At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Good gaming performance Low price High 144Hz display refresh Design doesn’t scream “gaming PC” Cons Dim display All plastic build Runs older 12th Gen Intel CPU Only one USB-C with 5Gbps limit Our Verdict The 2024 HP Victus 15 is a great budget gaming machine, but it’s not ideal for much else. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today PC gaming is still thriving after the pandemic-era GPU drought and the crypto mining hysteria, but GPUs are only a little bit cheaper. You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get a solid gaming experience, though. HP claims its newest Victus 15 laptop offers desktop power without breaking the bank. And, if playing games is all you care about, this notebook won’t disappoint. The mid-range components will keep your frame rates tolerable and the Victus 15 is attractive without obnoxious gamer styling. And you can’t argue with the price—the 2024 HP Victus 15 offers modest but consistent gaming power for under a grand. In fact, you could pick up the Victus 15 for less than the price of a mid-range desktop GPU. Further reading: Best gaming laptops under $1,000: Expert picks that won’t break the bank HP Victus 15: Specs and features If this package looks familiar, that’s because HP has used the same chassis in the past. The company updated a few components for the 2024 refresh, most importantly the GPU. The Victus has an RTX 4050 laptop GPU with 6GB of VRAM, which is a step down from the 4060 we see in a lot of mid-range gaming notebooks. The CPU is an oddball for a 2024 laptop—a 12th Gen Intel Core i7. This is a 10-core chip with four efficiency cores and six performance cores. The maximum clock speed is 4.7GHz. So, it’s certainly no slouch, but CPUs in the last few generations have emphasized efficiency and AI processing, which you won’t get with this machine. There’s no NPU at all in this chip and there isn’t even a Copilot key on the keyboard. While 16GB of DDR4 RAM can sometimes feel a bit thin in 2024, it’s sufficient if gaming is your primary use case. The 512GB SSD is similarly fine. Although, with games constantly ballooning in size, a 1TB option would have been nice. This laptop is available from Best Buy along with a similar machine running a 12th Gen Core i5 and the older RTX 3050 GPU, but the newer model is a better option. However, it’s not a good value at the $1,100 MSRP. This device has been on sale since it debuted, chopping at least a few hundred dollars off the price. At the current $799.99 sale price, it’s a great value. Model number: 15-fb2063dx CPU: Intel Core i7-12650H Memory: 16GB DDR4 Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 (6GB) Display: 15.6-inch diagonal IPS, 1920 x 1080 @ 144 Hz Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD Webcam: 720p Connectivity: 1x USB-C (5Gbps), 2 x USB-A (5 Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm audio jack Networking: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 Battery capacity: 70Whr, 200W adapter Dimensions: 14.09 x 10.04 x 0.93  inches Weight: 5.06 lbs MSRP as tested: $1,099.99 The HP Victus 15 will play most of today’s AAA games at medium settings and the 1080p screen is fast enough to satisfy fans of fast-paced shooters. HP Victus 15: Design and build quality IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam The Victus 15 is all-plastic, but it looks surprisingly nice for a cheap gaming laptop. It comes in a dark blue color—you don’t see a lot of blue computers, so this is a nice change of pace. The plastic is matte and it looks nice until you touch it. The finish attracts and holds skin oils, so you’ll have to wipe the machine down regularly if you don’t want it to look like a mess. There’s very little branding on the machine—HP’s logo doesn’t appear anywhere. There’s a large reflective Victus “V” in the middle of the top cover, along with two smaller Victus logos inside. This is not a particularly thin or light machine, at about an inch thick and five pounds. The chassis flexes a bit when you pick it up, and you can tell the plastic housing isn’t very thick. However, I’ve hauled this machine around a few times, not being particularly careful about safeguarding from bumps or scuffs, and the body hasn’t picked up any noticeable damage. I also like the bumpons on the bottom that run the entire width of the machine, giving it a stable footprint. Since this machine inherits some older design elements, you don’t get a forward-looking port setup. On the right edge, you’ve got an HDMI, Ethernet, a USB-A, and the laptop’s lone USB-C. I like to see multiple USB-C ports in 2024, and this one barely counts. It’s limited to 5Gbps, and you cannot use it to charge the machine. On the left side, you get another USB-A port, the 3.5mm jack, and a DC barrel power connector. Because you can’t use the USB-C port for power, you’ll have to carry around the clunky 200W DC power adapter. The hinge opens smoothly with one hand, but it’s not as stable as I’d like—the screen might wobble around if you’re pounding on the keyboard. There’s also