When it comes to picking out a laptop for creating content on location, users often must decide between power and portability. However, the 14.5" Lenovo Slim 7 ProX Laptop makes that decision easier by packing a 12th generation 2.3 GHz Intel® Core™ i7-12700H 14-core processor and dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics into a stylishly thin and light form factor that helps ease the rigors of travel. My model is configured with 32GB of onboard LPDDR5-6000 memory and a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD, which might sound like overkill for many, so a Slim 7 ProX equipped with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB drive may be a better option, depending on your needs.
Out of the box, this laptop makes a deep impression with its aluminum chassis and rounded corners. Beyond its aesthetics, the laptop ticks off critical boxes for frequent travelers. Even with dedicated graphics, the system weighs around 3.2 lb, which makes it easy to carry around all day in a bag, and its 70Wh battery provides about 12.9 hours of run time depending on use. Best of all, with the powerful specifications, the Slim 7 ProX lets you get to work almost as soon as you open the lid, with a highly responsive 1080p IR webcam logging you in with a glance using Windows Hello. Add in the fact that applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro load in a flash, and you have the makings of a thin and light system that's almost too good to be true.
A 3K Touchscreen
Although the internal hardware is impressive, the 14.5" 3072 x 1920 resolution touchscreen, housed in nearly invisible bezels, is what makes the Slim 7 ProX stand out the most. Supporting 100% of the sRGB color gamut with Dolby Vision, this display is designed to enhance everything from editing RAW images to streaming videos. As if that weren't enough, you can activate a 120 Hz refresh rate at the touch of a button to deliver smooth video playback. However, it does take some getting used to.
For me, the unconventional resolution required an adjustment period. On the one hand, the 3K display can be easily mistaken for 4K when you stop thinking about it, and the 16:10 aspect ratio provides added viewing space compared to traditional 16:9 screens. But on the other hand, I felt that the not-quite-4K resolution wasn't right for a 14.5" screen. Desktop icons, text, and application tools are positively tiny without some scaling adjustments, which made me feel less productive when editing photos. At the same time, scaling the display with the Windows-recommended 200% zoom undermines the benefits of having such high resolution. So, I ended up sticking with a 150% to 175% scale as a reasonable compromise.
Another issue I encountered was some considerable glare on the glossy touchscreen, which could make working in harshly lit environments a bit of a pain. The automatic brightness adjustment feature helps, but I don't recommend using this laptop in direct sunlight.
However, the display's pros far outweigh its cons, and I grew to appreciate the screen after getting used to it. In addition to its excellent color, perhaps my favorite feature is how the single hinge design allows you open the screen so that it lies flush with the rest of the system. Not only does this make it easy to share content with someone sitting across from you, but it also makes scrolling through content while lying back on a couch more comfortable.
Enhancing Your Workflow
Although I primarily used a Bluetooth mouse, the large touchpad was a handy tool that perfectly complements the island style backlit keyboard, which includes full-size typing keys and half-size F-keys. Built-in shortcuts allow you to switch the laptop's power profile, change the display's refresh rate, and access Lenovo's suite of smart applications quickly to enhance your look and audio during video calls. Additionally, you can communicate clearly with clients and colleagues with the 1080p webcam and dual-array microphone system. A dedicated e-shutter switch on the right side of the system helps to protect your privacy by turning the webcam off.
The Slim 7 ProX doesn't have a built-in card reader, but it makes up for it with dual 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt™ 4 ports that can each transfer up to 300GB of data, including massive 4K videos and giant RAW images, in about a minute. Thunderbolt™ 4's speed also provides you with the freedom to work directly from compatible external drives, which can save you some time if you need to bring the data to multiple systems.
As far as performance, it's difficult to understate the usefulness of dedicated graphics, especially when working with video. Installing the NVIDIA Studio drivers with the GeForce RTX 3050 GPU accelerates supported applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and After Effects. With it, I was able to process about two dozen RAW photos, fixing their exposure, contrast, and color, in short time. Also, rendering a 30-minute 4K video at 60 fps in Premiere Pro took about 25 minutes, but I recommend working primarily with Full HD videos with this system.
Work and Play
The Slim 7 ProX isn't about all work and no play. A benefit of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU is that you can play games at medium to high graphical settings with some light ray-tracing effects turned on. Video-streaming apps may add black bands to the top and bottom of the screen due to the 16:10 aspect ratio, which can be fairly prominent when watching movies. But they become barely noticeable once you're a few minutes into a film, especially with the upward-firing speakers blasting Dolby Atmos optimized sound straight at you.
Integrated Wi-Fi 6E support allows you to connect to high-speed networks and take advantage of the less congested 6 GHz frequency. The extra bandwidth lets you transfer files, stream 4K videos, and play games with minimal lag and stuttering.
Conclusion
When taken all together, the Lenovo Slim 7 ProX laptop delivers solid performance for creating content, communicating, and being entertained. What impresses you most about the system? The powerful hardware, 3K touchscreen display, or its stylish yet functional design? Let us know in the Comments section, below.
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