Dual debut in the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16: Ryzen AI 5 330 and Radeon 820M in review

In terms of build quality alone, the IdeaPad Slim 5 16AKP10 makes a solid to very solid impression. The input devices are convincing, and both the chassis quality and the overall design stand out positively. The port selection is not especially modern, although Lenovo does at least retain a microSD card reader, which many manufacturers have now removed entirely. The 16:10 display leaves us with mixed feelings. The contrast ratio is perfectly respectable for an IPS panel, but the colour space gamut is disappointing, which especially affects photo and video playback. We were also somewhat underwhelmed by the performance of the Ryzen AI 5 330, or more precisely the integrated Radeon 820M. The specifications make it clear that this configuration is not designed for high performance, yet competing laptops with similar or only slightly higher prices pull ahead noticeably in some scenarios (more on that later).

For a street price of around 700 euros, the 16-inch model remains an interesting option, provided performance is not the main priority. If build quality, thermal behaviour and battery life matter more, this Lenovo configuration can certainly score well in those areas.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16AKP10 is available in Germany from around 700 euros (for example at Cyberport). In the United States, comparable configurations currently start at around US$840 to US$880, depending on retailer and specification. Prices refer to the time of writing and may vary by region, configuration and retailer.

As comparison devices for this review, we selected the Yoga 7 2-in-1 14 (Ryzen AI 5 340 with Radeon 840M), the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 14 (Ryzen AI 7 350 with Radeon 860M) and the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 (Core Ultra 7 255U with Arc Graphics 4-Core), all of which are priced below 1,000 euros. These are convertibles, although our focus here is primarily on the CPU and iGPU comparison. The "older" Slim 5 16 based on the Core 7 150U with Iris Xe Graphics G7 also appears in our comparison tables.

The sleek yet understated aluminium chassis impresses with its high-quality feel and solid rigidity. The fairly firm hinge keeps the display securely in place, and the opening angle of around 160 degrees is very respectable. At just under 1.9 kilograms, the 16-inch model is in line with the Intel version, while the convertible sibling weighs almost 0.2 kilograms more.

On the left side, you will find two USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 ports with DisplayPort 1.4 and PowerDelivery support, along with an HDMI output and a combined audio jack. The right side houses a reasonably fast microSD card reader and two conventional USB-A 3.0 ports. An Ethernet port is not included, but the laptop does feature a very fast Wi-Fi 7 module. The webcam, which includes a privacy shutter, offers only 0.9 MP resolution, yet still produces a sharper image than many competing models. The bottom cover is easy to remove after undoing six Torx screws. Inside, you will find two occupied SO-DIMM slots as well as two M.2 slots. The 2280 slot is free, while the installed SSD sits in the smaller 2242 slot.

The input devices are solid and, in typical Lenovo fashion, slightly above the class average without being truly exceptional. Apart from the narrow up and down arrow keys, the layout is largely pleasing. Typing feel is good, and the white backlight ensures clear visibility in low-light environments. The touchpad measures 12 by 7.5 centimetres, providing sufficient space. Its gliding properties, gesture recognition and precision leave little to criticise. Only the click mechanisms sound a bit rattly.

Unfortunately, Lenovo has cut some corners with the display. The roughly 58 percent sRGB coverage results in a rather washed-out image, despite the solid contrast ratio of just under 1,060:1. There is definitely room for improvement here. Response times could also be better, as shown in our table, especially compared to OLED panels, which also offer far superior black levels. On the positive side, the Slim 5 16 is free from PWM flickering. The 1,920 by 1,200-pixel resolution is not ideal for a 16-inch device in terms of sharpness, but still acceptable overall. The average brightness of our test unit came in at a usable, though not impressive, 332 cd/m².

In terms of performance, the IdeaPad sits firmly in the entry-level segment, which is in line with its price. Our test configuration includes 16 GB of DDR5-5600 RAM (2x 8 GB) and a 512 GB NVMe SSD. Since both the storage and the memory can be replaced, future upgrades are straightforward.

The Ryzen AI 5 330 is part of the Krackan Point 2 generation and features four Zen 5 cores (4 nm) capable of handling eight threads simultaneously. In our CPU benchmarks, the AI 5 330 not only falls behind its siblings, the AI 5 340 and AI 7 350, which is expected, but also trails the Core Ultra 7 255U and even the Core 7 150U found in the previously tested IdeaPad Slim 5 16. The AMD model does, however, offer more consistent performance overall, as shown in the Cinebench loop.

System performance also places the device at the bottom of our comparison field, although it should be noted that the competing models generally cost a few hundred euros more. For everyday office, video and web tasks, however, the overall experience is more than sufficient.