Technologies
Lenovo Slim Pro 7 Review: Portable Power for Content Creators
The 14.5-inch Slim Pro 7 is the rare content-creation laptop that serves up Nvidia RTX graphics in a compact package.
Like
- Unusual combination of power and portability
- Sharp, fast display
- Rugged chassis
- Long-running battery
Don’t like
- Drab exterior
- Limited storage space
- «Clacky» touchpad
Geared toward content creators whose work has them on the go, the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 offers an uncommon combination of power and portability. It’s built around a 14.5-inch, 90Hz display and powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 and entry-level Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 discrete graphics. Content creation laptops usually pair a dedicated GPU with a larger 16- or 17-inch display that provides a larger canvas on which to work at the expense of travel ease. With a 14.5-inch display and thin, compact chassis, the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 weighs only 3.5 pounds and makes a better travel companion than a full-size mobile content creation station.
And while the display may be smaller than the usual, it’s fine and fast with a 2.5K resolution that’s finer than the usual full-HD resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate that’s faster than the typical 60Hz panel. Add in long battery life and a rugged chassis, and the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 makes a compelling case for wandering content creators or part-time gamers. The laptop’s pedestrian looks, however, may underwhelm graphics pros with an eye for style.
Lenovo Slim Pro 7
| Price as reviewed | $1,200 |
|---|---|
| Display size/resolution | 14.5-inch 2,560 x 1,600 90Hz IPS Touch Display |
| CPU | 3.2GHz AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS |
| Memory | 16GB DDR5 6,400MHz |
| Graphics | 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 |
| Storage | 512 GB PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 6E* 802.11AX (2 x 2) Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Operating system | Window 11 Home 22H2 |
Lenovo makes only one model of the Lenovo Slim Pro 7, and it’s not customizable. It’s available direct from Lenovo and also at Best Buy for $1,200 and, at the moment, it’s only $900. It features a 14.5-inch display powered by AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, 16GB of RAM and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics. It also supplies a 512GB SSD. The 14.5-inch, 16:10 display features a 2.5K resolution (2,560×1,600 pixels), a 90Hz refresh rate and touch support. The Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU is a member of AMD’s latest Ryzen 7 7000 series and has eight cores, 16 threads and a base frequency of 3.2GHz. The RTX 3050 is the entry-level GPU in Nvidia’s previous RTX 30 series.
In lab testing, the Slim Pro 7 proved itself to be a strong performer and long runner. Along with the AMD-based HP Dragonfly Pro, it trailed the two Intel-based laptops, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 and Dell XPS 15, on the PCMark and Geekbench tests, but the AMD pair was able to flip the script on Cinebench. Although the Slim Pro 7 isn’t designed to be a gaming laptop, we ran our 3D graphics and gaming benchmarks to see what the RTX 3050 could handle. And it performed admirably on these tests, keeping pace and in some instances outpacing the Asus and Dell laptops that feature RTX 3050 Ti graphics. And the Slim Pro 7 was the runaway winner on our battery life test, easily outpacing the others here with a running time of more than 12 hours on our demanding online streaming battery drain test.
Dull gray but rugged chassis
The Slim Pro 7 has an all-aluminum chassis with a staid, all-business look. It’s entirely a dark gray color that Lenovo calls Storm Gray. The lid is dark gray, the keyboard deck is gray, the keys are dark gray and the bottom panel is dark gray. That’s a lot of a rather dull, dark gray. We’ve asked laptop makers in the past why color options regularly lean toward drab in the US and the standard answer is, «Other colors don’t sell well.» And this dark gray is the result.
The only accents are small silver Lenovo badges on the left edge of the keyboard deck and the left edge of the lid. It lacks the style of the HP Dragonfly Pro, which features a gorgeous, minimalistic design with a matte-black finish and gently rounded edges.
