Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i Review - Minimalist and portable yet powerful work laptop

We have been using the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i for a couple of weeks now. Here's our full review!

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i review

As a recap, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, we have is the 14-inch variant with a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce MX350 graphics card, 8GB DDR4 RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 57Wh battery.

Build Quality/Design

It has an all-metal chassis that is both stylish and premium

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has a premium look and build. It has a metal chassis with a matte finish. Staying true to its name, it is slim. It measures at just 17.9 mm at its thickest and just weighs 1.39 kg. The unit we received is in Graphite Grey but it is also available in Platinum Grey and Light Teal.

Here's the underbelly of the IdeaPad Slim 5i

This is the only branding you see when you close the laptop

A minimal Lenovo logo is found at the right corner of the lid. Keeping a clean, sleek look. One thing to note is the groove on the lid that allows for opening the laptop one-handed. At the bottom, you can find the air vents for thermal management as well as three rubber feet.

Multimedia Experience

This is a great screen for both reading and watching movies

It has a 14-inch FHD IPS display with slim bezels. These bezels give it a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. It also has 300 nits of brightness as well up to 100 percent sRGB color gamut. Being an IPS screen, it has great viewing angles which are ideal for reading as well as multimedia. In addition, a bigger screen real-estate allows for better productivity. It also has a 720p HD webcam on its top bezel. For security, it has a privacy shutter.

I was able to edit photos without any problems in terms of color calibration. We all experienced some laptops with that bluish tint out of the box. However, it is in the warmer spectrum. In terms of watching videos and movies, it is a great experience overall due to its great viewing angles, color reproduction, as well as contrast. I watched The Old Guard on it and enjoyed the experience. Yes, the blacks are not OLED levels but for an IPS panel, it is fairly impressive.

Beside the keyboard are speaker grills, one on each side

For audio, the IdeaPad Slim 5i sets itself apart from the competition with its top-firing speakers. It gives a more immersive multimedia experience overall. On top of that, it is powered by Dolby Audio. But if you really want to have an immersive experience, there's a 3.5mm audio jack as well as Bluetooth 5.1 for wireless audio.

Performance

The specs sheet is enough for work and entertainment

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i runs 64-bit Windows 10 Home. With its NVIDIA GeForce MX350 graphics card, 8GB DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB SSD, it provides fast performance for my daily work. It can be upgraded to 16GB DDR4 RAM if you need more. Out of the box, esports titles should run very well as well as some triple AAA titles that take advantage of multicore CPUs.

We used Google Chrome and Adobe Photoshop daily and we didn't notice a hiccup. It can get pretty warm in its bottom but not hot enough to reach the keyboard. So overall, I can say thermal management is great.

The keyboard and trackpad are comfortable to use

The keyboard has decent travel and backlit. It has its own way of dealing with keyboard shortcuts. You don't need to press the Function (Fn) key with the appropriate keys to access functions such as Volume Up and Down, Brightness, Screenshot, and more. The trackpad is of typical size and has a matte finish which helps against fingerprint marks.

The power button/fingerprint sensor

The power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner compatible with Windows Hello. It unlocks the laptop quickly. For connectivity, it has WiFi 6 and  Bluetooth 5.1.

For I/O ports, it has 1 x USB-C port, 1 x HDMI port, 2 x USB-A Gen 3.1 ports, and an SD card reader.

The 57Wh battery lasted me around 6 to 8 hours of continuous work in the High-Performance Power Profile. This may vary depending on what activity you are doing. It also has RapidCharge technology that charges the battery in around 2 to 3 hours.

Pros - Great design and build, 14-inch IPS screen with great color gamut and slim bezels, great performance for work, multimedia, and some gaming, RapidCharge technology, good battery life, front-firing speakers

Cons - No USB-C charging, not touchscreen, could have better thermals

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i Specs

Display: 14-inch IPS touch screen w/ FHD 1920 x 1080 resolution

CPU: 3.90GHz 14nm Intel Core i7-1065G7 quad-core processor (Ice Lake)

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce MX350 w/ 2GB GDDR5, Intel Iris Plus graphics

RAM: 8GB DDR4

ROM: 512 SSD

Selfie Camera: 1MP

Battery: 57WHr w/ RapidCharge technology

OS: Windows 10 Home

Connectivity: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, 1x USB-C port, 2x USB-A 2.0, HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, SD Card reader

Others: Power button/fingerprint scanner, backlit keyboard, built-in microphone, front-firing speakers, Colors: Platinum Grey, Graphite Grey, Light Teal

Dimensions: 321.6 x 211.6 x 17.9 mm

Weight: 1.39 kg

Price: PHP 59,995

Verdict

Is it worth it?

For PHP 59,995, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is a great performing laptop in a small, compact package. It performed well as my portable work machine and it should be a perfect choice for both professionals and students. It checks most of the boxes in terms of design, specs, and features.

This laptop gets GIZGUIDE's stamp of approval and we can confidently recommend it.

Build/Design - 4.5

Multimedia Experience - 4.25

Performance - 4.5

Average - 4.42/5