Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X Laptop Review: A Speedy Performer, Sans Battery Life

Lenovo’s formidable Slim laptop line brings yet another heavy hitter to the forefront: the Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X. This sleek portable computer marries premium features like professional graphics and an Intel Core i7 processor to take productivity to the next level.

With the 14-inch Slim 7i Pro X’s portability, touchscreen capabilities, NVIDIA GeForce RTX Studio graphics card, and Intel processor, this powerhouse laptop can handle almost anything. Still, despite all of its features, the Slim 7i Pro X has a few limitations that might deter those looking for the best in class.

Unboxing and Design: A Sleek, Portable Device

The Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X comes packaged like Lenovo’s other premium Slim laptops: snug in a branded box. Inside, you’ll find the Slim 7i Pro X laptop, a tissue-thin guide on the keyboard, a Lenovo Services paper to register your device, a quick start guide, and the 100W AC adapter.

The included guides detail some essential functions such as charging the laptop, how to turn it on and off, and how to switch the screen’s refresh rate from 60 to 120Hz. They also boast some handy shortcuts, such as Fn+Q to switch between operation modes (Performance, Auto, and Quiet) and how Zero Touch works to lock your Lenovo laptop or pause your videos.

The laptop has a matte silver-gray color that Lenovo coins “Ultimate Grey.” The chassis is fingerprint-resistant, while the screen features a glossy display and a small bevel at the top that houses the integrated webcam. Two speakers are located on either side of the keyboard, while the large trackpad is centered underneath.

Its relatively simple design looks professional and is lightweight enough to tote around wherever you go. That said, the included AC adapter is heavy and quite large, probably due to it being capable of a 100W output.

I wasn’t thrilled with the charger’s size (about 4 x 1 x 1in) and weight (nearly 13oz) since most people who buy a slim laptop desire portability. I don’t think losing around 10 to 20W would make that much of a difference in charging speed. I’d prefer to see a smaller size, especially since, even with an 80W charger, Lenovo would still support Rapid Charge Express. Recently, I tested the Lenovo Slim 9i (which performed much better on battery life), and its Rapid Charge was brilliant, even with a 65W charger.

Plentiful Ports

Lenovo didn’t skimp out on the Slim 7i Pro X’s port availability. Facing the laptop with the screen open, the left side has an HDMI port and 2 Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, both of which work with the charger. On the right, there’s a USB-A port (a feature I appreciate since not everything has a USB-C connection yet), a headphone jack, a power button, and a webcam privacy shutter.

The Graphics Make It Easy to Get Lost in Games, Videos, and Editing

I put the Slim 7i Pro X through the wringer to test its graphics capabilities. Because the device has an NVIDIA GPU, my expectations were high. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. During my gaming sessions, I played everything from Whitethorn Games’ cozy suburban Lake to Humble Games’ Coral Island and in between.

My best experience came when I downloaded Xbox Game Studios‘ Grounded. The survival game, which sees your character shrunk down to the size of an ant, showcased the vibrancy of color, texture, and sharpness the graphics processor offered. From towering blades of grass to creepy brooding bugs, I was nothing short of impressed. For most games I played, the 60Hz refresh rate did well enough, though this laptop is capable of eeking out 120FPS to make use of the screen’s highest refresh rate setting in less-taxing titles.

When I used 120Hz versus 60Hz while playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, I noticed a difference in screen lag and fluidity. 120Hz for this game definitely won out. It showcased realistic faces, textured armor, and dreamy landscapes like a boss.

I was similarly pleased with the precise imagery I saw when watching YouTube videos or streaming shows on Netflix. The Slim 7i Pro X doesn’t quite hit 4K, but I didn’t miss anything when consuming visual media.

The 3K display offers enough to satisfy unless you’re someone who refuses to settle for anything less than 4K, a feature that’s still relatively new to the world of laptops.

I also tested out some post-production work since Lenovo touts the Slim 7i Pro X as optimized for video editing via Adobe. Clear clips and quick performance from the processor made video editing my little home movies a breeze, a huge plus for content-heavy creators.

Speakers and Webcam: Adequate but Lackluster

I never expect a laptop webcam to deliver cinema-ready quality, but since the Slim 7i Pro X has so many incredible things going for it, I felt let down when I tested the integrated camera system. The webcam delivers 1080p through a camera that combines FHD and IR (thermal imaging) technology.

Sadly, I think people are starting to outgrow 1080p, which used to be the cream of the crop in resolution. However, I’ve tested other 1080p laptop cams with FHD and IR tech and had a better experience than I did with this one, such as the aforementioned Lenovo Slim 9i. It was temperamental with low-to-mid lighting, and up close, it often looked too grainy to excuse.