a large bezel below the display, which is a traditional 16:9 panel instead of the taller screens we see on many newer laptops. Again, this is fine for gaming. The bezel on the other three sides is much smaller, though. We’ll talk about performance later, but the machine doesn’t get too hot or loud while playing games. The fan pulls air from the bottom and pushes it out the rear-facing vents. That ensures the hot air is directed away from you—some laptops have vents on the side, which can roast your mousing hand. HP Victus 15: Display and speakers IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam The 15.6-inch 1080p LCD is a hallmark of budget gaming notebooks, but there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a good size and resolution for casual gaming. At typical viewing distances, the Victus 15’s IPS panel looks plenty sharp. There’s no discernible backlight bleed and the viewing angles are solid, both of which are issues on some budget gaming laptops. Part of the reason for that may be that the screen just can’t get very bright. It maxes out at 250 nits, which is a bit below average even for budget laptops. You’ll be fine as long as you do your gaming in a subterranean lair like any self-respecting nerd. However, taking this computer into the outdoors or a well-lit room could be a problem. Thankfully, the display is matte, which will help limit reflections. Like most laptops, the Victus 15 has downward-firing stereo speakers tucked under the left and right edges. The audio quality will be fine for games, but there’s next to no bass. Volume is good—the speakers can get so loud you won’t want to sit near the laptop. However, the audio gets distorted at about 75 percent volume. HP Victus 15: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam HP managed to fit a full keyboard layout on the Victus 15, complete with a number pad. Unlike the pad on the slightly larger Acer Nitro V 16, the number pad keys are full-size. The pad does bump right up against the rest of the keys, which will make it hard to find by feel. All the keys on this machine are squared off with a similarly angular font for the shine-through legends. There’s no RGB, but the white LEDs will ensure you can read the legends in the dark. The chiclet-style keys have good tactility when pressed, but they wobble a bit too much. The bottom out is also soft and unappealing. You can see the plastic keyboard deck flexing if you get even a little aggressive with the keys. Despite the lack of a Copilot key taking up space on the bottom row, HP equipped the Victus 15 with tiny, shrunken-down arrows. I also continue to object to HP’s decision to put the power button right next to backspace—that’s very perilous, although I managed not to shut this machine down accidentally during testing as I have with previous HP laptops. The trackpad is a good size, shifted slightly left from center but not so far that it’s hard to use with your right hand. It’s plastic like the rest of the build, and the physical click mechanism is on the mushy side. The default sensitivity also felt too sluggish, but it’s much more usable after bumping that up a few notches. It’s not the best trackpad experience, but the hardware is reasonable for the price. HP Victus 15: Performance I’ve tested this machine with games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Cyberpunk 2077. It can handle all these games at 1080p at medium or better settings. Frame rates are more than playable, but you don’t get to take advantage of the high 144Hz refresh rate in most newer games. If you’re into twitchy games like Fortnite or Counter-Strike, you’ll be able to enjoy a smoother gameplay experience. However, even those games won’t hit 144 fps very easily on this hardware. Before you get down to fragging noobs, you’ll probably want to make a few system tweaks. HP has preloaded three different settings programs, a common issue with its PCs. Most of the important performance settings are in the Omen app, for which there is a shortcut key on the keyboard. HP also added some annoying bloatware, including McAfee and WildTangent Games. HP’s own apps pop up frequently early on to get you to register your warranty and provide feedback. Once you take care of those things, it’s a pretty streamlined build of Windows 11 Home. IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam PCMark 10 is designed to test a machine across a variety of metrics like web browsing, video chat, and photo editing. The HP Victus 15 doesn’t quite keep up with laptops running newer CPUs, but it’s not left in the dust either. At 6,855, the Victus score is in line with gaming notebooks from a year or two ago. Some newer Intel Core Ultra chips will perform just a bit better in this test, but AMD’s current lineup is adept at multithreaded tests like this. However, HP’s default system mode is geared more toward efficiency than many of its competitors. Switching to Performance mode boosted this score about one hundred points, bringing it closer to other machines we’ve tested. IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam Cinebench