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MagyarLenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i Laptop Review: Luxurious Looks, Terrible Touchpad
The 14-inch IdeaPad Slim 9i is the latest addition to Lenovo's already bloated lineup of 14-inch offerings including the ThinkBook 14, Yoga 9i 14, Yoga 7i 14, Yoga Slim 7, Yoga C740 14, IdeaPad 5 14, and ThinkPad X1 Carbon. This particular upper mid-range IdeaPad model is unique for its leather option and notable for its Intel Evo certification.
Configurations range from the Core i5-1135G7 CPU with 1080p touchscreen for $1250 USD up to the Core i7-1165G7 with 4K UHD touchscreen for $1750. All options come with 16 GB of soldered LPDDR4X 4266 MHz RAM and no discrete graphics options. Our test unit is the higher-end Core i7 option to represent the best that the model currently has to offer.
Alternatives to the IdeaPad Slim 9i include other 14-inch "prosumer" laptops like the Asus ZenBook 14, Huawei MateBook 14, MSI Prestige 14, or HP Spectre 14.
More Lenovo reviews:
potential competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84.2 % | 01/2021 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14ITL5 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.3 kg | 14.6 mm | 14.00" | 3840x2160 | |
| 87.1 % | 12/2020 | Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.4 kg | 15.7 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 82.5 % | 12/2020 | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 16 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 86.3 % | 12/2020 | Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel i7-10510U, GeForce MX350 | 1.5 kg | 15.9 mm | 14.00" | 2160x1440 | |
| 84.2 % | 09/2020 | Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 13.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 85.3 % | 08/2020 | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE R7 4800U, Vega 8 | 1.4 kg | 14.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 |
Case
There are two standout physical features of the IdeaPad Slim 9i that separate it from the Yoga Slim 7 or Yoga 9i. The first is its outer lid made with genuine leather instead of the usual plastic or smooth metal. This works very well both visually and practically as the leather gives a luxurious look and feel to the system while deterring fingerprints. We wouldn't be surprised if Lenovo began offering similar leather options for its other products in the near future. Note that the edges and corners of the outer lid are still metal to reinforce the display.
The second notable feature is the semi-glossy glass palm rests and touchpad to contrast the otherwise matte metal keyboard deck and bottom of the laptop. It's an interesting direction for sure, but it worsens the touchpad experience which we will go into detail below. Lenovo could have easily made the palm rests metal just like the rest of the laptop which would have been preferable.
Most of the base is still the same metal material as on the Yoga 9i or Slim 7. We can notice no creaking on our unit, but the chassis bends slightly more than on the Slim 7 or Yoga 9i when twisting its corners or lid.
Both dimensions and weight are smaller and lighter than the Yoga Slim 7, Yoga 9i, and Yoga C940 convertible to be easier to carry around. The competing Asus ZenBook UX425 is slightly lighter, but it has a larger footprint.
Connectivity
The only ports here are three USB-C ports and one 3.5 mm audio jack meaning owners will have to rely on adapters. All the USB-C ports support both Thunderbolt 4 and charging. Users who want USB-A and HDMI ports should consider the Yoga Slim 7 instead.
Communication
All configurations come standard with Wi-Fi 6 as is required for any Intel Evo laptop. We experienced no connectivity issues when paired to our Netgear RAX200 router.
The WLAN module is soldered and not removable.
Webcam
Maintenance
Servicing is difficult because there are four Torx screws plus three additional Philips screws hidden underneath the rear rubber feet. It is extremely difficult to remove the screws without damaging the rubber feet. Thus, while it's possible to upgrade the M.2 SSD yourself, Lenovo is certainly not encouraging it. The Yoga Slim 7 is significantly easier to service in comparison.
The full maintenance manual for the IdeaPad Slim 9i can be found here.
Accessories and Warranty
The retail box includes a thick carrying case in addition to the usual paperwork and AC adapter. The standard one-year limited warranty applies with plenty of extension options if ordered directly from Lenovo.
Input Devices
Keyboard
Key feedback is significantly weaker and shallower than on most other laptops. Type on an HP Spectre, Lenovo ThinkPad, Lenovo Yoga, or Dell Latitude and the difference will be immediately noticeable. The typing experience on this >$1000 USD Intel Evo Ultrabook feels like a sub $500 budget laptop. Clatter may be quiet, but it comes at the hefty price of spongy keys.
