Review Summary
Expert Rating
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 9 is priced under Rs 70,000, is powered by the Snapdragon X Plus and has specs similar to the business-oriented Dell Latitude 5455 we reviewed earlier. To put things into perspective, from the laptops we’ve reviewed, the IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 9 competes against the Asus Vivobook 16, the Motorola MotoBook 60, and the Acer Swift Neo. But, is it a worthy contender for the mid-range thin and light laptops space? Let’s find out!
Table of Contents
Design and Build Quality
Kicking things off with the design, the laptop has a very minimal look, which is ideal for those who don’t want to attract attention. It comes in silver, a lighter shade than what you see on MacBooks, and features an all-metal chassis that gives it a sturdy build. The Lenovo logo sits in the top corner of the lid and stands out slightly.
The hinge feels strong with almost no wobble in the display. You can lift the lid with a single finger without the laptop shaking, which is a big plus. The display is non-touch but opens almost flat to 180 degrees, making it quite versatile. The two rubber feet give the illusion that the laptop is floating slightly above the table. This elevation helps airflow, especially when used on a desk. However, I wouldn’t recommend keeping it on a bed for thermal reasons unless you’re placing it on a hard surface like a tray or table.
Overall, the build feels robust with its all-metal construction. The rectangular design with smooth, rounded edges makes it comfortable to type on and easy to carry around.
Keyboard, Trackpad, and Connectivity
Next up is the keyboard. It’s not full-sized but still large enough and offers one of the best typing experiences in this segment. Ever since Lenovo acquired ThinkPad back in 2005, the brand has consistently improved its keyboard game. The keys provide a good amount of travel and feedback, making long typing sessions, whether documents or emails, comfortable. The keyboard is backlit, and you can use the Function + Spacebar shortcut to toggle it. Options include switching off the lighting, setting it to auto, or keeping it on. I mostly left it on auto and never had to worry about it again. The backlighting is decent for use in dimly lit environments. Lenovo also includes a physical shutter for the webcam, which is a nice touch, and the camera itself supports Windows Hello for quick logins.
Moving to the trackpad, it’s large, responsive, and supports multi-gesture inputs. The surface is smooth, almost as smooth as what you’d find on a MacBook. And that’s a very good thing for productivity and browsing.
As for connectivity, the left side houses two USB-C ports, an HDMI port, and a headphone/mic combo jack. On the right, you’ll find two USB-A ports and a microSD card reader. This mix of modern and legacy ports is extremely handy. In a few meetings I attended, connecting to a projector via HDMI was quick and hassle-free. The USB-A port worked seamlessly with both a mouse and a pen drive for file transfers. The microSD card slot is useful depending on your setup. Personally, I shoot photos with a camera that uses a full-size SD card, so I’d prefer that over microSD, but that’s just me. Your mileage will vary. Still, it’s refreshing not to rely on dongles for day-to-day tasks.
Display and Audio
The first thing that stands out about the display is the anti-glare layer. I often use this laptop on my desk, which has a direct light source reflecting off the screen. I’ve also used it at an airport, in a cab on the way to a meeting, and even during a recent international work trip. While outdoor visibility in harsh sunlight can be a bit challenging, the overall experience has been very good. Content on the screen remains clear and usable in most scenarios.
This is a standard 14-inch, 1200p, 60Hz panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio. That extra vertical space gives you more room for spreadsheets and documents, though it also means bigger black bars when streaming Netflix. Viewing angles are solid for work. During a team huddle around my desk to go through a presentation, everyone could see the slides.
When it comes to movies, you may miss the slightly punchier colours of a glossy display. If that’s important, Lenovo also offers this laptop in an OLED variant. While I haven’t tested it personally, the OLED model should provide richer colours and a more vibrant viewing experience. The refresh rate is capped at 60Hz, which is perfectly fine for a productivity laptop. And while display purists might wish for higher resolution than FHD+, for everyday work and media, this panel gets the job done.
As for audio, the laptop houses two top-firing speakers that sound decent. For video calls, they get loud and clear. At home, I usually kept the volume around 70% since there’s no ambient noise. In the office, I found myself using 80–100% to hear calls properly. For movies and TV shows, dialogue clarity is good, though the speakers struggle with the bangs and thuds of action sequences. Bass is lacking, and at full volume, the sound doesn’t match the clarity or fullness of MacBook (M4) speakers. Still, considering the MacBook costs ₹25,000–30,000 more, it’s high praise for the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 9 to even draw that comparison.
