Normally, after I see a laptop computer with discrete graphics, it has a bit of additional heft. That is not the case for the Lenovo Slim Professional 7 (examined at $1,199.99), which is skinny and pretty gentle with its AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050.
The catch, maybe, is that these components aren’t the fanciest, like what you usually discover in a number of the greatest ultrabooks. This Ryzen 7000-series CPU makes use of Zen 3+ cores, which are not AMD’s newest, and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 is an entry-level GPU from a technology in the past. For easy duties, efficiency holds up. For extra intense, multi-core work, this is probably not for you.
Lenovo has a wealth of ports, with each USB Kind-C and Kind-A on the edges of the gadget. The keyboard is bouncy and cozy. However different components, just like the touchpad, really feel a bit low-cost.
Should you want a discrete GPU in a slim type issue, only for a slight enhance in graphics energy, the Slim Professional 7 is price contemplating. In any other case, it is serviceable, although not essentially thrilling.
Design of the Lenovo Slim Professional 7
The Lenovo Slim Professional 7 is not making any statements. It is a darkish grey aluminum rectangle with rounded corners, and Lenovo’s identify in teeny print on the lid. It is so plain, in actual fact, that it could be the proper film prop for a manufacturing firm that could not get a licensing deal.
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With the lid open, the 14.5-inch display is surrounded by slim bezels and a small bump on high to suit the cameras. The chiclet keys look a bit like these on a ThinkPad, however there is no pointing stick right here (which is ok with me).
Lenovo has match the fundamental ports you want alongside the Slim Professional 7’s sides. The left aspect has an HDMI port and two USB Kind-C ports. One is USB 3.2 Gen 2, whereas the opposite is USB 4 with sooner 40 Gbps speeds. They are not labeled, however the backside one, furthest from the HDMI port, is the sooner model of USB-C.
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The precise aspect has a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Kind-A port for legacy peripherals, in addition to a headphone jack. That is additionally the place you will discover the facility button and an e-shutter to disable the digicam.
The Slim Professional 7 measures 12.81 x 8.92 x 0.61 inches thick, making it ever-so-slightly thicker than Lenovo’s Yoga 9i Gen 8 (12.52 xs 9.06 x 0.6 inches. The Samsung Galaxy Ebook 3 Extremely is 14 x 9.86 x 0.64 inches, whereas the HP Dragonfly Professional is 12.39 x 8.78 x 0.72 inches.
Similarly, the Slim Professional 7 is the second lightest of the group at 3.6 kilos, whereas the Yoga 9i is 3.09 kilos. The Galaxy Ebook 3 is 3.96 kilos, and the HP Dragonfly Professional is 3.53 kilos.
Lenovo Slim Professional 7 Specs
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 (6GB GDDR6, 63 W max graphics energy, 990 MHz enhance clock) |
| Reminiscence | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD |
| Show | 14.5-inch, 2560 x 1600, 16:10, 90 Hz touchscreen |
| Networking | MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E MT7922 (RZ616), Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Ports | USB 3.2 Gen 1 Kind-A, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C, USB 4 Kind-C (40GBps), HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Digicam | 1080p, IR, e-shutter |
| Battery | 73 WHr |
| Energy Adapter | 140 W |
| Working System | Home windows 11 House |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 12.81 x 8.92 x 0.61 inches (325.5 x 226.49 x 15.6) |
| Weight | 3.5 kilos (1.59 kg) |
| Worth (as configured) | $1,199.99 |
Productiveness Efficiency
The Lenovo Slim Professional 7 has the excellence of being the primary laptop computer with a Ryzen 7000 HS collection processor to hit our labs. This processor, the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, makes use of eight Zen 3+ cores on a 6-nanometer course of with a enhance clock of as much as 4.75 GHz. Lenovo has paired it right here with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, a 512GB SSD and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, which is an entry-level GPU that is a technology previous.
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On Geekbench 5, the Slim Professional 7 achieved a single-core rating of 1,527 and a multi-core rating of 9,031. That is the second lowest single-core rating of the group, which additionally included the Samsung Galaxy Ebook 3 Extremely (Core i7-13700H) and Lenovo Yoga 9i (Core i7-1360P); the HP Dragonfly Professional, with a Ryzen 7 7736U, was barely behind. This chip was the weakest of the group on multi-core.
The Slim Professional 7 copied 25GB of recordsdata at a fee of 1,594.91 MBps, handily beating the Dragonfly Professional. Lenovo’s personal Yoga 9i was a bit sooner, whereas the Galaxy Ebook 3 Extremely was the quickest right here.
