Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9) review – Blazing Speed, Superb Display, All-Day Battery Life
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9) is a thin Copilot+ PC paired with efficient 17W Intel Lunar Lake processor options. These chips are also suitable for AI productivity because of the powerful NPU. This premium compact device is full of useful tech such as Intel Evo certification (which boosts the battery life), an IR Web camera, Wi-Fi 7, and a Microsoft Pluton TPM 2.0 security chip. Interestingly, there is no fingerprint reader, which is strange.
The impressive 2880×1800 120Hz IPS display can be found with or without touch capabilities. The panel also offers Dolby Vision and HDR functionality. For audiophiles, there is a quad-speaker setup optimized with Dolby Atmos.
The upgradability is almost non-existent, which is kind of normal for this kind of laptop. When you pop the bottom panel, the only thing you can change is the 2242 NVMe drive. The CPU isn’t exactly a powerhouse that dissipates tons of heat, but Lenovo has fitted a pretty sizable dual-fan thermal solution inside the chassis.
The Lenovo Aura Edition offers smart features like an instant smartphone connection for media sharing and AI-powered modes (Power, Wellness, Attention, etc.) to optimize your workflow. Virtual tech support is also available through Smart Share.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-yoga-slim-7i-aura-edition-15ill9/
Contents
Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box
- HDD/SSD
- up to 1000GB SSD
- M.2 Slot
- 1x 2242 PCIe NVMe 4.0 x4 See photo
- RAM
- up to 32GB
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro, Windows 11 Home
- Battery
- 70Wh
- Body material
- Aluminum
- Dimensions
- 343.8 x 235.4 x 13.9 mm (13.54" x 9.27" x 0.55")
- Weight
- 1.53 kg (3.4 lbs)
- Ports and connectivity
- 1x USB Type-A
- 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
- 2x USB Type-C
- Thunderbolt 4, Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
- HDMI
- 2.1 (4K@60Hz)
- Card reader
- Ethernet LAN
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11be
- Bluetooth
- 5.4
- Audio jack
- 3.5mm Combo Jack
- Features
- Fingerprint reader
- Web camera
- FHD IR with E-shutter, fixed focus, ToF sensor
- Backlit keyboard
- Microphone
- Quad Microphone Array
- Speakers
- 4 stereo speakers, 2W x2 (woofers), 2W x2 (tweeters), optimized with Dolby Atmos, Smart Amplifier (AMP)
- Optical drive
- Security Lock slot
All Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Aura Edition (15ILL9) configurations
Drivers
All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/yoga-series/yoga-slim-7-15ill9/downloads
What’s in the box?
The box contains a bit of paperwork and a 65W Type-C charger.
Design and construction
The Gen 9 version of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 looks sleek with its anodized Luna grey finish. The all-metal chassis is impressively solid. It weighs just 1.53 kg. The portability seems great for a 15-icnher since the profile thickness is 13.9 mm.
The only negative remark in terms of build quality is the lid that can’t be opened with one hand.
The lower bezel is marginally thicker than the rest. The 1080p Web camera with facial recognition is positioned in the “hump” zone on top.
A fully flat opening for content sharing is possible.
Despite the spacious 15.3″ form factor, the backlit keyboard lacks a NumPad section. That’s because the board itself is surrounded by two tall speaker grills on the sides. The mandatory Copilot shortcut is on board. The large keycaps are well-spaced, with and pleasantly soft coating that is also oil-resistant. Yep, after hours of usage, there are no visible smudges on the keycaps. Speaking of which, the keys offer a surprisingly long travel given the thin chassis. The too-small “Up” and “Down” Arrows seem to be the only con of the unit.
The glass touchpad is large (80 x 135 mm). It’s smooth and accurate at the same time. Still, the clicks sound a bit more noisy than expected.
Flipping the machine upside down reveals a ventilation grill, three rubber feet, and two speaker cutouts. The heat is pushed through two vents on the back. A bit of hot air makes its way to the screen during heavy CPU stress.
Ports
On the left, you get an HDMI 2.1 for up to 4k@60Hz external displays, a 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 port, and an Audio combo jack. The other side is home to a 5 Gbps USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port, another 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 port, a Power button, and an E-Shutter switch. The two Type-Cs support USB PowerDelivery 3.1 and DisplayPort 2.1.
