The Ryzen 7 4800U is an Absolute Monster: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14 Laptop Review
Much like how the original Asus Zephyrus was Nvidia's poster child for its then-new GeForce Max-Q series, the new Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 is AMD's premier Ultrabook designed to show off its latest third generation Ryzen 7 U-series at its best. It's a system that Lenovo have crafted from the ground up to exploit the 8-core Ryzen 7 4800U CPU and be the shining example for what future AMD-powered Ultrabooks from other OEMs can do. Needless to say, there is a lot riding on this laptop to perform well and to show the world that AMD has what it takes to regain ground from Intel in the mainstream to flagship Ultrabook segment.
The 14-inch Yoga Slim 7 (or IdeaPad 14 depending on region) is an upper mid-range to high-end system in the same vein as the Ice Lake-powered IdeaPad S940 or 15.6-inch IdeaPad S740. The unit on hand has been fully configured with the Ryzen 7 4800U CPU running at up to 25 W, integrated RX Vega 8 GPU, FreeSync FHD display, 16 GB of LPDDR4x-2400 RAM, and 512 GB NVMe SSD for about $1100 USD. Lesser configurations are planned for a starting price of $850 USD. We'll be comparing the Lenovo-AMD system to other Ultrabooks equipped with the latest 10 nm and 14 nm Intel processors and those with discrete GeForce MX graphics as well.
Competitors to the Yoga Slim 7 include the Asus ZenBook 14 series, Dell XPS 13 9300 series, HP Spectre and Envy series, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 series.
More AMD reviews:
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
85.3 % | 08/2020 | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE R7 4800U, Vega 8 | 1.4 kg | 14.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
81.2 % | 02/2020 | Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA-AM020T R7 3700U, Vega 10 | 1.4 kg | 16 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
85 % | 06/2019 | Lenovo IdeaPad S940-14IWL i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.2 kg | 12 mm | 14.00" | 3840x2160 | |
86.3 % | 10/2019 | Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 i7-1065G7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU) | 1.3 kg | 13 mm | 13.40" | 1920x1200 | |
84.3 % | 03/2020 | Lenovo Yoga C740-14IML i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.4 kg | 16.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 |
Case — Like an IdeaPad S940, But Bigger
If you've ever handled a ThinkBook 14/15, IdeaPad S740, IdeaPad S940, Legion Y740 or Yoga C940, then you already have a good idea of how the the Yoga Slim 7 will feel. Lenovo uses similar aluminum materials between many of its mid-range to high-end consumer or prosumer laptops for similar first impressions between them. In this case, the Yoga Slim 7 feels a lot like the flagship IdeaPad S940 down to the smooth metal texture, webcam notch, speaker positioning, and rigid construction. In some respects, the Yoga Slim 7 can be thought of as the IdeaPad S945 similar to how the ThinkPad T495s is the AMD version of the ThinkPad T490s.
Attempting to twist the base or lid results in slightly more warping and creaking than the smaller Dell XPS 13 clamshell, HP Spectre 13 or Razer Blade Stealth, but it's not enough to be of any concern. Overall rigidity is more in line with the ZenBook 14 or MateBook X Pro rather than the cheaper VivoBook 14 or MateBook D 14.
In terms of size and weight, the Lenovo is a bit heavier than many other 14-inch Ultrabooks by about 100 to 200 grams. It's larger than the Intel-powered IdeaPad S940 in every dimension meaning that users will have to manage with a slightly larger chassis if they want the Ryzen 7 4800U. This isn't to say that the Yoga Slim 7 is thick or heavy, but it's not breaking any records in thinness or weight. The Ice Lake-powered IdeaPad S940 or 13.4-inch XPS 13 2-in-1 are both thinner and more portable.
Connectivity — Thunderbolt 3 is not Here
(August 25, 2020 update: The AMD Yoga Slim 7 does not come with Thunderbolt 3 and the page has been corrected to reflect this. The Intel Yoga Slim 7 will come with Thunderbolt 3.)
Unlike the Yoga C940 or smaller IdeaPad S940, the Yoga Slim 7 offers more than just USB Type-C ports for a wider variety of options. Our main complaint is the positioning of the ports as we prefer to have both USB Type-A and USB Type-C along each side instead of only USB Type-C along the left and only USB Type-A along the right. The Razer Blade Stealth, for example, has symmetrical positioning of its USB Type-C and USB Type-A ports which allows you to recharge the system from any side you like.
