Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon (13″, Gen 8) review: Sleek and portable

The latest Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7i Carbon (13″, Gen 8) is as lightweight as the one I tested a couple of years ago. The design remains just as sleek, which is nice. But it also means certain limitations, like the lack of an audio jack. The computing hardware has been updated to the latest 13th-gen Intel processor and a modern 16:10 display. Overall, it's a good choice for road warriors that don't mind sacrificing some features for portability.

Quick specs

13.3-inch (2,560 x 1,600 pixels, 90Hz) IPS touchscreen
Intel Core i7-1360P with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD
Thunderbolt 4, USB-C Gen 2
50 watt-hour battery

It's obvious that the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon share the same design DNA as the Lenovo Yoga 9i. Both have rounded edges and corners that won't graze your fingers. But the Yoga 9i is a 2-in-1 convertible that can switch to tablet form with its 360-degree hinge, while the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon's lid only opens up to 180 degrees. The Yoga Slim 7i Carbon is also more portable. It weighs just under a kilogram. And yet, its carbon-fibre body, which Lenovo says has been military-grade tested, feels sturdy. However, the ultra-thin design comes at a cost. There are only two ports (USB-C and Thunderbolt 4), so you'll need a dongle. Lenovo sells a USB-C to USB-A/HDMI/VGA/audio dongle for S$40.

The Yoga Slim 7i Carbon has a crisp 2,560 x 1,600-pixel, 16:10 IPS touch display that's more suited for productivity than entertainment. The refresh rate is smoother than usual at 90Hz, though you'll have to manually change that in the settings. However, I noticed some colour shift when viewing the screen from the sides. Bezels are narrow, as you'd expect from a modern laptop. I also like how the infrared webcam, which enables face recognition, protrudes out slightly. This protrusion makes it easy to open the laptop. You can find a privacy shutter switch to disable the webcam at the right side of the Yoga. This 720p webcam is decent — images look clear if a tad soft. The keyboard is great. It's shallow, but tactile, and makes for a nice typing experience. The touchpad is also smooth and responsive.

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon has identical specs as the recently-reviewed Asus Vivobook 15X OLED. Both sport the latest Intel Core i7-1360P chip, so it's no surprise that they produce similar scores in PCMark 10 (5,531 for the Lenovo). It's not as fast as the Acer Swift Go 14 (6,093), but I have no complaints. Battery life, though, was shorter than expected. On average, I got around 4 to 5 hours for typical productivity tasks like editing documents and web browsing at 80% brightness. Lenovo has a handy battery widget that you can pin to the desktop. This widget also has shortcuts like muting the microphone and switching to a power-saving mode. In our usual video playback test, the Lenovo lasted five hours at maximum screen brightness.

Prices for the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon start at around S$1,600 for a Core i5 model, but my Core i7 review set is around S$2,000. Besides the processor, you can also customise the storage and display options on Lenovo's website. I really like its sleek, lightweight build, but its limited ports mean it's more suited for those that have switched to wireless accessories (mouse, headphones, etc). Battery stamina is another downside — it means you'll have to properly plan your day. Get it now from Lenovo, Lazada, and Amazon SG.

Note: Review unit provided by Lenovo.

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