If you’re a creative in the graphic design, video, or photo editing fields, you need a laptop that looks professional as well as performs professionally. Luckily, there are laptops that fit into a unique sub-genre: business and workstation laptops. But it can be a tricky field to understand.
Lenovo makes some of the best laptops out there, but if you were to take a quick look and ask me what the difference is between a Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i and a Lenovo Slim Pro 9i, I’d have to question everything I know. Well, that’s if I wasn’t immersed in laptops every week. Luckily for me, I am, so I know the answer.
So… well, I have no idea. Not entirely correct, but these are two confusing names from Lenovo. You might think “Yoga” is a 2-in-1, but it’s not. And you might think “Slim” is slimmer, but it’s not. I can’t imagine the entire thought process that Lenovo went through when they launched two nearly identical laptops, but I can tell you which one is better. So let’s get started.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i vs Lenovo Slim Pro 9i: Specs Comparison
| model | Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i | Lenovo Slim Pro 9i |
|---|---|---|
| price | $1,699 | $1,899 |
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (tested with Core i9-13905H) |
| Ram | 32GB | 32GB |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 6GB | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 (tested with RTX 4050) |
| screen | 16 inch, 3200 x 2000, 165Hz touch | 16 inch, 3200 x 2000 Mini LED 165Hz |
| weight | 4.7 pounds | 4.9 pounds |
| size | 14.28 x 9.98 x 0.71 inches | 14.3 x 9.6 x 0.7 inches |
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i vs Lenovo Slim Pro 9i: Price
Pricing on this model is a bit complicated: after we reviewed the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i, the company discontinued that particular configuration and replaced it with updated specs, so we’ll break down which models you can buy now.
The $1,699 Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 6GB GPU, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16-inch, 3200 x 2000, 165Hz touch display.
The $1,849 Lenovo Slim Pro 9i comes with an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 8GB GPU, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16-inch, 3200 x 2000 Mini LED 165Hz display.
The $150 price difference is due to the upgraded GPU and display, but you can configure this with the Yoga Pro 9i for a total of $2,043. Currently, the Slim Pro 9i technically costs $2,149, but is on sale for $1,849 as of this writing. The Yoga Pro 9i is out of stock, and you can’t configure the Slim Pro 9i for less.
The prices are comparable, so rather than judging this based on the wildcard of a sale happening at the same time this showdown was announced, we’ll call it a tie.
winner: draw
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i vs. Lenovo Slim Pro 9i: Design
Another section where the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i look very similar. However, looks can be deceiving. At first glance, they may look like identical twins, but on closer inspection, this is not the case.
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i feature a premium looking grey chassis inside and out, with the only difference being the large YOGA logo on each Yoga laptop.
Despite their very similar designs, they differ in size. The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i weighs 4.7 pounds and measures 14.3 x 10 x 0.7 inches, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i weighs in at 4.9 pounds and measures 14.3 x 9.6 x 0.7 inches. So technically, the Slim supports slimmer bezels, but not a slimmer chassis. It’s also shorter in depth. However, the Yoga Pro 9i is lighter.
The differences are subtle, but I would choose the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i, as it has thinner bezels and a chassis that won’t take up as much space in your laptop bag.
winner: Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i vs. Lenovo Slim Pro 9i: Display
This is my favorite part. I love a great display. The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i both support a 16-inch, 3200 x 2000, 165Hz touch display. However, the Slim Pro 9i goes a step further with a Mini-LED panel.
Just how big a difference will Mini-LED make? Let’s take a look at some benchmarks.
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i covered 105.7% of the DCI-P3 color gamut with an average brightness of 373 nits. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i covered 111.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut with an average brightness of 637 nits.
Yes, Mini-LED is better, and thankfully you can equip the Yoga Pro 9i with a Mini-LED panel, but we already know what the Slim Pro 9i is capable of, so this is a safe choice.
winner: Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i vs Lenovo Slim Pro 9i: Performance
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i currently support the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor with 32GB of RAM. However, when we tested the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i, it came with the Intel Core i9-13905H. Let’s see what the numbers tell us.
In the Geekbench 6.3 overall performance test, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i scored 12,141, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i scored 14,881.
When the machines transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in our HandBrake benchmark, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i completed it in 3 minutes and 53 seconds, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i took 3 minutes and 59 seconds.
The Yoga’s 1TB SSD recorded transfer speeds of 2,100 MBps, which is faster than the Slim’s 1TB SSD (1,712 MBps).
It’s unfair to compare the Yoga to last year’s Slim, but the most important thing here is the SSD. The Slim has the Yoga’s CPU and RAM, but the SSD is a mystery, so I’d bet on the Yoga.
winner: Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i vs. Lenovo Slim Pro 9i: Graphics
Again, there’s a slight catch: the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i no longer comes with the RTX 4050, but both machines had the aforementioned GPUs when we tested them. The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i offer the RTX 4060 GPU spec, so it’ll be a good test to see which one performs better at that high level.
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i averaged 128 frames per second in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark (medium, 1080p), beating the Slim Pro 9i’s 124 frames per second.
In the 3DMark Fire Strike Synthetic benchmark, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i scored 19,016 points, while the Slim Pro 9i scored 20,193 points.
Both companies won by narrow margins in two different tests, so it’s fair to say they perform equally well.
winner: draw
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i vs Lenovo Slim Pro 9i: Battery Life
Battery life is a big make or break factor for laptops, especially those with discrete GPUs like the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i. You’d think that would put them in the same realm. But no.
upper Laptop Magazine In the battery test, the Yoga Pro 9i lasted 9 hours and 51 minutes, while the Slim Pro 9i lasted just 6 hours and 12 minutes. That’s a difference of about 4 hours. That’s a huge difference, and the quality of the win in this section is far above the others.
winner: Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i
Overall Winner: Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i were very similar, with some sections tied and most of the wins being by small margins, but in terms of total wins, it was the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i that emerged victorious, even though they were both neck and neck.
The key element in the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i’s victory is battery life. The Yoga Pro 9i and Slim Pro 9i are so close in every other respect that it feels like I’m arguing with myself semantically. But the battery life is clear. The difference of about four hours is the deciding factor why the Slim Pro 9i is a 4-star laptop and the Yoga Pro 9i is a 4.5-star laptop that earns us our illustrious Editor’s Choice award.
Now I always say you can still buy the Slim Pro 9i because it has this and that feature, but no, buy the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i, unless you never unplug your laptop, there will come a day when a longer battery life will make a huge difference.
winner: Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i
