Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Midrange laptop computer have undergo a quiet rebirth , with options in the $ 1,000 range ( or slenderly less ) offering carrying into action , work up timbre , and showing that rival laptop cost twice as much a few years go . If your budget is modified , but you still need a cracking laptop , you ’re in luck .
Two recent laptop I reviewed fall into this class . TheAsus Zenbook 14 Q425andLenovo Slim 7i Gen 9offer the same degenerate Meteor Lake chipsets and excellent OLED displays , but they ’re not identical . Which gain ground in a head - to - forefront comparison ?
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Specs and configurations
Asus offers just two constellation of the Zenbook 14 Q425 . The entry - level poser cost $ 800 for an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chipset , 8 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 14.0 - inch FHD+ OLED display . You ’ll drop $ 1,050 for 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD .
The Slim 7i Gen 9 has more contour options , and those will likely raise over time . Prices are also subject to changing often . Currently , the laptop costs $ 900 for a Core Ultra 5 125H chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 1 TB SSD , and a 14.0 - inch FHD+ OLED exhibit . On Lenovo ’s web computer storage , the laptop costs $ 1,116 for a Core Ultra 7 155H , 32 GB of RAM , and a 1 TB SSD . That same configuration will cost $ 1,000 at Costco in late March or early April .
That do the Zenbook less expensive in its base form , but not as well - equip as the Slim 7i Gen 9 in its most expensive conformation .
Design
Neither laptop is an aesthetic standout , and that ’s just fine . The Slim 7i Gen 9 has rounded border in a Luna Gray coloring material scheme that ’s broken up only by a slenderly lighter grey keyboard . The Zenbook 14 Q425 has sharper angles in dark gray throughout . Neither has any chrome or major adornment . They ’re well - looking enough for most user .
Both are also very well built , with all - atomic number 13 hat and form . They resist all bending , twisting , and deform in their lids , keyboard decks , and chassis bottoms . The Slim 7i Gen 9 ’s flexible joint is slightly legato , but both allow openingof the lid with one hand and keep those lids unwaveringly enough in space . Once again , we have a virtual sleeper .
Next up is their keyboard . I liked the Slim 7i Gen 9 ’s keyboard just slightly better . Both have large keycaps with plenty of key spacing , but the Lenovo ’s grave key felt good . The switches on both were light and zippy , but the Lenovo ’s were firm and more well-fixed . I could live happily with both , so I ca n’t range either as markedly better . The Slim 7i Gen 9 features the Modern Windows Copilot key , which bid up Microsoft ’s generative AI feature film , but that may not matter to many mass at this point . Both mechanical touchpads were large enough , with antiphonal surfaces and reasonably quiet , positive button mouse click .
Connectivity was identical , with the same mix of Thunderbolt 4 and legacy ports . Neither has an South Dakota card reader , which is inauspicious . Wireless connectivity was also identical .
Each laptop computer has a 1080p webcam that produces similar quality for videoconferencing . Both have the Meteor Lake chipset ’s Neural Processing Unit ( NPU ) , which zip up using Microsoft ’s Studio Effects . Both laptops also have infrared camera for Windows 11 Hello facial recognition .
Performance
I tested both laptops with the 28 - James Watt Intel Core Ultra 7 155H , a 16 - heart and soul ( six Performance , eight Efficient , and two Low Power Efficient ) , 22 - screw thread chipset . The Slim 7i Gen 9 hold a slender wind , especially in performance mode , where both laptops were faster .
The big difference in performance was in Cinebench R23 and the PCMark 10 stark exam . The latter trial is bear upon by GPU performance , especially in its Content Creation parcel . Both laptops use Intel ’s integrated Intel Arc graphics , but the Slim 7i Gen 9 ’s implementation was considerably faster than the Zenbook 14 Q425 ’s . That likely helped , and pass on the Lenovo an edge .
Display and audio
Both laptop employ 14.0 - column inch FHD+ ( 1920 x 1200 ) OLED panels running at 60Hz . Subjectively , both are colourful presentation with inky-black blacks . Some people might find the school text too pixelated , but most drug user will likely hold them sharp enough .
fit in to my tintometer , both exhibit are almost every bit as excellent . The colors were almost monovular , and the Slim 7i Gen 9 ’s control board was more or less brighter . Both will please productiveness users , Divine , and medium consumers .
The Slim 7i Gen 9 uses four speaker to supply audio with clear mids and highschool and a soupcon of freshwater bass , but they did n’t get loud enough . The Zenbook 14 Q425 ’s two-fold speakers were louder , but they also had considerable distortion above 50 % book . Mids and clears were much better at lower volumes , and basso demonstrate through . I ’d rate each audio system as roughly equivalent , though they get there by different routes .
Portability
The Slim 7i Gen 9 and Zenbook 14 Q425 are almost the same size and heaviness . The Lenovo is slightly heavier , but not enough to notice . Both laptop computer are portable enough .
Despite having close to the same W - hours of bombardment capability ( 75 W - minute with the Asus , 65 W - hours with the Lenovo ) , the same chipsets , and the same display resolution and technology , battery life was dramatically different . The Zenbook 14 Q425 hold up twice as long as the Slim 7i Gen 9 in our web - pasture test and almost three times as long in our video - loop test .
The Asus will last a full 24-hour interval of distinctive productivity and media consumption project , while the Lenovo belike wo n’t make it to lunchtime . That ’s a meaningful win for Asus .
Both are great laptops for a great price, but the Zenbook lasts longer
The Zenbook 14 Q425 and Slim 7i Gen 9 are very tight matched . They ’re both well - built and have similar OLED show . The Lenovo ’s keyboard is slightly respectable and it ’s a bit faster .
However , the biggest dispute is in battery life-time , where the Zenbook 14 Q425 is the clear winner . For that intellect , I ’m present the win to Asus . But you ca n’t go wrong with either laptop computer .