Touchpad
The clickpad is uncomfortable to use because it is very different from the clickpads on most other laptops. Firstly, its edges and corners are on the same plane as the surrounding palm rests and so it is difficult to know where the clickpad ends or begins. Secondly, its surface is slippery which makes slower precision clicks or drag-and-drop actions more difficult than they need to be. And lastly, mouse button inputs have almost no feedback or depth at all. It's not impossible to get used to over time, but this is probably one of the worst clickpads we've experienced on any Lenovo laptop.
Display
The AU Optronics B140ZAN01.7 panel on our IdeaPad Slim 9i is the first to appear on our database. Other versions of the B140ZAN01 panel can be found on many other 14-inch laptops like the MSI Prestige 14 or Yoga Slim 7, but these have a lower native resolution of 1080p. Brightness and contrast are high as the panel supports the HDR 400 standard. Texts and images are crisp with minimal graininess.
Response times are slow for noticeable ghosting which is typical of most Ultrabooks.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 475.8 cd/m²
Contrast: 1081:1 (Black: 0.44 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.81 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 2.55
ΔE Greyscale 4.1 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.9% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
72.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
81.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
87.4% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.14
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14ITL5 B140ZAN01.7, IPS, 14.00, 3840x2160 | Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 LG Display LP140WF9-SPE2, IPS, 14.00, 1920x1080 | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 AUO B140HAN06.2 (AUO623D), IPS-Level, 14.00, 1920x1080 | Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel TV140WTM-NH0, IPS LED, 14.00, 2160x1440 | Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA AU Optronics B140HAN06.8, IPS, 14.00, 1920x1080 | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE AU Optronics B140HAN06.8, IPS, 14.00, 1920x1080 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -18% | -12% | -13% | -13% | -10% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 87.4 | 64.2 -27% | 68.8 -21% | 67.1 -23% | 68.6 -22% | 71.7 -18% |
| sRGB Coverage | 99.9 | 94.2 -6% | 99.4 -1% | 99.1 -1% | 98.3 -2% | 99.3 -1% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 81.1 | 65 -20% | 70.9 -13% | 69 -15% | 69.8 -14% | 72.9 -10% |
| Response Times | -3% | -6% | 31% | 14% | 13% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 48.4 ? | 55.2 ? -14% | 59.6 ? -23% | 37.6 ? 22% | 49.6 ? -2% | 45.6 ? 6% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 37.2 ? | 34.4 ? 8% | 32.8 ? 12% | 22.4 ? 40% | 26.4 ? 29% | 29.6 ? 20% |
| PWM Frequency | 59520 ? | |||||
| Screen | 6% | 11% | 11% | 14% | 1% | |
| Brightness middle | 475.8 | 365 -23% | 293 -38% | 458 -4% | 375.1 -21% | 399.6 -16% |
| Brightness | 463 | 346 -25% | 277 -40% | 448 -3% | 371 -20% | 385 -17% |
| Brightness Distribution | 89 | 82 -8% | 89 0% | 89 0% | 91 2% | 89 0% |
| Black Level * | 0.44 | 0.23 48% | 0.18 59% | 0.25 43% | 0.34 23% | 0.37 16% |
| Contrast | 1081 | 1587 47% | 1628 51% | 1832 69% | 1103 2% | 1080 0% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.81 | 3.65 4% | 2.95 23% | 3.4 11% | 1.79 53% | 3.2 16% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.96 | 6.69 4% | 6.03 13% | 6.7 4% | 3.05 56% | 6.44 7% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2.55 | 1.61 37% | 0.9 65% | 1.7 33% | 1.79 30% | 1.73 32% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.1 | 4 2% | 4.2 -2% | 4.9 -20% | 2.3 44% | 4.7 -15% |
| Gamma | 2.14 103% | 2.33 94% | 2.099 105% | 2.16 102% | 2.29 96% | 2.21 100% |
| CCT | 6564 99% | 6873 95% | 6622 98% | 7704 84% | 6405 101% | 7184 90% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 72.4 | 60.1 -17% | 71 -2% | 63.5 -12% | 63.9 -12% | 66.3 -8% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 99.9 | 93.9 -6% | 93 -7% | 99.1 -1% | 98.8 -1% | 99.5 0% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -5% /
0% | -2% /
5% | 10% /
9% | 5% /
9% | 1% /
1% |
* ... smaller is better
Color space covers all of sRGB and about 74 percent of the 3D AdobeRGB standard which is typical for a high-end 4K panel designed for content creators.