is a CPU-focused test that shows how a PC handles heavy but brief multi-core workloads. More CPU cores grant higher scores in Cinebench and cooling doesn’t matter very much. Again, the Victus trails other current gaming notebooks, but it’s not particularly slow—it lands right where I’d expect a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 to land. IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam The Handbrake test is similar to Cinebench in that it shows how a computer handles multithreaded tasks, but this is a longer-duration test where thermals matter more. We see a bigger gap in this benchmark, which makes sense given the CPU. Newer chips have markedly better encoding performance. IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam Our first gaming test is 3DMark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. The HP Victus 15 is still trailing, but the gap is relatively small. The RTX 4050 is a capable GPU and this test is not as heavily affected by the older CPU. IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam Game benchmarks like the one included with Shadow of the Tomb Raider can help us understand a system’s real world gaming experience. The Victus shows its gaming chops here, putting up an average frame rate of 113. The Victus and its RTX 4050 actually beat the HP Omen Transcend 14, which has an RTX 4060 GPU inside. IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam The Metro Exodus benchmark is a bit more demanding, giving higher-specced machines a chance to shine. The Victus doesn’t get a very high score, managing just 32 fps on average. Still, that’s a smidge better than the Omen Transcend 14 and within spitting distance of other RTX 4060 laptops. HP Victus 15: Battery life Gaming laptops are not exactly famous for their longevity—it’s actually quite the opposite, with some high-power laptops running dry in under three hours. The Victus 15 does a little better than that with its 77Wh battery. IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam IDG / Ryan Whitwam Our battery rundown test consists of running a 4K video at 250 nits on a loop until the laptop dies. The Victus managed just shy of six hours, which is respectable for a gaming notebook. It bests high-power machines like the Gigabyte G6X, but some laptops that prioritize battery capacity alongside performance still last longer while performing better. The longevity is a bit shorter in general use. You won’t be able to use this machine for an entire work day, nor will you get much game time on the go without a power outlet. However, the battery is good enough that you can use it unplugged in a pinch. HP Victus 15: Conclusion The HP Victus 15 has a good mid-range GPU and a fast (though slightly old) CPU. It’s not the best gaming PC by a longshot, but it will play most of today’s AAA games at medium settings and the 1080p screen is fast enough to satisfy fans of fast-paced shooters. However, you won’t get high-end features like HDR or G-Sync, and the display is on the dim side. You should not get the Victus 15 if productivity and work are on the agenda. While it’s capable enough right now, the 12th Gen Intel chip is already several years out of date and the selection of ports is lacking for 2024. The RTX 4050 is still shipping in plenty of laptops, but the Victus doesn’t have as much of a future as slightly more expensive gaming machines. Overall, the HP Victus 15 is a competent and reasonably priced computer for basic gaming. However, you shouldn’t buy it for the $1,100 MSRP. You can do better for that much, but the current sale price ($799 as of this writing) is a good deal. Read...

With Windows 11 version 24H2, Microsoft is providing the latest version of the current Microsoft operating system free of charge. Every Windows 11 user can install it directly via the Windows update function. When updating an older version of Windows 11, all data, programs, and settings are retained. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Microsoft is switching the Windows kernel from C to the Rust programming language. This is intended to increase security. The update is therefore a complete Windows update again after a long time. In addition, various programs and features will also disappear from Windows 11, such as Wordpad. In terms of security, Microsoft wants to automatically activate hard disk encryption and Bitlocker for new installations in the future when you completely reinstall Windows 11 24H2 on a PC. Other breaking Windows 11 annual update news you need to know: Windows 11’s big 2024 Update: How and when you’ll get it Microsoft reveals Windows 11’s AI roadmap: Smart search, upscaling, more Windows 11’s 2024 Update: 5 big changes I really like (and more) Warning: Windows 11’s big 2024 update takes a long time to install AI function Recall is no longer included The most important new feature that was planned for Windows 11 24H2 is the AI service “Recall.” However, this function has been cancelled without replacement and is currently being revised. Recall takes screenshots of the screen content at one-second