The Lenovo Slim 7 14 review: A competent, well-executed laptop

The Lenovo Slim 7 14 is a sensible laptop. It’s the Honda Civic, the Heinz Ketchup, the pair of classic white Reebok sneakers. It’s a laptop that does many things right, has just a few small flaws, and will rarely leave you unhappy. But, amid a flood of similar laptops, that’s not quite enough to recommend it.

Looking for more options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now.

Lenovo Slim 7 14 Gen 9: Specs and features

The Lenovo Slim 7 14’s specifications are largely the same as other mid-range laptops. It has an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, 32GB of LPDDR5x, and Intel Arc integrated graphics alongside a 1TB PCIe NVMe solid state drive. Most 14-inch laptops are adopting similar specs as they move to Intel’s new Core Ultra processor line, though a handful are choosing AMD’s Ryzen instead.

• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
• Memory: 32GB LPDDR5x
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc integrated
• Display: 1920×1200 60Hz OLED
• Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe solid state drive
• Webcam: 1080p webcam with IR 
• Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB-A, 1x 3.5mm combo audio
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition 
• Battery capacity: 65 watt-hours
• Dimensions:  0.59″ x 12.28″ x 8.7″ inches
• Weight: 3.15 pounds
• MSRP: $999

A couple specifications stand out, though. Lenovo sticks with a 1920×1200 60Hz OLED screen, which is fine, but does place the laptop behind competitors with a 2880×1800 OLED panel. On the plus side, Lenovo provides two Thunderbolt 4 ports with USB-C, which is better than average for a laptop priced at $1,000. 

Lenovo Slim 7 14 Gen 9: Design and build quality

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

            <div class="scrim" style="background-color: #fff" aria-hidden="true"></div>
    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">IDG / Matthew Smith</p></div>

The Lenovo Slim 7 14 looks much like other Lenovo laptops, which is good, because the company’s design language is my current favorite. It shares the professional, elegant metallic finish found on my laptops but deviates from that script with smooth, rounded edges that make the laptop more inviting. The details are well executed, too, with an especially pronounced metallic luster, small display bezels on all sides, and a rigid chassis that allows only the slightest flex.

Weight comes in at just 3.15 pounds and the laptop measures a mere .59 inches thick, as well as a foot and a quarter wide and less than nine inches deep. These aren’t unusually small numbers for a modern 14-inch laptop, but in line with strong competitors like the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, which is lighter at 3.06 pounds but a tad thicker at 0.67 inches, and the HP Pavilion Plus Laptop 14, which weighs 3.14 pounds and measures 0.68 inches thick.

I appreciate the laptop’s finer touches. The slight hump used to accommodate the webcam is a useful grip for opening the laptop. The display hinge measures the entire width of the laptop and pivots 180 degrees. The ports are all placed far back in the laptop’s chassis, which reduces cable clutter. These are minor points but, in combination, they make the laptop easy to live with day-to-day. 

Lenovo Slim 7 14 Gen 9: Keyboard, trackpad

IDG / Matthew Smith

            <div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit" src="" alt="Lenovo Slim 7 14 keyboard" class="wp-image-2279695" width="1200" height="800" loading="lazy" /></figure><p class="imageCredit">IDG / Matthew Smith</p></div>

    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">IDG / Matthew Smith</p></div>

A sticker on the Slim 7 14’s body boasts of the laptop’s key travel, which measures 1.5 millimeters. That’s a healthy range for a modern laptop and contributes to a responsive, tactile typing experience. Each key activates smoothly and finishes its motion with a precise, snappy feel. I also like the finish used for the key caps. It slightly contrasts with the surrounding body and has a subtle but noticeable matte texture. A keyboard backlight is standard.

The keyboard doesn’t include a numpad, which is typical for a 14-inch laptop, yet the touchpad is slightly offset to the left of the keyboard, though still centered below the spacebar. My left hand felt a bit cramped as the palmrest on that side of the laptop measures about three inches wide and deep. Fortunately, the rest of the keyboard layout is spacious.

The touchpad measures about 4.5 inches wide by three inches deep, which is average for a modern 14-inch laptop. It’s just enough space to use common multitouch gestures, but not enough to feel luxurious. The touchpad otherwise left me unimpressed. It was responsive and comfortable, but no more so than competing laptops. 

Lenovo Slim 7 14 Gen 9: Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

            <div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.i