Author: Jon Martindale

How to take a screenshot on Windows 11

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The best dual-monitor wallpapers

Looking to jazz up your workspace? Download a sleek, high-quality wallpaper. However, if you’re working with dual monitors, finding the perfect wallpaper can be quite the task. Unfortunately, some configurations only let you select a single background …

The best 4K laptops for 2022

A few years ago, a 4K laptop was unheard of. But today, top manufacturers like Dell, HP, and Lenovo offer a 4K display option across their flagship devices. These upgrades carry a hefty premium, though, so knowing what the best 4K laptops are is import…

AMD Ryzen 7000: Everything we know about Zen 4 CPUs

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AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D vs. Intel Core i9-12900K

The battle for the best CPU for gaming is on. AMD’s hot new Ryzen 7 5800X3D and Intel’s Core i9-12900K are two CPUs with very different approaches to high-end gaming performance, but both are equally impressive.

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The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021

Picking the best Lenovo laptop is difficult because whichever one you choose, it won’t be perfect for everyone. With brands as unique and beloved as ThinkPad and Yoga, you’ve got a lot of choices on your hands. Do you go with the one that has the best internal hardware, the nicest display, or the greatest portability? What about the best bang for your buck?

While it’s always a good idea to check out our list of the best laptops you can buy in general, these are the best options that Lenovo has for sale.

The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9

Lenovo’s all-around best laptop

  • Elegant look and feel
  • Solid productivity performance
  • Incredibly long battery life
  • Excellent keyboard
  • Long list of business-friendly features
  • Expensive
  • A little flexible

Why you should buy this: It offers the best combination of build quality, performance, and size.

Who’s it for Anyone who wants a durable 14-inch laptop that gets the job done.

Why we chose the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9:

Lenovo continues to keep the Carbon line updated with the newest components, and this latest model is an excellent example of why. It’s a powerful 14-inch laptop that can keep up with your busy life while still saving on space with its thin, focused design. It’s incredibly well built and maintains the ThinkPad black-on-black aesthetic through and through.

The current version of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 offers a four-core, 11th-gen Intel processor, starting with an i5 model but upgradeable to an i7, plus 8GB to 16GB of RAM and 256GB to 1TB of PCIe SSD storage. You can also upgrade the screen to a UHD model if you prefer better visuals. Wi-Fi 6 is supported, and this laptop includes the latest connections like Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports for the best wired speeds you can get.

The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9

Lenovo’s all-around best laptop
The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga

A striking convertible 2-in-1 with some exotic materials

  • Attractive and innovative chassis
  • Insanely thin and light
  • Solid performance
  • Excellent battery life
  • Great display for productivity users
  • Touchpad is too small
  • Expensive

Why you should buy this: It’s Lenovo’s best convertible 2-in-1 with exotic materials and a striking design.

Who’s it for: Anyone who wants a thin and light convertible 2-in-1 with style.

Why we chose the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga:

One of the best ThinkPads we’ve seen in years, this X1 Titanium Yoga model combines many of the best aspects of Lenovo computers in one highly portable, 13.5-inch, 2-in-1 QHD (2256 x 1504 resolution) laptop. But despite the compact size, this Yoga also has plenty of power for productivity tasks, with the base model offering a low-power 11th-gen, four-core Intel i5-1130G7 processor that can be upgraded to more powerful options if necessary. The base 8GB of RAM and 256GB PCIe solid-state drive can be upgraded as well.

Since Yoga models are designed to be used on the move, it’s good to see that this model includes a Lenovo Precision Pen while also offering more traditional business laptop features like a fingerprint reader for security. Wi-Fi 6 is also supported on this new model, so you don’t have to worry about keeping up with wireless speeds.

Finally, the [ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga also offers a more affordable price than many of the models on our list, a good option for buyers who want a Lenovo laptop but don’t like the idea of spending thousands of dollars this time around.

The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga

A striking convertible 2-in-1 with some exotic materials
The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14

A sleek and comfortable convertible 2-in-1

  • Rock-solid build quality
  • Competitive productivity performance
  • Excellent battery life
  • Superior audio quality
  • Pen is included and conveniently docks
  • Keyboard remains a little shallow
  • 16:9 display is yesterday’s technology
  • Colors are a little muted and inaccurate

Why you should buy this: It offers a standout design in a comfortable convertible 2-in-1.

Who’s it for: Anyone who wants a gorgeous 2-in-1 that feels good in hand.

Why we chose the Lenovo Yoga 9i 14:

The Yoga 9i 14 Gen 7 rivals the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga in Lenovo’s convertible 2-in-1 lineup. The Yoga 9i 14 received a complete makeover in its seventh generation, gaining rounded chrome edges that not only look great but feel great in tablet mode. The build quality is excellent, and the laptop exudes an elegance that no other Lenovo laptop we’ve tested can match.

