14-Inch Lenovo Slim 9i Leads 2022 Laptop Lineup
Lenovo has unveiled a slate of new laptops powered by Intel's new 12th Gen Alder Lake and AMD's latest Ryzen 6000 series processors based on the RDNA2 architecture. Leading the lineup of its fresh laptop portfolio is the Lenovo Slim 9i, a premium 14-inch notebook rocking a 3D glass build with curved sides, Bowers & Wilkins tuned speakers, and hardware-level encryption for protection against malware attacks.
The standout feature of Lenovo's latest machine is the 14-inch 4K OLED display that offers 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, a peak brightness of 400 nits, and VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black certification. Lenovo Slim 9i will also be available in a trim that tones the resolution figures down to 2.8K (2880x1800) and the peak brightness to 400 nits, but bumps the screen refresh rate to 90Hz.
At the heart of Lenovo's flashy new laptop are Intel's 12th Gen P-series processors (up to the 14-core i7-1280P CPU) paired with up to 32 gigs of dual-channel LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD. The Intel Evo-certified machine offers a 1080p webcam with an electronic shutter for privacy, a trio of Thunderbolt 4.0 USB-C ports, and fast charging support. Tipping the scales at just 3 pounds, the Lenovo Slim 9i starts at an eye-watering $1,799 and will hit the shelves in June.
A new Pro X line of performance laptops
Just like Intel and its Evo badge for certifying laptops that meet a few feature standards, Lenovo has put in place its very own Pro X badge to classify laptops that offer an upgraded thermal architecture and allow users to extract the maximum CPU and GPU firepower. Among the first two laptops to rock that badge are the Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X and the Lenovo Slim 7 Pro X. Both laptops offer a 14.5-inch 3K display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB coverage, 16:10 aspect ratio, and 400 nits of peak brightness.
A key difference between the two laptops is the processor under the hood. The Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X goes with Intel's 12th Gen processors (up to Core i7-12700H), while Lenovo Slim 7 Pro X comes armed with AMD's latest 6000 series processors (up to Ryzen 9 6900HS) tagged alongside faster LPDDR5 RAM (6400MHz vs 6000MHz). Graphics options on both laptops start at Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 and go all the way up to the GeForce RTX 3050.
The rest of the spec sheet includes dual 2W Harman speakers with Dolby Atmos Audio, a full-HD webcam, fast charging support (50% battery juice with 30 minutes of charging), and a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports. The Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X starts at $1,699, while the Slim 7 Pro X with AMD silicon will set buyers back by $1,499 for the base model.
Diverse options and a Find My-like suite
Lenovo has also introduced the 13-inch Slim 7i Carbon starting at $1,299. The ultra-slim laptop weighs just 2.2 pounds and offers a side profile that is only 14.8mm thick. It offers Intel's 12th Gen P-series processors and a 13.3-inch 2.5K touch-sensitive display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The company is focusing on the laptop's build which employs "aerospace-grade magnesium alloy reinforced with multi-layer carbon fiber" as one of its key selling points.
There are also updates for the Slim 7 portfolio on the table in 2022. Available in both 14-inch and 16-inch trims, these two offer a choice between Intel's 12th Gen and AMD's Ryzen 6000 series processors, Intel's Arc A370M or up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti graphics, a 16:10 screen, up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and 1TB of SSD. Pricing starts at $1,199 and sales are expected to commence in May.
The Chinese PC maker has also launched Lenovo Smart Lock Services, a cloud-based security software that lets users track their lost Lenovo PC using a mobile app or web browser. It also offers a remote lock facility and a data wipe system to prevent bad actors from accessing sensitive files. Lenovo Smart Lock Services will be rolled out in June for North American markets, with a global release planned in September.