What the Slim Pro 7 lacks in looks, it makes up for in ruggedness. The chassis feels very firm and has passed MIL-STD 810H tests, proving an ability to withstand drops, vibration, shock, dust, altitude and extreme temperatures. The military-grade ruggedness doesn’t turn the Slim Pro 7 into a hulking laptop, though. It measures a trim 12.8 inches wide by 8.9 inches deep and is only 0.6-inch thick. It weighs 3.56 pounds, which is basically the same as the 3.52-pound MacBook Pro 14 and slightly heavier than the 14-inch HP Dragonfly Pro which weighs 3.42 pounds.
The display hinge is stellar. It might seem odd to praise a hinge, but it runs nearly the width of the laptop and holds the display firmly in place while also gliding smoothly when you open and close the lid. And the lid is easy to open, thanks to the notch that gently juts out from the center of the top edge of the display.
The keyboard feels roomy and comfortable with snappy feedback for fast and accurate typing. The touchpad, however, sounds a bit «clacky.» It offers a bit too much travel and emits a louder-than-usual sound when clicked. The keyboard offers two-level backlighting, and there’s also an Auto setting that turns on the backlighting when conditions darken.
The keyboard lacks a fingerprint reader, but the webcam is an IR camera that lets you skip entering a password and log in using facial recognition. The camera also has a 1080p sensor that creates better-balanced images with less grainy noise than previous-generation 720p webcams. And when you aren’t video conferencing, you can flip the kill switch on the laptop’s right edge to kill the power to the camera to protect your privacy.
A fine display
The 14.5-inch display’s 2.5K resolution sits at the midway point between the 14-inch HP Dragonfly Pro’s Full HD (1,920×1,200-pixel) panel and the 14-inch MacBook Pro’s Liquid Retina XRD display that has a 3,024×1,964-pixel resolution. Having just reviewed the Dragonfly Pro and using the 14-inch MacBook Pro as my everyday laptop, I can state with authority that the Slim Pro 7’s display is closer to that of the MacBook Pro than Dragonfly Pro. Text looks crisp and inky black as it does on the MacBook Pro, with none of the blurriness I saw with text on the Dragonfly Pro. The Slim Pro 7 is the least bright, however, of this trio. It’s rated for 350 nits of brightness, and I measured a peak brightness of 375 nits with a lux meter. The Dragonfly Pro is rated for 400 nits and hit 450 nits in my testing, while the MacBook Pro hits a peak of 500 nits.
Video editors will appreciate the panel’s 90Hz refresh rate, which is 50% faster than the typical 60Hz panel. I was unable to detect smoother movement in watching videos, but video pros ought to notice a difference when engaged in their detailed editing work.
Video editors may not appreciate the Slim Pro 7’s 512GB SSD, which could quickly reach full capacity if you are working with large video files. Even an option to upgrade the SSD to a larger size would be useful, but Lenovo offers only one model of the Slim Pro 7, and it’s a fixed configuration.
Narrow speaker grilles flank the keyboard, and behind each one is not one but two speakers. The Slim Pro 7’s audio output is fuller than that of typical laptop stereo sound. Music playback lacks bass, but the four speakers produce enough oomph to fill a small room.
The Slim Pro 7 features a pair of USB-C ports — one USB 3.2 Gen 2 port with 20Gbps speed and a faster 40Gbps USB 4 connection — along with a USB Type-A port on the right side to connect a mouse or an older USB peripheral. You also get an HDMI port and a headphone jack but no Ethernet jack, which would be handy for uploading large photo and video files.
If the staid design and smallish SSD don’t trip you up, there’s a lot to like about the rugged and compact Lenovo Slim Pro 7, especially when it’s on sale with a hefty $300 discount. It’s a rarity among content creation laptops in packaging RTX graphics in a laptop that’s smaller than 15 inches; most at this size are for gaming. What you sacrifice in screen real estate with the 14.5-inch display you gain in portability with a 3.5-pound travel companion. And stepping down in display size doesn’t also step you down to a full-HD resolution — the display’s 2.5K resolution looks incredibly sharp across the 14.5-inch panel. The Slim Pro 7’s long battery life also extends its portability — this is a laptop that will likely get you through the workday on a single charge.