Display, Get our Profiles
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9) | MNF307ZB1-1 (LEN8BAA) |
Diagonal | 15.3 inches (38.9 cm) |
Panel Type | IPS Touch |
Resolution | 2880 x 1800 pixels |
Max Refresh Rate | 120 Hz |
Aspect Ratio | 16:10 |
Pixel Density | 222 PPI |
‘Retina’ Distance | Greater than or equal to 39 cm |
Viewing Angles
Viewing angles are good. We take photos from different angles to evaluate the quality.
[VIEWING ANGLES PHOTO]
Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.
Color Coverage
The whole “sail-shaped” map below (Fig. 1) consists of all the colors we can see, while the black crooked line shows all the colors from real-world scenes and nature around us.
Then, we’ve drawn some of the most important and interesting color spaces, compared to the colors the panel of Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9) can show:
Standard/For Web: sRGB – widely used color space for most consumer devices, ideal for Web design and development
For Print: AdobeRGB – used in professional photo editing, graphic design, and print
For Photographers/Video Editors: DCI-P3 – used in high-end film production, post-production, and digital cinema
Premium HDR: Rec.2020 – the widest consumer ITU color standard, covering a massive 75.8% of the visible spectrum, a benchmark for premium HDR content
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9): the yellow dashed triangle (– – – – – –) represents the range of colors this monitor can display.
In our tests, we calculated the total color coverage of the monitor at 100% of the sRGB color gamut and 99% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
(Fig.1) Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9) covers 99% of the DCI-P3 gamut
Brightness and Contrast
The maximum brightness in HDR mode is 514 cd/m² at 8% white fill and 517 cd/m² on a full white screen.
The maximum brightness in SDR mode is 518 cd/m² in the center of the screen and 504 cd/m² averaged across the surface with a maximum deviation of 8%.
The Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) on a white screen at maximum brightness is 6940K.
The contrast ratio is 1470:1.
Uniformity: Luminance, Contrast, and Color Deviation
The figure below shows the results from our uniformity test across different sections of the screen. It’s measured at 183 nits (Windows slider = 64%) — a brightness level we consider typical for standard working conditions.
DeltaE values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users. For those working with colors, screens with DeltaE values no higher than 2.0 are recommended.
Color Accuracy
Let’s check the difference between real colors and those you’ll see on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9). We measure that distance in DeltaE – the higher the number, the more different they look.
Values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users, while values below 2.0 are suitable for color-sensitive work. A value below 1.0 means the difference is indistinguishable to the naked eye.
For the next graph, we’ve selected 24 common colors, including dark/light skin, blue sky, green grass, etc.
Before our calibration of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9), the Average color accuracy was 1.3 dE (Fig. 2), and with our Design and Gaming profile, it lowered to 0.5 dE (Fig. 3).
Comparison in the Display P3 color space.
Here’s an illustration of what the Design and Gaming profile aims to deliver:
Left: No Profile | Drag the slider to see the difference | Right: Design & Gaming Profile
Visibility in dark scenes
Have you ever watched a movie with dark scenes where you could barely see anything? This often happens because many display panels struggle to differentiate the darkest nuances, making them appear the same.
The next figure illustrates how well the display reproduces these dark nuances. The left side of the image shows the display with stock settings, and the right side shows it with our Design and Gaming profile activated.
On the horizontal axis are the grayscale levels, and on the vertical axis – the corresponding display brightness.
You can also check how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display and the surrounding light conditions.
Response time (Gaming capabilities)
We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.
We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 20.8 ms. Short pixel response time is a prerequisite for a smooth picture in dynamic scenes.
After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude.
Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering)
Some use PWM to regulate their brightness, which means that instead of reducing the light intensity, they pulse or flicker. Our brain merges the image, so it appears darker, but this strains both it and our vision, especially when the frequency of the pulses is low. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.
In the graph below, you see the intensity of light at different brightness levels—on the vertical axis is the brightness of the emitted light, and on the horizontal axis—time.
The light from the backlight of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9) display is not pulse-width modulated, providing visual comfort in the discussed aspect.
