Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Microsoft ’s Copilot+ PCinitiative has a first turn of laptops get runningQualcomm ’s Snapdragon Xchipsets . They anticipate good performance and near shelling life story , and theLenovo Yoga Slim 7xis one of the best early entrants .
But , it ’s go up against theApple MacBook Air M3 , for some clock time now one of the best 13 - inch laptop you’re able to grease one’s palms . Can the Yoga Slim 7x provide the performance and efficiency it needs to contend ?
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Specs and configurations
The Yoga Slim 7x has just two configurations . The pedestal good example has a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 14.5 - in 3 K OLED display for $ 1,199 . For $ 1,313 , you could advance to 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD .
The MacBook Air M3 has more options . It set out at $ 1,099 with an Apple Silicon M3 chipset , 8 GB of RAM , and a 256 GB SSD . Upgrading can be a bit expensive , such as choosing the 8 - core CPU/10 - core GPU M3 for an extra $ 100 , while RAM and memory board upgrades can be dear . You ’ll end up expend over $ 2,000 for a fully loaded machine .
Design
The Yoga Slim 7x is perhaps the most attractive of the early Copilot+ laptop , with a streamlined esthetic that rivals the MacBook Air M3 ’s minimalist elegance . Its refined color strategy and slender bezels give it a mod appearance , with a reverse notch instead of the showing notch you ’ll find on the MacBook Air M3 . Both are endearing laptops , and we reckon some multitude will like Apple ’s additional color option .
The Yoga Slim 7x is as full-bodied as the MacBook Air M3 , with an all - atomic number 13 chassis that resists twist and twisting but with a lid that ’s a scrap pliable . The MacBook has the same . The Lenovo ’s flexible joint is n’t quite as bland as Apple ’s , but that ’s a cavil . These are every bit well - built laptops .
The MacBook Air M3 ’s Magic Keyboard is just slightly good than the Yoga Slim 7x ’s version , with both having large keycaps and lot of key spatial arrangement . But the MacBook ’s key switches are just the bantam mo more snappy and accurate . It ’s a closemouthed call , though . The MacBook ’s Force Touch haptic touchpad , though , is more precise than the Yoga Slim 7x ’s mechanical reading , and it ’s a immense reward .
Connectivity is like , with the Yoga Slim 7x swear on three USB4 ports that have around the same functionality as the MacBook Air M3 ’s two USB - ascorbic acid ports with Thunderbolt 4 . While the Lenovo has one extra port , the MacBook make up for that somewhat with a MagSafe 3 connection for exponent . Lenovo made the unfortunate selection of drop a 3.5 mm audio jackass , which Apple kept on the MacBook Air M3 . Wireless connectivity is more futurist on the Yoga Slim 7x .
Both laptops have 1080p webcams and supply a quality videoconferencing experience . The Yoga Slim 7x has a very fast neural processing unit ( NPU ) that sustain enhance Microsoft Studio Effects software along with some other AI - assist puppet . The MacBook Air M3 ’s Neural Engine is a mo slower , and Apple Intelligence wo n’t be rolling out with AI features until sometime in 2025 .
Performance
The previous Qualcomm Snapdragon X chipsets are mated with an improved Windows on Arm platform for a raw kind of Windows laptops . The Yoga Slim 7x has the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78 - 100 variant , which is slowest version available . It has 12 core ( eight performance and four effective ) and run at 3.4GHz without the line ’s three-fold - core boost . The MacBook Air run with the 8 - core CPU/10 - core GPU M3 chipset that ’s been a solid performer .
In our benchmarks that run natively on Windows on Arm , the Yoga is truehearted than the MacBook Air M3 in CPU - intensive tasks but its GPU is n’t as fast . The M3 chipset also has central processing unit optimization that speed up up various creative tasks like encode and decoding TV . That makes the MacBook a faster machine for creators , but productiveness users will find the Yoga Slim 7x to be a fleck quicker . Neither laptop computer is a lawful gaming automobile .
Display and audio
The Yoga Slim 7x savor an fantabulous 14.5 - inch OLED display running at 3 K ( 2944 by 1840 ) . That compares to the MacBook Air M3 ’s 13.6 - column inch IPS display at 2560 by 1664 . That earn the MacBook ’s video display slenderly sharper .
But the Yoga has almost as much cleverness to go with OLED ’s usual inky-black Black and near infinite contrast . Its color are also wider and more exact . The Yoga ’s video display is a lot better for producers , creator , and medium consumer .
Portability
The MacBook Air M3 is the thinnest laptop you’re able to by today at just 0.44 inches , and it ’s light at 2.7 pounds . The Yoga Slim 7x is also flimsy at 0.51 in , and it ’s somewhat grave at 2.82 pounds . The MacBook has a belittled display , and so its overall size is a spot more portable .
More than anything else , though , the Qualcomm chipset is aimed at match the MacBook Air M3 ’s class - leave efficiency . Apple Silicon has lead the battery living crown since its introduction , and the Yoga Slim 7x is meant to challenge it .
However , it falls significantly short . While it come close in the least demanding picture looping test , it falls further behind as thing get hard . Simply put , if you want your laptop computer to last longer while you get employment done , the MacBook Air M3 remains your best alternative .
Both laptop have four - speaker setups with twofold tweeter and woofers . Both get plenty loud , and both have unclouded mids and highs . In condition of their audio quality , I ’m calling a haulage . For what it ’s worth , the 15 - column inch MacBook Air has a much more impressive six - speaker frame-up .
The Yoga Slim 7x is very good, but the MacBook Air M3 is better
The Yoga Slim 7x is one of the more attractive Copilot+ laptops available so far , with strong carrying out , a quality and attractive build , and an excellent OLED display . It also comes in gaudy compared to the MacBook Air for what you get since the initiate configuration comes with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage . Its battery life does n’t quite live up to the Qualcomm chipset ’s promise , though . The lack of a headphone jack is unfortunate , too .
The MacBook Air M3 , meanwhile , is n’t quite as fast in CPU - intensive project , but it has much better bombardment life and an even beneficial build calibre . For my money , the MacBook Air is worth the spare money for the better overall software package , but the Yoga Slim 7x has raft of advantage on its side , whether that ’s the OLED gore or the more affordable configuration .
