The Laptop for Battery Lovers

The 2024 Yoga Slim 7X, equipped with the new 11th gen Lenovo Yoga Slim 7X and Snapdragon X2 Elite chip, offers significant upgrades. The new chip features a faster, more energy-efficient CPU, performing well in benchmarks and apps while remaining quiet. Its battery life is exceptional, with Lenovo targeting 31 hours for local video playback, and pre-production units achieving nearly 25 hours. This translates to a two or three-day battery life for many users, with consistent performance whether plugged in or on battery, a common challenge for other Windows laptops. The device is lightweight but includes a large battery, surpassing MacBook Air products in longevity. The Windows on ARM ecosystem has matured considerably. Unlike earlier versions where app compatibility was a concern, most applications now run seamlessly. Microsoft's execution of Windows on ARM support has been praised, with native apps available for a vast majority of tools, including Chrome, Firefox, Brave, the full Adobe suite (Premiere, After Effects), Blender, Resolve, Visual Studio, Unity, and Unreal Engine. While most games still rely on Prism emulation, the latest version with AVX and AVX2 support improves the experience. Qualcomm demonstrates good frame rates in many AAA titles, and anti-cheat integration now supports Battle Eye and Easy Anticheat, though Vanguard support for Valorant or League is still absent. Beyond the chip, Lenovo has refined the Slim 7X. It features a new thermal system with flat heat pipe technology, ensuring quiet operation under load. The keyboard has improved key travel of 1.5mm, similar to ThinkPad keyboards, offering a responsive typing experience. The device now includes four speakers instead of two. The screen has also been upgraded to a 14-inch 2.8K 120 Hz OLED panel, hitting 1100 nits in HDR with excellent colors and calibration, surpassing MacBook Air's IPS panels in media consumption. The entry-level price is targeted at $900.