Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i (Gen 7) review

Unlike most of Lenovo’s Yoga laptops, Slim 9i (Gen 7) isn’t a 2-in-1 device. However, it is a premium computer with a striking design that performs as good as it looks.  

With a dazzling display, capable Intel processor and some impressive speakers, this laptop is just as good for work as it is for play – especially if you work in the creative industries. But is it worth the hefty price tag? 

Design & build 

• Oatmeal finish
• No USB-A or HDMI ports
• Weighs 1.37kg 

The best thing about this 14in laptop is its premium look and feel, which is up there with some of the best in the business.  

What Lenovo dubs as an ‘Oatmeal’ colour is an unusual yet extremely aesthetically pleasing finish. The outer shell is made from glossy white glass with a very simple Lenovo logo on the side, whilst the keyboard and chassis all come in a shiny champagne shade. Amongst a sea of basic black and silver laptops, the Yoga Slim 9i makes a true statement, although there are no alternative colour options.

The laptop is 14.9mm thick, so it can slip inside a backpack or duffle bag and still give you plenty of room. At 1.37kg it isn’t the lightest on the market, but still doesn’t feel hefty when carrying around. Despite not being a convertible, the 9i has a wide 180-degree radius and lives up to its Yoga name by feeling both flexible and strong.  

There are three USB-C ports (all of which support Thunderbolt 4 for fast data transfer), plus a 3.5mm headphone jack and physical privacy shutter for the webcam. There’s also a side-mounted power button, but no HDMI or USB-A ports.

Lenovo does supply an adaptor in the box, but it only includes one HDMI port, one USB-A port and an old-school VGA port – so if you have two devices that connect via USB-A, you’ll need to fork out for an extra adaptor. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The integrated fan does a good job at keeping the device cool during daily tasks such as web browsing, and is for the most part whisper quiet. That said, under more strenuous activity like gaming, it does get noticeably louder.  

The box also includes a fabric wallet that matches the shade of the laptop, allowing you to protect it whilst taking it on the go. However, it’s not quite large enough to fit both the laptop and the charger comfortably.  

Keyboard, trackpad & webcam 

• Lots of keyboard shortcuts available 
• Key travel feels quite shallow 
• Odd stutter from the trackpad 

Keys on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i have a curved, wide shape with responsive fireback. The key travel is on the shallow side, which may be a bug bear if you type aggressively. However, they are quite quiet. The keyboard can either have the backlight set to always on, automatic or off, with two levels of brightness available.

Many shortcut keys are included on this device, with the spacebar doubling up as a backlight key, and the F keys also acting as controls for the altering the sound and brightness, extending the displays, turning on airplane mode and more. There are quite a lot of shortcuts to get used to, but overall, I found them to be practical additions.  

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The trackpad takes up a good amount of space. I had a couple of occasions where it stuttered when booting the laptop up, but these were far and few between. 

The webcam is located above the display in the centre, within a bezel which protrudes from the top slightly. It is 1080p in quality and is combined with an infra-red sensor for Windows Hello face unlock, plus dual microphones to help improve video calls. There is also a privacy shutter button on the keyboard for your piece of mind.  

I found face recognition to work quite well. It can have have trouble recognising you if you’re wearing glasses, so I’d recommend improving recognition with a second scan via Settings. However, No fingerprint reader is included.

Screen & speakers 

• 2.8K touchscreen OLED display 
• Display picks up marks 
• Impressive audio 

The Yoga Slim 9i has a 2.8K (2880×1800) OLED display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. This results in a clear and bright screen where colours pop and shine – even with the brightness turned down.  

Viewing angles are great on this device, though it can suffer from some glare if you’re using it near a window, or outdoors under bright sunlight. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

When measuring the screen with a Spyder Elite, the Yoga Slim 9i achieved 100% sRGB, 95% AdobeRGB, 100% DCI-P3 coverage and a maximum brightness of 392 nits. For an OLED display, that AdobeRGB score is particularly impressive – meaning that not only does this device look good, but it is also a viable option for creators and designers.  

The maximum refresh rate on the 9i is 90Hz. The laptop automatically defaults to 60Hz, so you’ll need to head into the display settings if you want to alter this. This will be a welcome addition for those who enjoy a bit of casual gaming or just smoother scrolling, but it will hit battery life slightly.

The display is touchscreen compatible. Whilst I found this to be quick and responsive to gestures, swipes and presses, the screen does pick up fingerprints and marks very easily – you’ll have to maintain upkeep on this device to keep it smudge free.  

