Lenovo is refreshing its Yoga and Slim-branded laptops with new 8th-gen models that will be available in the coming months with screen sizes ranging from 14 to 16 inches and processor options including the latest Intel and AMD chips.
Lenovo’s press release lists ten new laptops, but only six will actually be available in North America, including three models with 14 to 14.5 inch displays and three with 16 inch screens. But some of the smaller-screen models still manage to pack a lot of punch into a rather compact body.
Case in point: the new Lenovo Slim Pro 9i (14.5″ Gen 8) laptop weighs 3.7 pounds or less, but supports up to an Intel Core i9-13905H processor, an 80-watt NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 discrete GPU, up to 64GB of LPDDR5X 6400 MHz memory, and comes with two 3072 x 1920 pixel display options: a 120 Hz IPS LCD screen or a 165 Hz mini LED display.
Folks who opt for the 16 inch, 4.9 pound version of the new Slim Pro 9i will get a little more performance thanks to support for up to a 100W GPU. But the bigger screen and higher-performance graphics also mean you’ll probably get less battery life, since both laptops have the same 75 Wh battery.
The Slim Pro 9i series isn’t cheap though: prices start at $1700 for the 14.5 inch model and $1800 for 16 inch versions.
Fortunately Lenovo does have some more affordable laptops on the way, including a Yoga Pro 7 (which will be sold as the Slim Pro 7 in North America) with support for up to an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS processor, RTX 4050 graphics, and a $1450 starting price, and a Yoga 7i 14 inch laptop with 15 or 28-watt Intel Raptor Lake processor options and a $850 starting price.
Here’s an overview of some key specs for Lenovo’s new 14 and 14.5 inch notebooks:
| Lenovo’s Yoga/Slim Gen 8 14 inch laptops | |||
| Model | Yoga Pro 9i / Slim Pro 9i (14.5″) | Yoga Pro 7 / Slim Pro 7 (14.5″) | Yoga 7i (14″) |
| Display | 14.5 inches 3072 x 1920px 120 Hz IPS LCD or 165 Hz mini LED options 170 degree hinge | 14.5 inches 3072 x 1920px IPS LCD @ 120 Hz or 2560 x 1600 pixel IPS LCD @ 90 Hz 180 degree hinge | 14 inches Touchscreen 360 degree hinge 2880 x 1800px OLED 90 Hz or 1920 x 1200px OLED 60 Hz or 2240 x 1400px LCD 60 Hz |
| Processor | Intel Core i9-13905H Intel Core i7-13705H Intel Core i5-13505H | AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS | 28W Intel Core i5 or Core i7 Raptor Lake-P 15W Intel Core i5 or Core i7 Raptor Lake-U |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (80W TGP) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (80W TGP) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (80W TGP) | AMD Radeon (integrated) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (58W TGP) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (55W TGP) | Intel Iris Xe |
| RAM | 16GB / 32GB/ 64GB LPDDR5X 6400 MHz Dual channel | 16GB LPDDR5X 6400 MHz Dual Channel | 8GB / 16GB LPDDR5 5200 MHz Dual Channel |
| Storage | 512GB / 1TB PCIe Gen 4 | ||
| Audio | 4 x speakers Dolby Atmos sound | 2 x 2W speakers Dolby Atmos | |
| Webcam | FHD or 5MP webcam + IR camera + ToF sensor | FHD webcam + IR camera + ToF sensor | FHD webcam + RGB IR camera |
| Battery | 75 Wh | 73 Wh | 71 Wh |
| Ports | 1 x Thunderbolt 4 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 1 x HDMI 2.1 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x 3.5mm audio 1 x SD card reader | 1 x USB4 Type-C 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 1 x HDMI 2.1 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x 3.5mm audio | 2 x USB Type-C 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x HDMI 1.4b 1 x 3.5mm audio 1 x microSD card reader |
| Wireless | WiFi 6E BT 5.1 | ||
| Dimensions | 327 x 224m x 17mm 12.8″ x 8.8″ x 0.7″ | 326 x 227 x 16mm 12.9″ x 8.9″ x 0.6″ | 318 x 223 x 16mm 12.5″ x 8.7″ x 0.6″ |
| Weight | 1.65 – 1.7 kg 3.6 – 3.7 pounds | 1.49 kg 3.3 pounds | 1.49 – 1.55 kg 3.3 x -3.34 pounds |
| Colors | Storm Grey Tidal Teal | ? | |
| Starting Price | $1700 | $1450 | $850 |
| Availability (in North America) | May, 2023 | July, 2023 | April, 2023 |
Lenovo’s new 16 inch laptops, meanwhile, have starting prices ranging from $850 to $1800, with most models expected to ship to customers in North America in April or May.
You can find more details about these notebooks, as well as a few additional models which will not be sold in North America, in Lenovo’s press release.
“But some of the smaller-screen models still manage to pack a lot of punch into a rather compact [sic].” case? Proofread!