You want a laptop for work at home or school and you want the hardware to be fast, but you don’t have to run heavy software like video editing software or games on it. Which device is better to buy? Together with the editors of BestGetest and Tweakers, NU.nl searched for the answer and came up with the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7.
This is an abbreviated version of a more comprehensive test on BestGetest. You can read a full investigation into it Best mid range laptops.
A laptop that works well certainly isn’t cheap and that’s why we have higher expectations for these models from Best Budget Laptops† Build quality must withstand heavy use, there must be adequate connections and the touchpad and keyboard must work well and accurately. These are things that are regularly saved on cheap laptops, but manufacturers have no excuse for that price.
To get an idea of what’s under the hood, we use specific benchmarking software to see how fast the processor, SSD, and memory really work. Plus, we’ll take a closer look at the display, with specialized hardware that checks for grayscale, color accuracy, brightness, and more. This is how we find out if the screen is really good. Finally, of course, the battery is also put on the shelf.
Best Choice: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 13ACN5
- price: €899
- Advantages: Beautiful 2560×1600 screen, fast processor and competitive price
- Negatives: Glossy screen instead of matte screen, only USB-C connections are available
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 is a slim laptop with a 13.3-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600. Together, this resolution and small size provide an above-average sharp picture, something we don’t see often for this price. It’s a pity that the screen is glossy, which can be annoying if it’s too bright in your environment.
Battery life is reasonable but not exceptional, averaging nine hours before the battery runs out. On the other hand, a screen like this also consumes more power, which makes the battery life very acceptable for us.
If we look at the performance, we see that it is definitely a fast laptop. This is largely due to the Ryzen processor, but the 16GB working memory helps too. The fact that the laptop also has 512GB of storage is of course a plus. The disadvantage is that you cannot expand this memory.
The casing is made of aluminum, which makes it a slim but durable machine. Please note that we only find USB-C connections on the side, so you will likely need an adapter cable or dock.
Cheaper alternative: Acer Swift 3
- price: €699
- Advantages: Lightweight, Matte Full HD display, Good battery life
- Negatives: The cover can be more stable, not the best picture quality
The Acer Swift 3 is smoother than many of its competitors in this price range, in part due to its eight processor cores. The 16GB working memory and 512GB storage aren’t bad and the end result is a laptop that offers great speed for the money.
In addition, at a weight of 1.2 kilograms, this laptop is particularly light, with a casing made partly of plastic. This is nice if you have to take the thing with you all day, but not so nice when you hit your keyboard or touchpad hard and notice the whole body giving way. You’ll also find the usual USB connections, including the multifunctional USB-C connection and HDMI 2.0. There is a fingerprint scanner, but unfortunately no card reader.
The screen is basically good, with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080. In addition, it has a matte coating that reduces reflections. It is a pity that the maximum brightness is slightly lower than we had hoped and the monitor cannot display the full color spectrum of the sRGB standard. Many cheaper laptops can’t do this either, but in this price category we’re seeing this possibility more and more.
In short, the Acer Swift 3 is a particularly smooth laptop for its price range, with its low weight and powerful battery. Recommended for the user who prefers to take his laptop everywhere.