The Ryzen chip took 6 minutes and 36 seconds to transcode a 4K file to 1080p, beating each the MacBook Air and Yoga 9i. However the Galaxy Ebook 3 Extremely, with an Intel H -series chip, took even much less time, at 5:26.
On our Cinebench R23 stress check, wherein we loop the benchmark 20 instances, AMD’s new chip began at a rating of 12,291.669 and went up from there, spending most of its time within the excessive 12,900’s, and sometimes breaking the 13,000 level barrier (the common rating was 12,943.58).The Ryzen 7 7735HS averaged 3.88 GHz and a temperature of 88.1 levels Celsius (190.58 levels Fahrenheit).
Lenovo opted for a last-gen RTX 3050 on the Slim Professional 7. On 3DMark Time Spy, it achieved a rating of 4,523. That is nonetheless higher than the built-in graphics from Intel (1,916) and AMD (2,888) within the Yoga 9i and Dragonfly Professional, respectively. However the Samsung Galaxy Ebook 3 Extremely, with an RTX 4050, had the very best rating at 6,208. Granted, the 3050 Lenovo is utilizing right here is fairly tame, with a 63 W max graphics energy and 990 MHz enhance clock. That is far much less energy than the 4050 on the Galaxy Ebook is utilizing, nevertheless it lets Lenovo match it in a skinny PC.
Show on the Lenovo Slim Professional 7
The 14.5-inch, 2560 x 1600 touchscreen show on the Slim Professional 7 is ok, nevertheless it’s not wonderful. It covers 118% of the sRGB coloration gamut and 83.7% of the DCI-P3 coloration gamut, however at 325 nits on our gentle meter, it is not as brilliant because the competitors.
With the display brightness all the best way up, I did not have any points. I watched the 1440p trailer for Blue Beetle, the heroes’ blue go well with and similarly-hued particular results popped on display, as did inexperienced palm timber in surroundings all through the trailer. A red-hued scene wherein the character fights some unhealthy guys did not look as intense as on another screens I’ve seen.
The display comes near the measurements from the Samsung Galaxy Ebook 3 Extremely and HP Dragonfly Professional in relation to colours, nevertheless it wasn’t as brilliant as these gadgets. The display on the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 is an OLED display, and it proved extra colourful than the remaining, although Apple’s panel was the brightest.
Keyboard and Touchpad on the Lenovo Slim Professional 7
Lenovo’s island-style keyboard seems and feels acquainted. A sticker subsequent to the touchpad guarantees 1.5 mm of journey, and I consider it. The keys have a little bit of a bounce, and I by no means as soon as felt myself bottoming out. I hit 120 phrases per minute on the monkeytype check with 97% accuracy. I may quibble that Lenovo’s perform keys, like a devoted calculator or clipboard button, aren’t as helpful as media keys, however to every their very own, I assume.
The touchpad is good and extensive, nevertheless it feels low-cost. I had no points with navigation or multi-touch gestures, however clicking is loud and sounds disagreeable. It makes the entire laptop computer really feel much less premium.
Audio on the Lenovo Slim Professional 7
The sound from the Lenovo Slim Professional 7’s 4 top-firing audio system is ample. Should you, like me, sometimes prefer to hearken to music with out headphones to present your ears a relaxation, it will do, although it’s possible you’ll need to flip the amount up.
On the one hand, whereas listening to Linkin Park’s “Preventing Myself,” I needed to enhance the amount to 100% to fill the room. (On the brilliant aspect, there was barely any distortion). The rap and rock verses had been equally vocal ahead, with crisp, clear phrases. Those that choose instrumentals could need to try the Dolby Entry app. Switching to the Dynamic preset, which modifications based mostly on what’s taking part in, introduced out extra thundering drums and guitar.
Upgradeability of the Lenovo Slim Professional 7
To open the Slim Professional 7, you will want a Torx screwdriver (the official upkeep handbook suggests a T5 head) to take away the six screws from the underside of the laptop computer. There are two within the again which might be longer than the 4 within the entrance, so you should definitely hold your self organized.
From there, you will must pry up the latches, first from the entrance, then the edges, and elevate off the case. With an excellent pry software, it is fairly easy. You may see that the battery, Wi-Fi card and M.2 SSD are replaceable, however the RAM is sadly soldered down.
Relying in your market and mannequin (Lenovo sells an analogous laptop computer, the Slim Professional 7i, utilizing Intel chips), you might have a full-length M.2 2280 SSD (like our overview unit) or a shorter M.2 2242 with a bracket to carry it in place. Both manner, you may distant it and exchange it. The SSDs are lined in some mylar for warmth safety.
