Lenovo’s Yoga series has a new representative: the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon. A promising Ultrabook on paper…
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid
Let’s not forget one thing in the laptop world: Lenovo has been more innovative than you might think. After all, the manufacturer has taken the fashion for convertible computers to the forefront with its Yoga series. Also, we always expect a lot from the latest devices. With the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon, Lenovo was almost flawless… Almost.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon (13IAP7) data sheet
model | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon (13IAP7) |
---|---|
screen size | 13.3 inches |
definition | 2560×1600 pixels |
display technology | LCD |
Touch screen | nope |
Processor (CPU) | i5-1240P |
Random Access Memory (RAM) | 8GB |
Internal memory | 512GB |
Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 6 (ax) |
Bluetooth version | 5.0 |
operating system (OS) | Microsoft Windows 11 |
Dimensions | 301 x 14.8 x 206mm |
weight | 970 grams |
product sheet |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon (13IAP7) design
The design of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon is interesting for several reasons. First because of its orientation: the way the logos are aligned makes you want to be held vertically like a book of sorts. And it works: With its amazingly textured magnesium-alloy shell, perhaps related to the built-in “Web-Core 2.0 multi-layer carbon fibers” Lenovo is talking about, it’s got that little premium je-ne-sais-quoi in effect.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid
In addition, there are the extremely rounded edges, which in combination with the feather-light 995 grams give the impression of using a tablet rather than a laptop. It’s almost shocking that the latter isn’t a transformable format, as everything seems optimized for it. Really, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon is an attractive computer in many ways.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid
keyboard and touchpad
Unfortunately, the romance will end here. On this very special point: that of the keyboard. Everything was fine on paper though, with fairly large keys and a full-size Enter key. Its keys have very little travel, but that’s not a big deal on a computer this thin.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid
But here it is… The spacebar is unbearable. Almost useless. This one has even less travel than all the others and is not equal. It works pretty well when you press left, yes. If you press in the middle, you have an 8 out of 10 chance that your press will not be recognized. And if you press on the right side of the device, you have a 3 in 10 chance that your press will be recognized twice. So two spaces in your text. The problem is so big that I had to give up the idea of typing this test on the computer itself as usual in order to go back to my usual Chromebook.
It’s a real disappointment as everything else is good. The touchpad is excellent and slides under your finger. The format, the width… everything is possible. If only the spacebar wasn’t so bad.
connections
On the left side you’ll find a USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port, on the left side a “plain” USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port that is DisplayPort 1.4 compatible and has a bandwidth of 20Gb /s is equipped. You will also find a physical switch to disconnect the webcam to protect your privacy.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid
It’s obviously an easy configuration that fits the concept of the computer. Again, it’s more reminiscent of a tablet than a PC, but everything stays consistent. In addition, a Thunderbolt 4 connection with its 40 Gbit/s bandwidth naturally opens up many possibilities.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid
webcam and sound
The webcam, which is also Windows Hello compatible, is again in an interesting location. The cover of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon has a small protrusion not only to open it easily, but also to accommodate its sensors. A very good idea, even if the webcam itself only records 720p. She doesn’t work miracles.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid
The same applies to the loudspeakers, which are located below the machine. Not the most optimized placement, but again, forgivable. Volume is surprisingly powerful, with well-defined highs. The mediums aren’t set back, but lack some body. As for the basses… Of course there aren’t any. It’s not all bad.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon (13IAP7)Screen
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon is equipped with a 13.3-inch 8-bit IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels in a 16:10 ratio. This is compatible with a 90Hz refresh rate, although it’s configured at 60Hz by default. It’s tactile too, again a missed opportunity to make it a transformable device.
Under our probe and using the DisplayCal software, we find that the panel covers 99.9% of the sRGB space as promised by the manufacturer. It is even perfectly calibrated for this. This is not the case with Adobe RGB at 68.8% or DCI P3 at 70.7%. The average color temperature is boosted to 6400K, which is very close to the video standard’s 6500K, and the contrast ratio is very good at 1281:1. The average Delta E00 compared to the DCI P3 Space is 2.35, which is very good.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid
The maximum brightness, which has been increased to 361 cd/m², is perhaps somewhat disappointing. That’s enough to make the computer readable in direct sunlight, but not as comfortable as with a good 500 cd/m². You can also forget about HDR. But all in all, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon is excellent for anyone who works in the sRGB range, i.e. mainly on the Internet. It’s not the perfect computer for video editors, but it never should be.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon (13IAP7) software
In general, Lenovo remains cautious when it comes to software retouching. That’s still the case here with the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon, which really only has the basic McAfee setup as a bad feature. It’s still adware whether we like it or not.
Conversely, Lenovo Vantage is still one of the best interfaces to finely manage device settings. It represents the best middle ground between the good nerd who is desperate to fine-tune everything and the newbie who has yet to understand what he is doing.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon (13IAP7)Performance
In our test configuration, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon is equipped with the Intel Core i7-1260P, a SoC with 12 cores including 4 powerful and 8 efficient for 16 threads capable of accelerating up to 4.7 GHz. It’s backed by 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB of PCIe Gen 4 storage.
General benchmarks
In performance mode, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon behaves exactly as expected with its i7-1260P chip. In Cinebench R23 we find essentially the same results on the LG Gram 17, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro or the latest Zenbook 14 with 8942 points in multi-core and 1503 points in single-core. The same applies to PCMark 10 with a score of 5091 points.
Still the same result for the Samsung SSD in PCIe Gen 4. It should be noted that the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon performs best among the ultrabooks recently tested, despite its thinness.
cooling and noise
And for that he pays a bit on the heating side. Even in normal operation, the computer quickly reaches 52°C on the case’s underside. If you primarily use the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon on a desk or flat surface, you won’t feel it. The other parts of the laptop remain comfortable. But if you use it on your lap… Ouch.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon (13IAP7) battery life
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon is equipped with a small 50 Wh battery. It can be charged via any computer USB-C port and any charger with PowerDelivery standard.
Source: Chloé Pertuis – Frandroid
With typical use of what this computer is designed for, lots of open tabs, a few videos and a bit of music… The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon lasts between 9 and 10 hours. It’s once again within the manufacturer’s promises that weren’t on its spec sheet.
Nine hours of autonomy does not allow it to be on the podium of the latest ultrabooks, but it’s still a very good performance. Especially for a laptop as thin and portable as this one.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon (13IAP7) pricing and availability
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon is already available in France. The configuration of our test is sold for 1,799 euros, but you can find the PC in i5 configuration around 1,300 euros.