Some of the good stuff about AMD Ryzen processors in laptops is that given the best use case, you’ll be able to get some in reality top class efficiency for a fairly reasonably priced value. Certainly, for simply over $1,200, the Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 comes with a QHD+ 120Hz show, a Ryzen 7, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD. That’s beautiful candy.

After all, Ryzen processors include vital compromises, basically that efficiency suffers considerably when now not attached to an influence supply. Additionally, it might be in reality nice to look Lenovo push the bounds of design slightly greater than it has, as its laptops really feel slightly bland.

Nonetheless, you in reality can’t beat the worth right here. For a creator laptop, it provides the issues you need, like efficiency, a super show, and extra.

About this assessment: Lenovo loaned the IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 to XDA Builders for the needs of this assessment. It had no enter into the contents of this newsletter.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 value and availability

• The Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 is simplest offered on Lenovo.com, and this type prices $1,232.

Introduced in September of 2021, the Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 has been to be had since past due final 12 months. After all, the phrase “to be had” is a difficult one right here, as a result of even whilst I’m reviewing it, you’ll be able to’t appear to shop for it.

This actual unit that Lenovo despatched me is available in at $1,232, and it’s offered on Lenovo.com, when it’s in inventory. Lenovo has showed to me that it’s now not promoting this computer thru some other distributors, so if you happen to don’t see it on Lenovo.com, there’s nowhere to get it.

Curiously, when Lenovo introduced the product, it mentioned it might get started at $1,449, so it’s promoting for lower than that.

Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 specifications

Design: The Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 is silver, and albeit bland

• The computer is available in silver, and has little to tell apart in relation to taste.
• There’s no Thunderbolt or USB4.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional is available in two colours: Cloud Gray and Hurricane Gray. Whilst the ones sound identical, each being known as Gray and named after climate, they’re now not. Cloud Gray is simply any other identify for silver, which is completely customary, whilst Hurricane Gray is extra of a gunmetal gray.

Individually, I believe the design is simply too bland. It’s silver, giant, and uninteresting. And to be truthful, there are many those that need precisely that from a computer, and I am getting it. All I’m pronouncing is that there are laptops in the marketplace that may catch some eyeballs when you’re taking them right into a Starbucks, and the IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 isn’t one in every of them.

Fabricated from all aluminum, it weighs in at simply over 4 and a part kilos. That is beautiful same old fir a system like this. In any case, it’s a 16-inch computer with a 45W processor and devoted graphics. You’ll no doubt really feel it for your bag. It’s giant too, even though that is going with out pronouncing for a 16-inch computer.

Additionally as you’d be expecting from a big product like this, there are many ports. At the left facet, you’ll discover a persistent port that appears like a USB Sort-A port, but it surely’s now not. There’s additionally HDMI 1.4b, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C, and a headphone jack. That USB port does strengthen DisplayPort 1.4, but it surely’s a disgrace that the HDMI port is 1.4b, as a result of HDMI 1.4b doesn’t strengthen a good refresh fee on 4K displays. And with out Thunderbolt or USB4, your choices are restricted with regards to output.
That’s value protecting in thoughts too. New Ryzen 6000 laptops come with USB4, which is analogous to Thunderbolt 3; previous to that, you just about get same old USB ports. In different phrase, it’s an actual shortcoming in Ryzen 5000 and previous, but it surely’s mounted in long term generations.

At the different facet, there are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Sort-A ports, so that you simplest get 5Gbps speeds, and there’s a full-size SD card reader. Individually, I’m a large fan of the full-size SD card reader, and I’m happy to look it with such a lot of firms omitting it.

In the end, the design is…effective. Not anything about it sticks out, because it’s only a bland, silver computer that’s constructed from aluminum. It’s were given the ports you wish to have, however there are some boundaries as defined above. After all, as I discussed proper out of the gate, there’s a large number of worth for the associated fee right here.

Show: The Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 has a 120Hz QHD+ display screen

• The 120Hz refresh fee makes for easy animations.
• The webcam continues to be 720p.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 has a 16-inch 16:10 QHD+ 120Hz show, so it’s beautiful excellent. It’s larger at 16 inches, and whilst it simplest sounds a bit of higher than 15.6 inches, it’s measured diagonally, and it’s 16:10 now. That implies that it’s taller and has a bigger floor space.

Individually, I believe QHD is the candy spot for answer, a minimum of generally. It doesn’t suck down persistent in the similar approach {that a} 4K show would, and on the similar time, you don’t get the pixellation that you’d on an FHD display screen. I believe maximum would agree that FHD merely isn’t sufficient pixels for a display screen this giant.
The refresh fee is 120Hz, which is good, making for easy animations. The issue is that if you happen to flip this on, it does impact battery existence. That is one thing that’s been solved in different merchandise with dynamic refresh charges, which I’d love to look within the PC house so that you don’t have to make a choice from great, easy animations and a monotonous previous 60Hz display screen.