SD Card Reader
Despite this being a high-end Ultrabook, the MicroSD card reader is disappointingly slow. Moving 1 GB of images from our UHS-II test card to desktop takes about 28 seconds compared to under 8 seconds on the Dell XPS 13.
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
HP Spectre x360 13-aw0013dx (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) | |
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
MSI Modern 14 A10RB-459US (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA-AM020T (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
HP Spectre x360 13-aw0013dx (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA-AM020T (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
MSI Modern 14 A10RB-459US (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) |
Communication
Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 come courtesy of a removable Intel AX200 M.2 module. We're able to record real-world transfer rates of about 1400 Mbps when standing one meter away from our Wi-Fi 6-enabled Netgear RAX200 router.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T490 20RY0002US | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Lenovo Yoga C740-14IML | |
Alienware m17 R2 P41E | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad T490 20RY0002US | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Lenovo Yoga C740-14IML | |
Alienware m17 R2 P41E |
Webcam
Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by seven T5 Torx screws. RAM is soldered and there is a secondary M.2 2242 expansion bay for additional storage.
Accessories and Warranty
There are no extras in the box other than the usual AC adapter and paperwork. A carrying sleeve would have been much like how HP and Asus include one for free alongside every Spectre and ZenBook purchase, respectively. Warranty is the standard one-year protection with the usual extension options if purchased from Lenovo.
Input Devices — Like Most IdeaPads for Better or Worse
Keyboard
Lenovo utilizes almost the same backlit keyboard across the Yoga C740, Yoga C940, IdeaPad S740, and Yoga Slim 7 for a similar feel between them. In short, we find key feedback to be softer than the keys on the competing HP Spectre or Huawei MateBook X Pro while being shallower than the keys on Lenovo's own ThinkPad T series. Clatter is moderate and slightly louder than the keys on the XPS 13. It gets the job done without introducing anything special or off the wall.
Touchpad
The clickpad is slightly larger than the one on the IdeaPad S940 (10.5 x 6.2 cm vs. 10.5 x 5.2 cm) to be closer to the clickpad on the XPS 13 (10.5 x 6 cm). Traction is smoother than the slightly roughened palm rests surrounding it with no cursor jumping or instability when moving at slow or fast speeds. Like other IdeaPad or Yoga laptops, however, the integrated click keys are shallow in travel with relatively soft feedback. We definitely prefer the firmer clickpads on ThinkPads like the X1 Carbon or T490 series.
Display — FreeSync on a Laptop
The AU Optronics B140HAN06.8 IPS panel can be found on no other laptop in our database, but the B140HAN06 series is present on some 14-inch laptops like the Acer Swift 7 SF714 or Schenker VIA 14. The 400-nit brightness, high contrast ratio, and full sRGB coverage are common attributes of any high-end Ultrabook. Response times are otherwise average.
|
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 399.6 cd/m²
Contrast: 1080:1 (Black: 0.37 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.2 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 1.73
ΔE Greyscale 4.7 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.5% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
66.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
72.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
71.7% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.21
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE AU Optronics B140HAN06.8, IPS, 14.00, 1920x1080 | Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA-AM020T CEC PA LM140LF-3L03, IPS, 14.00, 1920x1080 | Lenovo IdeaPad S940-14IWL B140ZAN01.3, IPS, 14.00, 3840x2160 | Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 Sharp LQ134N1, IPS, 13.40, 1920x1200 | HP Spectre x360 13-aw0013dx AU Optronics AUO5E2D, IPS, 13.30, 1920x1080 | Lenovo Yoga C740-14IML CMN N140HCE-ET2, IPS, 14.00, 1920x1080 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -7% | 11% | -2% | -2% | -3% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 71.7 | 66.7 -7% | 87.5 22% | 69.9 -3% | 69.6 -3% | 67.9 -5% |
