Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (14 AMD, Gen 8) review – cool, quiet, and powerful

Name: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 14
Brand: Lenovo

LaptopMedia.com Reviews and Analysis Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (14 AMD, Gen 8) review - cool, quiet, and powerful Page 10

From: Nikolay Palaozov 07 August 2023 / 18:46 | 0

10. Verdict

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Verdict

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (14″ AMD, Gen 8) is a compact device that can surprise positively many of you. It has a good build quality, the base is rigid, and the lid can be flexed a bit when it’s opened but not by much. Keep in mind that we bought the all-aluminum version, there are models with a metal lid and a plastic base as well.

The optional backlit keyboard is comfortable for typing because of the decent key travel and the clicky feedback. The touchpad is also smooth and accurate. The IPS display (LEN140WUXGA (LEN9125)) has good viewing angles and a nice contrast ratio. Still, the sRGB coverage is low but it’s not a laptop meant for content creation or color-sensitive work. The panel is PWM-free so it’ll not cause additional eye strain if you use the notebook for long hours of work (as always, just don’t forget to take short breaks from time to time). The Dolby Atmos speakers produce a quality sound.

The performance of the machine is good for its price and size. We got the most powerful configuration and the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U and 16GB of soldered DDR4-3200MHz in dual-channel mode. The benchmark scores are normal and the cooling is doing its job well. This Lenovo laptop is tuned for comfort during load and that’s why the CPU temperatures under load are very good while the processor clock is ~ 2.5GHz. The cooling fan is almost quiet even while benchmarking with Cinebench. The only downside of the notebook is its poor upgradability.

In addition, the keyboard and the palm rest areas are relatively cool enough for normal usage even when the processor is pounded with heavy stress. The port selection is up to the standards for a modern inexpensive laptop – two USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 1) ports with Power Delivery 3.0, and DisplayPort 1.4 capabilities, an HDMI 1.4b, an Audio jack, two USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) ports, and a MicroSD card slot. Nice!

You also get an IR 1080p Web camera that supports Windows Hello, an optional fingerprint reader, and Wi-Fi 6E (or Wi-Fi 6, depending on the configuration). The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (14″ AMD, Gen 8) is a strong competitor in the crowded market of compact 14-inch devices thanks to its aluminum build, PWM-free display, and good comfort even under 100% CPU stress. Last but not least, the battery life of the 56.6Wh unit is staggering – 14 hours and 17 minutes of Web browsing, or 12 hours and 30 minutes of video playback!

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-ideapad-slim-5-14-2023/