Table of Contents
In this article we go over the 2024 updates in the Lenovo Yoga/Slim lineups of ultraportable laptops, including the Yoga/Slim Pro 7i and Pro 7, the Yoga Slim 7i and the IdeaPad Slim 5i. There’s also a Slim Pro 9i 2024 update, which we’ve discussed in a separate article.
The Yoga Pro 7i and the Slim Pro 7i are the same models, but sold under different names on the US and European markets. They’re fairly popular 14-inch all-purpose notebooks, and some of the better priced options in their segments, but not without some quirks.
The Yoga Slim 7i is a true 14-inch ultrabook, a thinner and lighter chassis with more basic specs. Unlike the Pros, the regular Slim 7 cannot be configured with a dGPU and gets more basic cooling and a smaller battery. It’s also more affordable.
As for the IdeaPad Slim 5i, this is a brand new model for 2023, a 15-inch portable laptop with Meteor Lake hardware specs, a large battery and affordable pricing.
We’ll get in-depth on the important features and particularities of each of these models down below.
2024 Lenovo Yoga/Slim Pro 7i (Intel) and Pro 7 (AMD) gen9
| 2024 Lenovo Yoga/Slim Pro 7i gen 9 | 2024 Lenovo Yoga/Slim Pro 7 gen 9 | ||
| Screen | 14.5 inch, 16:10 format, IPS 3K 3072 x 1920 px, 120 Hz, 400 nits, 100% DCI-P3, glossy touch OLED 2.8K 2880 x 1800 px, 120 Hz, 400 nits, 100% DCI-P3, glossy non-touch IPS 2.5K 2560 x 1600 px, 90 Hz, 350 nits, 100% sRGB, matte |
||
| Processor | Intel Meteor Lake Core Ultra H, up to Core Ultra 9 185H, 6PC+10Ec/22T |
AMD Hawk Point Ryzen HS, up to Ryzen 7 8845HS, 8C/16T |
|
| Video | Intel Arc + up to Nvidia RTX 4050 65W | Radeon + up to Nvidia RTX 3050 63W | |
| Memory | up to 32 GB LPDDR5x-7467 (soldered) | up to 16 GB LPDDR5x-?? (soldered) | |
| Storage | gen4 SSD , single M.2 2280 slot | ||
| Connectivity | Wireless 6E, Bluetooth 5.1 | ||
| Ports | left: 1x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB-C 3.2 gen2 (PD 3.0, DP 1.4, charging), HDMI 2.1 right: 1x USB 3.2 gen2, audio jack |
left: 1x USB-C with USB 4.0, 1x USB-C 3.2 gen2 (PD 3.0, DP 1.4, charging), HDMI 2.1 right: 1x USB 3.2 gen2, audio jack |
|
| Battery | 73 Wh, 100W USB-C charger with quick-charging | ||
| Size | 318 mm or 12.52” (w) x 230 mm or 9.06” (d) x from 15.25 mm or .6” (h) | ||
| Weight | from ~3.2 lbs (1.5 kg) + charger | ||
| Extras | clamshell format with 180-hinge, white backlit keyboard, updated glass touchpad, 2MPx webcam with IR, TOF, and camera shutter, 4x mics, quad-speakers, Luna Grey and Tidal Teal colors |
||
I haven’t tested a Yoga Pro 7 in a while, mostly because the value wasn’t that great with the last generations.
On paper, this series is supposed to offer good features and performance in a portable 14-inch chassis. Think of it as Lenovo’s alternative to the Acer Swift X 14 and Asus ZenBook 14X lineups.
That means you’re getting a pretty good 14-inch metal chassis, good inputs and IO, and a 14.5-inch 16:10 display. Unlike the competition, Lenovo offers a couple of different panels here, including OLED and IPS, matte or touch. In reality, though, those aren’t available on all markets, so you’ll end up having to stick with what the local suppliers choose to bring to your market.
Here’s how the Yoga Pro 7i looks like in the 2024 Tidal Teal variant. Not bad at all.
Hardware wise, there’s a Yoga Pro 7i series built on Intel hardware, and a Pro 7 series built on AMD. For the 2024 generation, both get the latest hardware specs from each side, namely Meteor Lake Core Ultra H platforms from Intel, and up to Hawk Point Ryzen 8000 HS platforms from AMD.
Furthermore, both support LPDDR5x memory, gen4 SSD storage, and optional dGPUs. However, the Intel-based configurations are available with up to 32 GB of RAM and up to RTX 4050 dGPUs, while the AMD models top at 16 GB of RAM and RTX 3050 dGPUs. Hence, the Intel models have an advantage in potential performance.