intervals, allowing users to search with AI based on these screenshots. For example, you could use the function’s search field to ask when you saw a pizza on a website that you want to order or bake. For data protection reasons, and because there were already tools that could decrypt Recall data before the release of Windows 11 24H2, Microsoft has withdrawn the feature and is currently developing it further ahead of renewed testing this fall. Older hardware is being left out for good A less welcome innovation in Windows 11 24H2 is that you can no longer have the option of installing Windows 11 even though your PC does not fulfil the requirements. Therefore, if your PC does not fulfil the Windows 11 requirements, you will not be able to update to 24H2, even if Windows 11 has already been installed using tricks. If you are using a PC with an Arm processor, you need at least Arm version 8.1 for 24H2. You cannot update to 24H2 on PCs with older versions. AI functions are being toned down: Copilot as an app Microsoft originally wanted to integrate its AI assistant directly into Windows 11 24H2 — but this has not materialized. The AI assistant is now available as an app via the Microsoft Store. However, this version cannot customize system settings in Windows 11 like the version originally planned to be integrated into Windows 11. Nevertheless, Microsoft is continuing to work on linking its AI services more closely with Windows 11. PC för Alla PC för Alla PC för Alla Innovations in the user interface and smartphone connectivity Microsoft has also tweaked the Windows 11 user interface. The date display no longer includes the year (although this does not have to remain the case for good) and the quick access menu, which is opened to connect to WLANs, for example, has been revised and given new buttons for navigation. Foundry Foundry Foundry You can once again pin apps directly to the taskbar using drag-and-drop. If you use the integrated Windows backup, you can now also synchronize the sound settings between PCs. If you have linked your smartphone to Windows 11, you can access a new sidebar instead of using all the information in a separate window. The app therefore no longer needs to be used separately. From 24H2, files can once again be moved and copied in Windows Explorer via the address bar using drag-and-drop. Microsoft has also revised the context menu. The icons at the top are now labelled, which makes them much easier to use. The scroll direction of the mouse can now be changed in the settings and the VPN configuration has been simplified. The lock screen can display more information in Windows 11 24H2, such as traffic information and financial news. In general, the lock screen can be customized more flexibly. In the future, it will be possible to use your smartphone camera as a wireless webcam for Windows 11 24H2. Here’s a guide on how to do it. PCs with HDR monitors can use new HDR images in Windows 11. If you use a Copilot PC, you even get dynamic images that react to inputs and mouse movements. Windows 11 also comes with a new wallpaper that you can download without 24H2, for example from X (formerly Twitter). ZIP and TAR with Windows 11 and a better Teams client Windows 11 has been able to extract ZIP and TAR files for some time now. As of 24H2, you can also create archives with ZIP and TAR via the context menu of files and directories and make more settings. Foundry Foundry Foundry The Teams client integrated in Windows 11 24H2 can now offer private chats and work in parallel with Microsoft Teams, for example via Microsoft 365. Sudo, Wi-Fi 7, and better printing The “sudo” command familiar from Linux, which allows users to execute commands in the admin context without being fully logged in as an administrator, is part of Windows 11 24H2. However, sudo is deactivated by default. You must first activate the function in the development settings. The settings for this can be found under System > For developers. Microsoft explains how to use Sudo in the Windows 11 documentation. Windows 11 24H2 supports the new, fast Wi-Fi 7 standard. However, this is only useful if the PC is also connected to a Wi-Fi 7-compatible Wi-Fi router via Wi-Fi. An example of this is the Zyxel BE11000. With Windows Protected Print Mode, Windows works better with printers without having to install a driver. To do this, the printers must support Mopria. Read...

The guidelines asked judges and lawyers to `think carefully` about how Maori are impacted by the criminal justice system. Read...

The guidelines asked judges and lawyers to `think carefully` about how Maori are impacted by the criminal justice system. Read...

Concern relates to request for prosecutors to ‘think carefully’ when a person is Maori or in another group disproportionately impacted by the judicial system. Read...

An Otaki kaupapa Maori health care facility is set to branch into primary health after recruiting three general practitioners. Read...

Pandemics can threaten NZ`s social and economic security and a `whole of government` response is required, former director-general of health says. Read...