sRGB Coverage | 99.3 | 92.3 -7% | 99.7 0% | 99.2 0% | 98.9 0% | 98.3 -1% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 72.9 | 67.5 -7% | 81.1 11% | 71.5 -2% | 71.5 -2% | 70.1 -4% |
Response Times | 17% | -17% | -2% | -29% | -1% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 45.6 ? | 36 ? 21% | 57.2 ? -25% | 47.6 ? -4% | 60.8 ? -33% | 35.6 ? 22% |
Response Time Black / White * | 29.6 ? | 26 ? 12% | 32 ? -8% | 29.2 ? 1% | 36.8 ? -24% | 36.8 ? -24% |
PWM Frequency | 44 ? | 2500 ? | 27030 ? | |||
Screen | -39% | -7% | 22% | -2% | -5% | |
Brightness middle | 399.6 | 253 -37% | 594.5 49% | 549.8 38% | 447.4 12% | 329.9 -17% |
Brightness | 385 | 245 -36% | 536 39% | 520 35% | 420 9% | 315 -18% |
Brightness Distribution | 89 | 78 -12% | 83 -7% | 86 -3% | 85 -4% | 90 1% |
Black Level * | 0.37 | 0.225 39% | 0.43 -16% | 0.39 -5% | 0.31 16% | 0.29 22% |
Contrast | 1080 | 1124 4% | 1383 28% | 1410 31% | 1443 34% | 1138 5% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.2 | 8.89 -178% | 4.87 -52% | 2.12 34% | 4.23 -32% | 3.68 -15% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.44 | 4.56 29% | 7.9 -23% | 3.66 43% | 9.34 -45% | 8.64 -34% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.73 | 4.9 -183% | 2.83 -64% | 1.37 21% | 1.32 24% | 1.03 40% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.7 | 6.33 -35% | 6.7 -43% | 2.6 45% | 6.1 -30% | 6.4 -36% |
Gamma | 2.21 100% | 2.52 87% | 2.091 105% | 2.3 96% | 2.11 104% | 2.17 101% |
CCT | 7184 90% | 6745 96% | 6891 94% | 6884 94% | 6136 106% | 6195 105% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 66.3 | 60 -10% | 72 9% | 65.4 -1% | 64.8 -2% | 63.6 -4% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 99.5 | 91 -9% | 100 1% | 99.7 0% | 98.9 -1% | 98.4 -1% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -10% /
-26% | -4% /
-5% | 6% /
14% | -11% /
-5% | -3% /
-4% |
* ... smaller is better
Color space covers approximately 99 percent of sRGB and 63 percent of AdobeRGB not unlike most high-end Ultrabooks. Lesser laptops like the IdeaPad S340 cover only 60 percent of sRGB while larger systems geared towards content creators like the Asus ZenBook Pro series or the Dell XPS 15 can cover almost all of AdobeRGB.
Further measurements with an X-Rite colorimeter reveal an overly cool color temperature. Calibrating the panel ourselves addresses the issue with an average grayscale DeltaE jumping from 4.7 to just 1.7. We recommend calibrating the panel yourself or applying our ICM profile above to get the most out of the display.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
29.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14.8 ms rise | |
↘ 14.8 ms fall | ||
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 76 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
45.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 23.6 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. » 75 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 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 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Outdoor visibility is average due to the glossy display. If outdoor visibility is a concern, then the XPS 13 2-in-1 or Lenovo IdeaPad S940 will be better options since they all carry brighter displays. Remember to disable AMD Vari-Bright or else maximum brightness will drop if running on battery power.
Performance — A Monster of a Processor
(August 26, 2020 update: Added LatencyMon results below. The system exhibits DPC latency issues, but 4K60 video playback is otherwise smooth and with no dropped frames.)
The 7 nm Ryzen 7 4800U was designed to compete directly against both the 10 nm Intel Ice Lake series and the 14 nm Comet Lake-U series that power most Ultrabooks currently in the market. Aside from its smaller fabrication process, the Ryzen 7 4800U is notable for its 8 physical cores and 16 simultaneous threads all operating under a 15 W to 25 W power envelope. The closest Intel counterpart at the moment is the hexa-core Core i7-10710U found on select laptops like the MSI Modern 14 and the Dell XPS 13.
Meanwhile, the integrated RX Vega 8 GPU is now slightly smaller in die size when compared to the RX Vega 10 on last generation Ryzen 2700U or Ryzen 3700U chips. AMD says further optimizations at the silicon level have allowed for faster gen-to-gen graphics performance despite the size reduction.
RAM is soldered, but it is at least in dual-channel mode to maximize integrated GPU performance. We set our system to High Performance mode prior to running our performance benchmarks below.