How we test computers
The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computer-like devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device’s aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments.
The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we’re currently running on every compatible computer include: Primate Labs Geekbench 5, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra.
A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found in our How We Test Computers page.
Geekbench 5 (multicore)
Cinebench R23 (multicore)
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
PCMark 10 Pro
Guardians of the Galaxy (High @1920×1080)
The Riftbreaker GPU @1920×1080
Online streaming battery drain test
System configurations
| Lenovo Slim Pro 7 (14ARP8) | Microsoft Windows 11 Home; 3.2GHz AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS with Radeon Graphics; 16GB DDR5 6,400MHz RAM; 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050; 512GB SSD |
|---|---|
| HP Dragonfly Pro | Microsoft Windows 11 Home; 2.7GHz AMD Ryzen 7 7736U with Radeon Graphics; 16GB DDR5 6,400MHz RAM;512MB AMD Graphics; 512GB SSD |
| Asus ROG Flow Z13 | Microsoft Windows 11 Home; 2.5GHz Intel Core i9-12900H; 16GB DDR5 6,400MHz; RAM 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti; 1TB SSD |
| Dell XPS 15 9520 | Microsoft Windows 11 Home; 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-12700H; 16GB DDR5 4,800MHz RAM; 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050Ti; 512GB SSD |
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for July 21, #771
Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for July 21, #771.
Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Hey, Seinfeld fans, today’s NYT Connections puzzle is right up your alley. That makes the blue category fun, but that purple category got me, as always. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Top it off.
Green group hint: Liquid can change forms.
Blue group hint: Big salad, puffy shirt.
Purple group hint: A certain symbol.
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Additional perk.
Green group: Phase transitions for liquids.
Blue group: Concepts from «Seinfeld.»
Purple group: What ‘ can indicate.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is additional perk. The four answers are bonus, extra, gravy and icing.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is phase transitions for liquids. The four answers are condensation, freezing, melting and vaporization.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is concepts from «Seinfeld.» The four answers are Festivus, regifting, shrinkage and yada yada.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is what ‘ can indicate. The four answers are contraction, foot, possessive and quote.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 21, #301
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 21, No. 301.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Golf knowledge is a weak point for me, so I struggled a little with today’s Connections: Sports Edition. It’s nice to see an appearance from one of the best team names in minor league ball. Hello, Yard Goats fans. Stuck? Check out our hints and get the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Don’t skip this step.
Green group hint: Par for the course.
Blue group hint: Constitution state.
Purple group hint: Not bored.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Get ready for a game.
Green group: Golf wedges.
Blue group: Connecticut teams.
Purple group: _____ board.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is get ready for a game. The four answers are get loose, prepare, stretch and warm up.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is golf wedges. The four answers are gap, lob, pitching and sand.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Connecticut teams. The four answers are Sun, UConn, Yale and Yard Goats.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is _____ board. The four answers are back, leader, skate and surf.
Technologies
I Tried This $40 Smartwatch: It Was Meh, but Not a Complete Waste of Time
The WITHit Giga does the basics for a lot less, but at the expense of accuracy and attention to detail.
I wasn’t expecting much when I first strapped the WITHit Giga Smartwatch onto my wrist, and at least it delivered on that. This $40 smartwatch does the basics: shows notifications, counts your steps, tracks your heart rate (sort of) and lets you take calls from your wrist. But the execution of all these features is where it all starts to fall apart, and I found myself getting exactly what I paid for.
After spending a week testing it, I came away with this: If you just want a basic smartwatch that works with both Android and iPhone, tells the time, tracks your steps and surfaces notifications, this will get the job done, just don’t expect accuracy. But if you can stretch your budget even a little, something like the $75 Amazfit Bip 6 offers more accurate tracking, a more refined design and more reliable performance.
Design and UI: big, bulky, and basic
The WITHit Giga is about as no-frills as smartwatches come. It looks like an Apple Watch Ultra impersonator: metallic frame around a rectangular screen, rounded edges and even Apple Watch-like icons inside. But that’s where the similarities end.
