This Lenovo laptop is my surprise pick for best MacBook Pro alternative (even for Apple users)

ZDNET's key takeaways

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is available now, starting at $1,299 for the 16GB configuration. It pairs a ton of customizable features with a nice display, surprisingly beefy speakers, and a marathon battery. A few physical design choices might be of concern for some users, and I wish it had an OLED.

Lenovo announced its new Intel-powered Aura Edition laptops at IFA in Berlin earlier this year, debuting with the Yoga Slim 7i and wowing attendees with demos of its tap-to-share feature. You activate the feature by physically tapping (gently, Lenovo pleads) the side of the laptop's display with your phone, allowing you to drag-and-drop photos directly to the laptop, one of the most attention-grabbing features demoed at the event.

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I was there in person, and you better believe I was among the first in line to test it out, but fast-forward a month, and I was just as excited to go hands-on with the other unique features in Lenovo's Aura Edition Yoga 7i.

The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is a new Copilot+ PC powered by Intel's "Lunar Lake" Series 2 line of processors. These chips take aim at the other AI-powered PCs that exploded onto the consumer market this year (usually powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chip) with unique features that attempt to set the device apart in an increasingly crowded market of AI PCs.

I went hands-on with another laptop with Intel's Series 2 chip earlier this year, the Asus Zenbook S 14, and was impressed with its performance, ultra-thin build, and marathon battery life, so I was curious to see how Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7i would compare.

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Right off the bat, I can say the physical form factor of the Yoga Slim 7i is about on par with other laptops in its class. At 3.3 pounds, it's not quite as thin and light as the Zenbook S 14, but it's also a 15-inch device. It looks like a quintessential Lenovo device, with a slate gray colorway and signature notched lid where the webcam is housed. 

The keyboard is spacious and roomy, with smooth, plastic-coated keycaps that are responsive and satisfying to type on. Lenovo opted to forego a full keyboard so that it could fit the upward-facing speakers on either end of the keyboard, which was the right call, as the Dolby Atmos-powered speakers sound better than average. In fact, they're some of the better laptop speakers I've heard all year.

The glossy 15-inch display supports a 120GHz refresh rate and multitouch capabilities, and it folds flat, but not all the way back into tablet mode. Overall, it looks fine, but an OLED would have really set it apart as a noteworthy flagship device, particularly for the price.

Despite the seemingly solid physical build, my review unit had a slightly loose backplate. I contacted Lenovo and was assured this was an issue with my individual unit and not something found on others, but other well-known laptop reviewers reported similar quirks with the laptop's physical chassis.

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Under the hood, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i comes with the previously mentioned Intel Core Ultra 7 (Series 2) chip, up to 32GB of RAM, an Intel Arc GPU, and a 15-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800) LCD touch display. This is a pretty standard mid-range hardware configuration, but it's the Intel Series 2 chip that is noteworthy here. It aims to supercharge the device with high performance, a thin and light form factor, and a great battery life.

The Intel chip powers a suite of features that makes this laptop an Aura Edition. The previously-mentioned Smart Share feature is one of the most handy. It works by pairing the laptop with your phone (via the Intel Unison app on iOS or Android), allowing you to drag-and-drop photos and files from your phone to the laptop (and vice versa). Tapping the side of the device brings up the menu, although just bringing the phone in proximity to it works as well. 

Aura Edition laptops also include a bevy of new Smart Modes of varying usefulness, which, when activated, assign a series of presets. The Shield Mode is one of the more interesting ones, as it uses the laptop's camera to alert you if it detects someone looking at your screen over your shoulder, blurring your display or shutting it off altogether in response.

The battery on this device, just like the other Lunar Lake device I reviewed, the Asus Zenbook S 14, is very good. I got over 17 hours in my battery test, although during more sustained workloads, I don't feel like the battery was as robust as the Zenbook S 14, lasting about as long as the workday but not much more.

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I have to mention two pet peeves regarding this device, even though they're not dealbreakers. First up is the absolute onslaught of ads and notifications.

Between notifications from Lenovo Vantage, a persistent popup from McAfee, Windows ads for Microsoft Edge (even while actively using it), and persistent "tips" and "reminders", more time is spent dealing with all the things Windows and Lenovo wants to talk to you about than what you can actually do. Yes, this is nothing new with devices in 2024, but it seems particularly potent with this laptop.  

Second, I'm not a fan of the power button being on the side of the device, right in proximity to where you grab it. Its placement resulted in me shutting off the laptop on more than one occasion.

ZDNET's buying advice

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is a solid 15-inch device with a handful of unique features. The Intel Core Ultra 7 (Series 2) chip provides fast, cool, battery-efficient performance, and everyday users will appreciate the nice display, comfortable keyboard, and marathon battery life.

I recommend opting for the 32GB configuration, since the RAM is not upgradeable. This raises the price by $100, but it's absolutely worth it for future-proofing.

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Lastly, features like Smart Share are useful, but I would caution Intel and Lenovo alike from spending too much time on flashy tricks and instead focusing on enduring well-designed devices. The hardware here is impressive, and Intel's Series 2 "Lunar Lake" chips are absolutely worthy contenders to Qualcomm's ARM-compatible Snapdragon X Elite and Apple's M4 chips. Performance (and thoughtful, well-designed physical form factors) speak for themselves more than buzzy features ever will.