Content
- Positioning
- TECH SPECS
- Appearance
- Screen and webcam
- Keyboard and Touchpad
- Performance
- Battery life
- Impression and competitors
Positioning
“Luxury in every millimeter” is how Lenovo itself describes the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i laptop. If the Yoga brand used to be somewhat experimental, where Lenovo tried new technologies and form factors, now Yoga is a fashionable premium. In general, the correct positioning, since before that those who wanted to buy a cool ultrabook that combines compactness and modern technologies, had to look at the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which was good to everyone, but too corporate and strict. In contrast, the Yoga Slim 9i is visually much more relaxed (there is even leather or fabric in the trim!). Judging by the promo photos, Lenovo sees the target audience of the product as something like this (see the pictures below). Perhaps the best way to describe the target audience is the phrase from the official website: work at peak productivity and stay in the thick of things. That is, this is a business laptop for those who want something brighter than the austere ThinkPad.
Lenovo identifies the following as the main selling points that should attract audiences:
- 11th Generation Intel Processors, Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- The latest smart technologies and tools for creative ideas (privacy alert if someone is standing behind you looking at the screen, automatic screen lock when you leave the device, etc.)
- Long battery life (up to 12 hours for 4K screen and up to 20 hours for Full HD), fast charging
- Backlit 4K touchscreen with up to 500 nits brightness and wide color gamut
- The metal frame of the body is connected with a covering of hand-crafted natural leather in black, which has passed 20 stages of cutting and testing
- 3 ports USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6
- The all-glass palm rest with the latest Glass Sense touch panel adds aesthetic and functionality, gives the model a luxurious look while providing 50% more active surface and clear tactile feedback
- Dolby Atmos sound.
TECH SPECS
- Processor: Intel Core i5-1135G7, 4 cores, 4.2 GHz
- Graphics: Intel® Iris® Xe 1GB
- Memory: 8GB LPDDR4 SDRAM (max 16GB)
- Storage: SSD 512 GB PCI-E 3.0 x4
- Screen: 14-inch VESA DisplayHDR 400 UHD (3840×2160) IPS touchscreen, 90% DCI-P3 color space, 500 nits brightness
- OS: Windows 10 Home
- Communication: Wi-Fi 6 (2 x 2 802.11 ax) + Bluetooth 5.1
- Webcam: Infrared range-forming (TOF) camera with light sensor (ALS), 2 microphones
- Battery: 63.5 W * h, 65 W power supply, which together with the wire weighs 270 g
- Keyboard: island type, short travel, backlight
- Touchpad: standard with gesture support, size 10.5 x 6.5 cm
- Audio: 2 x 2W Dolby Atmos® speaker
- Ports:
- 3 USB Type-C Thunderbolt ™ 4 ports
- Combo microphone / headphone jack
- Materials: metal, leather (there are versions with fabric upholstery)
- Dimensions: 13.9 – 14.6 x 318 x 200.9 mm, weight 1.2 kg (+270 g power adapter with wires)
- Price: 190 000 rubles
Appearance
When a laptop costs 190 thousand (and i7 models go far beyond 200 thousand), subconsciously you begin to look at the device more closely. I even sniffed the leather trim first, and then licked it just in case. Who knows, maybe there are some additional effects. Suddenly, it is not only the appearance and performance that the laptop is able to cheer up its creative owner.
However, without irony, Lenovo has done a great job. The laptop looks great. The leather on the top cover, the ultra-thin bezels of the screen, and the glass panel of the wrist rest area, smoothly turning into brushed metal, play here. Please read the photo captions.
The laptop comes in a thick and thick cardboard box.
Considering the price of the device and the thickness of the box, I somehow expected that inside, in addition to the laptop, there would be something else interesting. However, there was only a laptop in a cloth case and two boxes containing a charging adapter and a wire.
From the curious – only the inscription on the cloth case, that excessive use can damage your eyesight. In general, the remark is reasonable. The brightness of 500 nits is excessive in most cases, however, by inertia, you twist the brightness to the maximum, and after half an hour of work, your eyes start to go crazy. Interestingly, the brighter the screen, the more you twist it, and it always seems that it is not enough. The hardest thing for me at one time was with the 1000-nit screen from Dell.
The skin is both tactile and looks good. Fingerprints are almost invisible and disappear easily with just a wave of the cloth. There are no questions about reliability and durability either. At one time, as part of the experiment, I pasted leather stickers on my laptop. Several years have passed, but they are still holding up very well.