When using the webcam for work purposes, I found myself giving up on it and switching to an external webcam simply because the grainy texture was depressing. An external webcam is usually the best way to guarantee a good-quality capture. Still, this one fell short of my expectations, especially for the Slim 7i Pro X’s nearly $1,600 price point. It does deliver great detail in ideal settings, but it’s terrible in low- or high-lighting situations.

For the most part, I was content with the Slim 7i Pro X’s speakers, but they have volume limitations. You’ll need to curb your enthusiasm if you like to crank up the volume. It doesn’t take long to notice that the Slim 7i Pro X’s peak volume output is around 70 to 85%. The laptop’s speakers sound distorted and buzzy when you go above that threshold.

Regarding sound quality, the treble and mid-tones are nice, but as expected, the bass is lackluster for music and streaming. You’d do better to connect a Bluetooth speaker to the Slim 7i Pro X to get a fuller sound if you’re a true audiophile.

The integrated dual-array microphones provide a decent sound capture and gave me no issues. These noise-canceling mics picked up my voice clearly on video calls and test recordings, but your voice may sound buzzy if you speak at louder volumes.

Microphone Test on the Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X in a Noisy Environment

Microphone Test on the Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X in a Quiet Environment

Nearly Top-Tier Performance

With everything I threw at the Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X laptop, there was hardly a moment when it slacked off. The powerful processor can handle a lot, so you don’t need to bother closing out of windows or apps throughout your day.

Using it for work tasks like checking emails, editing photos in Photoshop, and downloading large applications, the speed of the Slim 7i Pro X never stopped. This laptop is the perfect sidekick for anyone who does a lot of computer work and content creation.

But, like all good things, it can’t be perfect. One incident that made me pause was playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey‘s first fight scene. Mid-thrust of the spear and mid-dodge of the opponent, the screen froze. For casual gamers, this isn’t a glaring problem.

Of the many games that I downloaded and played on the Slim 7i Pro X, this particular title (the most demanding of all) was the only one that gave me trouble. Unless you’re a pro streamer or hardcore enthusiast, an occasional blip in a huge game like Odyssey shouldn’t be a dealbreaker, but it’s something to take note of.

The Touchscreen, Trackpad, and Keyboard Won’t Let You Down

The Slim 7i Pro X has a comfortable, springy keyboard that doesn’t feel too loose or overly tight, and the touchpad is responsive, quick, and easy to use. When using the keyboard’s backlighting, everything shows up well and makes nighttime use enjoyable.

Since the touchpad is large, I had to be mindful of where my hands were while typing. I screwed up a lot of text by accidentally brushing the trackpad with my palm or wrist—it’s that responsive.

In addition to the excellent keyboard and trackpad, the touchscreen display was one of my favorite things about this laptop. I’m not a big laptop touchscreen user, but this one felt so nice that I found myself playing games and navigating apps via the touchscreen instead of the touchpad.

The only downside of the display’s touchscreen is the pet peeve of many: the fingerprints. Lenovo claims the display is “anti-fingerprint,” but I’ll be the first to tell you it’s not! Keep a cloth handy. It has a glossy finish to it, which looks great when it’s clean, but also means you’ll catch a lot of screen glare in certain lighting.

Charging and Battery Life: Don’t Leave the Adapter at Home

If you use the Slim 7i Pro X a lot, you’ll have to charge up pretty frequently. But since the Slim 7i Pro X’s benchmarks claim you’ll get a max of 13 hours of battery life, I was disappointed with its performance. The benchmark’s 12.9 hours are for a measly 150 Nits during local video playback—about 37% of the peak brightness. Who regularly operates a laptop like this? Not me.

In my days spent with the Slim 7i Pro X, I got just 4 to 6 hours of battery life out of a full charge. This was my experience when leaving the laptop on sleep, but when I did turn it off, I might’ve squeaked out a whopping seven hours of battery when I was lucky.

Using the brightness at 80 to 100%, the volume at 50 to 80%, the refresh rate at 60Hz, and the performance mode on the “Balanced” setting, my average charge lasted 3 to 4 hours. That meant I was hooking it up to charge twice a day through gameplay, word processing, and various other tasks. If you don’t mind having to monitor the battery life and don’t leave home much, this isn’t a big deal. But this isn’t the best option for those of you who want a travel-friendly laptop that lasts a  long time on a single charge.

Pushing the Slim 7i to its limit, I tried gaming with it on a 120Hz refresh rate and the battery setting on “Best Performance” mode. In less than an hour, I went from 100 to 47%, which was expected, but dismal.

Should You Buy the Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X Laptop?

Those who prefer a 4K display, webcam quality above 1080p, and better battery life may want to look around for a different laptop. On a similar budget, the Lenovo Yoga 7i is a competitive choice, and so is the Apple MacBook Air M2.

However, if you’re looking for fast performance and great graphics, the Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X is worth the price tag. Its display is fantastic, the speed is on point, and it’s an excellent device for video and photo editing, word processing, and even some light gaming. You can get the Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X today starting at $1,595.

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