If your wrist is on the smaller side like mine (I have a 6-inch wrist), brace yourself because this is going to look huge. The Giga’s 48.5mm case is overpowering, and there’s no smaller size option. On my wrist, it felt bulky and out of place, and the thick, textured silicone bands definitely didn’t help matters.
The 2.04-inch AMOLED display is decent with a 386×448 resolution, but the screen brightness isn’t adaptive. You’ll need to manually adjust it, which means it’s almost too bright at night and borderline unreadable in direct sunlight unless you increase the brightness manually.
This watch runs its own proprietary system, syncs to the WITHit app and works with both Android and iOS. You’ll get notifications, basic fitness tracking, an always-on display (which in my testing drained the battery fast) and a speaker/mic combo for answering calls.
The UI is straightforward but lacks polish. Swiping right opens your favorites and the side button lets you quickly launch a workout. Animations feel slow and longer text scrolls in awkwardly to fit the screen.
Battery life: Not bad but there’s a catch
Battery life is one of the few things that holds up well here. I got about three days of use with the raise-to-wake option, and roughly a day and a half with the always on display enabled. That’s not bad for the price, and it’s actually better than even some flagship smartwatches.
But the manual comes with a big red flag: «Avoid fast chargers» and don’t overcharge. That’s not something you want to see in 2025, especially because at this point in my smartwatch charger collection I don’t know which one is fast, and which one is not, and the vague warning makes me think it’s going to explode if I make the wrong choice. Charging from an empty battery to full takes about two hours with the included magnetic charger. But once I left it charging overnight and I approached it with terror the next morning thinking I’d broken the «don’t overcharge» rule. Luckily, I came out unscathed.
Health and fitness tracking: lower your expectations
Workout tracking and wellness is where the cracks really show. Yes, the Giga technically tracks heart rate, blood oxygen (SpO2), sleep, stress and menstrual cycles. But the accuracy is questionable at best.
During workouts, heart rate measurements were consistently off when compared to a chest strap and even other wrist-based trackers. The post workout HR average was close enough, but the metrics during the workout were noticeably off. For example, as I was sitting on my Pilates reformer (completely sedentary) starting a workout on the watch, the screen already read «100bpm», while the chest strap and Apple Watch had me at 65 bpm. This made me skeptical of even the resting heart rate readings.
Sleep tracking only works between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., meaning night shift workers or anyone with an irregular schedule (like this late-night writer) is out of luck.
Sleep stats are also confusing; instead of clear sleep stages or hours of sleep, you get odd comparisons like «fewer than 26% of people in your age group go to sleep this late.» Not exactly sure what I should do with this information.
Menstrual tracking is purely manual, based on averages, with no biological marker detection like temperature tracking. You can’t even log a period directly from the watch and have to do it from the app.
Other smartwatch features
- Calls: As long as your phone is within range, you can answer and make phone calls from the watch with its speaker and mic, but clarity is an issue.
- Texting: You can see texts from messaging apps, but you can’t reply or even send a prewritten response (when paired to an iPhone).
- Voice Assistant: Technically available, but is basically just a shortcut to activate your own phone’s assistant. You tap, and Siri or Google Assistant opens on your phone, not the watch. Not helpful.
- Quick settings: Save your recently used apps in quick settings, which actually made flipping between features like workouts and music controls more convenient — this is a win.
Should you buy it?
The WITHit Giga does the bare minimum you’d expect from a smartwatch, but at the expense of accuracy and attention to detail. For $40, it’s a functional notification mirror with step tracking, call support and a splash of health features (if you’re looking for a general overview at best).
But if you can stretch your budget, something like the $80 Amazfit Bip 6 offers far better value, accurate health tracking, cleaner UI and better battery life.
Bottom line: If you keep your expectations low, and you’re just dipping your toes in the smartwatch waters for the first time, this might suffice. Otherwise, it’s worth paying more for something that feels less like a toy and more like a tool.
