Lenovo's Slim and Yoga branding is a tad confusing, with the latter term still being used across convertible and non-convertible laptops outside the US market. However, for the US market, Lenovo has clearly separated the convertible Yoga and non-convertible Slim lineups. You'll still see a lot of similarities between brands, but the Slim 7i 14 for 2024 is made for those who don't need a design that can convert into tent, stand, and tablet modes.

Overall, the Slim 7i 14 for 2024 is a well-built laptop with plenty of premium features available at a very reasonable price. The quad speakers provide quality audio, the FHD webcam offers human presence detection, and the OLED display is a definite plus for anyone who needs accurate color and deep contrast. It has a respectable level of power thanks to Intel's Core Ultra H-series chips, and battery life easily exceeds what you'll need for a standard eight-hour workday.

Unless you absolutely need a convertible form factor, this should prove to be a great laptop for budget-conscious shoppers looking to land some advanced features and a clean aluminum design.

About this review: Lenovo sent us a review unit of its Slim 7i 14 for 2024. It had no input on the content of this article.

Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024): Price, availability, and specs

The Slim 7i 14 for 2024 is available now to buy direct from Lenovo. At the time of writing, prices start at $1,041 for a model with Windows 11 Home, Intel Core Ultra 5 125H CPU, 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, and 14-inch FHD+ OLED touch display (which is the only screen option for this laptop).

Bumping specs up to a Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, 32GB of RAM, and the same 1TB SSD raises the price to $1,240; this is the exact unit that I'm reviewing. There's a 512GB SSD option that becomes available if you spec with a Core Ultra 7 CPU and 16GB of RAM, but you only save about $32 compared to the 1TB SSD.

You can still find convertible Yoga 7i (2023) models with 13th Gen Intel Core U-series CPUs for less money, though you miss out on the improved Core Ultra CPU performance, OLED display, and as much RAM and storage space.

To compare, we also recently reviewed the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED. A model with Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and 14-inch OLED display with 2.8K resolution costs about $1,300 at Best Buy.

Here's a look at the specs available in the Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024).

Design and features

Aluminum body with rounded sides, four 2W speakers

Lenovo's Slim 7i 14 is built into an aluminum chassis with Luna Grey finish that hides fingerprints and smudges quite well. The all-metal build provides plenty of stability; the base hardly flexes under pressure, and the lid is also firm. Instead of a convertible hinge — with soundbar speakers in the case of the Yoga 9i — you have one wide, rounded hinge with ample catch to keep your lid fixed in place. Lenovo put it to the test with 21 MIL-STD-810H durability certifications, and the quality is evident everywhere you look.

The sides of the laptop base are slightly rounded, with a more pronounced bulge as you approach the back of the device. The lid, on the other hand, still has flat sides; when the laptop sits closed, the front of the lid and base line up, but at the back you get a bit of an underbite. It's an overall clean look. The lid has a reverse notch along the top to make more room for the camera setup and microphones, which also helps you get a clean hold when opening the lid. Fan exhaust is hidden away between the hinge and body, with a large intake on the bottom.

Weighing in at 3.15 pounds (1.43kg) and measuring about 0.59 inches thin (14.9mm), the laptop is in line with other modern 14-inch devices. The full aluminum build and glass display pushes it above the three-pound mark, but it's still plenty portable.

The FHD webcam doesn't match the resolution of what we're seeing in some of HP's laptops — the Spectre x360 14 (2024) has a 9MP camera, and even the mid-range Envy models for 2024 have a 5MP camera — but it handles exposure well with an overall clean picture. Human presence detection thanks to the IR sensor is available, allowing you to set up automatic lock and unlock when you leave and return to your laptop. I love that this convenient security feature is coming to more affordable laptops; it's something I use whenever available.

A webcam shutter toggle switch lives on the right edge of the laptop; it appears to cut the contact, but there's no physical cover that slides into place when enabled.

