Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i with under-display camera: Excellent design let down by abysmal camera performance
Lenovo announced an array of new products at CES 2025, among which is the stunning new Yoga Slim 9i. With a shockingly futuristic design, the Slim 9i is arguably among the best-looking laptops that saw the light of day at CES. Unfortunately, as prominent YouTuber Dave2d revealed, the laptop has a glaring shortcoming that may leave potential customers in a pickle.
The pièce de résistance of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i is definitely its under-display camera. Now, of course, this allows for an incredible screen-to-body ratio of a whopping 98%, courtesy of the absence of a notch or a hole-punch, allowing for the cleanest-looking laptop display we have probably ever seen. Interestingly, therein lies the rub - Lenovo's implementation renders the front camera nearly unusable in most scenarios, featuring one of the poorest qualities we have seen in recent memory.
Unlike Samsung's approach with its Galaxy Z Fold products, Lenovo did not use fewer pixels over the camera, which would have allowed more light to pass through the display and into the Yoga Slim 9i's 32 MP module. While this allows for a much more pleasing and uniform-looking display - even when under a microscope - it severely hinders the quality of the images that the under-display camera is able to produce. This makes the otherwise excellent (per the YouTuber's opinion) Yoga Slim 9i impractical for those who rely on heavy video conferencing, even more so in low-light conditions.
That aside, the rest of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i appears truly commendable, if the shots and videos available right now are any indication. With its razer-thin 1.7 mm bezels bordering the visually sumptuous 4K 120 Hz OLED display, the Slim 9i is an absolute treat for content consumption. Its exceptional build quality, equipped with Intel Lunar Lake-prowess providing great battery life and performance, would have made it the perfect premium laptop, had it not been let down by the truly terrible front-facing camera and other quirks like the lack of full-size USB ports. There is no word on pricing or availability yet, but there is no doubt that the Yoga Slim 9i will cost a pretty buck when it hits shelves.
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