Health Impact: Blue light emissions
Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates harmful PWM when the laptop uses it to control brightness but also reduces harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate.
If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.
Health Impact: Screen Reflectance
Glossy-coated displays can cause eye fatigue in high ambient light conditions due to reflections. We measure the level of screen reflection with the display turned off, at a 60° angle.
The reflectance of the Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9)’s screen is 100 GU.
High Gloss: >70 GU
Medium Gloss: 30 – 70 GU
Low Gloss: <30 GU
Get our profiles
Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9) configurations with MNF307ZB1-1 (LEN8BAA), 2880 x 1800, IPS panel.
*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].
Read more about the profiles HERE.
In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.
Office Work
Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.
Design and Gaming
This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.
Health-Guard
Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.
Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount
Sound
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9)’s sound is of very good quality. The low, mid, and high frequencies are clear.
Performance: CPU, GPU, Storage
All benchmarks and tests were conducted with the “Best performance” preset applied in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu. Also, the “Extreme Performance” preset is selected in the BIOS and the “Ultra Quiet Mode” is turned off.
CPU options
This machine can be found with Intel Core Ultra 7 256V or Core Ultra 7 258V.
Our device has a 258V chip.
Here, we evaluate the CPU's performance using a real-world 3D rendering task, assessing its ability to handle complex computations and rendering workloads efficiently.
Results are from the Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core test (higher is better)
Single-core performance ensures smooth operation and responsiveness in operating systems, providing a better user experience.
Results are from the Geekbench 6 Single-Core test (higher is better)
Multi-core performance is essential for handling complex and demanding tasks, such as Video editing, CAD, and Scientific simulations.
Results are from the Geekbench 6 Multi-Core test (higher is better)
GPU options
All notebooks of this Lenovo series rely on Intel Arc Graphics 140V.
The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.
The results are from 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited. Higher is better.
Gaming tests
Counter-Strike 2 | HD 1080p, Low (Check settings) | HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings) | HD 1080p, Very High (Check settings) |
Average FPS | 221 FPS | 140 FPS | 55 FPS |
Gears 5 | Full HD, Low (Check settings) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
Average FPS | 93 FPS | 62 FPS | 46 FPS | 34 FPS |
The Intel Arc Graphics 140V is mind-blowingly fast for an iGPU. It’s able to show ~ 220 FPS in CS2 on Low settings – wow!
Storage performance
Our machine has a 1TB SAMSUNG PM9C1a (MZAL81T0HDLB-00BL2). It doesn’t get extremely hot during heavy stress and its benchmark scores are good.
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Temperatures and comfort, Battery Life
Max CPU load
In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.
Average P-core frequency; Average LP E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power
Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (17W Base Power) | 0:02 – 0:10 sec | 0:15 – 0:30 sec | 10:00 – 15:00 min |
---|---|---|---|
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9) | 3.13 GHz @ 3.63 GHz @ 65°C @ 37W | 3.09 GHz @ 3.59 GHz @ 79°C @ 37W | 2.82 GHz @ 3.31 GHz @ 71°C @ 30W |
ASUS Zenbook S 14 UX5406 | 2.70 GHz @ 3.35 GHz @ 95°C @ 35W | 2.26 GHz @ 3.03 GHz @ 96°C @ 29W | 2.02 GHz @ 2.83 GHz @ 96°C @ 25W |
Thanks to the sizable cooling, the Core Ultra 7 258V is unleashed to show its potential. The P and LP E cores maintain around 3.13 GHz / 3.63 GHz in short stress and 2.82 GHz / 3.31 GHz in prorogued periods of 100% CPU torture. These are great results compared to the official Intel base clock of 2.20 GHz for both types of cores.
Comfort during full load
Curiously, the pair of fans is quiet when the CPU is pushed to its limits in “Extreme Performance” mode. It’s strange that the power presets aren’t accessible via Lenovo Vantage. You have to enter the BIOS to change them.
The keyboard feels just warm to the touch even when using the laptop for 3D rendering. In this case, the hotspot on the keyboard reaches 43°C and the one on the display bottom bezel – 46°C.
