The new Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon is well-suited to the hybrid world of work-from-home that so many of us now live in. This laptop features a 13.3-inch 2.5K display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Though thin and light, the 12th Gen Intel Core CPU and upwards of 32 GB of RAM available should deliver enough power to complete most of your everyday work requirements. Up to 1 TB of storage also means you can save as many files and documents as you need without worrying much about running out of space. I recently had some hands-on time with the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon. Though not extensive, my time with the laptop gave me a glimpse of what it offers as a hybrid work machine. If it’s everything Lenovo claims, it may claim a spot on our best laptops list. Here are my initial impressions.
What’s in the box?
The box for the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon is a good bit more than is typical for a mid-range laptop. A complete set of hardware and software components – including the laptop itself, a monitor, keyboard, and mouse – are included in the box. The hardware components are a 13.3-inch 2.5K display, a virtual private network (VPN) card, a USB Type-C host cable, and an adapter for the host cable. You’ll also need a power bank to fit the laptop into a room where it might not be visible to others.
The battery
For all the talk about the new laptop’s Compact Disc (CD) drive and USB Type-C port, the actual battery inside the laptop is the most talked-about item. The battery inside the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon battery is a single, 2,500 mAh internal unit. While it’s not the most powerful battery on the market, it should be robust enough to get you through the day with a few hours of work or chores left over. Unfortunately, there’s no word on how long the battery will hold up under actual usage, so be patient while waiting for the verdict on this.
The new 13.3-inch 2.5K display
The new 2,500 x 1,600 resolution 2K display found inside the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon should be plenty bright for office work. Though not as bright as some may prefer, it should be bright enough to pass as a light meal for the eyes. Additionally, the screen should be able to display a wide range of colors, making it easy to pick out patterns and textures in the real world.
The new Core i7 CPU
It’s no secret that the new 6-core, 8-thread LGA1042 design found inside the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon is a great addition. However, the new CPU was a bit of a surprise, as it’s actually based on the Intel Core i7-7600K processor found in the Core i5-6600K model. After all, the minimum system requirements for the new Core i7-7600K include at least 16 GB of RAM, a 3.5-inch TFT display, a 500 GB hard drive, and an Intel(R) M.2 hard drive for storage. The new Core i7-7600K is actually a bit faster than the Core i5-6600K at doing some work, but just barely enough to avoid running out of memory.
Up to 32 GB of storage
The storage on the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon is actually quite limited. There are just 16 GB of internal storage, and you’ll find them in three separate partitions. There’s a 64-GB, 128-GB, and 256-GB versions of the laptop, with the 64-GB version being the most common model. There’s also a micro-SD card slot, which can hold up to 32 GB of memory. Unfortunately, there’s no way to add external storage such as a portable drive or an external hard drive to the laptop.
Wrong step?
As with almost any new device, the first thing you’ll want to do is set up your computer to manual mode. This is the default when you unplug the charger from the wall outlet or use the wrong power source. The first thing you’ll want to do is unplug the Power Adapter from the wall or power strip and plug in the charger. This will ensure a good power source for the laptop and help to prevent it from going out. After that, unpack the battery and turn it off. Once the charger is disconnected, unpack the laptop and unplug all the wires from the computer into a separate outlet. This will prevent your computer from going out while you’re out and will also ensure the battery lasts longer.
Screen Resolution
Here comes the biggest question on everyone’s mind: How big a screen should be on the laptop? Although there’s no word on how big the screen will be when it comes out of the box, we do know it will be only between 5 and 8 inches. The thinner the model, the smaller the screen will be. At the moment, there’s no word on which screen resolution you’ll get on the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon. We’re likely to see a minimum of 2K, though we’re also sure there will be some resolution support in the future.
Storage
The storage on the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon is actually quite limited. You’ll find it in two ways: Internal or External. Internal storage is found in the lower-end model and on the bottom-mounted display. You’ll find it in a small capacity, either 2 or 4GB of storage. Exterior storage is found on the upper-end model and on the top-mounted display. You’ll find it in 8 or 16 GB of space. Unfortunately, the internal storage on the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon is only 2 GB. That’s not enough room for all your documents, contacts, and media.
Camera
The camera on a laptop is actually quite lacking. There’s no 4K 8K camera support on the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon, so you’ll have to settle for basic low-res photos and videos. That’s actually quite ideal, as it makes it easy to take photos and videos without worrying too much about running out of space. Unfortunately, the camera on the Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon is actually quite poor, with only a low-res photo and video opportunity to show for it.
Conclusion
The new Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon is well-suited to the hybrid world of work-from-home that so many of us now live in. This machine features a 13.3-inch 2.5K display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Though thin and light, the 12th Gen Intel Core CPU and upwards of 32 GB of RAM available should deliver enough power to complete most of your everyday work requirements. I recently had some hands-on time with the new Lenovo Slim 7i Carbon. Though not extensive, my time with the laptop gave me a glimpse of what it offers as a hybrid work machine. If it’s everything Lenovo claims, it may claim a spot on our best laptops list. Here are my initial impressions.