Lenovo ideapad Slim 5x

MANILA – The Lenovo Ideapad Slim 5x is a solidly built mid-tier laptop that can last a whole day's worth of work on a single battery charge. Powered by Qualcomm’s energy-efficient Snapdragon X Plus chipset, the Ideapad Slim 5x is ideal for freelancers or students who often need to work or study outside on extended periods, away from power outlets.

This is also a Copilot+ PC, which means it has AI features not found in older PCs.

I’ve reviewed several notebooks using next-generation mobile chips from Intel and AMD that promise to stretch battery life to over 20 hours. While the x86 processors are great for those who need specific apps that have not yet been ported to the ARM system, I’ve so far found that Snapdragon chips still have an edge over x86 chips when it comes to power efficiency.

An issue with Snapdragon laptops however is price, as you can’t seem to find them in more affordable notebooks. While no one will say that the Ideapad Slim 5x is a budget notebook, it is probably the most affordable Snapdragon-powered laptop on the market right now.

Lenovo sent us the IdeaPad Slim 5 14Q8X9 variant which has 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage which has an SRP of P71,995. However, an online PC store also currently carries it at a discounted price of P64,995.

While an SRP of P72k isn’t exactly cheap, similarly priced laptops from other brands have just 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, so this is still a good deal. Lenovo also sells a variant of the Ideapad Slim 5X with a 16GB/512GB configuration for P50,985, which is definitely a good deal for a Snapdragon notebook.

Lenovo ideapad Slim 5x

The Slim 5x features a tried and tested minimalist design–there’s no big distracting graphics on the back, just a small Lenovo logo on the side. Yes, the brushed aluminum body design has been around for ages, and while some may find the look “dated,” others may see a comforting familiar design that just works.

The laptop looks and feels solid. Lenovo says it passed 21 military durability tests (MIL-STD-810H) which means this thing can take more than handle the wear and tear from everyday use.

At 1.48 kilos (3.26 lbs), it is one of the heavier laptops in its price range, but not so heavy as to make it uncomfortable to carry– this is, after all, still categorized as a thin and light laptop. The extra weight though makes me think that this notebook is geared more for students and freelancers, and not business travelers–Lenovo after all, has the Thinkpad line for that market segment.

You can unfold the laptop with one hand–which is always a good thing. You can log in using the fingerprint reader at the bottom of the keyboard, which also works fine.

Its keyboard is comfortable to type on. While I personally prefer something that’s a bit clickier, the keys have enough resistance and give and don’t feel mushy at all. Of course, the keys have backlighting. The trackpad is also wide and responsive.

Lenovo ideapad Slim 5x

I like how the screen ratio is 16:10, which is geared more towards productivity. Personally, I prefer a 4:3 ratio, but I admit that media consumption of HD content, or even widescreen content on such a screen would not be optimal–there would be huge horizontal black bars framing the movie or film. So I guess this 16:10 is a good compromise. The OLED screen maxes out at 400 nits, which is not the brightest in its class, but is still plenty bright for most tasks.

Watching Netflix on the Ideapad Slim 5x is OK, although the speakers don’t really get that loud. I wasn’t able to try gaming on this, but a reddit user has compiled a list of games that he’s tried on another Snapdragon X Plus laptop.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SurfaceGaming/comments/1iz1vh4/review_57_games_tested_on_surface_pro_11/

Like a lot of new laptops, the Ideapad Slim 5x supports Wifi 7. It also has an array of ports:

1x USB-A (USB 5 Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 1)

1x USB-A (USB 5 Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 1), Always On

2x USB-C (USB 10 Gbps / USB 3.2 Gen 2), with USB PD 3.0 and DisplayPort™ 1.4

1x HDMI® 2.1, up to 4K/60Hz

1x Headphone/microphone combo jack (3.5mm)

1x microSD card reader

Lenovo ideapad Slim 5x

Only 1 USB-C port however can be used as a charging port. I made the mistake of plugging the charger on another port overnight, and was surprised to find that the battery level stayed the same. So be warned.

Speaking of battery, this is where the ARM chip shines. This thing just keeps going. I usually do almost all of my work online, using a Chrome browser. I normally have 30+ tabs at any given time–Docs, Calendar, Teams, several YouTube channels, a slew of news websites and social media apps, and Spotify on constant streaming. On my almost 3-year old daily driver laptop using an x86 processor, I’d be lucky to get 3-4 hours of work before needing to plug it back in. The Ideapad Slim 5x however would always get me through a whole day of work without needing to plug in.

I think a Snapdragon laptop with a 32 GB- 1 TB configuration is more than what I need. A 16 GB- 512 GB or even 256GB would work just fine for my needs, and it would be much cheaper too. But if you need the extra memory and storage, and want ARM power efficiency, then the IdeaPad Slim 5 14Q8X9 is definitely worth a look.