The display could be better calibrated out of the box. Average grayscale and color DeltaE values sit at 4.1 and 3.81, respectively, which aren't bad but could certainly be better given the wide color space of the panel. Grayscale would improve significantly after our own calibration with an X-Rite colorimeter.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 37.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 20.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 16.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 95 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.4 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 48.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 26.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 22 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 82 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17844 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Outdoor visibility is average at best in spite of the bright display because of the glossy overlay. Glare and reflections will be almost unavoidable.
Performance
All configurations come with 11th gen Tiger Lake-U CPUs as defined by the current Intel Evo standards to succeed last year's 10th gen Ice Lake series. There are no Core i7-1185G7 or discrete GPU options, however, but that shouldn't be an issue for the target audience of mostly students or office users who occasionally dabble in graphics editing or light gaming. Users who want something more powerful ought to consider the AMD-powered Yoga Slim 7 or the larger Core H-powered Yoga C940-15.
Our unit was set to Extreme performance mode via Lenovo Vantage prior to running all performance benchmarks below. We recommend users become familiar with the software since manufacturer-specific settings and updates can be found here.
Processor
CPU performance is about 8 to 16 percent slower than the average Core i7-1165G7 laptop in our database likely due to the more limited Turbo Boost sustainability of the cooling solution. Even the Yoga 9i with the "slower" Core i5-1135G7 shows better performance sustainability and thus higher benchmark scores than our Core i7-powered IdeaPad. AMD's current lineup of Ryzen 5 4500U or higher processors can handily outperform 11t gen Intel Tiger Lake in multi-threaded workloads.
See our dedicated page on the Core i7-1165G7 for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
PCMark results and where we expect them to be relative to other laptops with the same CPU and GPU. The AMD-powered Yoga Slim 7, however, is able to consistently outscore our quad-core IdeaPad due partly to its high-performance octa-core CPU.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3807 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 2594 points | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 4982 points | |
Help | ||
DPC Latency
LatencyMon shows DPC latency problems related to ACPI.sys when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage. 4K UHD video playback at 60 FPS is otherwise smooth with just 2 dropped frames during our minute-long YouTube test.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
| Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14ITL5 | |
| MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 | |
| Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
There is just one internal M.2 2280 PCIe slot with no secondary expansion options. Our unit comes with a 512 GB Western Digital SN730 NVMe SSD capable of read and write rates of up to 3400 MB/s and 2700 MB/s, respectively. We're able to confirm these speeds meaning the interface isn't limited to just PCIe x2.
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14ITL5 WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G | Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 Phison 512GB SM280512GKBB4S-E162 | Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel Lite-On CA5-8D512 | Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS SSD | -20% | 43% | 4% | -29% | |
| Seq Read | 2068 | 2177 5% | 3760 82% | 2933 42% | 1219 -41% |
| Seq Write | 1414 | 813 -43% | 2335 65% | 810 -43% | 947 -33% |
| 4K Read | 46.99 | 53.2 13% | 66.8 42% | 56.6 20% | 50.9 8% |
| 4K Write | 211.9 | 180 -15% | 184.3 -13% | 147.6 -30% | 150.9 -29% |
| 4K-64 Read | 1027 | 531 -48% | 1801 75% | 856 -17% | 587 -43% |
| 4K-64 Write | 978 | 398.5 -59% | 1754 79% | 1099 12% | 862 -12% |
| Access Time Read * | 0.057 | 0.052 9% | 0.135 -137% | 0.046 19% | 0.083 -46% |
| Access Time Write * | 0.066 | 0.058 12% | 0.018 73% | 0.028 58% | 0.114 -73% |
| Score Read | 1281 | 802 -37% | 2244 75% | 1206 -6% | 760 -41% |
| Score Write | 1331 | 660 -50% | 2172 63% | 1328 0% | 1108 -17% |
| Score Total | 3243 | 1822 -44% | 5500 70% | 3059 -6% | 2260 -30% |
| Copy ISO MB/s | 1891 | 1962 4% | 1518 -20% | ||
| Copy Program MB/s | 604 | 522 -14% | 549 -9% | ||
| Copy Game MB/s | 1422 | 1258 -12% | 1164 -18% | ||
| CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | 0% | 41% | 21% | -13% | |
| Write 4K | 131.5 | 139.6 6% | 248.4 89% | 161.8 23% | 132.3 1% |
| Read 4K | 36.83 | 37.3 1% | 56.4 53% | 60.6 65% | 51.7 40% |
| Write Seq | 1614 | 1827 13% | 2513 56% | 2209 37% | 1264 -22% |
| Read Seq | 2030 | 2253 11% | 2250 11% | 2473 22% | 1484 -27% |
| Write 4K Q32T1 | 516 | 467.9 -9% | 589 14% | 514 0% | 478.4 -7% |
| Read 4K Q32T1 | 419.7 | 366.7 -13% | 696 66% | 586 40% | 366.9 -13% |
| Write Seq Q32T1 | 2705 | 2349 -13% | 2515 -7% | 2205 -18% | 1750 -35% |
| Read Seq Q32T1 | 3390 | 3540 4% | 4915 45% | 3352 -1% | 1970 -42% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -10% /
-13% | 42% /
42% | 13% /
11% | -21% /
-23% |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
Raw Iris Xe graphics performance is very good with 3DMark scores outperforming the GeForce MX350. In real-world games, however, average frame rates are generally on par with the MX350 with some games coming in much worse like DOTA 2 or GTA V.