Processor
Raw performance is extraordinary for an ULV processor. The disappointing single-thread performance of the last generation Ryzen 7 2700U/3700U series has been addressed to be in line with Intel's latest Ice Lake and Comet Lake-U Core i7 offerings. The more notable upgrade, however, involves multi-threaded loads due largely to the 8-core/16-thread setup. Intel's fastest ULV CPU at the moment is the hexa-core Core i7-10710U which our Ryzen 7 4800U is able to outperform by 45 to 50 percent in CineBench benchmarks. The advantage is so large that the AMD CPU comes within just 15 percent of the octa-core 45 W Core i9-9880H as found on the massive 17.3-inch MSI GE75 gaming laptop.
Performance sustainability, however, could be better. Running CineBench R15 xT in a loop results in a performance dip of 25 percent over time as shown by our graph below. The XPS 13 2-in-1 with the Core i7-1065G7 would drop by about 20 percent as well when subjected to similar testing conditions.
See our dedicated page on the Ryzen 7 4800U for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.
(November 7, 2021 update: We reran our CineBench R15 xT loop test on Lenovo's Extreme Performance mode and observed improved performance sustainability. The initial score of ~1630 points would only fall by 6 to 7 percent over time instead of 25 percent as shown by the graph below.)
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13 Core i5-1035G7 | |
Dell XPS 13 7390 Core i7-10710U | |
MSI GE75 9SG | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
On average, PCMark benchmarks rank our Ryzen-powered Lenovo system higher than any other subnotebook equipped with Intel's 10th gen Core i7-1065G7 or Core i7-10710U CPUs. The largest gap lies in the GPU-heavy Digital Content Creation benchmark where our Yoga Slim 7 is able to outscore the Iris Plus G7 in the XPS 13 2-in-1 by 44 percent. If you like to do occasional video or photo editing, then this advantage could be a boon without resorting to dedicated GeForce MX150/MX250 graphics.
We didn't experience any software or hardware issues during our time with the test unit.
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 4657 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 5661 points | |
PCMark 10 Score | 5383 points | |
Help |
Storage Devices
Two internal storage bays are available (M.2 2280 + M.2 2242) whereas most other subnotebooks have just one option only. Our test unit comes with a 512 GB Samsung PM981a that, perhaps not coincidentally, can also be found on the Yoga C740 series for faster performance than the Toshiba BG4 in the Dell XPS 13. We're hopeful that SKUs with lower capacity SSDs are also Samsung drives and not cheaper or slower SK Hynix drives like what Microsoft is currently doing on its Surface Laptop series.
See our table of HDDs and SSDs for more benchmark comparisons.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA-AM020T SK hynix BC501 HFM512GDHTNG-8310A | Lenovo IdeaPad S940-14IWL Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G | Lenovo Yoga C740-14IML Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AS SSD | -35% | -5% | -78% | -23% | |
Seq Read | 1658 | 1417 -15% | 2625 58% | 1801 9% | 1719 4% |
Seq Write | 2464 | 781 -68% | 1360 -45% | 1125 -54% | 1211 -51% |
4K Read | 59.5 | 37.03 -38% | 47.71 -20% | 39.7 -33% | 53.1 -11% |
4K Write | 128.6 | 80.1 -38% | 115.5 -10% | 67 -48% | 131.4 2% |
4K-64 Read | 1576 | 740 -53% | 1492 -5% | 1253 -20% | 508 -68% |
4K-64 Write | 1986 | 748 -62% | 1154 -42% | 209 -89% | 883 -56% |
Access Time Read * | 0.049 | 0.047 4% | 0.045 8% | 0.069 -41% | 0.05 -2% |
Access Time Write * | 0.087 | 0.045 48% | 0.032 63% | 0.625 -618% | 0.085 2% |
Score Read | 1802 | 918 -49% | 1802 0% | 1472 -18% | 733 -59% |
Score Write | 2361 | 906 -62% | 1406 -40% | 388 -84% | 1135 -52% |
Score Total | 5133 | 2270 -56% | 4069 -21% | 2583 -50% | 2235 -56% |
Copy ISO MB/s | 1588 | 1293 -19% | 1636 3% | ||
Copy Program MB/s | 550 | 560 2% | 698 27% | ||
Copy Game MB/s | 1329 | 927 -30% | 1246 -6% | ||
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | -47% | -23% | -28% | -18% | |
Write 4K | 146.1 | 118.8 -19% | 105.3 -28% | 106.7 -27% | 125.6 -14% |
Read 4K | 47.18 | 41.62 -12% | 40.9 -13% | 49.94 6% | 43.46 -8% |
Write Seq | 2896 | 796 -73% | 1914 -34% | 1223 -58% | 2011 -31% |
Read Seq | 2754 | 1101 -60% | 2224 -19% | 1801 -35% | 2046 -26% |
Write 4K Q32T1 | 425.8 | 234.7 -45% | 419.3 -2% | 325.3 -24% | 375.8 -12% |
Read 4K Q32T1 | 514 | 313.8 -39% | 288.1 -44% | 551 7% | 338.1 -34% |
Write Seq Q32T1 | 2989 | 842 -72% | 1954 -35% | 1224 -59% | 2346 -22% |
Read Seq Q32T1 | 3568 | 1645 -54% | 3382 -5% | 2350 -34% | 3562 0% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -41% /
-40% | -14% /
-12% | -53% /
-60% | -21% /
-21% |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance — Same Vega Name, Faster Vega Performance
3DMark benchmarks rank the integrated RX Vega 8 in our Ryzen 7 4800U to be 30 to 40 percent faster than the RX Vega 10 in the Ryzen 7 3700U — pretty impressive for a GPU with fewer CUs than its last generation counterpart. In contrast, the UHD Graphics 620 has remained largely stagnant across three generations of Intel Core CPUs.