The audio hardware on the Yoga Slim 9i is impressive. The laptop comes with four speakers, with sound by Bowers & Wilkins and Dolby Atmos support. Altogether, this results in colourful, loud audio with punchy bass levels. It’s a joy for watching Netflix, playing games and listening to music on. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Specs & performance 

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i features an Intel Core i7 processor from the latest (at time of writing) 12th-gen range, alongside 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. You can create custom configurations on the Lenovo website, and in other markets such as the US, the laptop comes with higher RAM and storage options.

The specific chip used in this model is the Core i7-1280P. Part of the Alder Lake-P series, this chip delivers a balance between efficiency and performance into a slim and light laptop. It also features integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, but there’s no option for a discrete GPU.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Day-to-day performance is solid, quick and responsive. I’ve used this device for numerous tasks at once, editing photos, taking video calls and even some light gaming, and it was able to do it all without a hitch.  

Under our benchmarking tests, you can see that the Yoga Slim 9i manages to keep pace with other laptops of a similar price from the likes of Huawei and LG.  

Battery & charging 

• Not the best battery life 
• 65W charging via USB-C
• Fast speeds helps juice the laptop quickly 

Under our continuous video loop battery test, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i achieved 8 hours and 37 minutes. However, the real world battery life doesn’t always match up to these levels. I was able to make it around four hours with the best performance enabled, using multiple applications and listening to music throughout the day. 

Of course, there are things you can do to conserve the battery. Lenovo’s own Vantage software lets you choose battery saver or adaptive performance modes, rather than extreme performance. You can also turn on conservation mode in the quick settings bar to protect the battery long term.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The laptop comes with 65W charger, which can be used with any of the three USB-C ports. Lenovo includes rapid charge feature (this must be enabled in Lenovo Vantage), which the company claims can give the device up to two hours’ worth of use in just 15 minutes.  

With this enabled, I was able to juice the laptop to 39% from flat in 30 minutes, which is not quite as fast as what we’ve seen from rival devices.

Software & features 

• Windows 11 Home 
• Some software bloat 

The Yoga 9i ships with Windows 11 Home, so you get all the Microsoft programs included and lots of popular apps such as WhatsApp, Disney+ and Xbox included on the device as standard. 

This laptop comes with a free 30-day trial of McAfee LiveSafe, and a month of Microsoft 365 for full access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

There are some preinstalled Lenovo apps such as Lenovo Vantage for information on your device, Lenovo Hotkeys for finding keyboard shortcuts and Lenovo Voice for controlling your PC via voice commands.  

Lenovo is not quite the worst offender for bloatware, but for some these apps may get on your nerves – especially when the notifications pop up when you least want them (don’t make this writer’s mistake of not turning them off and having annoying pings during a Zoom call).  

Lenovo includes a one year PremiumCare warranty with purchase – you can read up on the warranty on the Lenovo website.

Price & availability 

In the UK, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i starts from £1,499 – though you can add additional configurations such as a 4K screen and more storage for an additional cost. At the time of writing, Lenovo has some Black Friday offers available.

US readers can only get this laptop with a 4K screen and double the amount of RAM, which means that the starting price is a tad more expensive at $2,070. However, the processor and design remain the same.  

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

For the performance and design, this price falls largely in line with what is on offer from competitors. The main let-down is battery life – so if that is a concern, it’s worth looking at either the Huawei MateBook 14s or even the Apple MacBook Air (M1) if you’re happy to let go of the Windows experience.  Neither of these are the latest model anymore, meaning there should be some useful discounts.

You can also read up on Tech Advisor’s picks of the best laptops overall.  

Verdict 

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i has a gorgeous, unique design and pairs it with competitive performance that is suited both for work and for leisure, especially with its powerful speakers and bright, high-quality screen.   

The sub-standard battery life may be an annoyance to some, as will the lack of physical ports for people who connect multiple devices at once. The touchscreen is also prone to picking up fingerprint marks.  

Nonetheless, this is overall a great all-round device from Lenovo, and one to consider if you’re looking to make an investment in your next laptop.  

Specs

• Windows 11 Home
• 14in 2880×1880 OLED touchscreen, Up to 90Hz
• Intel Core i7-1280P processor
• Intel Iris Xe Graphics
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB SSD storage
• 1080p webcam
• 3x USB-C ports (adaptor included for HDMI/USB-A)
• Headphone jack
• Webcam privacy shutter button
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth 5.2
• Quad speakers
• Dual microphones
• 75Wh battery
• 65W charger
• 14.9x315x214.4mm
• 1.37kg
• Oatmeal colour