Now, among the major complaints with the 2023 Yoga Pro models were the high temperatures under load and rather noisy fan noise. I don’t think this will change for the 2024 models. Nor will the audio quality improve, judging by the picture below, which was also rather lacking based on the reviews that I’ve looked at.
On the other hand, efficiency should improve, with both the Intel and AMD models being able to squeeze good runtimes out of the 73 Wh battery.
I hope to get my hands on at least one of these configurations this year and figure out the reasons behind the mixed reviews that this lineup has got as of recently, because on paper at least, everything looks right here.
The AMD-based Yoga Pro 7 is expected around Q2 2024 on the US market, starting at $1349, while the Intel-based configurations will not be available in North America, but will be available in Europe.
2024 Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i, IdeaPad Slim 5i
Here are the specs sheets of the two.
| 2024 Lenovo Yoga 7i 14″, gen 9 | 2024 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i 15″, gen 9 | |
| Screen | 14-inch, 16:10, touch or matte non-touch, FHD+ 1920 x 1200 px OLED, 60Hz, 400-nits, 100% DCI-P3 |
15.3-inch, 16:10, IPS FHD+ 1920 x 1200 px, 60Hz, 300-nits, 100% sRGB |
| Processor | Intel Meteor Lake Core Ultra H, up to Core Ultra 7 155H 16C/22T | Intel Raptor Lake-U Core, up to Core 7 150U 10C/12T |
| Video | Intel Arc | Intel Xe |
| Memory | up to 32 GB LPDDR5x (onboard) | up to 32 GB LPDDR5x (onboard) |
| Storage | PCIe gen4 – 1x slot | PCIe gen4 – 1x slot |
| Connectivity | Wireless 6E with Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Ports | Left: 2x USB-C with TB4 (DP 1.4, PD3.0 140W charging), 1x HDMI 2.1 Right: 1x USB-A 3.2, audio jack |
Left: 2x USB-C 3.2, HDMI 1.4b, audio jack Right: 2x USB-A 3.2, micro SD card reader |
| Battery | 65Wh, 65W USB-C charger | 76Wh, 65W USB-C charger |
| Size | 312 mm or 12.3” (w) x 221 mm or 8.7″ (d) x from 14.9 mm or .59″ (h) | 343 mm or 13.52” (w) x 238 mm or 9.37″ (d) x from 17.4 mm or .69″ (h) |
| Weight | from 1.4 kg (3.1 lbs) + charger | from 1.8 kg (4 lbs) + charger |
| Extras | clamshell design with 180° hinge, white backlit keyboard, glass touchpad, 2MPx webcam with ToF and Shutter, 4x mics, 4x speakers, available in Luna Grey |
clamshell design with ??° hinge, white backlit keyboard with NumPad, glass touchpad, 2MPx webcam with ToF and eShutter, 2x mics, 2x speakers, available in Cloud Grey or Violet colors |
This 16-inch Yoga Pro 9i is primarily a hardware refresh of the 2023 generation, with Intel Meteor Lake Ultra H specs and a larger battery (84 vs 75 Wh). Both will help it address one of the major complaints of the 2023 series, the poor battery life w
The Yoga Slim 7i is Lenovo’s mainstream 14-inch ultraportable model, and an overall more affordable and better appreciated series than the Pros.
Unlike the Yoga Pros, the Slim variants are a little smaller and lighter, but especially simpler in terms of specs and internals. There’s no dGPU option, the cooling is more basic but still adequately sized for the hardware specs, and the battery inside is smaller than on the Pros, but still fine at 65 Whr.
At the same time, these models still offer good display options, with either IPS matte or OLED touch panels, and pretty good audio quality. All in a competitively priced package.
The 2024 generation gets a bump to Intel Meteor Lake hardware with Arc graphics and LPDDR5x memory, with a starting price of a little over $1000 MSRP.
The IdeaPad Slim 5i is a more basic laptop, a 15-inch thin and light chassis. This one offers a lower-tier IPS display, a full-keyboard with a NumPad section and a more basic set of ports.
It’s also built on Intel’s Raptor Lake hardware, with either Raptor Lake Core H or Raptor Lake-R Core U processor. That means it doesn’t get the faster Arc graphics or the extra Efficient CPU Cores available on Meteor Lake hardware. Nonetheless, with a 76 Wh battery inside, I’d expect this series to offer good runtimes.
At this point, Lenovo only offered limited info on this Slim 5i series, so we’ll update the article once we know more.
