Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i (14 Inch, Gen 10) Review: Hidden Webcam

God assist us, there are so, so many Lenovo Yoga laptops on the market now. There’s the Yoga 9i, the Yoga Professional 9i, the Yoga Book 9i, and now this new arrival—the Yoga Slim 9i. A lot Yoga. A lot 9i. Should you can’t hold all of them straight, take consolation in the truth that I am unable to both.

The necessity-to-know on the Slim 9i is that it’s supposed because the premiere providing in this lineup, together with a hip design, Copilot+ PC features, and a function that hides the webcam behind the LCD utilizing what’s known as camera-under-display (CUD) expertise. (This is not the primary time we have seen this—ZTE notably had a phone a number of years in the past with a equally hidden selfie digicam.)

Teal Shimmer

Earlier than I dig deeper into that digicam trick, let’s discuss the remainder of the package deal. Although it’s crafted principally from aluminum, the duvet of the 14-inch laptop computer is made out of extremely reflective shimmering glass in a hue of “Tidal Teal.” It’s eye-catching however could also be too flashy for some, which might be why glass lids went out of trend a couple of years again.

Curvy on each nook, the one sharp edges you’ll discover on the system are the place that cup lid involves an finish. And whereas this laptop computer doesn’t have a notch for its webcam, there’s a bulge on the again of the duvet the place that webcam resides. As such, it’s not a lot “underneath the show” as it’s “behind the show,” an essential distinction that creates a distinctly bulbous design conceit that you’ll seemingly both love or hate. (A privateness shutter swap is accessible on the aspect of the laptop computer.)

Lenovo has all the time been recognized for its enter expertise, and the Slim 9i 14 affords the most effective I’ve seen, that includes a spacious edge-to-edge keyboard structure and keys with wonderful responsiveness, all atop a surprisingly small trackpad. I drastically want this smaller trackpad design, however customers extra accustomed to huge ice skating rinks for his or her fingertips might discover it constraining. 5 “Fast Keys” on the fitting aspect of the keyboard provide quick access to totally different energy and audio modes, a fingerprint reader, and different extras.

{Photograph}: Christopher Null