Performance and Battery Life
Let’s get down to the belly of the beast: the performance of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 9! Below are some synthetic benchmark results, compared against similarly priced laptops in the ₹60,000–₹70,000 range. These include the ASUS Vivobook 16 (Qualcomm Snapdragon X1), Motorola MotoBook 60 (Intel Core 5 210H), and Acer Swift Neo (Intel Core Ultra 5-115U). For context, we’ve also included the Dell Latitude 5455, which is priced higher but carries specs similar to the Lenovo on paper.
As you can see, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus powering the IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 9 really shines in battery performance. It even matches the higher-priced Dell counterpart with the same processor. In Cinebench R24 MT and ST scores, the Lenovo also performs among the best. However, it trails slightly in 3DMark Time Spy and Fire Strike Extreme compared to some peers.
| Model Number | ASUS Vivobook 16 | Lenovo Ideapad Slim 5 | Motorola MotoBook 60 | Acer Swift Neo 14 | Dell Latitude 5455 |
| Cinebench R24 MT | 733 | 741 | 555 | 289 | 672 |
| Cinebench R24 ST | 115 | 108 | 106 | 92 | 107 |
| Cinebench R23 MT | 13297 | 8011 | 9846 | 4967 | 9017 |
| Cinebench R23 ST | 1811 | 1097 | 1754 | 1545 | 1103 |
| Geek Bench 6 ST | 2650 | 2379 | 2403 | 2055 | 2422 |
| Geek Bench 6 MT | 11158 | 11511 | 9780 | 6975 | 13245 |
| Geek Bench OpenCL | 23677 | 9628 | 10223 | 12514 | 20522 |
| Geek Bench Vulcan | 26818 | 13950 | 12091 | 13284 | 28512 |
| 3DMark Time Spy Extreme | 1226 | 520 | 546 | 718 | 945 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 2639 | 1068 | 1174 | 1652 | NA |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra | 1509 | 916 | 821 | 861 | 1590 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme | 2698 | 1755 | 1616 | 1676 | 2902 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | 5290 | 3641 | 3383 | 3520 | 5833 |
| 3DMark Night Raid | 21717 | 16859 | 14047 | 14222 | 25118 |
| Battery Runtime (Hr:Min) | 8:02 | 14:25 | 8:14 | 6:43 | 14:37 |
Of course, you aren't buying this laptop just for benchmarks. In real-world use, the experience is excellent. I could comfortably get through a 9-hour workday and still have 15–20% battery left, depending on workload. My usage included nearly an hour of video calls, some Netflix streaming during lunch, presentations, Excel sheets, writing this review, handling emails, and running Google Meet calls—all while keeping around 40 Chrome tabs open.
One recommendation: when plugged in, set the power mode to Best performance. On battery, stick to Balanced or Performance, depending on your workload. This helps optimise both performance and longevity. I even managed a bit of light gaming on this laptop. Just don't expect it to handle the latest AAA titles.
Verdict
Qualcomm-powered laptops still aren't perfect. Windows on ARM continues to have a few rough edges, and gaming support remains limited. The library of natively supported apps is smaller than on x86, though it's steadily improving. That said, for less than ₹70,000, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 9 is a strong contender thanks to its smooth day-to-day performance, sturdy build, and impressive battery life. If display quality matters most, there's also an OLED variant worth considering for richer colours and better visuals.
However, Intel-powered rivals in the same price bracket bring their own strengths, sometimes matching performance and offering specific advantages depending on your use case. Where this laptop stands out is in the experience: the keyboard is excellent for long typing sessions, the audio is serviceable for calls and casual entertainment, and the overall package delivers solid value for money. For productivity-focused users who prioritise efficiency and endurance, the Slim 5x Gen 9 is an easy recommendation.
Editor's Rating: 8 / 10
Pros:
- Strong battery life for work
- Comfortable, backlit keyboard
- Sturdy all-metal build
- Smooth performance for the price
Cons:
- Windows on ARM still isn't perfect
- Average IPS display