessive reward). The keys have a pleasant snap to them, and Lenovo makes use of the massive deck to slot in a full numpad. I surpassed my regular typing speeds and actually felt like my fingers had been flying; this can be a keyboard I’ll be unhappy to say goodbye to once I ship this unit again.

There’s additionally a handy hotkey: you may press Fn + Q to swap between cooling profiles (Extreme Performance, Battery Saver, and many others.), so that you don’t need to dig into Lenovo’s software program to do it. As somebody who swaps between profiles usually, that was good to have. My solely nitpick is that the backspace key’s on the small facet and really near the Num Lock key. I a number of instances hit the Num Lock key accidentally once I’d meant to hit backspace.

Don’t let the phrase “Slim” get your expectations too excessive: this isn’t a featherweight machine, and it has some critical energy. The chassis is a strong 4.59 kilos and as much as .79 inches thick. That’s transportable for a 16-incher, however I wish to be certain that individuals don’t see “Slim” and go in anticipating an LG Gram. If you’re searching for one thing smaller, there are 14-inch Intel models of the Slim 7 Pro you could get for below $1,000.

But the place the Slim is actually punching above its weight class is the show. This is a 2560 x 1600 display with pretty slim bezels. The 120Hz refresh charge makes a noticeable distinction if you’re scrolling by way of lengthy articles or paperwork (as I do on daily basis) — after spending a little bit of time at 120Hz, going again to 60Hz simply feels unsuitable.

Otherwise, the panel reached 364 nits of brightness in my testing and displayed vibrant and correct colours. It was additionally shiny and kicked again noticeable glare indoors, however nothing that inhibited my work.

The solely actual hole in connectivity is the shortage of Thunderbolt since that is an AMD system. There are two USB 3.2 Gen 1, one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, one HDMI 1.4b, one card reader, and one combo audio jack. Besides Thunderbolt equipment, I used to be in a position to plug no matter I wanted to in with none bother. Being in a position to cost by USB-C, along with the devoted energy port, was additionally useful. Speaking of audio, the audio system are usually not the loudest round, however they ship surprisingly clear sound with distinguishable ranges.

Lenovo fanatics ought to observe that there’s a technique during which the IdeaPad differs considerably from its older ThinkPad cousins: the webcam. It helps each Windows Hello and presence detection, that are useful. But there’s additionally not a simple solution to flip it off. This received’t be an issue for everybody, however I actually just like the shutter many bodily ThinkPad fashions have — as somebody who makes use of their webcam all day, it’s good to have the ability to double-confirm that it’s turned off. The Slim 7 Pro doesn’t have a bodily shutter, neither is there a default kill swap on the keyboard; it’s important to dive into Lenovo’s software program to show it off.

On the within, my take a look at unit has AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800H, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, along with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. As far as I can see from Lenovo’s web site, that is the one configuration obtainable. And it’s quick. I ran Zoom calls over heaps of Chrome tabs with no slowdown, fan noise, or keyboard warmth of any sort, even with Battery Saver on. The Ryzen 7 5800H is an efficient processor, and I wouldn’t count on it to have bother with the duties most individuals are doing. The RTX 3050 wouldn’t be your best option for, say, full-resolution gaming, nevertheless it ought to have the ability to assist in graphics-heavy workloads simply high-quality.

Battery life is an space the place the Slim 7 Pro might fall brief for some of us. I used to be getting round seven and a half hours of steady use with the display at medium brightness. That is spectacular for a 16-incher with such a high-resolution panel, however you may actually discover laptops at this worth level that can last more.

The one a part of the Slim 7 expertise the place the cracks do begin to present is bloatware. This machine didn’t have a ton of junk on it — no random video games and software program backends — nevertheless it did include some McAfee packages that despatched me popups right here and there and had been a little bit of a ache to uninstall. This is extra comprehensible on this IdeaPad than it could be on a $3,000 ThinkPad, nevertheless it nonetheless feels very very similar to one thing that cheapens an in any other case nice expertise.

When I hear that somebody I do know needs a laptop computer with a 16-inch or 17-inch display, I usually battle to discover a advice. The actuality is that numerous essentially the most distinguished fashions in that class are usually not good decisions for basic shopper use: corporations usually assume that the consumer searching for a 16-inch display can be an influence person who wants heavy GPU energy, has firm money to spend, and doesn’t thoughts some weight.

If I had been looking for, say, my cousin who needs his motion pictures to look actually huge or my good friend who wanted an enormous display to take the bar examination on final 12 months, I would suggest this machine over one thing just like the Dell XPS 17. It’s more affordable and has a processor that may deal with what most individuals must do. And whereas of us searching for portability might choose one of many many lighter 15-inch laptops which are on the market, the 16:10 compromises a bit on that portability for noticeably extra display house. It’s in a little bit of an in-between place, however I can see an viewers for it.

It’s additionally only a good reminder of how absurdly costly another well-built laptops are getting. The least expensive 14-inch ThinkPad X1 Yoga goes for a number of hundred {dollars} greater than this Slim mannequin, and I’d a lot relatively use the IdeaPad any day — whereas the Yoga has plenty of safety features and design staples which are price some huge cash for its buyer base, I legitimately assume the IdeaPad’s larger and higher display gives extra profit to your common shopper. And whereas the Slim 7 Pro could also be laborious to seek out, it’s price remembering that should you’re contemplating shopping for the ThinkPads, MacBooks, and XPS’s of the world, it’s best to be sure to’re not overlooking respectable gadgets that might meet your wants at lower cost factors.