The Microsoft Surface Laptop 15 and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition are both 15-inch laptops with the newest chipsets. Which one is the better choice?
When it came out earlier this year, the Surface Laptop 7th Edition was a breath of fresh air. So much so that our computing editor adopted it as his “new daily carry” after reviewing the device.
And while we still highly recommend that laptop, there’s a new challenger in town. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is one of the rare laptops comes with a 15-inch display that can match the Surface Laptop 7th Edition — and it also comes with the latest Intel chip. It’s the perfect foil to the Surface Laptop 7th Edition, and in some ways, might be an even better option.Specs and configurations
The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition starts at $1,280 for a Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 15.3-inch 2.8K IPS display (the only option). A larger 1TB SSD is a $42 upgrade, and going to a faster Core Ultra 7 258V, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD is $1,422.
By comparison, the 15-inch version of the Surface Laptop 7th Edition starts at $1,300, coming with a Snapdragon X Elite chipset, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 15.0-inch 2496 x 1664 IPS display (also the only option). You can max out a high-end configuration with 64GB of RAM and a TB of storage for $2,500. The only way to get a cheaper Surface Laptop 7th Edition is to jump down to the smaller 13-inch model, which starts at $999.
That makes the Yoga Slim 7i a lot more attractive for price-conscious buyers.Design
The Surface Laptop 7 didn’t change much from its previous generations, with just a few tweaks such as slightly thinner display bezels and corners that are more rounded. Those tweaks combine to take a very attractive, if minimalist, design and make it look slightly better. There are still four distinct colors, including Sapphire, Dune, Black, and Platinum, which compete more directly against the MacBook Air than a laptop like the Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition that comes in a single dark gray color. The Lenovo is also minimalist, with rounded bezels edges that give it a slightly softer aesthetic. They’re both good-looking laptops.
They’re both also built extremely well.