As for Ice Lake, our new RX Vega 8 is also about 45 percent faster than the integrated Iris Plus G7 as found on the Surface Laptop 3 15 to be in line with the 25 W GeForce MX150/MX250 according to 3DMark benchmarks. The problem, however, is that 3DMark is not always reliable when comparing GPUs of different manufacturers. In short, the software works best when comparing GeForce GPUs to GeFoce GPUs or Radeon GPUs to Radeon GPUs. Thus, the 45 percent higher graphics score over the Iris Plus G7 won't necessarily translate to 45 percent faster frame rates when gaming. For what it's worth, AMD has been steadily optimizing its Adrenalin software overtime.
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 22966 points | |
3DMark Vantage P Result | 20018 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 6301 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 101299 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 22962 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 3622 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 1338 points | |
Help |
Gaming Performance — 1080p at Low Settings is Key
FreeSync is available to eliminate screen tearing on the Yoga Slim 7 for a smoother gaming experience without needing to engage v-sync. The technology is actually perfect for budget GPUs like our RX Vega 8 since they tend to run games in the 40 FPS range where tearing is noticeable. Inte were touting Ultrabooks with variable display refresh rate displays prior to the launch of Ice Lake, but it appears that AMD have beaten them to it.
Assuming you're able to reach 1080p60, gameplay will still not be perfect due to the moderately slow response times of the display. Ghosting will be noticeable especially when playing fast-moving games like Rocket League or Overwatch.
Overall, users can expect performance to be comparable to the GeForce MX250 and sometimes even slightly faster in the case of Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Borderlands 3.
Rocket League | |
1280x720 Performance | |
MSI GT62VR | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
MSI Modern 15 A10RB | |
Lenovo IdeaPad S540-14API | |
Dell Inspiron 14 3493-4KWCF | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 i7-1065G7 | |
1920x1080 Performance | |
MSI GT62VR | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
MSI Modern 15 A10RB | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 i7-1065G7 | |
1920x1080 Quality AA:Medium FX | |
MSI GT62VR | |
MSI Modern 15 A10RB | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Lenovo IdeaPad S540-14API | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 i7-1065G7 | |
Dell Inspiron 14 3493-4KWCF | |
1920x1080 High Quality AA:High FX | |
MSI GT62VR | |
MSI Modern 15 A10RB | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 i7-1065G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad S540-14API | |
Dell Inspiron 14 3493-4KWCF |
The Witcher 3 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Lenovo Legion Y7000P-1060 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
MSI Modern 15 A10RB | |
Lenovo Ideapad S540-15IML | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 i7-1065G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad S540-14API | |
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE | |
1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Lenovo Legion Y7000P-1060 | |
MSI Modern 15 A10RB | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 i7-1065G7 | |
Lenovo Ideapad S540-15IML | |
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE | |
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) | |
Lenovo Legion Y7000P-1060 | |
MSI Modern 15 A10RB | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Lenovo Ideapad S540-15IML | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 i7-1065G7 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad S540-14API | |
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE |
Borderlands 3 | |
1280x720 Very Low Overall Quality (DX11) | |
MSI GT62VR | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Lenovo Ideapad S540-15IML | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 i7-1065G7 | |
1920x1080 Medium Overall Quality (DX11) | |
MSI GT62VR | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Lenovo Ideapad S540-15IML | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 i7-1065G7 |