Battery Life on the Lenovo Slim Professional 7
So far as programs with discrete GPUs go, the Lenovo Slim Professional 7 lasts a good period of time. The Lenovo Slim Professional 7 lasted 9 hours and 16 minutes on our battery check, which browses the net, streams movies and runs OpenGL graphics benchmarks whereas linked to Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits.
That is longer than the Samsung Galaxy Ebook 3 Extremely, which additionally has a discrete GPU, at 9:03. The Lenovo Yoga 9i (10:38) and HP Dragonfly Professional (13:23), with built-in graphics, lasted longer.
Warmth on the Lenovo Slim Professional 7
Whereas I ran our Cinebench R23 stress check, I took pores and skin temperatures to get an concept how the Slim 8 Professional feels to the contact underneath heavy load. The followers spin, however the system can nonetheless get barely toasty.
On the middle of the keyboard, between the G and H keys, the Slim Professional 7 measured 43.1 levels Celsius (109.58 levels Fahrenheit).
On the underside of the laptop computer, the most popular level reached 51.1 C (123.98 F).
Webcam on the Lenovo Slim Professional 7
The Slim Professional 7 has a 1080p webcam paired with an IR sensor. I am glad to see 1080p cameras proliferating by the market. They are not all the time higher, however additional decision hardly ever hurts. The IR sensor lets you log in to the laptop computer utilizing Home windows Hiya facial recognition.
Whereas video from the digicam appeared first rate sufficient, stills taken from the digicam had been a bit blurry, focusing extra on the background than my face. A close-by window was completely blown out (that is a difficult situation), and a number of the colours had been a bit hotter than in actual life.
On the suitable aspect of the laptop computer, there’s an “e-shutter” swap. This swap is successfully a high-tech manner of masking up the webcam. It is not really reducing energy to the digicam, however whenever you open software program that makes use of it, it should act as if the lens is blocked. I personally choose the inbuilt sliders that cowl the digicam, because it’s simpler to see with a look if the digicam is roofed or not (and psychologically, it simply feels extra protected).
Software program and Guarantee on the Lenovo Slim Professional 7
It was that Lenovo laptops got here largely with its Vantage hub software and little else. These days are gone.
Positive, Vantage nonetheless exists and it exhibits details about your {hardware}, serial quantity and allows you to drill right into a bunch of energy and digicam settings. It additionally now has articles inbuilt. At one level whereas penning this overview, there was a narrative about synthetic intelligence and drugs which had no byline. Bizarre. One other offered “tricks to hold children protected within the digital age.”
There are three different Lenovo branded apps on board. Lenovo Hotkeys, which exists solely to remind you of keyboard shortcuts to regulate system efficiency and the refresh fee (these are additionally included within the field), however does not allow you to set your personal. One mixture, the Sensible Key, permits you to decide software program to launch. Lenovo Voice is used for voice instructions and translation. It is a clunky app, and a few of it requires fee to work, although that’s hidden deep within the settings. Lenovo Welcome is supposed for setup, however most of what you really want from it may be present in Vantage.
Moreover, there is a trial of McAfee LiveSafe. McAfee has additionally made its manner into the Edge bookmark bar, as has Lenovo and Lenovo help.
Like most Home windows 11 machines, there are additionally hyperlinks within the Begin menu to the Microsoft retailer, together with apps like Spotify, TikTok, WhatsApp, Amazon Prime Video, ESPN and Fb Messenger.
Lenovo sells the Slim Professional 7 with a 1-year guarantee.
Backside Line
The Lenovo Slim Professional 7 is a skinny laptop computer with a discrete GPU and a CPU quick sufficient for any single-core workload you need to throw at it. None of it’s the newest and best tech, nevertheless it works, particularly when you prioritize a slender design however nonetheless desire a little bit of oomph within the graphics division.
Look, if you would like sooner, extra highly effective graphics and efficiency, it exists in gadgets just like the Samsung Galaxy Ebook 3 Extremely. However we examined that laptop computer at $2,399.99 — greater than $1,000 over the Slim Professional 7 we checked out. So the Slim Professional 7 can also be for purchasers in search of a discrete graphics card on a funds.
In some instances, it is premium, with a 2560 x 1600 show. However elsewhere, just like the touchpad, it feels low-cost.
Lengthy story quick, when you choose a discrete GPU and are on a funds, this will likely do the job for you. However when you do not, think about competing ultraportables, just like the Lenovo Yoga 9i, for a bit of additional luxurious.
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