Frame rates are not steady when gaming. When idling on Witcher 3 at Low settings, frame rates would constantly fluctuate between 80 and 90 as shown by the graph below.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 7236 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 19495 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 4888 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 1738 points | |
Help | ||
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| GTA V (2015) | 91.4 | 81 | 27 | |
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 95.3 | 56.1 | 32.7 | 14.3 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 82 | 65.3 | 47.9 | 46.3 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 41.9 | 23.2 | 17.9 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 29.2 | 43.2 | 38.7 |
Emissions
System Noise
The cooling solution consists of twin ~35 mm fans plus two copper heat pipes between them. Fan noise is almost always silent or quiet when browsing or video streaming at up to 31.2 dB(A) against a background of 26.7 dB(A) even when on the Extreme performance mode. In fact, results are very close to what we observed on the Yoga 9i. Expect the fans to be at their maximum RPMs when running games to be louder and more noticeable than on both the Huawei MateBook 14 and ZenBook 14.
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14ITL5 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G | Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1185G7, Phison 512GB SM280512GKBB4S-E162 | Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel GeForce MX350, i7-10510U, Lite-On CA5-8D512 | Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | 1% | -7% | -3% | -6% | |
| off / environment * | 26.7 | 26.3 1% | 24 10% | 29.3 -10% | 29.8 -12% |
| Idle Minimum * | 26.7 | 26.3 1% | 25 6% | 29.3 -10% | 29.9 -12% |
| Idle Average * | 26.7 | 26.3 1% | 27 -1% | 29.3 -10% | 31 -16% |
| Idle Maximum * | 26.7 | 26.3 1% | 39 -46% | 30.8 -15% | 31 -16% |
| Load Average * | 34 | 34.1 -0% | 43 -26% | 35.7 -5% | 35.6 -5% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 43.5 | 43.4 -0% | 39 10% | 35.7 18% | 37.4 14% |
| Load Maximum * | 43.5 | 43.3 -0% | 43 1% | 37.9 13% | 40.8 6% |
* ... smaller is better
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 26.7 / 26.7 / 26.7 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 34 / 43.5 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 26.7 dB(A) | ||
Temperature
Hot spots are noticeably cooler on the keyboard than they are on the bottom surface when under heavy loads in contrast to what we observed on the Slim 7 or Yoga 9i. The keyboard can become as warm as 37 C compared to 44 C or 43 C on the Slim 7 or Yoga 9i, respectively. Temperature development remains symmetrical due to the symmetric cooling solution within.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.1 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27.6 °C / 81.7 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (+1.2 °C / 2.1 F).
Stress Test
We stress the laptop with synthetic loads to identify for any throttling issues. When running Prime95, the CPU would boost to the 3.7 to 4 GHz range for the first few seconds until reaching a core temperature of about 88 C. Clock rates would then fall quickly to 3 GHz in order to maintain a core temperature of 70 C. Running both Prime95 and FurMark would throttle the CPU even further as expected.
Witcher 3 stress causes the CPU and GPU to stabilize at 2.2 GHz and 1250 MHz, respectively, and at a core temperature of 62 C. We had anticipated cycling clock rates due to the unstable frame rates noted above, but this does not appear to be the case. Undesirable background activity may have been responsible for the consistent dips in performance.