This is how handprints on the skin look like. Almost imperceptible.
On the sides of the keyboard are speakers with a design that echoes the glass wrist rest. The laptop folds into a tablet.
Since this is the laptop of the future, there are only USB Type-C ports. It’s strange that the 3.5 mm jack was left.
Embossed Lenovo logo in leather.
Yoga lettering.
Power button, another Type-C and a “switch” for the webcam and microphones. Our future is Type-C and Privacy.
When the switch is in the active position, Windows stops seeing the webcam and reports that such a device is not connected (that is, not a problem with the drivers, but physically not).
Traditional inscription on the end of the top cover.
In profile, the laptop resembles two thin metal plates stacked together.
There are ventilation holes on the bottom cover. Cogs in the form of stars. Apparently, they specially chose such that the user did not have the desire to climb inside.
But the back matte metal surface, unlike the leather, is easily covered with fingerprints.
Screen and webcam
There are two screen options to choose from:
- 14 ” VESA DisplayHDR 400 UHD (3840×2160) IPS touchscreen, 90% DCI-P3 color space, 500 nits brightness
- 14 ” FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS touchscreen, 72% NTSC color space, 100% sRGB color space, 400 nits brightness
Before buying, you should see both options live. My opinion is that for a 14-inch screen, Full HD resolution is also suitable, thanks to which the laptop works longer on battery. But the Full HD screen has less brightness – 400 nits. The brightness of 500 nits is a kind of standard that allows you to work with the screen even outdoors. So it all depends on your preferences and work scenarios.
I had a 4K screen on my test. The screen, of course, is difficult to find fault with. Minimal bezels, high brightness (485 nits measured), 90% DCI-P3 color gamut. The screen, by the way, supports Dolby Vision technology. A kind of celebration for the owners of the latest generation iPhone, which can shoot in Dolby Vision.
The screen is touch-sensitive and in theory should support the proprietary stylus from Lenovo. Here, by the way, it is worth making a note that if the presence of a stylus is important to you, then you should pay attention to the Yoga 9i model (without the word “Slim” in the name), where the stylus is hidden in the body next to the power button.
The screen has nice features. They are tied to a webcam with a ToF sensor that detects the distance to the object. For example, the Yoga Slim 9i can be configured so that the screen locks and goes blank as soon as you get up from behind your laptop. Another highlight is the alert that someone is looking at your laptop screen from behind you. The technology works perfectly in a situation when you are sitting, and someone at a distance of 1.5-2 meters from the laptop stands behind you.
Well, as soon as you sit down, the laptop recognizes you and unlocks. Lenovo showed these technologies back in the fall at an exhibition in Berlin, and they began to appear in some 2020 models. And now it’s kind of a standard.
There is a separate application for setting up such chips. In this review, I analyzed how it works and provided screenshots.
Perhaps, you can only find fault with the fact that the screen is too glossy. Accordingly, it may glare. But this is a minus only for those who will look from the side. When the laptop is in front of you, there is no glare.
The laptop has a webcam. I don’t know why, but for some reason it seems to me that at a price of 190 thousand rubles a webcam should shoot no worse than an iPhone. And she shoots like this, which, in fact, is very good quality by the standards of laptops. Just Next-Gen!
Using a switch on the side, the camera can be turned off completely. Windows will simply stop seeing it. The camera is not equipped with a privacy shutter, as there is a physical switch. And this is certainly better, because the shutter usually only covers the image, while the sound remains.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The Yoga Slim 9i’s keyboard is notable for its short travel and almost silent. Immediately, I note that no keyboard prints remain on the screen. Keys with minimal travel, but responsive. After a regular keyboard, it takes a while to get used to, as much less effort is needed, otherwise you will drum and the pads of your fingers will get tired. I highly recommend trying the keyboard before purchasing.
A special feature of the keyboard is the backlight, the brightness of which is adjustable depending on the ambient light. Function for an amateur. For example, if I use highlighting, I prefer to just set it to the lowest value.
The laptop has an unusual touchpad. The wrist rest and touchpad are one glass surface. The touchpad does not squeeze. Instead, it responds to pressure by giving a vibration response.
