© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
Latest generation Core i9-13900H, RTX 4070 capable of going up to a maximum of 140W, large 3.2K screen… on paper the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i would sound almost like a large gaming laptop, weighing 3 kilos and 3 cm d thickness, which is only moved under constraint. As its very evocative name “Slim” betrays, the device is nevertheless a compact model, very compact.
At its thinnest point, the machine does not exceed 17 .6 mm for 2 kg all round on the scale. Relatively atypical measurements for a model dedicated primarily to gaming, especially on a machine equipped with such high-performance components (and therefore energy-intensive). Unfortunately, installing this Core i9/RTX 4070 tandem in such a thin chassis is not the best idea Lenovo has had lately.
The design: probably the “gamer” the classiest of 2023
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
But before talking about the annoying things, let's start with one of the main assets of the device: its look, superb, let's say it bluntly. Available online at 2,549 euros, the Slim 7i is quite simply one of the most beautiful machines to have passed through our hands in recent months. Usable by professionals, creatives or aesthetic gamers alike, this new laptop has a particularly neat aluminum chassis and slightly chrome-plated beveled sides for the most beautiful effect.
Beyond its polished aesthetic, its beautiful lines, and its great compactness (357.7 x 259.3 x 17.6 – 19.9mm for 2 kg, a real invitation to travel in its company), this model benefits from impeccable assembly quality and some good ergonomic ideas as a bonus.
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
Among them: the ingenious backlighting of the icons on the rear connectors to easily identify them in the dark; or the system for recalling the main keyboard shortcuts using the backlight (to change backlight mode, adjust the light intensity of the screen, the volume, go from 165 Hz to 60 Hz in a single gesture, or even easily switch between different performance modes without using Lenovo software).
< /p> © Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
Robust in design, the Slim 7i does not worry when traveling either (we tested it precisely in this context), and never gives the impression of claiming an identity “gamer” too garish. So much the better, even if the fashion for super flashy machines seems to be gradually fading in the gaming laptop market.
The Legion Slim 7i also delivers on the fundamentals. The device has numerous connections (a Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, an HDMI 2.1 output and a headphone jack), an SD card reader (more than welcome for creative uses), a good 1080p webcam, a fingerprint sensor (unfortunately far from being systematic on gaming laptops) and a touchpad that is much more comfortable and precise on most competing models.
< /p> © Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
< /p> © Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
The keyboard, on the other hand, is a little behind in terms of comfort… especially in gaming. Without being bad, and despite a travel depth of 1.5 mm (which is not so bad considering the finesse of the device), the keyboard of the Slim 7i 2023 seems to be more designed for office automation than to maximize its responsiveness on the most nervous FPS. Damage. We also regret that it is not quieter.
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
The screen: (almost) impeccable
In any case, Lenovo does not overdo the customer's head when it comes to display. Depending on the configuration chosen, we go from a QHD+, 240 Hz and 100% sRGB panel to a 3.2K, 165 Hz and 100% DCI-P3 panel. It’s this 3.2K (3200 x 2000) screen that we are dealing with on our loaner copy. And whatever model you choose, Lenovo relies on IPS technology, as well as a 16-inch diagonal in 16:10 format.
The LCD panel of our test model offers a response time of only 3 ms, Dolby Vision certification and is also Nvidia G-SYNC compatible. Manufactured by AU Optronics, this panel offers more or less the best that IPS technology can offer in 2023.
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
The maximum brightness notably exceeds 400 cd/m2 which allows the screen to be perfectly readable in the majority of situations… including outdoors (at least in certain cases) as our photos attest. In this regard, the matte coating of the screen actually helps a lot to reduce reflections. Note, however, that maximum brightness can only be reached by activating performance mode using the Fn+Q shortcut, which is not always desirable, especially for working in peace – this mode having the particular benefit of effect of activating the fans.
