Price: $1,199.99
Lenovo’s Slim Pro series of laptops are known for their powerful performance, thin and light design, and above-average battery life. So I was expecting a lot when I received an entry-level Lenovo Slim Pro 7 with an AMD processor for review. It certainly didn’t disappoint.
Not as well-known as the Lenovo ThinkPad or as pretty as the company’s YOGA series, the Lenovo Slim Pro laptop lineup is for prosumers looking for a solid machine without some of the extras found on other devices. Throw in the lineup’s competitive pricing, especially at the mid-range. As a result, the Lenovo Slim Pro has everything you need to accomplish various tasks, from drafting spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel to playing a new game from Steam. I did find some faults, however.
I found a few surprises regarding the Lenovo Slim Pro 7. From its comfortable keyboard to the above-average-sized trackpad, there’s a lot of heft here, even though the machine only has a 14.5-inch display and weighs 3.5 lbs. And that says nothing about its sleek and durable aluminum chassis that Lenovo says passes military-grade standards. And yes, the insides are also worthy of positive attention.
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The Design: Understated and Functional
- Dimensions: 12.81 x 8.92 x 0.61in (325.5 x 226.49 x 15.6mm)
- Weight: from 3.5lbs (1.59kg)
- Display: 2.5K (2560×1600), 16:10, Multi-touch, IPS, 350nits, 100% sRGB, 90Hz, Dolby Vision
- Screen Size: 14.5-inch
- Brightness: 350 nits
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, 11ax 2×2 + BT5.1
- Color: Storm Grey
When you open the Lenovo Slim Pro 7, the first thing that might strike you is its weight. At 3.5 pounds, this isn’t an especially heavy machine. And yet, it feels surprisingly solid. This might be a negative for some, especially as laptops get skinnier (and lighter) in some circles. However, this laptop’s extra oomph works, especially if you prefer using a computer…on your lap. It feels solid, and you know it won’t give way.
Beyond this, the laptop’s look is somewhat unremarkable. “Storm Grey” is an appropriate color choice as it gives off stability, not flash.
We’ve Got Ports, But Maybe Not Enough
Companies like Apple only recently relearned an essential truth about laptop users: having lots of built-in ports is oh-so-much better than carrying a dongle. The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 has an adequate—not substantial—number of ports on its sides. On the left-hand side are HDMI, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, and USB5 (40Gbps) ports. The power button, headphone/mic combo (3.5mm), and USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type A) are on the right. There’s also a Camera E-Shutter Switch, which you’ll learn more about below.
What is missing is Thunderbolt 4.
Touchscreen, Trackpad, and Keyboard
While Lenovo went stingy with ports, the same can’t be said for the machine’s inputs. The keyboard features six rows of keys (including Fn keys) and an LED backlight. Each key is easy to reach and feels comfortable as it gets pushed and let go. Writing this Lenovo Slim Pro 7 review with its keyboard has been a joy.
Measuring 80 x 135mm, the sizable touchpad is also impressive. As a Precision TouchPad (PTP), it combines a multitouch physical trackpad with drivers to perform gestures and movement. Everything works here as expected. And even though the laptop’s touchpad is huge, there is still plenty of space on either side to rest your wrists.
My tests also found the machine’s touchscreen responsive and easy to use. For example, copying text using a finger is quick and intuitive and requires no second try. You can’t say this about touchscreens on every laptop.
Audio and Video
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 features four speakers that work well with the machine’s four precision microphones at the top of the display. You can adjust the microphone’s noise-canceling settings using the Lenovo Vantage app. In addition, you can tweak the microphone listening range to reduce input noise through the built-in microphone or a 3.5mm external wired headset microphone. Unfortunately, while the available choices are noticeable, the feature may be oversold, as it felt underwhelming at best.
There’s also Dolby Atmos, which makes the sound pop, creating an enjoyable listening experience. Not surprisingly, listening to music directly from the laptop isn’t nearly as good as using a pair of Bluetooth headphones or especially wired ones. And yet, the speakers work admirably enough in a pinch when you need to hear something fast or have misplaced your headphones.
The video quality on the laptop depends on the display’s 90Hz refresh rate and wide color gamut and help from the AMD Ryzen 7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics. Regardless of where they are streaming from, videos look good, and there’s never a bump in the action, slight or otherwise. With Dolby Vision, you can take video watching to an even higher level.
Performance
Though it sits at the mid-range, the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 offers some powerful internals. This starts with AMD’s Ryzen 7 7735HS processor, which uses eight Zen 3+ cores using a 6-nanometer process. The result is a boost clock of up to 4.75 GHz. In addition, thanks to its improved management features, the chip is designed for optimized performance while delivering better power and efficiency. The processor also supports faster DDR5 memory and PCIe 4.0. The testing unit has 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB SSD.
The laptop features an entry-level GPU, the GeForce RTX 3050, which uses the previous generation NVIDIA Ampere architecture to boost performance. In addition, it provides dedicated second-generation RT and third-generation Tensor Cores, streaming multiprocessors, and high-speed G6 memory. The result is impressive entry-level gaming graphics and excellent video and voice performance.
Display and Camera
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7’s 14.5-inch high-resolution touchscreen display (2560 x 1600) is efficient but nothing special, featuring a 100% sRGB color gamut and 90Hz refresh rate. Unfortunately, it feels held back thanks to its ho-hum 350 nits brightness.
The laptop’s camera system has some above-average features, although its ability to take actual photos is lacking. First, kudos to Lenovo for including a 1080p webcam. It finally seems like most manufacturers are moving away from 720p, which is obviously a step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, the camera’s paired IR sensor provides functional “Zero Touch” features such as easier logins (Windows Hello) and battery-saving functions that kick in when you step away from the computer. There’s also a useful digital privacy shutter feature that, when activated, uses software to remove the camera’s ability to see anything.
Despite these tricks, don’t expect the laptop’s FHD camera to take award-winning shots. Snaps were often blurry during our tests, with colors a tad warmer than necessary. The videos recorded by the camera were a little bit better, however.
Battery Life
An unfortunate truth about laptop battery life is that it worsens with each passing day of use. Therefore, what you get on a new machine (i.e., a review unit) almost surely won’t be duplicated in six months, a year, or later.
That said, starting strong is always important; on this point, the Lenovo Slim Pro 7’s 73-watt-hour battery is a winner. During my tests, I could soldier on for just over nine hours between charges doing everyday tasks with the brightness set in the midrange, like surfing the web, watching videos, and running graphics benchmarks.
And if you worry about not having enough time to add power to your laptop while on the go, don’t. The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 includes Rapid Charge Express technology, which means you can add three more hours of use in just 15 minutes.
Should You Buy the Lenovo Slim 7 Pro?
There’s much to like about the entry-level Lenovo Slim 7 Pro starting with its solid build, which should survive regular wear and tear for many years. Once you open the laptop, you’ll quickly be impressed with its practical keys and sizable touchpad.
From a performance perspective, this laptop will ease you through various workloads thanks to its AMD Ryzen 7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics. In addition, thanks to its four powerful speakers, four precision microphones, and much more, you’ll also enjoy consuming different forms of entertainment.
If you’re looking for a dependable laptop at a very good price point, it’s worth considering the Lenovo Slim Pro 7.
Price: $1,199.99
Here’s What We Like
- Powerful features for an entry-level laptop
- Long battery life, quick charging
- Solid machine
- Impressive keyboard and touchpad
And What We Don’t
- No Thunderbolt 4
- Lacks brightness
- Blurry photos from camera