Broadband data caps cost me money every single year and continue to be a source of ongoing anxiety. They’re inequitable, unnecessary, and predatory. That the FCC is finally soliciting public comment and taking aim at data caps is long overdue. We’re barreling towards one of the most consequential elections of our lifetimes, but eliminating broadband data caps is nearly as important. You need to make your voice heard, and I’ll show you how to send comments directly to the FCC. But first, let’s spend a bit talking about just how terrible data caps truly are. Data caps cause stress and anxiety Broadband internet is part of modern daily life, as much as water or power is. Any tap-dancing around its legal definition just wastes time. On average, I pay over $200 each month to Comcast for a basic package of TV channels and internet speeds up to 400Mbps. (Comcast recently doubled the speeds for free. Why? I don’t know.) But there’s a catch: I have a cap on how much data I can use. If my family of four consumes more than 1.23TB per month, I’m hit with additional charges. The additional fee structure is labyrinthine and involves creating additional “data blocks” of 50GB for an additional $10, up to a maximum of $100. But wait! There’s a one-time courtesy waiver per year, where no fees are charged. But wait! That waiver disappears entirely if you exceed the cap twice a year. But wait! Comcast never charged data overage fees at all in 15 northeastern states due to competition from Verizon’s FIOS service. But wait! That agreement went away in 2020, restoring the caps. But wait! The caps vanished yet again in 2021 after officials in those northeastern states protested. The FCC has previously tried to encourage fair disclosure of fees and services through these cereal-box-like labels for ISPs. The FCC has previously tried to encourage fair disclosure of fees and services through these cereal-box-like labels for ISPs.FCC The FCC has previously tried to encourage fair disclosure of fees and services through these cereal-box-like labels for ISPs.FCC FCC Did I mention that in July, when I exceeded my data cap, I was told it was covered by my courtesy month… but Comcast went ahead and charged me anyway? That was a “mistake,” they said. I’m sure it was. My daily routine now includes checking Comcast Xfinity’s ongoing metering of my broadband internet usage. Do I have room on the cap to upgrade my family’s computers? What about my work laptops for PCWorld? Will I have enough data left to download that new game I want to play? My family of four doesn’t do that much on the internet, but our monthly data allowance disappears quickly nonetheless. “To me, the word that sticks out to me in that message is ‘stress,`” wrote FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in the FCC’s Notice of Inquiry (PDF) regarding broadband data caps. “The mental toll of constantly thinking about how much you use a service that is essential for modern life is real as is the frustration of so many consumers who tell us they believe these caps are costly and unfair.” Perfectly said. Data caps are inequitable and unfair Most major US cities offer a choice between two or more broadband ISPs, and that competition helps drive prices down. But in many suburbs, and especially in gated communities or apartment complexes, residents don’t have a say in their broadband provider. That’s why I was eager to try T-Mobile’s 5G wireless home broadband in 2021: it was cheaper and without data caps. (Sadly, my home just wasn’t close enough to the tower for sufficient bandwidth at the time.) From my house, I can see the neighboring city where a local ISP (called Sonic) basically offers unlimited gigabit internet service at a fraction of the price Comcast charges — all without data caps. But I can’t personally dig those ditches and bring that fiber to my home, and I haven’t yet persuaded my town council to do so, either. So I’m stuck in a broadband monopoly I have no say over. All I can do is call Comcast every year and argue for a lower contract rate. The fact that most of the eastern seaboard doesn’t have to deal with Comcast’s data caps, while the rest of us do, is infuriating. Data caps are artificial and arbitrary Yes, I could probably pay extra for unlimited broadband, and so could you. But why should we have to? Virtually all wireless service providers provide unlimited calls and texts, and many offer unlimited wireless data, too. Overseas, I can buy a SIM card with unlimited data and tethering and use that in place of a broadband ISP, both for calls as well as my laptop’s internet needs. (I recently did just that in Taiwan and Germany.) Saily Saily Saily Surely a massive company like Comcast, who made $4 billion in profits alone last quarter, could plow some of that back into relaxing its data cap restrictions for everyone? But they haven’t. And they won’t. Which is why the government might step in — and why you should encourage them to. Here’s how. How to file a public comment at the FCC against data caps To file a public comment, go to the FCC’s Express Comment Filing System. This is a web form with a number of fields to fill out. The most important field is the first one: Proceeding(s). You’ll need to enter the specific docket number here. In this case, the docket can be found on the FCC’s Notice of Inquiry (PDF). Or I can just tell you what it is for your convenience: 23-199. In the web form, you need to enter just the docket number into the Proceeding(s) field. After you type in 23-199, you should see a small pop-up with 23-199 | Data Caps in Consumer Broadband Plans. Select it. The FCC’s electronic comment filing system. The FCC’s electronic comment filing system. The FCC’s electronic comment filing system. From there, you can fill out the remaining fields yourself. When you enter your comments, remember that this is NOT anonymous. You’re entering your comment into the federal record and whatever you write will be searchable and readable by the general public. Pay attention to the comment deadline, too. In this case, you have until November 14, 2024 to file a comment. After that, you have until December 2, 2024 to file a reply to another comment. Tell your story! For once, the government is listening. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Attractive, slim design  Excellent keyboard Good performance, especially from the IGP Fantastic speakers Long battery life Cons IPS display can’t match OLED competitors Touchpad is a bit small for the category Performance isn’t greatly improved over earlier Intel Core Ultra laptops Our Verdict The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Aura Edition is a solid do-it-all laptop. It offers well-rounded performance, long battery life, and attractive design. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Editionis among the first laptops to launch with Intel’s new Lunar Lake chip architecture, a significant revision that focuses less on raw core count and more on providing a well-rounded, efficient chip. Lunar Lake is able to deliver in that regard, especially in IGP performance and battery life. The Yoga Slim 7i, meanwhile, is a solid chassis for the new chip. Further reading: Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition: Specs and features The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Aura Edition’s most notable specification is the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor. This is a mid-range, mainstream chip in Intel’s line-up. It has eight cores (four performance, and four efficient) alongside Intel Arc integrated graphics and an NPU that quotes up to 47 TOPs. CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 256V Memory: 16GB LPDDR5x-8533 Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics NPU: Intel AI Boost (47 TOPs) Display: 2880 x 1800 IPS Multi-touch up to 120Hz, 16:10 aspect ratio Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 solid state storage Webcam: 1080p 30fps camera with IR 3D camera for Windows Hello, electronic privacy shutter Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (with USB-C 4, DisplayPort, Power Delivery), 1x USB-A (5Gbps data), 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm audio Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition Battery capacity: 70 watt-hours Dimensions: 13.54 x 9.27 x 0.55 inches Weight: 3.37 pounds MSRP: $1,379.99 MSRP  The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition’s specifications otherwise have an eye on the future. Lenovo embraces Thunderbolt 4 and the latest wireless standards, yet only includes a single USB-A port. The laptop is remarkably thin, too, at barely more than half an inch thick. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition: Design and build quality IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition follows the design language of other recent Lenovo laptops, which works to its advantage. It’s extremely slim, measuring only 0.55 inches thick, and has a compact footprint of 13.5 x 9.25 inches. The laptop is made from aluminum and uses a matte finish that gives it a sleek and understated look. A design trait I particularly appreciate is the use of rounded edges along not over the corners of the chassis, but also across both the front and side edges, which makes the laptop comfortable to hold. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is another solid addition in Lenovo’s generally strong line-up of mid-range and premium Windows PCs. It suffers a few flaws, like a relatively small touchpad and a mediocre display, but makes up for its shortcomings with attractive design, a great keyboard, and class-leading speakers. Despite its thin profile, the Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition feels rigid and sturdy. When picked up from one edge, the laptop’s chassis shows no noticeable flex, and the display lid hardly warps when opened. The hinge is well-tuned, as well, so I found it possible to open the lid with a single free hand. Lenovo’s build quality compares favorably with most super-thins Windows laptops, like Acer’s Swift series and LG’s Gram series, though Samsung’s Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 is close. Strangely, despite the word “Yoga” in its name, the Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is not a 2-in-1. The hinge only rotates back 180 degrees to lie flat on a surface. While that’s a good range for a standard laptop, the Yoga name has traditionally signaled a 2-in-1 design. I’m not a fan of this shift in direction for the Yoga series, as it makes Lenovo’s lineup more confusing. That oddity aside, though, the Yoga Slim 7i’s design is among the best in its class. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition: Keyboard, trackpad IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith I thoroughly enjoyed typing on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition’s keyboard. That would be notable for any laptop, but it’s especially impressive given this laptop’s thin profile. Despite its size, the Yoga Slim 7i provides a satisfying key travel with a crisp, tactile, and springy rebound. I found it instantly comfortable and was able to type quickly from the moment I opened the laptop. The spacious layout contributes to the ease of typing, as well. Although the laptop has a 15.3-inch screen, the Yoga Slim 7i doesn’t try to squeeze in a number pad, which allows for larger keys and ample space between each one. Even the function keys are slightly larger than typical for this class of laptop. While the keyboard is excellent, the touchpad is mediocre. It’s smooth and responsive in both simple tasks (like clicking an icon) and more complex multi-touch gestures (like Windows’ five-finger pinch to reduce or maximize all windows). Also, since it’s centered, it avoids accidental input while typing.  