Running on batteries results in slightly lower CPU performance. A 3DMark 11 run on battery power would return Physics and Graphics scores of 10713 and 6748 points, respectively, compared to 12116 and 6759 points when on mains.
| CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | |
| System Idle | -- | -- | 30 |
| Prime95 Stress | ~3.0 | -- | 70 |
| Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 1.6 | 1100 | 65 |
| Witcher 3 Stress | 2.2 | 1250 | 62 |
Speakers
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14ITL5 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.4% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (11.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 11% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 86% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 5% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Idling on desktop at the lowest power profile and brightness setting draws just 4.5 W while High Performance mode at maximum brightness will draw almost 11 W. Running games will demand about 45 W compared to 49 W on the Yoga Slim 7 with the 7 nm AMD Ryzen 4800U. Though Intel have been behind in shrinking its process nodes, we're still impressed by the high performance-per-watt of their 10 nm chips especially when it comes it raw graphics power.
We're able to record a maximum draw of 62 W from the small ())( 65 W AC adapter when running extreme loads like Prime95. However, this rate is only temporary due to thermal limitations which is in line with what we observed during the CineBench R15 xT loop and stress tests above.
| Off / Standby | 0.37 / 0.46 Watt |
| Idle | 4.5 / 10.5 / 10.6 Watt |
| Load |
44.2 / 61.9 Watt |
   
| |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14ITL5 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G, IPS, 3840x2160, 14.00 | Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Phison 512GB SM280512GKBB4S-E162, IPS-Level, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel i7-10510U, GeForce MX350, Lite-On CA5-8D512, IPS LED, 2160x1440, 14.00 | Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE R7 4800U, Vega 8, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 19% | 1% | -4% | 23% | 12% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 4.5 | 3.3 27% | 5 -11% | 3 33% | 4.8 -7% | 4 11% |
| Idle Average * | 10.5 | 6.7 36% | 7 33% | 9 14% | 6.5 38% | 6.3 40% |
| Idle Maximum * | 10.6 | 6.9 35% | 11 -4% | 11 -4% | 7.7 27% | 7.7 27% |
| Load Average * | 44.2 | 41.4 6% | 54 -22% | 60.8 -38% | 29.6 33% | 48.3 -9% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 45.8 | 39.3 14% | 39 15% | 56 -22% | 28.6 38% | 49 -7% |
| Load Maximum * | 61.9 | 64.7 -5% | 65 -5% | 65.6 -6% | 57.8 7% | 57.6 7% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
Runtimes are excellent at almost 11 hours of real-world WLAN use to be comparable to the Yoga 9i or Slim 7. The downside is that charging form empty to full capacity is slow at around 2.5 to 3 hours compared to 1.5 hours of most other laptops. Lenovo Vantage has a Rapid Charge feature that promises faster charging, but this only speeds up charging by about 30 minutes. We made sure to update our system as we experienced a related problem on the ThinkPad )()()(, but our results remained the same.
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14ITL5 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 63.5 Wh | Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 60 Wh | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 52.4 Wh | Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel i7-10510U, GeForce MX350, 56 Wh | Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 67 Wh | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE R7 4800U, Vega 8, 61 Wh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -10% | -46% | 8% | 16% | -24% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2407 | 2260 -6% | 825 -66% | 1554 -35% | 1623 -33% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 658 | 591 -10% | 451 -31% | 768 17% | 786 19% | 619 -6% |
| Load | 118 | 103 -13% | 68 -42% | 117 -1% | 194 64% | 79 -33% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Lenovo has a lot of 14-inch laptops to choose from. The IdeaPad Slim 9i, however, is one of the least compelling options yet. Though not bad on its own, the model is quite expensive ($1250 and up at the time of writing) and it lacks a lot of desirable features that the similarly-priced Yoga 9i, Yoga 7i, or Yoga Slim 7 all have. Everything from port options to performance and serviceability are almost all superior on Lenovo's other 14-inch models. The spongy, fingerprint-loving keyboard and touchpad make matters even worse.
Great lightweight design brought down by poor serviceability, high starting prices, lack of port options, and a spongy keyboard and clickpad.
There are a couple of redeeming qualities. For one, the leather outer lid is a nice departure that we can't wait to see expanded onto more models. Secondly, the system is a bit lighter and more portable than the other 14-inch Lenovo options available. Unfortunately, these don't make up for the myriad disadvantages that plague the system. We can see the IdeaPad Slim 9i being a decent option if it were significantly cheaper, but it's hard to recommend at MSRP especially when there are already better options from the manufacturer.
Price and availability
The Lenovo IdeaPad 9i is currently available on Newegg and the official Lenovo online store starting for $1250 USD up to $1750 USD at the time of writing.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 14ITL5
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01/11/2021 v7
Allen Ngo
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