Lenovo Slim 7i 14 Aura Edition Review: Battery Life Beast in a Slim Package
April 16, 2025
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Best Laptop for Battery Life
Summary
If you’re hunting for a laptop that just keeps going and going, Lenovo’s new 14-inch Slim 7i Aura Edition may be exactly what you’re after.
Table of contents:
Laptops in this Article
14 Inches | 16 GB | 1 TB | Core Ultra 5 226V
On Sale
Great Deal
On Sale
13 Inches | 16 GB | 512 GB | M4 10-Core | M4 10-Core GPU
Best Price Ever
Great Deal
14 Inches | 32 GB | 512 GB | Core Ultra 7 258V
Best Price Ever
Great Deal
We already liked the larger 15-inch version when we reviewed it earlier this year, but the new 14-inch model is even better in some key areas—especially battery life. So, let’s break down the good, the not-so-good, and whether this should be your next laptop for around $1,000.
14 Inches | 16 GB | 1 TB | Core Ultra 5 226V
Pros
- +Powerful enough for most office, home, or school use
- +Comfortable keyboard
- +Price is very reasonable
- +Good OLED screen
- +Fantastic battery life
Cons
- −Screen refresh rate is 60Hz
- −Display resolution is 1920 by 1200
- −Not a premium feeling laptop - build quality, speakers, trackpad are all very basic
Quick Summary
- Battery life: The best we’ve ever tested.
- Performance: Great for light productivity; not built for power users.
- Display: Vivid OLED, but resolution and refresh rate could be better.
- Build: Solid enough, though visually plain.
- Trackpad and speakers: Weak spots.
- Value: Strong buy if it stays around $1,000.
Performance: Built for Light Work
The Slim 7i 14 Aura Edition is powered by Intel’s new Lunar Lake Ultra 7 258V processor. It's more than capable for everyday use—think Office, web browsing, Zoom calls, and light multitasking. Even some casual gaming or light creative workloads are within reach thanks to its surprisingly strong integrated GPU.
However, don’t expect top-tier performance for heavier tasks like video editing or 3D work. Competitors like HP’s OmniBook Ultra (with AMD's Zen 5 Ryzen 9) or the MacBook Air (with Apple’s new M4 chip) easily outperform it in raw power. But the Omnibook draws more energy, and has louder fans, while the MacBook generates more heat. It’s a trade-off.
Worth noting: Lenovo underfeeds this chip a bit compared to other laptops with the same CPU, including the larger Slim 7i 15. That results in lower benchmark scores—but also means the laptop stays cooler and quieter than almost anything else in its class.
GPU Performance: Shockingly Strong for Integrated Graphics
Despite middling CPU performance, the integrated GPU on Intel's Lunar Lake chip is a standout. It posted the highest TimeSpy score of any laptop without a discrete GPU—aside from AMD’s expensive new Strix Halo machines.
In cross-platform benchmarks like Wildlife, the Slim 7i came close to Apple’s M4 in the MacBook Air, which is impressive. Still, don’t expect it to match laptops with even entry-level dedicated GPUs like the RTX 4050.
Battery Life: This Is the Star of the Show
We’re not exaggerating when we say this laptop shattered our battery expectations. In a continuous offline movie playback test, it ran for an eye-popping 26 hours and 38 minutes—the longest we’ve ever seen.
More realistic use cases also delivered strong results:
- 4-hour Netflix stream over Wi-Fi: Just 18% battery drain
- 30-minute Cinebench loop (max load): 29% drain
That last test is particularly notable—it outperforms many competitors under load and doesn’t throttle performance when unplugged.
We think this battery life is thanks to a combination of:
- A relatively large 70Wh battery
- Power-efficient Lunar Lake chip
- A lower resolution OLED screen
Display: Vivid, but Not Flawless
The 14-inch OLED panel is bright (over 400 nits), colorful, and a pleasure to look at for most tasks. It also has minimal screen door effect—rare for an OLED touchscreen.