What we liked most about the Yoga 9i was its excellent productivity performance thanks to 12th-gen Intel Core CPUs, with the Core i5-1240P, Core i7-1260P, and Core i7-1280P on offer. Up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage can be configured, and there are three excellent 14-inch 16:10 display options including an optional 4K UHD+ (3840 x 2400) display.

Multimedia is also a strength thanks to the Rotating Sound Bar that surrounds the hinge and provides rich audio in every mode – clamshell, tent, media, or tablet. Our only complaint here was some distortion at maximum volume, but turning it down just a bit alleviated that concern.

The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14

A sleek and comfortable convertible 2-in-1
The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon

A fast 14-inch clamshell with a gorgeous 90Hz display

  • Thin and light
  • Attractive minimalist design
  • Gorgeous OLED display
  • Strong productivity performance
  • Excellent keyboard and touchpad
  • Lid and keyboard deck a bit flexible
  • Uses last-gen processors

Why you should buy this: Excellent performance, solid design, and a lovely 90Hz display make for a great clamshell.

Who’s it for: Anyone who wants a 14-inch laptop with impressive performance and a standout display.

Why we chose the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon:

AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800U CPU is a great performer for both productivity and low-end creative workflows, and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon makes great use of it. Its performance is near the top of the pack of thin-and-light 14-inch laptops, and while that’s going to change with the introduction of Intel’s 12th-gen processors and AMD’s Ryzen 6000, for now, it’s an accomplishment.

The IdeaPad Slim 7 is also an attractive laptop with a minimalist design, and it’s very light at 2.43 pounds and thin at 0.59 inches. It’s constructed of a magnesium-aluminum alloy, with carbon fiber in the lid, and the result is a bit of flexibility. It’s nothing egregious, however, and it’s the price you pay for using such lightweight materials.

You can configure the machine with a lovely 16:10 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED display running at 90Hz, which is unusual for OLED and makes Windows 11 buttery smooth. And you get all of this for a price that’s at the low end of premium, making it a great value along the way.

The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon

A fast 14-inch clamshell with a gorgeous 90Hz display
The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro

A larger, powerful laptop for a small price

  • Attractive price
  • Excellent productivity performance
  • Good creative performance
  • High-quality display
  • Solid build
  • A little thick
  • No Thunderbolt 4

Why you should buy this: It offers a large, 120Hz display and plenty of power at a near-budget price.

Who’s it for: Anybody who wants a larger and more powerful laptop for not a lot of money.

Why we chose the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro:

It’s not often that $1,000 will net you a 16-inch laptop with a lovely display and plenty of power, but that’s exactly what you get with the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro. It all starts with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, which as mentioned above will be challenged by Intel’s 12th-gen CPUs and AMD’s Ryzen 6000 but for now, it provides superior performance for both productivity and creative tasks.

The IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro’s value is further enhanced by the 16-inch 16:10 WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS display running at a blistering 120Hz. That enhances Windows 11’s animations and makes everything on-screen so much smoother. But that’s not all that’s great about the display. It’s also bright, offers above-average colors (although not quite what demanding creative types are looking for) and excellent contrast.

There’s not much to complain about with the IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro. It’s a well-built and speedy laptop with a great display for not a lot of money.

The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro

A larger, powerful laptop for a small price
The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook

OLED and Chrome OS make for a great budget option

  • Acceptable productivity performance
  • Very long battery life
  • Excellent display
  • Solid build quality
  • Affordable
  • Display is in the old-school 16:9 aspect ratio
  • Limited to Wi-Fi 5
  • Kickstand add-on is inconvenient

Why you should buy this: It’s a Chromebook with good performance and an OLED display at a true budget price.

Who’s it for: Any Chrome OS user who wants a superior display and solid performance.

Why we chose the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook:

You can get a lot of computer for not a lot of money by opting for a Chromebook, and for most people, Chrome OS will let them get their work done with little muss and fuss. The IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook comes in at a bargain-basement price of $500, yet offers satisfactory performance and a groundbreaking OLED display.

We’ll start with the display, which was one of the first Chromebooks to utilize an OLED panel and the first detachable tablet with OLED, period. It’s a 16:9 display, unfortunately, which has been giving way to taller 16:10 and 3:2 options, but it’s still bright and colorful with OLED’s usual inky blacks. It makes for a great tablet display even with the old-school aspect ratio.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 ARM CPU isn’t the fastest around, but it can handle Chrome OS without any hiccups. And it offers up excellent battery life in the bargain. The IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook’s kickstand add-on is a bit inconvenient and it’s limited to Wi-Fi 5, but otherwise, this Chromebook offers an incredible bargain with only a few compromises.

The Best Lenovo Laptops for 2021

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook

OLED and Chrome OS make for a great budget option

Editors’ Recommendations