The technology is so good that if you don’t think about it, it’s hard to guess that the touchpad is not pressed. When I described my impressions of the touchpad in a selection of gadgets for December, I immediately received in the comments that Apple has had this for a long time. So, but not so. For my taste, Lenovo’s implementation feels more realistic. As a minus, the touchpad size can be written down – 10.5 x 6.5 cm. If the height of the touchpad is no longer made, then it could be made wider (13-15 cm). Large touchpads are, firstly, fashionable, and secondly, practical, because Windows understands gestures better and better.
Performance
The 11th generation Intel processor, made according to the 10 nm process technology, is responsible for the performance in the laptop. One of the main benefits of Gen 11 is its powerful new integrated graphics. Introducing the 10th generation, Intel said it would now be able to run AAA games at 720p. Now they said that you can run AAA games already in Full HD. It should be understood here that we mean the lowest graphics quality settings.
However, first of all, it should be noted that in a laptop, only an SSD disk is available to the user for updating. However, before upgrading the drive, you should think, because part of the speed of work (instant sleep and wake up, download speed and applications) is due to a very good SSD drive. Accordingly, if you change, then the matter should be approached responsibly and not save.
It is absolutely clear that the laptop is not designed for gaming, but I still really wanted to try out the 11th generation of processors. The game World of Tanks is best suited for such experiments. Take a look at some screenshots below. The proprietary benchmark assures that tanks can be played even in 4K resolution. However, in my opinion, it is still better in Full HD, since in 4K, frame drops occur from time to time. In general, Intel is not lying. For example, Cyberpunk 2077 in Full HD at the lowest settings produces 19 fps. That is, you will not get pleasure from the game, but the fact itself is remarkable. But in Full HD at about medium settings, you can play The Witcher 3 at 27-29 fps. Basically, Intel is on the right track. However, of course, after Apple’s ARM chipset, it seems like Intel is somehow in no rush.
Several other synthetic test results.
Perhaps the main thing that can be said about the performance of the laptop is that it is fast (booting the system in 7 seconds) and quiet. Even under the maximum load caused by synthetic tests, the noise level did not rise above 45 dB. It is important to note in passing that the laptop remained cold. Even during stress tests and benchmarks, the CPU temperature did not exceed 85 degrees. Typical temperatures are 60-70 degrees.
Battery life
Battery life is one of the laptop’s strong points. Especially if you choose a model with a Full HD screen, which, as they promise, can last up to 20 hours on a single charge. I had a sample with a 4K screen. It is important to note here that battery life is highly dependent on screen brightness. The 500-nit screen is a significant energy consumer. For example, at maximum brightness, the laptop can last 7.5 hours in office productivity mode. And this is an excellent result, since your eyes will rather leak out than sit at the screen at maximum brightness for 8 hours in a row. But if you set the screen to 50% brightness (that’s 250 nits, in general, the average brightness for laptops), then you can get 11 hours of work.
In promotional materials Lenovo says that the laptop is equipped with fast charging. Fast charging can be enabled in the Lenovo Vantage proprietary application. By the way, in the same place I recommend limiting the battery charge if it is assumed that the laptop will work from the outlet for a long time. I have questions about fast charging, because it’s not very fast. And as I understand it, it works only if the battery is very low. According to subjective observations, it will not be possible to quickly recharge from 50% to 80%.
The main disappointment awaited me when I saw the 65W charging adapter. Such a beautiful laptop and such a terrible adapter. It also weighs 265 grams. When they talk about luxury in every millimeter in promotional materials, then, apparently, charging is not taken into account.
It is very good that the laptop is charged via Type-C, so you can take a neat charger from Xiaomi (which, by the way, weighs 100 g with the wire) and not know the troubles. At the very least, she looks more elegant and fits better in style.
The total charging time also surprised me: 2 hours 20 minutes. Although the battery is not the largest at 63.5 Wh.
Overall, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i has good battery life. The supplied adapter can be replaced with something more elegant. I guess you can take Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i with you on a day trip without charging and not worry.
Impression and competitors
Lenovo has a great executive laptop. A compact body that fits a 14-inch screen, long battery life, impressive speed in everyday tasks. At the same time, thanks to the leather top cover, the laptop stands out visually. The laptop cannot be unambiguously praised. If only for the reason that Lenovo itself has more interesting models. For example, there is the Yoga 9i (no Slim), which has a stylus in its body (the technical stuffing is similar).
Other brands are not lagging behind. HP Specter 14 x360, which has options with a 1000-nit OLED screen. The price for Russia has not yet been announced, but in dollars the model from HP offers more memory and a drive for similar money.
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