Battery
Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Best Power Efficiency setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 180 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. The 70Wh battery pack lasts for around 13 hours of video playback. Оur test was conducted with the “Energy Saver” preset activated in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu and the “Intelligent Cooling” mode applied in the BIOS.
Brightness: 180 nits; Display Mode: SDR
Time to Full Discharge: Higher is Better
Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance
To open this thin device, you have to undo just 5 Torx-head screws. Pry the back with a thin plastic tool. Pop the top two edges and work your way around the sides and the front.
The inside of the bottom plate houses a thermal pad for the SSD and a big SMD power inductor on the motherboard.
The battery is a 70Wh model. To detach it, pull out the connector towards the battery and undo the five Phillips-head screws that fix the unit to the base. The capacity is enough for around 13 hours of video playback.
The heatsink on top of the CPU and the SSD are covered with Mylar films.
The memory is soldered. You get 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR5x-8533 RAM in dual-channel mode. For storage, there is just one M.2 slot compatible with 2242 Gen 4 SSDs.
The Wi-Fi 7 card is soldered and it has a thick thermal pad on top which makes contact with the metal bottom plate.
The thermal system looks hefty for an iGPU-only device. It comprises two large fans, a pair of long heat pipes, two top-mounted heat sinks, and a heat spreader.
Verdict
The Yoga Slim 7 (Gen 9, 15ILL9) is one of the best Copilot+ PCs we’ve tested. It has one significant advantage over the Snapdragon-based machines and that’s the seamless compatibility with all apps and games.
The battery life is very long, especially given the high-res screen. The autonomous work on a single charge is enough for 13 hours of videos. Yep, the Lunar Lake chips aren’t thirsty at all. The Intel Evo “magic” also helps in this scenario. The keyboard is suitable for long hours of typing and the touchpad is accurate – nice! The port selection is fine for a thin machine – two Thunderbolt 4s alongside a Type-A port for better compatibility with external mice, keyboards, HDDs, etc.
The machine feels blazing fast for work. That’s due to the high processor clocks. Even in longer stress, the Core Ultra 7 258V boosts to ~ 2.82 GHz / 3.31 GHz for the P and LP E cores. Despite that, the two fans remain quiet and the keyboard isn’t hot as hell.
Last but not least, the 120Hz 2880×1800 IPS screen (MNF307ZB1-1 (LEN8BAA)) is amazingly color-accurate when our “Design and Gaming” profile is applied. It reaches an average dE result of just 0.5! How about that! The full sRGB and the 99% DCI-P3 coverage make this screen appropriate for content creation and other color-sensitive tasks. The panel also offers a max brightness of 518 nits in SDR mode.
The Yoga Slim 7 is a solid all-metal machine with snappy performance, good comfort under load, long battery life, and superb display.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-yoga-slim-7i-aura-edition-15ill9/
Pros
- Quiet fans during max CPU stress in “Extreme Performance” mode
- Compact for a 15-incher (1.53 kg / 13.9 mm)
- Very good overall performance
- PWM-free touchscreen (LEN8BAA)
- 120Hz refresh rate and 2880×1800 resolution (LEN8BAA)
- 100% sRGB and 99% DCI-P3 coverage + incredibly accurate colors with our “Design and Gaming” profile (LEN8BAA)
- Above 510 nits of max brightness in SDR and HDR mode
- Solid aluminum chassis
- 1080p IR Web camera with an E-Shutter
- Comfortable backlit keyboard
- Smooth and accurate touchpad
- Modern port selection with 2x Type-C and 1x Type-A ports
- Type-C charging
- The Core Ultra 7 258V can sustain a 2.82 GHz / 3.31 GHz P and LP E-core frequency in long loads
- Very long battery life (~13 hours of videos)
- Fast SSD (SAMSUNG PM9C1a)
- Quality quad-speaker setup
- Good comfort during full loads
- Up to 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM
- Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4
- Intel Evo certification
- 180-degree hinge
- Great iGPU performance
Cons
- You can’t open the lid with one hand
- Soldered RAM + one M.2 slot
- No fingerprint reader
- You can rely on just two USBs when the charger is plugged in
- The power presets are only accessible via the BIOS