Metro Exodus - 1280x720 Low Quality AF:4x | |
MSI GT62VR | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Lenovo Ideapad S540-15IML | |
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE | |
Dell Inspiron 14 3493-4KWCF | |
Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FN-A6023T |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | |
1280x720 Lowest Preset | |
MSI GT62VR | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
MSI Modern 15 A10RB | |
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 i7-1065G7 | |
1920x1080 Medium Preset | |
MSI GT62VR | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
MSI Modern 15 A10RB |
low | med. | high | ultra | |
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) | 274.5 | 46.7 | ||
BioShock Infinite (2013) | 160.5 | 34.2 | ||
GTA V (2015) | 101 | 29.8 | 12.1 | |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 70.8 | 23.1 | 14.9 | |
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) | 60 | 40.4 | 29.7 | |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 97.1 | 82.3 | 56 | 52.5 |
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) | 19.5 | 16.8 | ||
Overwatch (2016) | 146 | 59.7 | 30.7 | |
Rocket League (2017) | 184 | 91.2 | 57.6 | |
Fortnite (2018) | 79.6 | 46.7 | 30.9 | 17.6 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 37.5 | 18.8 | 12 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 42.7 | 34.5 | 30.5 | |
Monster Hunter World (2018) | 49.4 | 23.7 | 20.7 | 15.2 |
F1 2018 (2018) | 68 | 36 | 28 | 19 |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 79.7 | 32.5 | 27.4 | 23.4 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 59 | 21 | 19 | 16 |
Apex Legends (2019) | 80.8 | 34.7 | 26.6 | 24 |
Metro Exodus (2019) | 39.3 | 17 | 11.9 | 10 |
The Division 2 (2019) | 44 | 21 | 17 | 10 |
Total War: Three Kingdoms (2019) | 66.4 | 20.2 | 13.4 | 9.1 |
F1 2019 (2019) | 84 | 36 | 32 | 28 |
Borderlands 3 (2019) | 60.1 | 22.9 | 12.7 | 9 |
Emissions
System Noise
The cooling solution consists of two asymmetric (~35 mm and ~45 mm) fans with a single copper heat pipe between them. The fans are silent when running low loads like web browsing or video streaming as any good Ultrabook should be. When running the first benchmark scene of 3DMark 06, fan noise would remain silent until half way through the test where the fans ramp up to 31.8 dB(A). Fan noise stabilizes at 35.9 dB(A) when running Witcher 3 compared to 34 dB(A) to 39 dB(A) on most other Ultrabooks with slower Core U-series CPUs and no discrete GPUs.
We're able to notice just slight electronic noise or coil whine when placing an ear near the keyboard keys.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE Vega 8, R7 4800U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA-AM020T Vega 10, R7 3700U, SK hynix BC501 HFM512GDHTNG-8310A | Lenovo IdeaPad S940-14IWL UHD Graphics 620, i7-8565U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G | MSI Modern 14 A10RB-459US GeForce MX250, i5-10210U, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ | Lenovo Yoga C740-14IML UHD Graphics 620, i5-10210U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | -9% | -7% | -10% | -9% | -9% | |
off / environment * | 26.3 | 29.8 -13% | 28.3 -8% | 28.1 -7% | 28.7 -9% | 29 -10% |
Idle Minimum * | 26.5 | 28 -6% | 28.3 -7% | 28.1 -6% | 29.5 -11% | 29 -9% |
Idle Average * | 26.5 | 28 -6% | 28.3 -7% | 28.1 -6% | 29.5 -11% | 29 -9% |
Idle Maximum * | 26.5 | 28 -6% | 31.3 -18% | 28.1 -6% | 29.5 -11% | 29.7 -12% |
Load Average * | 31.8 | 36.8 -16% | 34.3 -8% | 31.7 -0% | 33.4 -5% | 32.6 -3% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.9 | 43.4 -21% | 37.9 -6% | |||
Load Maximum * | 35.9 | 39 -9% | 34.3 4% | 43.4 -21% | 40.5 -13% | 39 -9% |
* ... smaller is better
Noise Level
Idle |
| 26.5 / 26.5 / 26.5 dB(A) |
Load |
| 31.8 / 35.9 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 26.3 dB(A) |
Temperature
Surface temperatures when idling are generally flat on both sides of the system with hot spots of 24 C to 28 C near the rear. When gaming, these same hot spots can range from 43 C to 54 C compared to 46 C to 51 C on the Ice Lake-powered XPS 13 2-in-1 or 44 C to 47 C on the Whiskey Lake-U-powered IdeaPad S940. Thus, the Yoga Slim 7 doesn't necessarily run any cooler or warmer than its Intel counterparts despite the huge gains in CPU and GPU power.