That said, the 1920 x 1200 resolution and 60Hz refresh rate are underwhelming in 2025. Text occasionally looks soft, and motion isn't as smooth as we’d like. But again, this likely helps the phenomenal battery life.
Build & Design: Boring, But Functional
The chassis is clean and understated—some might call it bland. Still, it resists fingerprints, and the build quality is solid with minimal flex. No sharp edges, no creaky panels. Just don’t expect it to wow you.
At 14 inches, it’s lightweight enough to carry daily, though not class-leading. For something more premium and lighter, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a step up (and a step up in price).
Ports: Nearly Ideal, Minor Nitpicks
- Left side: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (both support charging), HDMI 2.1, microSD card reader
- Right side: 1x USB-A, headphone/mic combo jack
It’s a solid mix, but both USB-C ports being on the same side could lead to cable clutter depending on your desk setup.
Keyboard & Trackpad: A Mixed Bag
- Keyboard: Classic Lenovo—comfortable, clicky, and well-spaced. The backlight works, but there's some light bleed, and key presses feel stiffer than ideal.
- Trackpad: Functional, but underwhelming. It’s slippery, clicky (in a loud way), and not as refined as what you’d find on a MacBook or Surface Laptop. We also encountered minor palm rejection issues.
Speakers & Webcam: Don’t Expect Much
Speakers are there, they work, but that’s about it. Tinny and muffled with no bass. Not good for music or media.
Webcam is passable for Zoom calls but not on par with competitors like the MacBook Air or Lenovo’s own premium ThinkPad X9.
Linux Support: Rough Start
Fedora 41 booted but with major issues (no Wi-Fi, stuck brightness). Fedora 42 wouldn’t boot at all. So if you’re a Linux user, this may not be the laptop for you—at least not without significant tinkering.
Price & Competition
At the time of writing, the Slim 7i 14 Aura Edition is on sale at $1,099 (down from $1,299). At that price, it's a great option for home, school, or office use—especially if battery life is your top priority.
Alternatives worth considering:
- HP OmniBook Ultra – Way more power, worse battery life and keyboard
- MacBook Air M4 – More polish and power, but it's not Windows
- Lenovo ThinkPad X9 – Better webcam and trackpad, but pricier and worse battery
14 Inches | 16 GB | 1 TB | Ryzen AI 9 365
Pros
- +Performance is Fantastic for a 14-inch Laptop
- +Price is Good if Bought on Sale
- +Long Battery Life
- +No Heat or Fan Noise in Light & Medium Performance Tasks
Cons
- −Display is 60 Hz
- −Display Lacks a Wide Color Gamut
- −No Dedicated Graphics
- −Laptop is Large and Heavy for a 14-inch One
13 Inches | 16 GB | 512 GB | M4 10-Core | M4 10-Core GPU
Pros
- +Improved webcam
- +Price is good for what you get
- +M4 CPU is very fast for a thin and light laptop
- +Premium built laptop - chassis, speakers, keyboard, trackpad
- +Sky Blue color looks good
Cons
- −M4 chip throttles a little in the MacBook Air's chassis
- −256 starting storage is disappointing
- −Keyboard feels a little low travel
- −Display is out dated. 60 Hz IPS panel
14 Inches | 32 GB | 512 GB | Core Ultra 7 258V
Pros
- +Fantastic 4k Webcam
- +Great screen options
- +Effective anti-reflective coating on the display
- +Accurate haptic trackpad
- +Great speakers
- +Good port placement
Cons
- −Missing the red Trackpoint
- −Base model display is lower resolution with a worse webcam
- −Pricey
- −Port selection is limited
- −Its performance is at the lower end for similar laptops
Final Verdict: A Decent Mid-Range Laptop with Fantastic Battery Life
The Lenovo Slim 7i 14 Aura Edition isn’t the flashiest or most powerful laptop on the market. But for users who prioritize quiet performance, long runtime, and everyday reliability in a slim package, it’s one of the best laptops you can buy right now for around $1,000.
Just know what you’re getting—and what you’re not. If battery life is your priority, this machine is unmatched.