Four 2W speakers contribute to an overall excellent audio experience. Two speakers are built into the keyboard surround, with another two built into the front corners of the base. You can tune sound to your liking with Dolby audio settings in the Vantage app, and further tweaks are available with Dolby Atmos.

There are clear differences between all presets, and you can set up custom equalization if you don't find a preset you like. When in a video or voice call, the laptop can be set up to automatically change speaker tuning for the best voice quality possible.

Four 2W speakers contribute to an overall excellent audio experience.

Microphone noise-canceling is configurable through the Vantage app, with settings for multiple scenarios (like collaboration meetings or one-to-one calls). On the reverse side, you can enable noise-canceling through the laptop's speakers, which further removes sounds other than voices that are sent your way.

On the right side of the device are USB-A 3.2 (5Gbps) and 3.5mm audio jack, as well as a power button. The left side includes two Thunderbolt 4 and an HDMI 2.1 port for native video support. It's a standard selection of ports for a 14-inch laptop, and it should suit most users. A Thunderbolt docking station is always an option if you need more connectivity. As for wireless, Intel Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 are on board for reliable and fast connectivity.

Keyboard and touchpad

1.5mm key travel and available touchpad shortcuts

Lenovo usually doesn't miss when it comes to the keyboard, and the Slim 7i 14 (2024) is no exception. I used it to type thousands of words without issue during the testing period, enjoying the crisp actuation and 1.5mm key travel. It's a bit more rigid than the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12) keyboard I recently tested, but it's by no means uncomfortable. The large keycaps are slightly cupped, and the font has good contrast against the key color. A Copilot key has been added to the bottom row of the keyboard for quick access to the Windows AI assistant.

There is one caveat that some users might dislike. Navigation keys are doubled up on other keys, requiring a Fn shortcut to access. I don't always use these keys while writing, but anyone who does might find the extra key press annoying. Automatic keyboard backlighting actually works quite well, which isn't the case with all laptops. The feature can be disabled in the Vantage app if you'd like to go with a manual approach.

A Precision touchpad measuring 2.95 x 4.72 inches (75mm x 120mm) does a great job of pointing. The click is firm, even when the laptop isn't sitting completely flat. Tapping sometimes feels a bit loose if you're using the PC on your lap, but it's nothing too concerning.

Lenovo added some intelligent gesture options that you can enable, allowing you to adjust screen brightness or volume with touchpad gestures. It only works if you're in fullscreen mode, but that's perfect for something like watching YouTube videos.

Display

Wait for the matte finish option if you hate glare

The Slim 7i 14 (2024) has the first OLED display with 1920x1200 (FHD+) resolution that I've ever tested. Usually, an OLED panel is tied to a higher resolution. But with just one display option, it seems like Lenovo wanted to offer improved color and contrast no matter the number of pixels. I'm impressed with the touch display despite its lower FHD+ resolution.

If you're working in a well-lit environment, you're going to battle glare almost constantly.

In my testing with a SpyderX Pro colorimeter, it was able to hit 100% sRGB, 95% AdobeRGB, and 100% DCI-P3 color. It also managed 392 nits at peak brightness, dropping all the way to just 1.8 nits at its lowest point. This makes it suitable for watching TV and movies with the lights off; you won't burn your eyes, even without Windows Night light enabled. The screen comes with VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black certification, and Dolby Vision support provides some extra tuning for compatible content.

The contrast is outstanding thanks to the OLED ability to turn off individual pixels, and deep colors come through no matter how you're using the laptop. It should make a great companion if you're interested in color-sensitive tasks like photo editing. Within the Vantage app are OLED settings to help reduce the risk of burn-in; you can set timers for taskbar, background, and full display dimming.

The finish, however, is very glossy. If you're working in a well-lit environment, you're going to battle glare almost constantly. Lenovo lists a matte finish option in some documentation, but it's not yet available at the time of writing. If you hate glare, I'd definitely recommend waiting for this feature. There's also the matter of a 60Hz refresh rate. A lot of OLED screens hit up to 120Hz, providing a smoother overall picture that's easier on the eyes. It's definitely not a deal-breaker, but some might want a higher refresh rate.

