Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition – specifications
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i is a quite well-known series of ultrabooks with a touch screen that provides additional control options. Although we cannot rotate it 360 degrees to use the screen as a tablet, the touch layer can sometimes be useful. The tested unit was equipped with the latest Intel processor – Core Ultra 7 258V based on the Arrow Lake architecture, which changes a lot in terms of processor configuration. First of all, performance cores (P) no longer have support for HyperThreading. There are only 4 of them and they support 4 threads. This is complemented by economical cores (E), of which we only have 4. This system therefore supports only 8 threads and can operate with a maximum clock of 4.8 GHz. This doesn’t bode well for multi-threaded performance, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
The test computer was also equipped with 32 GB of (soldered) LPDDR5X RAM, a 1 TB SSD drive and a 15.3-inch IPS screen (2880 x 1620 pixels). Additionally, we have a 70 Wh battery, a solid casing made of aluminum alloy and a set of 4 speakers supporting Dolby Atmos. The set of ports also looks good, we have 1 USB-A port, 2x USB-C in the USB 4.0 standard with Power Delivery and Display Port support, and an HDMI 2.1 port. Other advantages include a backlit keyboard, an IR camera compatible with Windows Hello technology and a touch screen. However, there is no fingerprint reader. The price is rather standard for this segment, currently around PLN 6,600.
| Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition | |
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, 8 cores/8 threads, 4.8 GHz |
| RAM | 32 GB LPDDR5X-8533, Quad-channel |
| GPU | Intel Arc 140V |
| SSD | 1TB SSD |
| Other | 1080p camera with IR Backlit keyboard Touch screen 4 speakers (Dolby Atmos) |
| Screen | 15.3 inches, 2880 x 1800 pixels, IPS, 120 Hz |
| WLAN | Intel BE201 (WiFi 7), BT 5.4 |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home 64bit |
| Battery | 70 Wh |
| Ports | 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 1x HDMI 2.1 2x USB-C 4.0 (PD, Display Port) 1x audio port |
| Dimensions | 344 x 235 x 15 mm |
| Libra | 1.53 kg |
| Price | ~PLN 6,599 (December 2024) |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition – design
The Yoga Slim 7i family of computers are models that enjoy quite a positive reputation among users. However, it is difficult to say that it stands out as something particularly positive. The casing is neat and well-made, it ensures adequate stiffness of the screen and the only complaint is that the cover cannot be opened with one hand. The flap hinge is a bit too solid, so you have to use your other hand for support.
From the bottom, the casing looks ordinary. A large strip of ventilation slots allows you to maintain the appropriate temperature, which is efficiently helped by two fans. On the side edges, attention is drawn to additional speaker holes, which, by the way, sound very solid considering their dimensions. Much of this is due to the additional speakers mounted at the keyboard level. The sound that comes from this little thing can be impressive and we are glad that more and more companies notice this aspect.
However, it must be taken into account that additional speakers take up space for the numeric keyboard. Despite its small thickness, the keyboard installed in this computer is not only backlit but also has a very pleasant keystroke. In addition, its layout with a long left Shift key and a long Enter key is very convenient. You’re probably wondering where the power button is? It turns out that it went to a rather unusual place: on the right side of the device. At first it was difficult to find it and to get used to the location. However, I have a positive opinion about the touchpad, it is sensitive and has a pleasant click. Additionally, we have several gestures at our disposal that make navigation easier. Generally speaking, it’s hard to have any major comments, except maybe the lack of a numeric block.
The number of expansion ports is satisfactory for such a narrow housing. On the left side we have HDMI 2.1, a USB-C 4.0 port and a headphone jack. On the right there is space for a USB Type A port, another USB-C 4.0 port and the aforementioned laptop power button. There is also a physical switch that deactivates the camera. The USB-C ports support Thunderbolt 4.0, Power Delivery and Display Port, so you can use them to charge your computer and connect additional monitors.
The video call camera is mounted on the frame above the screen, which is wider here. These are visually better solutions than the “notch” used by Apple. The image quality from the camera is very good (1080p), and thanks to IR technology it also allows you to log into the system thanks to facial recognition. It works similarly to Face ID in Apple products, it is fast and effective, so the lack of a fingerprint reader does not bother us so much.
The power supply included in the set has a power of only 65 W and is quite small, unlike the power cable with a clover. Honestly, this isn’t a very handy solution. Today you can buy a 100W power supply, which will be smaller and more convenient. The maximum power consumption I recorded was about 65 W and occurred during charging, so the power supply is working at the limit of its capabilities. Using a more powerful power supply does not increase the charging power, but this little thing heats up a lot under maximum load.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition – screen
The IPS display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels makes a great impression. An OLED panel is also available as an option, which will have much better contrast. Despite this, the screen is still very positive. The backlight is very even and reaches almost 500 nits, making it suitable even in sunny rooms. The shiny matrix is a bit disturbing, but unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it. Perhaps in a few years the nanostructured layer like in the new Macbook Pro will also be available in computers from other manufacturers and this will no longer be a problem.
