The IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Yoga Slim 7 Pro are the same laptop as if model names aren't already confusing enough

Lenovo recently launched two of its fastest 14-inch subnotebooks in its portfolio called the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Yoga Slim 7 Pro. The former comes with an Intel Tiger Lake-H Core i7-11370H CPU while the latter comes with an AMD Zen 3 Ryzen 9 5900HX. These H-series CPUs are uncommon on subnotebooks which makes the two models attractive for users who want to maximize performance without sacrificing weight or size.

The main issue here is that the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Yoga Slim 7 Pro are otherwise visually identical despite their very different model names. Everything from port positioning, display, keyboard, and aluminum skeleton are shared between the two models. Lenovo would typically market the "Yoga" name as a flagship consumer series when compared to the more budget-friendly "IdeaPad" name. Thus, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro and Yoga Slim 7 Pro seem to be an unnecessary exception to the rule especially since the IdeaPad version comes with Thunderbolt 4 and superior graphics performance than the Yoga version. If you think you're getting a better laptop by purchasing the "Yoga" model over the "IdeaPad" model, then think again.

Lenovo could have potentially avoided the issue by simply calling the two systems "Yoga Slim 7 Pro Intel" and "Yoga Slim 7 Pro AMD". However, we suspect that the manufacturer had no choice but to make the names completely different since the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro is an Intel EVO platform. In order to be Intel EVO certified, the model cannot use processors from competing manufacturers like AMD and so Lenovo may have simply circumvented this problem by just renaming the AMD version. The drawback, of course, is that it makes shopping even more potentially confusing than it already needs to be.