Checking out effects are excellent, however now not nice. As you’ll be able to see, it helps 100% sRGB, which is excellent, but it surely helps 72% NTSC, 77% Adobe RGB, and 78% P3, which as I mentioned, is excellent however now not fairly as excellent as say, a Dell XPS 15.

In my checking out, brightness maxed out at 465.4 nits, which falls slightly wanting Lenovo’s promised 500 nits. Nonetheless, I in reality have to mention, I used to be inspired with the brightness in this display screen. In some lights stipulations, I discovered it uncomfortable to make use of at complete brightness, and that’s a excellent factor. This additionally makes it nice for out of doors use.

As you’d be expecting, there are slender bezels on all sizes. The opposite notch on the best properties and IR digital camera for Home windows Hi, along side a 720p webcam. Certainly, within the generation of operating from house, you’ll more than likely want you had 1080p. That is one thing I’d be expecting to look modified within the subsequent era of the product.

Keyboard: If a host pad is what you need, Lenovo has you coated

As soon as once more, Lenovo has produced a top class backlit keyboard, which is each correct and at ease to kind on. Due to the scale, it additionally has a host pad to the best of the primary QWERTY keyboard. Clearly, that is one thing that’s slightly polarizing. you both need the quantity pad otherwise you don’t, however it’s there.

The keys are shallower than what you’d get on a ThinkPad, however they’re beautiful same old for a shopper computer, which is excellent.

It comes with a Microsoft Precision touchpad, simply as you’d be expecting from any fashionable computer. That implies that it’s rapid, responsive, and helps the gestures that you simply’re used to.

Above the keyboard, you’ll to find the Dolby Atmos machine, which is composed of twin 2W audio system. They sound improbable, for the rest from calls to paying attention to song at your table.

Efficiency: AMD Ryzen 5000 is excellent when plugged in, however now not on battery existence

• As soon as once more, Ryzen efficiency suffers when the system isn’t attached to persistent.
• Battery existence at the Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 is unhealthy sufficient that you simply’ll at all times wish to deliver a charger.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 packs a Ryzen 7 H-series processor and devoted graphics within the type of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, and bearing in mind the opposite perks it has (it even comes with Home windows 11 Professional), it’s a discount at simply over $1,200. As I discussed proper out of the gate, the usage of an AMD Ruyzen processor is an effective way to ship top class efficiency at a extra cheap value level.

It simply must be plugged in. I’ll let you know presently that the PCMark 10 ranking dropped from 5,956 when it used to be plugged in, to 4,193 when it wasn’t. That’s a 29.6% drop in efficiency. Word that each exams have been serious about the facility slider set to easiest efficiency. I edited a large number of pictures in Photoshop and Lightroom, each when attached to persistent and when now not, and you’ll be able to really feel the adaptation.

Battery existence leaves a lot to be desired as neatly. I simplest were given two to a few hours out of it when the display screen used to be set to 120Hz, and when it used to be set to 60Hz, possibly I may stretch it to 4 hours, however that’s nonetheless not likely. Battery existence is just now not excellent. You can’t plan on bringing this computer any place with no need a charger with you.
However like I mentioned, when it’s plugged in, efficiency is improbable. For benchmarks, I used PCMark 10, 3DMark, Geekbench 5, and Cinebench R23. The computer used to be plugged in for all of those.

As you’ll be able to see, the benchmark ratings, when the computer is plugged in, are just about similar to Intel’s Eleventh-gen processors.

Who will have to purchase the Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16?

Clearly, the Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16 isn’t for everybody. Actually, that is aimed toward creators, or a minimum of those that want the facility of devoted graphics.

Who will have to purchase the Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16:

• Creators that wish to get so much for his or her cash
• Those that shall be attached to persistent more often than not, or a minimum of when doing power-intensive duties

Who will have to now not purchase the Lenovo IdeaPad Narrow 7 Professional 16:

• Customers which might be on battery persistent more often than not
• Creators that may manage to pay for not to make such a lot of compromises
• People who find themselves on a large number of video calls and care about webcam high quality

Right here’s the deal. For those who’re searching for a computer that’s aimed toward creators, you need to take into consideration what you need to spend. For those who’re a qualified that may manage to pay for to spend slightly extra, you will have to purchase one thing with an Intel processor. For those who’re a hobbyist or simply beginning out, AMD Ryzen might be higher for you. The massive factor to imagine is that efficiency takes just about a 30% hit whilst you’re now not attached to persistent.