The contrast is also of a good level even if we remain far from what Mini-LED and OLED technologies can allow in this area. We can also criticize Lenovo for not offering us, at least as an option, one or the other of these two display technologies. But who knows, maybe it will be for the next version of the machine.
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
For the rest, Lenovo took care to carefully calibrate the panel of its Slim 7i, which therefore displays rather natural and balanced colors. Without matching the image quality allowed with Mini-LED or OLED, Lenovo's bike still offers us a high-level display experience. Add to this, the presence of rounded corners (which give the whole thing a more modern look) and particularly thin borders, almost giving the impression that the screen is floating above the keyboard.
The heat: the fire of hell right under your fingers
If there is one point on which Lenovo has let go with its new Slim 7i, it is temperature management. The device actually suffers from completely crazy heating during gaming and intensive use… in short, as soon as the CPU/GPU tandem is used at full speed. This heating is undoubtedly the main fault of the device. It is also the reason why we would have difficulty fully recommending this i9/RTX 4070 configuration of the product.
Let's understand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is a great machine, but its management of temperatures is not satisfactory, and the noise emitted by the dissipation system is simply infernal when performance mode is activated. This does not make the device unusable, far from it, but this heating does significantly reduce its comfort of daily use.
< /p>© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
Indeed, the keyboard and the surroundings of the hinge quickly become white hot when you push the product to its limits. We also notice that the distribution of this heat is poor, with a burning area just below the power button: be careful not to let your fingers hang there for too long, you could almost burn yourself.
If we go into detail, within the framework of a stress test lasting only half an hour under AIDA-64, the thermal-throttling starts and the temperatures regularly reach 100 degrees on the CPU. Under these conditions, performance is quickly limited, to limit heating a little, and frequencies quickly fall below 3.60 GHz.
< /p>© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
Remember that the thinness of the Slim 7 and its poor heat management prevent its components from developing their full potential. On Cinebench R23 for example, in multi-core calculation, the Core i9-13900H of our loan model thus scores 2000 to 3000 points less than certain competing models equipped with the same chip. The efficiency of the processor will therefore be less in game and on creative tools capable of exploiting at least part of its 14 cores.
In QHD+, with all settings in ultra (active ray tracing and DLSS 2.0 also activated), the performance is also less good than what we expected with the RTX 4070 (configured here at 140 W). Playing on the Legion Slim 7i remains a pleasure, but we can't help but frown at certain drops in speed in Cyberpunk 2077, where it is not uncommon to fall below 45 FPS. Frustrating on a machine at this price.
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
< /p> © Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
Note, however, that our observations concern the model equipped with a Core i9-13900H and an RTX 4070. The less efficient versions of the device will likely be less prone to heating, and as it stands, these are the ones that we would tend to favor.
Autonomy: no particular ambition
Our Legion Slim 7i also pays cash for the use of these supercharged components in terms of endurance. In this area, the device never does better than the majority of gaming laptops, despite the integration of a large 99 Wh battery, the maximum authorized for this type of product. So count on 4 to 5 hours of video playback, and not much more in the context of varied use, this time mixing office automation and web browsing… even with the settings most favoring endurance.
< /p>© Nathan Le Gohlisse for Presse-citron
Charging is done using a rather compact 230 W power supply, offering efficient fast charging. The latter is enough to recover a little more than 60% of autonomy in 30 minutes on the mains. It is finally possible to recharge the device using a third-party charger and one of its USB-C ports, but be careful, this method will not unlock the maximum performance of the PC.
The Legion Slim 7i is a real emotional elevator. It seduced us from the first moments with its sobriety, its polished aesthetic, its compactness and its large, bright 3.2K screen… only to disappoint us a few hours later with its overheating and the infernal noise of its fans.
Particularly neat but too thin for its own good, Lenovo's new compact gamer fails to completely transform the test. Given the excellent foundations of this product, we are nevertheless hopeful that Lenovo will be able to offer us a future iteration that is better balanced, less affected by heating, and therefore more convincing. So fingers crossed for next year.