Lenovo Slim Professional 9i 14 Overview: A Brilliant Spot in a Sea of Rivals

8.5

Lenovo Slim Professional 9i 14IRP8 (14-inch)

Like

• Glorious HDR show

• Nice efficiency for its parts

• Premium construct high quality and design

• Good sound

• Good set of connections

Do not like

• Meh battery life

• SDR is not very shade correct

• On the heavy and thick aspect for its dimension

Lenovo hits the highlights — actually — with its Slim Professional 9i 14-inch laptop computer, a creator- and gamer-focused mannequin with a vibrant HDR display. The laptop computer competes with OLED-screen geared up fashions, just like the cheaper Acer Swift X 14, however the Lenovo’s DisplayHDR 1000 mini LED display holds its personal fairly effectively in opposition to OLED in HDR because of comparable dense blacks and better brightness than you may get with an OLED display on a laptop computer. In SDR, although, it does not fare as effectively compared. Add within the sturdy construct, easy however placing design, snug keyboard and touchpad, strong efficiency and wonderful sound and it is a fairly compelling bundle, if not for individuals who want.

It additionally competes with the 14-inch MacBook Professional, which is much more costly as soon as you’ve got added reminiscence and storage to match. However it has a display with related capabilities.

The 14.5-inch laptop computer primarily is available in a single $1,800 configuration, geared up with higher midrange processors — Intel Core i7-13705H CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU — plus 1TB SSD and 32GB RAM. Lenovo has a number of related opponents inside its many strains. That is not low cost, however the display’s rated 1,200-nit HDR, 600-nit SDR brightness ranges and full P3 gamut protection and 165Hz refresh charge elevate it for creating, gaming and vegetating in entrance of films.

There’s additionally a 16-inch mannequin of the Slim Professional 9i with a step-up configuration of Core i9-13905H and GeForce RTX 4060, plus a 3,200 x 2,000 model of the mini LED show. Though it is nominally $2,149.

Lenovo does not skimp on the ports, that are extra plentiful than you sometimes see on a laptop computer this dimension. In the event you’re choosy about which aspect the charger connects on, righties are out of luck; each of the USB-C/Thunderbolt ports are on the left. However the two USB-A ports are on the correct if it’s essential to join older keyboards or mice. Plus, it has an SD card slot, which is handy, and an HDMI connector for displays that do not have USB-C or when you do not have your USB-C-to-HDMI adapter.

It additionally feels solidly constructed, with a matte grey end and slight protrusion on the prime the place the webcam and IR cam (for Home windows Hiya) sit. The webcam is simply okay; it is 5MP, however the high quality does not stand out and it has a set area of view and focus. The mic array picks up sound and processes out background noise very effectively, nevertheless it additionally sounds prefer it’s been processed — slightly little bit of the talking-in-a-tunnel impact.

All of those add as much as a barely thicker and heavier laptop computer than a number of opponents; as an example, it is 0.8 inch (21mm) and the MacBook Professional 14 is barely 0.6 inch (15.5mm).

Efficiency

The Slim Professional 9i delivers common to above common efficiency. The CPU falls precisely consistent with all Core i7-13700H laptops we have examined (the 13705H is actually the identical chip), and the GPU runs about the identical as the opposite RTX 4050 programs of comparable dimension; larger programs, just like the 16-inch Samsung Galaxy E book 3 Extremely, can normally push it extra because of further room for cooling. However the Lenovo additionally has the flexibility to overclock the GPU and the video reminiscence — a functionality normally uncovered solely in gaming programs, not primarily artistic ones.

Merely turning on the overclocking in Lenovo’s Vantage software program and leaving it at its default values yielded a shocking bump in body charges, in each video games and professional graphics software program; sufficient of a bump to push its efficiency as much as RTX 4060 ranges. The followers do kick in, and it will probably get a bit loud, although, and efficiency can get inconsistent because it incessantly throttles again when it hits the thermal ceiling.

In HDR mode, it seemed extraordinarily good. As a result of the tiny dimension of the mini LED array parts and the native dimming, it will probably ship successfully zero-nit blacks — beneath the 0.018-nit threshold of my colorimeter, at the least and visually barely detectable. All kinds of content material seemed terrific. The one disadvantage is that it is profiled for the default system brightness setting (40), however the brightness management is not locked down the way in which it must be in HDR, and for those who improve it, the HDR can get thrown off, hitting peak brightness too early after which simply clipping it.

In customary mode, it is much less spectacular. In response to Lenovo, mini LED backlights make it more durable to calibrate, which might be true to some extent. And mini LED is admittedly supposed for HDR with native dimming, which SDR does not use. However this additionally makes use of a TCL-owned CSOT panel, and its TVs additionally present growing skewing as grays go from black to white. Right here, it means as brightness/whiteness will increase, the pink channel will get boosted approach an excessive amount of and the blue approach too little, leading to a visual red-yellow forged (that low white temperature).

After calibration, it will get lots higher, form of. It is pressured to drag again the pink channel, which implies peak brightness drops and it has slightly extra hassle hitting the goal values within the shadows (therefore the two.3 gamma reasonably than 2.2). However pulling again the pink decreases the P3 gamut protection lots; it falls fairly wanting the saturated pink major that defines the nook of the P3 gamut. And it means the outlined shade house presets that may entry within the Vantage utility aren’t very helpful.

On the default brightness, it is too dim for on a regular basis use, so it’s possible you’ll doubtless should bump it up for snug viewing (to 50 or 60). That cuts again on battery life, although. And like all Home windows laptops, I recommend you flip off the autobrightness  adjustment. It is designed to avoid wasting battery and compensate for giant modifications in ambient lighting — like going from indoors to exterior — however I discover that the brightness modifications both too typically or not typically sufficient, in addition to too randomly and really clearly (not regularly sufficient). Plus, the sunshine sensor picks up modifications solely when the sunshine supply is behind you or if it is actually vibrant out. So it is extra distracting than helpful. Your mileage could differ, in fact.

And talking of battery life, it is fairly so-so. On our streaming video assessments it makes it to about 8.2 hours, however that is actually the skin you may anticipate to see.

I just like the Lenovo Slim Professional 9i lots, which makes the colour accuracy points extra disappointing than they may in any other case be. However for those who’re keen to do your personal calibration and do not care in regards to the contraction of the P3 shade house whenever you do, then it is fairly a pleasant possibility.