The palm rests, clickpad and WASD keys remain cool and comfortable no matter the onscreen load. Only the keyboard center can become very warm due to how the CPU is positioned underneath.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.8 °C / 111 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 43 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.7 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 33.1 °C / 92 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 27.8 °C / 82 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 °C / 1.8 F).
Stress Test — High Clock Rates at Respectable Core Temperatures
We stress the system with synthetic loads to observe processor behavior and identify for any throttling issues. When running Prime95 to stress the CPU, clock rates would boost up to 3.6 GHz for about 5 seconds before steadily falling and stabilizing at 2.3 GHz and 65 C. In comparison, the Core i7-1065G7 in the XPS 13 2-in-1 and Surface Laptop 3 15 would stabilize at 99 C (!) and 77 C, respectively, when subjected to the same Prime95 conditions. When considering that the base clock rate of the the Ryzen 7 4800U is 1.8 GHz, the sustainable Boost clock rate of 2.3 GHz is respectable considering the number of simultaneous threads on such a small form factor.
Running Witcher 3 is more representative of real-world gaming loads. When under such conditions, the integrated GPU would run stably at its advertised 1750 MHz clock rate. Note that the GPU clock rate here is two times faster than what we recorded on the RX Vega 10-powered Dell Inspiron 15 when running the same game. In other words, AMD had to crank up the clock rates to make up for the difference in graphics cores between mobile Zen+ and mobile Zen 2 processors.
Running on battery power will not impact performance. Running Fire Strike on battery power or mains would return almost identical Physics and Graphics scores between them.
CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average SoC Temperature (°C) | |
System Idle | -- | -- | 49 |
Prime95 Stress | 2.3 | -- | 65 |
Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 2.4 | 657 | 63 |
Witcher 3 Stress | 1.4 - 3.7 | 1750 | 86 |
Speakers
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (81.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 9.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.1% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.2% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 23% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 73% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 12% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 85% 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 — Better Performance-per-Watt than an Intel-Nvidia Combo
Power Consumption
Idling on desktop draws between 4 W and 8 W to be very close to most other Ice Lake and Comet Lake-U Ultrabooks. The more interesting data, however, comes when running higher loads. Gaming will demand around 49 W from our AMD-powered Lenovo compared to 43 W on the Ice Lake-powered XPS 13 2-in-1 or 53 W to 64 W on the MSI Modern 14 with a Core i5 CPU and GeForce MX250 GPU. Since the Ryzen 7 4800U performs in the same ballpark as the GeForce MX250, its overall performance-per-Watt when gaming is slightly better than a laptop powered by a Core U-series CPU and a GeForce MX GPU.
Running Prime95 reveals more notable differences between the Ryzen 7 4800U and the competing Core i7-1065G7 or Core i7-10710U as shown by our graphs below. Power consumption would spike to 57.5 W on our Lenovo before falling and stabilizing at 49.6 W compared to 64.4 W and 42.8 W on the Ice Lake-powered XPS 13 2-in-1.
We're able to measure a maximum consumption of 57.5 W from the small (~8.8 x 5 x 2.3 cm) 65 W AC adapter meaning you can still recharge the system at a decent rate even when gaming.