Performance and battery

All-day battery life and strong performance

Lenovo went with more powerful H-series Core Ultra processors for the Slim 7i (2024), which add integrated Arc graphics rather than the weaker Intel Graphics that are tied in with U-series chips. The Core Ultra 7 155H in my review unit has 16 total cores, split up into six Performance (P) cores, eight Efficient (E) cores, and two Low Power Efficient (LPE) cores. As well as having plenty of raw power, its Neural Processing Unit (NPU) is designed to accelerate AI tasks. The laptop is certified for the latest Intel Evo edition, giving you assurances for performance and battery life.

Thanks to the integrated Arc graphics, you can enjoy some light gaming on the laptop without much issue. It's far from a dedicated gaming laptop, but it will handle many titles quite well at the native FHD+ resolution. Fan noise is certainly noticeable if you're pushing the laptop with a game or with photo editing software, but the system idles silently and hits just a whisper when browsing, writing, or streaming.

Single-core performance is in line with even some of the larger 16-inch laptops we've recently tested, though multi-core performance lags behind in some benchmarks. You can see how the Slim 7i 14 (2024) compares to other laptops we've recently tested also using the Core Ultra 7 155H CPU.

Battery life in the Slim 7i (2024) is the best I've so far seen from an Intel Core Ultra laptop. The 65Wh battery capacity is able to keep up well with the OLED screen (though it has a 60Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution) and Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, hitting 12 hours and 43 minutes in the PCMark 10 Modern Office rundown. I performed the test with brightness set at about 200 nits while using the Windows 11 Balanced power profile (with Lenovo's own cooling set to the default Intelligent option). With the laptop set to Windows 11's best performance option, it nevertheless lasted 11 hours and 26 minutes.

Battery life in the Slim 7i (2024) is the best I've so far seen from an Intel Core Ultra laptop.

That number is inflated due to how the PCMark test works, but I was still able to reliably get through an eight-hour workday without having to plug in. If you frequently travel or enjoy working remotely away from an AC input, the Slim 7i can accommodate your needs. Performance remains snappy on battery power, and I experienced no issues working with the laptop whether it was plugged in or not.

Should you buy the Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024)?

You should buy the Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024) if:

• You love the look of Yoga laptops but don't need a convertible design.
• You can benefit from all-day battery life.
• An OLED screen's color and contrast can benefit your workflow (or you just want to enjoy TV and movies on a great display).

You should NOT buy the Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024) if:

• You prefer a convertible design that can be used as a tablet.
• You want a laptop with a discrete GPU for gaming or other work.
• You need a higher display resolution than FHD+, OLED panel or not.

With the Slim 7i 14 (2024), Lenovo set out to deliver a non-convertible Yoga alternative that appeals to budget-conscious shoppers. In that regard, the laptop is a success. Considering you can land the laptop for just more than $1,000, the OLED touch display, quad-speaker setup, FHD webcam with human presence detection, and outstanding keyboard really make it an attractive option. Mid-range laptop design is so good at this point that it's often hard to notice surface differences between laptops that cost hundreds more dollars. The Slim 7i is a great example.

For the starting price, you don't get the full Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, but the Core Ultra 5 125H is still a real performer with an NPU and integrated Arc graphics. And it should, in theory, push the battery life even further. With more than a full workday with the Core Ultra 7 chip even in a real-world scenario, that's very impressive. ​​​​

I really had no issues with the Slim 7i beyond the glossy display finish and its tendency to show a lot of glare, but that should be fixed when Lenovo introduces an advertised matte finish option. The touchpad rattles a bit when tapped, especially if it's not sitting on a flat, stable surface, but it's nothing that will get in your way. Overall, this laptop is easy to recommend to anyone who needs a device packed with many premium features for around $1,000.