The static contrast measured during the tests was 1422:1, which is sufficient. After calibration, we also have very good color reproduction and 100% coverage of the sRGB color palette and 98% in P3. The list of advantages also includes 120 Hz refresh rate, which improves the smoothness of animations. The matrix is more than correct, and if you need something more, you can always choose the OLED version.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition – performance
The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor can, in theory, work even at 4.8 GHz, although not for a long time. Under heavy load, the clock tends to oscillate around 3 GHz. As I have already mentioned, we have 4 P cores (Performance) and 4 E cores (Efficiency), which support a maximum of 8 threads simultaneously. There is also an Intel Arc 140V graphics chip, which should take advantage of the availability of four-channel, integrated LPDDR5X memory.
Performance results look good. Single-core performance is indeed high, but the same cannot be said when we have tests using more cores. In some charts you will also find the results of Apple processors, which show that Intel is still a bit behind. For example, in Cinebench 2024 or Geekbench 6, the advantage of the Apple M4 processor in the single-core test is huge. Things are different in multi-core tests. Generally, in normal use there are no major shortcomings, but I honestly admit that I expected a bit more. You don’t feel this progress compared to the previous generation. However, the fact that Intel processors are finally available is a pleasant surprise they don’t cut performance when they are running on battery power. The results without external power supply are therefore very similar.
Gaming performance
The Intel Arc 140V system is also very positive, it has great results and I think that it will allow you to run even newer games like Cyberpunk 2077 without any major problems. Of course, it will not be full screen resolution and high details, but I think that it will be fine in 1080p on medium details. you can play if you are satisfied with these 30 frames per second.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition – SSD drive
The 1 TB SSD used is compatible with PCIe 4.0 and was manufactured by Samsung. You can’t complain about its performance, about 6 GB/s when reading and 4.5 GB/s when writing data is more than enough for such a notebook.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition – battery
The 70 Wh battery is quite a large cell and one of the great advantages of this computer. Intel Core Utlra 7 258V shows that it can be very economical and is significantly closer to ARM processors in this respect. In web browsing mode with a brightness of about 160 nits, it will easily last over 16 hours. If you run a movie, the working time will increase to over 21 hours (local playback). Under load, we only have a little over 1.5 hours of gaming left. The charging speed is also very good – from 0 to 100% it takes less than 2 hours, but after an hour we will have over 70% of the battery capacity. It is also worth adding that the included software recommends charging the battery to 80% to extend its life. It is worth using this setting considering how long the operating time is guaranteed by a fully charged battery.
Reader test (screen brightness 160 nits, WiFi on) – 16h 14 minutes
Film test (screen brightness at 160 nits, WiFi on) – 21h 36 minutes
Gaming test (screen brightness 160 nits, 3DMark) – 1 hour 42 minutes
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition – energy consumption, temperatures, noise
The power consumption of the tested notebook can be surprisingly low. With a screen brightness of around 180 nits at idle, the computer needs only 6 W, when we set the maximum brightness the consumption increases to 8 W. The maximum load on the processor means an increase in energy consumption to a maximum of 55 W, but then it quickly drops to about 47 W and you can use it level permanently thanks to the processor architecture and efficient cooling system. In games, power consumption is around 40 W.
The temperatures of the processor and the entire computer are acceptable. The case does not heat up excessively, it mainly does so in the upper-middle part. Processor temperatures can temporarily reach a maximum of 88 degrees Celsius, which must be considered a good result. It is also worth noting that cooling is not noticeable even at maximum load. It’s louder, but acceptable. Better than the Macbook Pro 14 with Apple M4 that I tested a few weeks earlier. During typical internet and office work, it is very quiet and this is a big advantage of this laptop.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition – summary
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is a very solid computer. It’s light, well-made, has a great cooling system and good specifications. The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor is a positive surprise, even if you may complain about multi-threaded performance. The integrated graphics system is also quite good, which should allow you to run even newer games. In addition, when powered by batteries, the processor offers virtually full performance. When we add a long battery life, we get the picture of a very sensible notebook that we will be happy to take with us on any trip. With a weight of 1.5 kg, its dimensions no longer pose such a problem. If I had to complain about something, it would probably be the shiny matrix in which everything is reflected, the lack of expansion options (soldered RAM, no space for an additional M2 disk) and that small power supply with a large cable ;-). Apart from that, it is a very solid proposition in this segment.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition
Approximate price: ~PLN 6,599
