A few weeks ago, Microsoft announced a new line of laptops called +CoPilot from various manufacturers. These laptops stand out for two main reasons: they feature specialized processors for local AI applications (NPU) and, for the first time in decades, are entirely based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors, not Intel.
We received the first Lenovo model for +CoPilot, the Yoga Slim 7x, for a brief trial period. It’s important to note that this is not a full review, but rather an initial impression.
Design and BuildTrue to its name, the Yoga Slim 7x is a 14-inch, sleek, blue laptop (only 13mm thick on its thinnest side) with a recycled aluminum body and a very clean back, featuring only the Lenovo logo. The minimalist design continues underneath, with just speaker grills and ventilation openings. On the left side, you'll find two USB-C ports (both support USB 4), while the right side houses the power button, an additional USB-C port, and the camera’s electronic shutter button. The camera, located in a small raised section that has become a design staple for Lenovo, is equipped with four microphones and an infrared sensor.
The keyboard is a full-sized, comfortable unit with rubber-coated square keys (1.5mm key travel) and backlighting with two levels or automatic activation. Additionally, the touchpad is quite large. We did miss features like a card reader or headphone jack, but the slim design compensates for that, and the weight is light: only 1.2 kg, making it feel even lighter in hand.
Display and SoundThe Yoga Slim 7x comes with a stunning 3K OLED PureSight touchscreen display, boasting a resolution of 2944 x 1840 pixels. This HDR-compatible display delivers incredibly deep blacks, vibrant colors, and a brightness of up to 1000 nits, with blue light reduction and a 90Hz refresh rate. It's perfect for long viewing sessions and offers an excellent experience for watching HDR content from Netflix and other sources. Dolby Vision support and several color range standards are included, but we'll save the full details for a more comprehensive review.
The sound quality is just as impressive. With two front-facing speakers on each side of the keyboard and two bottom speakers, the audio is rich, especially with Dolby Atmos support. This laptop is well-equipped to meet your mobile entertainment needs.
Performance and Artificial IntelligenceThe Yoga Slim 7x offers solid performance at a reasonable price. We tested a model with a robust specification: a 1TB Samsung SSD and 32GB of RAM. The processor and entire chipset, including the graphics processor, sound card, sensors, and WiFi 7 network connectivity, are all powered by Qualcomm. The Snapdragon X Elite, in the X1E-78-100 configuration (one of four possible setups), runs at a maximum clock speed of 3.4 GHz with 12 cores. Since it's an ARM-based processor, it doesn’t run x86 instructions like Intel processors but relies on a special translation layer written by Microsoft for these laptops.
One of the advantages of these laptops is the dedicated neural processor (NPU) for generative AI tasks, embedded directly on the motherboard with a capability of 45 TOPS (45 trillion operations per second). While we couldn't fully test a language model on it, the laptop handles AI tasks like the CoCreator in Microsoft Paint quickly and supports real-time AI effects, such as those used in video calls. We expected more local generative AI capabilities, but for now, most tasks require an internet connection (though some video call effects can be done locally).
In synthetic performance tests, there are significant differences in the performance of native ARM64 applications, which run swiftly and offer high performance, compared to x86 applications, which deliver only moderate results. I believe the issue is not hardware-related but stems from the translation layer mentioned earlier. Over time, Microsoft is expected to improve this, which should lead to better performance. Overall, in everyday tasks, the Yoga Slim 7x performs excellently, and unless you rely on a specific app without an ARM version, this laptop is a good choice for any task.
Battery LifeOne of the key selling points of the +CoPilot laptops is their exceptional battery life, with double-digit hours of operation between charges. The Yoga Slim 7x is advertised to offer 16 hours of battery life. However, since the unit we received is brand new and the battery hasn't fully "broken in," we managed to get "only" 9 hours of video playback, which is still impressive. This is from a 70-watt/hour battery that hasn't yet reached its full potential. Additionally, fast charging, thanks to the redesigned compact and lightweight charger, adds to the laptop's portability and reduces reliance on power outlets.
ConclusionThe Yoga Slim 7x is a successful attempt by Lenovo to integrate Snapdragon's platform into laptops, offering performance comparable to similar Intel machines, alongside Lenovo's proven reliability in building laptops (screen, keyboard, battery, etc.). The combination looks promising, especially with the laptop's excellent battery life, and I believe the translation layer will continue to improve over time. So, unless you have specific software written for x86 and are concerned about compatibility, the Yoga Slim 7x is an excellent choice if you're looking for a lightweight, powerful, and slim laptop. The price tag of around NIS 7,000 is reasonable for the value you get (with a 3-year warranty) considering the powerful specifications.