Nevertheless, on extra normal duties, the Yoga didn’t pull by way of. My scores on the PCMark 10 benchmark weren’t markedly completely different than first-gen Core Extremely scores, and efficiency on the business normal Geekbench 6 check was surprisingly low—40 % under a typical Snapdragon X-powered laptop computer and 20 % under the typical Core Extremely 1. I didn’t discover any notably sluggish efficiency whereas testing (and even boot-up was speedy), however energy customers with 100 browser tabs open without delay could begin to really feel some ache. On the plus facet, since that is Intel silicon on the x86 structure, the system doesn’t have any app compatibility points that Snapdragon machines undergo from on the ARM structure.
In any case, whereas it’s not possible to attract a broad conclusion concerning the efficiency of a CPU primarily based on a single laptop computer, this not less than serves as a place to begin.
{Photograph}: Christopher Null
The rest of the laptop computer presents a strong although not wholly outstanding expertise. The display screen is just not particularly shiny in comparison with competing laptops, nevertheless it nonetheless seems good underneath typical viewing situations. The keyboard and its gently concave keys supply a quick, responsive typing expertise. The touchpad is responsive, and the 4 audio system (with Dolby Atmos help) sound nice. Word that the fan tends to kick in shortly underneath load, and it might probably get fairly loud.
Battery life deserves its personal dialog: At simply over 12 hours of working time on a full-screen YouTube playback check, the Yoga put most different Intel-based machines to disgrace. Nevertheless, laptops with the brand new Snapdragon chips nonetheless have Intel squarely beat on this entrance. Fifteen hours is a standard benchmark for Snapdragon X Elite techniques, and one Snapdragon X Plus system even hit 19 hours of working time in my testing. Apple silicon has nothing to worry from Intel on the battery entrance but.
At $1,300, the Yoga Slim 9i isn’t a price range system, nevertheless it’s effectively priced given its general efficiency, design, and usefulness. The jury’s out on whether or not Lunar Lake would be the game-changer that the beleaguered Intel would love for it to be, however on the very least it’s a step in the appropriate course.