However, the touchpad is small for a laptop of this size, measuring roughly 5 inches wide and 3 inches deep. Because of that, it can feel a bit cramped, especially when scrolling vertically through web pages and documents. Competitors like the Microsoft Surface Laptop 15 and Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge offer a much larger touchpad surface. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition: Display, audio IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition’s display is good yet somewhat disappointing. Many recent Lenovo laptops use OLED touchscreens that offer excellent color performance and class-leading contrast. However, this laptop has an IPS display panel, which, though attractive, can’t match the quality of OLED. Starting with the positives, the display is extremely sharp, with a resolution of 2880 x 1800. With a 15.3-inch screen, this translates to approximately 221 pixels per inch (PPI). It also supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and includes variable refresh rate, which can reduce power consumption or provide smoother frame pacing in games. Finally, it’s a multi-touch display and provides smooth, responsive input. However, the screen has limitations typical of IPS-LCD panels. It can’t achieve deep, inky blacks in dark scenes, which results in “IPS glow,” a problem where dark areas of the screen appear gray and seem to shimmer or glow. This isn’t readily noticeable in a well-lit room, but if you watch a movie in a dimly lit room, it becomes apparent. Also, while the display’s color performance provides a vibrant and punchy image, it still falls short of OLED. It’s not an issue in most situations, but if you’re interested in photo editing or digital art, you might miss the wider color gamut an OLED panel can offer. The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition’s speakers, on the other hand, are truly fantastic. They provide strong, crisp audio with excellent bass. Yet, despite that, they largely avoid the distorted, muddy sound most laptops speakers suffer at higher volumes. The bass is so strong, in fact, that it causes a noticeable vibrant across the touchpad and keyboard, which might be distracting if you’re typing while listening to tunes. As an added bonus, the speakers are upwards-firing, so the surface the laptop is placed on doesn’t drastically change the laptop’s audio presentation. The Yoga Slim 7i’s audio quality is top-notch for a Windows laptop and good enough that less critical listeners will hear no reason to use external speakers.  Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition comes with a 1080p webcam that provides crisp and colorful video for Zoom calls and other casual uses. As with most laptop webcams, the image can look a bit grainy, and it may struggle with exposure in rooms with mixed lighting.  Lenovo includes an electronic privacy shutter which is activated by a switch on the side of the laptop. The privacy shutter doesn’t disable the microphone, however. That’s also true for other privacy shutters (phyiscal or electronic), but something to keep in mind. The microphone is good, though not exceptional. It captured my voice clearly, even when I spoke softly, and did a decent job of filtering out low-volume background noise. However, it still had the slightly hollow, distant sound typical of laptop microphones. I’d recommend it for video calls, but not for podcasting. Biometric login is available through Windows Hello facial recognition, and as usual, it works well. Once set up, the laptop unlocks almost instantly when it detects your face after the lid is opened or when resumed from sleep. A fingerprint reader is not included. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition: Connectivity IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith Slim laptops are often limited in connectivity, and the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is no exception, though it does provide a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports. Each Thunderbolt port also supports USB-C 4, DisplayPort, and Power Delivery, meaning you can use each to connect a monitor and/or charge the laptop. Connectivity options are otherwise limited, as the laptop has just one USB-A port. It’s joined by an HDMI port and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack. To be fair, the inclusion of an HDMI port is not typical for a super-thin laptop, but having only one USB-A port could be inconvenient for those who still use multiple legacy USB devices. Ethernet is also absent, though this is essentially standard for a Windows laptop in 2024 (a few gaming and enterprise-focused laptops aside). Wireless connectivity is robust, as the laptop supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 (the latest version of each standard). That means the laptop is compatible with all of the newest wireless features and supports the fastest wireless speeds available. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition: Performance The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 7 256V processor, and uses the company’s new “Lunar Lake” architecture. PC World’s Mark Hachman dove deep into the processor at launch, so I recommend his review of Lunar Lake if you want the details. In general, however, Lunar Lake is meant to deliver significant gains in power efficiency while retaining or improving CPU, GPU, and AI performance. When it comes to performance, though, the new Yoga Slim 7i isn’t much different from its predecessors.  IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith First up is PC Mark 10, a synthetic test that stands in for mixed productivity and day-to-day use. Here, the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V hit a score of 6,995 right on the nose, which is a solid result for a thin, light laptop. The Yoga Slim 7i is the second-quickest of the laptops used for comparison, all of which are models released in the last few months. Notably, the Core Ultra 7 256V scores win over AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 365 in the Asus Zenbook S 16, as well as AMD Ryzen 7 8840U in the Acer Swift Edge 16. The Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 in the HP OmniBook Ultra 14, however, rules the roost. IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith PC World is amid a transition to the latest version of Cinebench R24, which means the number of results we have for comparison is more limited. What’s available, though, puts the Yoga Slim 7i in a less favorable light. Its multi-threaded score of 600 virtually tied to the Core Ultra 7 155H in the Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9, and way behind the HP and Samsung laptops with AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, respectively.  This isn’t necessarily a surprise, however. This is a multi-threaded test, and Intel is behind on thread count. The Intel Core Ultra 7 256V has eight cores, which is a modest count in 2024, and they’re split evenly between “performance” and “efficient” cores. AMD’s latest Ryzen AI processors take a similar approach, but tend to include more “efficient” cores. The AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 375 has four “Zen” cores and eight “ZenC” cores, for a total of 12. Qualcomm, meanwhile, does not use different types of cores and offers 12 cores in total.  IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith The Yoga Slim 7i produced a better score in Handbrake 1.5.1, where it managed to beat all comers besides the HP Omnibook Ultra 14 with AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 which, as in other tests, displayed a significant lead. With the HP removed from consideration, though, the Yoga Slim 7 looks to edge out a wide range of comparable Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm hardware. IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith Our review of Lunar Lake showed it can provide a significant leap in integrated graphics performance. The Yoga Slim 7i doesn’t deliver the full potential our Lunar Lake review found possible, but it’s still quite good.  The Yoga Slim 7i achieved a solid but not impressive 3DMark Time Spy score of 3677, as well as a strong score of 31,682 in the less demanding 3DMark Night Raid benchmark. Both scores are solid results for integrated graphics, falling behind only the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 with AMD Radeon 890M graphics. In general, the Yoga Slim 7i can deliver acceptable performance in less demanding 3D games, and can play most modern titles at sub-native resolutions and detail settings. It’s definitely not ideal for games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Space Marine 2, but it’s passable if you’re okay playing at a low resolution, low detail settings, and with drops below 30 FPS. On the whole, the Yoga Slim 7i’s performance results are good for this class of laptop. It’s bit quicker than competitive laptops in some benchmarks, such as PCMark 10 and Handbrake, but falls behind in others, like Cinebench. Intel’s Arc 140V also does well, providing competent IGP performance despite the laptop’s thin size. Finally, I noticed that the Yoga Slim 7i wasn’t unusually loud or warm in my testing. I had quite the opposite experience with Asus’ Zenbook S 16, a 16-inch laptop of comparable size and weight. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition: Battery life Battery life is always important for a slim, portable laptop, but it’s especially important for the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition. The new Intel processor promises better efficiency which, in theory, could close the gap between Intel’s Core Ultra line and Qualcomm’s new, power-sipping Snapdragon X chips. The Yoga Slim 7i is able to close the gap, though it doesn’t come out the victor. IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith IDG / Matthew Smith The Yoga Slim 7i endured our battery test, which loops a 4K file of the short film Tears of Steel, for 16 hours and 45 minutes. That’s not a record-setting result, but it’s quite good, and indicates the laptop should have more than enough battery life for an eight-hour workday—provided your work doesn’t include especially demanding apps, of course.  Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition: Conclusion The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is another solid addition in Lenovo’s generally strong line-up of mid-range and premium Windows PCs. It suffers a few flaws, like a relatively small touchpad and a mediocre display, but makes up for its shortcomings with attractive design, a great keyboard, and class-leading speakers. Intel’s new “Lunar Lake” Core Ultra 7 256V, meanwhile, delivers a respectable performance uplift over prior Intel laptops, packs a great IGP, and brings battery life into competition with Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops. That makes the Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition an excellent choice if you want a thin, portable Windows laptop that’s still versatile enough to handle productivity and entertainment with equal ease. Read...

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