Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 review: First powerful ultraportable with AMD

In our Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 review, we will detail a laptop with a classic look, but rich in surprises and full of energy. Or rather power, because its weapon is its AMD Ryzen 4800U processor.

A chip that we already told you about during the presentation by AMD of its Ryzen 4000 M platform, codename “Renoir”. Engraved in 7 nm by TSMC, this SoC integrates not only the latest version of the Zen 2 CPU cores, but also a completely redesigned Radeon Vega 8 chip. A SoC that allows AMD to promise PCs that are not only powerful, but also very durable. Let’s see…

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 review

From image retouching with Photoshop, to developing in Lightroom, to editing in Premiere, most of the tools in the Adobe suite work perfectly on this small ultraportable. Video exports are slower than the ones with the dedicated Nvidia chips, but other than that, everyday projects go down without slowing down with this Ryzen 7 4800 U configuration supported by 16 GB RAM. Beware of the “big” 36MP+ sensors, whose RAW files always hurt Lightroom, or the 5K files of the latest Hero 9 Black. But for Full HD/4K and photo resolutions below 30 MP, the bug purrs like a PC gamer or a small workstation.

Same applies for video games: as long as you adjust the details, all games can be played. In our test, Doom 2016 ran at 1080p / 40 fps without any lag. Admittedly, the level of detail and effects is more reduced than on an RTX3080, but the game remains pretty and nervous. Same for Battlefield 1, which runs at 45+ fps in Full HD, or Diablo III with all options at full speed (except for antialiasing, which is disabled for obvious reasons) at 45 fps.

If we’re talking about “high performance”, it’s obviously by comparing it to other ultraportable laptops and not gaming laptops or desktop PCs. Without sacrificing battery life.

AMD finally at a point of laptop excel

From a technological point of view, it goes without saying that the switch from 12 nm to 7 nm is the main reason for the significant reduction in power consumption. But more invisibly, the robustness of AMD’s technical platform has prompted manufacturers – in this case Lenovo – to integrate higher quality components and take care of the integration. As a result, for the first time in its history, AMD is no longer just a “cheap” alternative, but a true competitor. This credibility was highlighted by Intel’s “tougher” language in its presentation of Tiger Lake.

Screen: good contrast, but subject to reflections

Looking at the screen, we can say that the colors are in the average, and the contrast ratio is very good (1707:1). At 358 cd/m², the screen is quite comfortable in classic interiors (even in the daily commute), but starts to suffer well in outdoor or very bright interiors.

The other criticism that can be made against the it is the brightness. On the one hand, the anti-reflection seems to have been forgotten. On the other hand, as soon as you see a shiny screen, you tend to touch it. And it’s useless because it has no touch panel.

Good keyboard, excellent sound

With the feel of a Macbook or Matebook X Pro, this Lenovo offers a comfortable keyboard for intensive office use. The keys are quiet, the stroke is short and the return is smooth. Subjectively, the keys are a tad too far apart, but it’s all a matter of taste or habit. The backlighting is efficient, the layout of the directional keys is adapted to the compact format.

With Dolby Atmos, the sound is not only clear and rather powerful, but it is as comfortable listening to music as it is watching movies. The clarity is quite surprising given the format, as the voices in movies and series are very clear, so there is no need to push the sound. A nice surprise in a 1.4kg laptop.

What is missing?

Equipped with a Windows Hello compatible webcam and sold with a USB-C charger, this PC does not have many weaknesses. AMD now has a good mobile component and has improved the integration of its components with its partners. But it still has to enrich its platform with, for example, the Thunderbolt.

Although started in 2018 by Intel, the standard has not yet been integrated into the AMD platform. As for Wi-Fi, since AMD does not yet have its own chips, Lenovo has wisely used a Wi-Fi 6 AX200 chip signed by Intel. We would have liked a slightly larger touchpad and, as we already mentioned, a touchpad panel.

But for a first “flagship” ultraportable, the Lenovo/AMD couple did a very good job.

• AMD may postpone Ryzen 4000 series launch to 2021
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• The best gaming laptops (May 2020)

Verdict: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 review

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 represents a paradigm shift in the ultraportable PC ecosystem: where once Intel was the only viable option, AMD is positioning itself as a credible alternative not only in terms of price, but also in terms of performance. The AMD Yoga Slim 7 from Lenovo, which can be used in the office or for video consultation, becomes a small gamer’s PC when plugged into the power supply. That makes it one of the best ultraportables we’ve ever tested.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 specs

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