There are a lot of thin and light laptops on the market these days, but most of them don’t have a dedicated GPU. Of course, there are exceptions, such as the HP Omen Transcend 14 (Review) and the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, but there aren’t many options. Enter the all-new Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i, updated with an Intel Core Ultra CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 Series GPU. It has an ultrabook-like design, but it’s powerful enough to run games and other creative tasks.
I’ve been trying out the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i for about a week, trying out this laptop for work and light gaming. Is it a good portable workstation that can also double as a gaming machine? Read on to find out more.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i price in India
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i is priced at around Rs 150,000 for a model with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB storage, and a 14.5-inch 2.8K resolution display with a 120Hz refresh rate. This is the unit Lenovo sent us for review (model number 14IMH9), but it comes with 32GB RAM and the company says that more models will be available soon.
This laptop has passed MIL-STD-810H military test certification for durability.
However, the Lenovo India website also lists other variants with Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and Core Ultra 9 185H CPUs. The RAM can also be upgraded up to 32GB. Unfortunately, the pricing of these variants is not available yet. The laptop is available in Tidal Teal and Luna Grey colour options. The one we received is the Tidal Teal option. The packaging is minimal and Lenovo has spoken about how they have avoided using any plastic and opted for recycled materials. In the box, you will find a 140W USB Type-C charger and some documentation.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i review: Design and display
Design-wise, the Yoga Pro 7i is similar to last year’s model. It has curved edges, making it easy to carry around. The laptop has an aluminum chassis that’s tested to Lenovo’s MIL-STD-810H standard, meaning you can expect the laptop to survive small drops and not sustain any damage. The lid and bottom are made of aluminum and don’t flex much. The lid has minimal branding, while the bottom houses only an intake grille, two speakers, and rubber feet. The laptop weighs around 1.6 kg.
The laptop has a 180-degree hinge that allows it to lie flat on a table. The hinge feels sturdy, but not too strong to lift. Opening the lid reveals a glossy 14.5-inch display with thin bezels on the sides and relatively thick bezels on the top and bottom. There’s an inverted notch at the top that houses the webcam, IR sensor, and microphone. The lid opens easily with one hand.
Below the display is the keyboard, flanked on either side by two more speakers, for a total of four speakers on this laptop. Below the keyboard is a large trackpad, which is nice, with the Lenovo logo engraved on the bottom right corner.
The laptop has plenty of ports, but it would have been nice if it had a card slot.
On the right edge you’ll find a USB Type-A port (3.2 Gen 1), a combo 3.5mm audio jack, a power button, and a toggle switch for the webcam’s electronic shutter. On the left edge you’ll find two USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 2) ports and an HDMI 2.1 port, but no card slot.
Lenovo’s Yoga Pro 7i has a very good display. It’s a glossy panel, so it’s not ideal for outdoor use, but it offers good brightness levels indoors. Our review unit has a 14.5-inch OLED display that offers 2.8K (2,880 x 1,800) resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and 400 nits of brightness. The display supports Dolby Vision, HDR, True Black 500, and covers 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. Colors are vibrant and blacks are deep. In a room that isn’t harshly lit, watching content on this display was a pleasure.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i review: Keyboard, touchpad, speakers, camera
The Yoga Pro 7i’s keyboard is comfortable to type on, with well-spaced keys and ample key travel. It doesn’t have number keys, but it does have a new Copilot key that can be used to invoke the Microsoft chatbot. The keyboard is backlit, and you can adjust the brightness manually or leave it in adaptive mode.
Moving towards the bottom, we find a large touchpad that is responsive, smooth to the touch thanks to its glass surface, and supports multi-touch. It also has good click feedback. I have not had any issues with the touchpad or keyboard during my time using this laptop.
The built-in speakers support Dolby Atmos
There are two speakers on either side of the keyboard and two more on the bottom of the laptop. However, despite offering a four-speaker setup with two woofers and two tweeters, the sound isn’t that loud. The audio has some bass, but to be honest, these speakers aren’t great. There is also support for Dolby Atmos, which will improve the audio experience when watching content.
The Yoga Pro 7i has a 1080p Full HD webcam that is better than most Windows laptops. The video output is decent in bright environments but grainy in low light. The webcam also supports an electronic shutter and is paired with IR and TOF sensors for Windows Hello biometric authentication, which works very well. As soon as you open the lid, the sensors recognize you even in low light conditions. The sensors also have the ability to wake up the screen and start logging in when you approach, which is very handy.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i review: specs and software
Speaking of specifications, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i is truly an Ultrabook. It has enough performance to perform most tasks with ease and also has a separate GPU for light gaming. The laptop is equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU with 6GB GDDR6 video RAM. It can come with up to 32GB of RAM, but unfortunately this is soldered to the mainboard and cannot be upgraded. As for storage, the laptop gets 1TB of M.2 storage.
For connectivity, it employs Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.The laptop also comes with a 73Wh battery and supports fast charging.
The laptop is equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU with 6GB DDR6 RAM.
In terms of software, our unit came with Windows 11 Pro out of the box, along with Office Home and Student 2021. There’s also built-in Lenovo and McAfee antivirus software. The laptop comes with some AI enhancements in the form of the Lenovo AI Engine+, which is said to improve performance and battery life based on the creative apps you’re using. There’s also a Creator Zone tool that can convert text into images.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i review: Performance and gaming
In terms of performance, I had no issues running apps like Chrome, Adobe Lightroom, and Slack. Most of the time, there is no lag, but that changes when you start editing videos or playing games. I noticed some lag in rare cases, such as when editing 4K videos in Davinci Resolve. Although it has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, it doesn’t have a high TGP, so you’ll experience lag if you try to play demanding games at 1080p or higher resolution or maximum graphics settings. I played Alan Wake 2 and Hogwarts Legacy on this system and didn’t have much fun unless I turned the settings down.
Since this laptop is thin and light, it does generate some heat, especially when gaming. Even with the fans running at full speed, the laptop got quite warm after 30 minutes of playing Alan Wake 2. However, other less demanding titles will play just fine, but be prepared for the laptop to get hot when gaming and editing videos.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i review: Battery life
The battery life of the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i is not bad at all. In Balanced mode, I was able to get a full day of work (about 9 hours) including YouTube. Whether you stream videos nonstop or binge watch a short series on Netflix, this laptop will keep you going until the last episode. Of course, these figures were achieved with the display set to 60Hz, so that counts too.
If the battery gets low, the 140W USB Type-C charger can quickly charge the laptop; it took about an hour and 40 minutes to fully charge from 10%. Overall, the laptop offers good battery life for a system with a discrete graphics card.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i review: verdict
If you’re looking for a slim, powerful new ultrabook, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i should be on your list. This laptop is stylish, has a very good display and keyboard, discrete graphics, and decent battery life. While you won’t be able to play AAA titles at full graphics performance, it will do just fine with less demanding games. This laptop is a great value for the money, and we’re confident in recommending it.
