Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Reviewed by Ren Alcantara
The laptop is an indispensable tool in this era. Whether youâre working at home, and want to move around, or are already out and about, the ability to be able to open it up and just get to work. Lenovo sent us the Slim 7, with AMDâs new Ryzen 7 processor. Letâs see if it lives up to the hype. DESIGN The Slim 7 has a small footprint, which I really appreciated. Because of the size of most of the laptops I use, it has ironically been a long time since Iâve used a computer on my lap. The Slim 7 though was right at home, and the light weight makes for a comfortable experience. Itâs got a metal shell done in a deep gray, which gives it that serious, understated look that makes it fit in at any venue. Open it up, and itâs just a bit busier. The 14-inch display is surrounded by reasonably thin bezels with the webcam peeking through a little hole at the top. The keyboard is backlit and quite brightly so, with speaker grilles on either side. Thereâs a short, wide trackpad just below the spacebar which is noticeably smoother than the rest of the frame, making it easily distinguishable, and nothing else. The power button is located on the right edge, just beside the microSD card reader and two USB ports. The opposite edge has a full-sized HDMI port, and two USB-C ports, with one serving as the charging input. Thereâs also a 3.5mm headphone jack for your audio needs.
HARDWARE The Slim 7 runs a Ruzen 7 4000 series processor-the same one that put AMD in the lead of the processor game, and a superb balance of performance and price. This is mated with a generous 16GB of RAM, and integrated Radeon graphics, which packs quite a punch. Our review unit had a full-HD panel which delivers 300 nits of brightness, and is paired with dolby-tuned speakers for quite an immersive entertainment experience. It also has a battery thatâs rated for up to 14 hours of use, so you donât have to experience charger anxiety.
USER EXPERIENCE The pandemic has pretty much forced me to stay at the desk at home, since thatâs where the desktop is currently situated. This isnât always ideal, as sometimes, a change of scenery is necessary to fill page after page with words. I do have a laptop, but itâs far to heavy to just pick up and take elsewhere, and it doesnât really have the best battery life. Fortunately, the Lenovo Slim 7 was sent to us for review, and I have to say, Iâve loved every minute of it. Since Iâve been with my gaming laptop for some time now, I have forgotten just how thin, light, and functional laptops have gotten. The Lenovo, with its AMD Ryzen 7 400 series is testament to www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph
that. While itâs almost half the weight of my personal gaming lappie, I found it wasnât lacking in 99 percent of the tasks I asked of it. The very first thing I loved was how wonderfully portable it is. At a hair over 3 pounds, it really is quite pleasant to use it on oneâs lap. It also helps that the thermals are not bad. It get a little warm under heavier, non-gaming loads, but it wasnât uncomfortable. Gaming of course changes that, but if thatâs your goal, maybe head over to a desk. The screen is also vibrant and sharp, letting me get quite precise in stitching audio files together for our podcast. Audio quality was likewise understandably great, and while Iâd still use headphones for a final master, the built-in speakers did a great job with clarityâmuch much better than I would have expected from laptop speakers, and good enough to forget about headphones when watching videos. As for performance, I am an extremely multitaskingheavy person. I never close tabs, programs or windows, and just alt-tab into each one as my extremely scrambled brain sees necessary. The Ryzen 7 processor on the Slim 7 didnât seem to care in the least. From multiple browser winds, each with multiple tabs and streams, to my DAW, downloads, and OBS, it didnât seem to mind my particular usage habits. Again, for just how thin and light it is, it really brings the goods. Rendering audio files (I havenât really learned video, but Iâm working on it!) was impressively fast, a testament to the compute power that the processor brings to the table. Having used it more than a few times for this purpose, Iâd not hesitate to take this out with me as mysole device for recording and producing podcasts, from the recording, all the way to uploading. Impressive. For general desk jockey work it wonât even notice the load. Another thing worthy of note is that the keyboard is quite pleasant, even compared to larger laptops. Thereâs good travel, a nice, tactile feel, lots of room between keys. All in all, a great keyboard for long typing sessions. When I am finally done with work I still like to kick back with a little gaming. Overwatch remains our poison, and despite its integrated graphics and its general form factor, the Slim 7 was more than up to the task. With the correct peripherals plugged in (a claw controller, gaming mouse, and wireless headset), I was quite comfortable with playing on this 14-incher. It holds a steady 60 FPS at medium settings, and while it does get quite hot, the fans are able to manage, and it doesnât seem to threaten to shut down, even after over an hour of playing.
Battery life is equally impressive, going well past a full workday without having to plug in. Charged up, and without too much of a load, say, regular office work, I actually wouldnât be too afraid to leave the charger at home.
VALUE The Slim 7 delivers great bang for the buck. At a starting price of PHP 49,995, you get the Ryzen 7 4000-series processor, 16GB of RAM, great battery life, and even some gaming thrown in. All that plus great entertainment potential makes this a prime candidate for anyone looking for great value with great performance. SPECIFICATIONS: ⢠⢠⢠⢠⢠⢠⢠â˘
Dimensions: 12.62â x 8.18â x 0.58â Weight: 3.08 lbs Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 4800 RAM: 16GB Storage: 500GB SSD Display: 14.0 inches, FHD IPS 1920x1080 Graphics: AMD Radeon Integrated Battery: 65 WH
Whatâs Hot: ⢠Superb performance ⢠Great battery life ⢠Impressive price Whatâs Not: ⢠Nothing to see here
BOTTOMLINE In the market for a new laptop to keep you company as you work or study from home? This is a great option. NOVEMBER 2020
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