Off / Standby | 0.45 / 0.65 Watt |
Idle | 4 / 6.3 / 7.7 Watt |
Load |
48.3 / 57.6 Watt |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE R7 4800U, Vega 8, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA-AM020T R7 3700U, Vega 10, SK hynix BC501 HFM512GDHTNG-8310A, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo IdeaPad S940-14IWL i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 3840x2160, 14.00 | Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 i7-1065G7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G, IPS, 1920x1200, 13.40 | Dell XPS 13 7390 Core i7-10710U i7-10710U, UHD Graphics 620, SK Hynix PC601 NVMe 512 GB, IPS, 3840x2160, 13.30 | MSI Modern 14 A10RB-459US i5-10210U, GeForce MX250, Kingston RBUSNS8154P3512GJ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -0% | -25% | 16% | -8% | -8% | |
Idle Minimum * | 4 | 3.6 10% | 5.2 -30% | 2.6 35% | 4.7 -18% | 4.2 -5% |
Idle Average * | 6.3 | 7.2 -14% | 10.2 -62% | 5.3 16% | 8.3 -32% | 5.9 6% |
Idle Maximum * | 7.7 | 10.8 -40% | 11.9 -55% | 7 9% | 9 -17% | 7.2 6% |
Load Average * | 48.3 | 38 21% | 42.1 13% | 43.1 11% | 42 13% | 63.4 -31% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 49 | 43.1 12% | 53.5 -9% | |||
Load Maximum * | 57.6 | 45.2 22% | 53.6 7% | 49 15% | 49 15% | 67.4 -17% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life — Comparable to Intel Ice Lake
Battery capacity is large at 61 Wh when considering the small 14-inch form factor. Our system would last for almost 10.5 hours of continuous real-world WLAN use compared to just half that on the Whiskey Lake-U-powered IdeaPad S940 or 9 hours on the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1. The smaller 13.3-inch Ice Lake-powered HP Spectre x360 13 comes close at just under 10 hours when subjected to the same WLAN test conditions.
Recharging from empty to full capacity takes about 2 to 2.5 hours compared to 1.5 to 2 hours on most other Ultrabooks. Keep in mind that its universal USB Type-C charger can also be used on other laptops or to quick charge smartphones.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE R7 4800U, Vega 8, 61 Wh | Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA-AM020T R7 3700U, Vega 10, 47 Wh | Lenovo IdeaPad S940-14IWL i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620, 52 Wh | Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 i7-1065G7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), 51 Wh | MSI Modern 14 A10RB-459US i5-10210U, GeForce MX250, 50 Wh | Lenovo Yoga C740-14IML i5-10210U, UHD Graphics 620, 51 Wh | HP Spectre x360 13-aw0013dx i7-1065G7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), 60 Wh | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | -4% | -30% | -13% | -8% | -5% | 45% | |
Reader / Idle | 1623 | 1068 -34% | 506 -69% | 986 -39% | 1118 -31% | 2223 37% | |
WiFi v1.3 | 619 | 404 -35% | 299 -52% | 537 -13% | 515 -17% | 551 -11% | 594 -4% |
Load | 79 | 125 58% | 103 30% | 105 33% | 100 27% | 160 103% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict — Skip Ice Lake and Comet Lake-U
The star of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 is indubitably its Ryzen 7 4800U APU. Aside from a few neck-to-neck single-threaded tests, there is no benchmark or game where the new AMD processor doesn't come out on top over the best that the Intel Iris Plus G7 or Comet Lake-U series currently have to offer. We're not even talking thin margins; raw CPU multi-thread and graphics performance can be 40 to 50 percent faster than the Core i7-10710U and Core i7-1065G7, respectively, all while consuming just a few Watts more. Users get the best of both worlds — the GPU performance of 10 nm Ice Lake and the multi-thread CPU performance of 14 nm Comet Lake-U — in one faster and more power-efficient 7 nm 8-core package.
The challenge for AMD now is to offer a consistent level of processor performance across multiple models and OEMs. The Yoga Slim 7 is supposed to show the Ryzen 7 4800U at its best which means that future laptops may run this same processor at slower speeds. It will be interesting to see just how wide of a performance gap there will be between different laptops equipped with the same Ryzen 7 4800U APU especially since we've already recorded huge performance gaps between 10th gen Ice Lake systems. In other words, the last thing we want to see is a Ryzen 7 4800U laptop running 40 or 50 percent slower than our Yoga Slim 7 especially when subjected to prolonged stress.
As for the Lenovo laptop itself, it's essentially an enlarged IdeaPad S940. We suspect that it couldn't be the exact same size as the IdeaPad S940 because Lenovo wanted the extra volume and thus cooling potential to fully exploit the 25 W octa-core CPU. Either way, this means that the Yoga Slim 7 will be slightly heavier than most 14-inch subnotebooks in the market.
There are a few other oddities and drawbacks to the chassis. The lack of a webcam shutter, for example, has us bewildered especially when the cheaper IdeaPad S340 has one. The display is not as bright as on the IdeaPad S940 and many other flagship Ultrabooks for that matter. Still, we can appreciate the dual storage bays and FreeSync compatibility which other subnotebooks do not usually offer.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE
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08/26/2020 v7
Allen Ngo