What you need to know
- Today, Lenovo announced its new Yoga Slim 7x AI PC laptop.
- It features the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor with the 12-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU, a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, and a Qualcomm Adreno GPU.
- The Lenovo Yoga 7x laptop is specifically marketed towards creatives, with the new AI-boosting processor setting the standard higher for AI editing performance.
- This laptop also comes with a very impressive 3K OLED touchscreen to show off your creative projects with crisp detail and accurate coloring.
- This AI PC laptop will ship June 2024 and preorders are open today with an "expected starting price" of $1,199.
Today, Lenovo announced its new Yoga Slim 7x, an AI PC laptop intended for creatives. This Windows device features the ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor in a light and compact chassis. The Yoga Slim 7x launches June 2024 with an "expected starting price" of $1,199 at Lenovo.
Price: From $1,199 at Lenovo
Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
GPU: Qualcomm Adreno
NPU: Qualcomm Hexagon
RAM: Up to 32GB LPDDR5X 8448
SSD: Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 M.2-2242
Display: 3K (2944 x 1840) 90Hz OLED touch, 1,000 nits, DisplayHDR True Black 600, Dolby Vision
Webcam: FHD IR
Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3
Ports: 3x USB-C 40Gbps w/PD 3.1 DP 1.4, 1x audio combo
Battery: 70Whr
Dimensions: 12.8 x 8.86 x 0.51 in
2.82 lb (1.28 kg)
The new Snapdragon X Elite processor that the Yoga Slim 7x utilizes has a 12-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU, a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (Neural Processing Unit), and a Qualcomm Adreno GPU. For those who might not know, the NPU is an AI accelerator and the reason that the laptop can handle AI tasks far more efficiently than non-NPU laptops. This also means it's compatible with Microsoft's newly announced Copilot+.
When building your Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x you get to choose up to 32GB of LPDDR5X 8448 RAM and up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 M.2-2242 SSD. However, there's only one display option — an impressive 3K OLED touchscreen with DisplayHDR True Black 600 that can reach up to 1,000 nits of brightness and up to a 90Hz refresh rate.
We don't yet know how long the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x battery life lasts for, but we do know that it features a 70Whr battery, so that should bode well for the device. As for connectivity, this AI PC laptop has the latest Wi-Fi 7 as well as the latest Bluetooth 5.3 to help you connect to your various networks and devices. Additionally, three USB-C 40Gbps w/PD 3.1 DP 1.4 ports are found on the device (two on one side, one on the other). Having ports on either side should make it more convenient to plug in accessories or displays.
That leaves us to discuss Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x dimensions. As the name implies, the laptop is relatively thin, measuring in at 12.8 x 8.86 x 0.51 inches. Meanwhile, it's easy to take on the go since it only weighs 2.82 pounds. As previously mentioned, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x ships in June 2024 and preorders are currently open, starting at $1,199 at Lenovo.
Photo and video editing is about to get even better
As someone who uses Photoshop and other Adobe Creative Cloud programs on a regular basis, I'm excited for AI PC laptops like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x. Now obviously, AI is a bit of a bad word in certain creative scenarios (especially those where the computer does all the work after being given a prompt), but as with most tools, AI can be an enormous boon for good in the creative process if it's used properly as a means to edit your work rather than fully create it.
Besides, Adobe has been providing AI tools for decades now via Adobe Sensei, and many creative professionals have been taking advantage of those tools. But with Adobe Firefly, the company's machine learning generative AI tool, things have stepped up to a new AI level, that allows creatives to produce results faster within works that they themselves have control over.
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x, in particular, should be a delight for working within creative programs. This is largely thanks to its gorgeous 3K OLED display and the powerful NPU-toting processor. As you can see in my OLED vs QD-OLED vs QLED vs AMOLED vs Mini LED comparison, OLEDs offer amazing color gamuts and accurate colors to help creatives get their work looking exactly the way they want it to — that's especially true with this OLED's DisplayHDR True Black 600. The thing that impresses me here is that the Yoga Slim 7x OLED screen gets far brighter than average, so you shouldn't have problems seeing the screen regardless of where you're working.
Meanwhile, the NPU is what make it possible to run AI processes locally and faster than non-NPU devices. It will help save time in a number of different ways, from applying filters faster to offering better AI tool performance. If you tend to work on creative projects often, you definitely should consider getting an AI PC like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x.
Can you tell me more about AI PCs and Copilot+?
AI PCs are expected to be everywhere in the next couple of years, so it's a good idea to understand what sets them apart from other computers. There are different definitions of what an AI PC is. For instance, Microsoft says that the laptop must have an NPU and a Copilot key to be an AI PC. But really, (as explained in our AI PC guide) in order to be an AI PC, a computer simply has to have an NPU. You can learn more in our NPU guide, but basically, this is a processor connected to the CPU that's specifically designed to take part of the workload off of the CPU and GPU in order to allow those processors to work more efficiently.
For instance, up until recently, most intensive AI tasks have been done via the cloud on powerful distant servers rather than locally on your own computer. But having a strong enough NPU on your laptop means you can run these AI tasks locally, which is more private and secure.
As for Copilot+, this is a term for Microsoft's newly announced next-gen AI features. The thing is, your laptop must have an NPU capable of 40 TOPS or higher in order to take advantage of this new AI experience. So basically, you need an AI PC to use Copilot+. The new AI features boasted for Copilot+ include Live Caption translations, the ability to recall things you've previously seen, enhanced image and text generation, advanced Windows Studio Effects, and Auto Super Resolution. We'll be seeing the first Copilot+ PCs ship this June.
