I just tested the IdeaPad Slim 5x — and it’s my new favorite affordable laptop for work

In a world where tech prices are rising at an alarming and consistent rate, it’s really refreshing when you encounter a piece of new hardware that’s actually a great value for your money. Enter the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11.

Part of Lenovo’s new slate of laptops equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Plus chips, the IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 impresses with fast and efficient performance, a sleek touchscreen display, and a battery life that stands up to the M5 MacBook Air for just $849.99. That price point isn’t cheap per se, but compared to similarly priced competitors, this laptop nears bargain territory.

It’s not a perfect laptop, sure — you’re not going to be able to take on super-demanding video editing projects or engage in heavy gaming. Some aspects, like the device’s speaker system and built-in webcam, are also a bit of a letdown. But, if you’re just looking for a solid laptop that can tackle all the basics without any holdups, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 should definitely be on your shortlist.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 is part of Lenovo’s latest lineup of laptops equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Plus chips.
• Who is it for? For anyone who needs a productivity-based laptop but doesn’t want to shell out upwards of $1,000 for one.
• What does it cost? The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 starts at just $849 when configured with all the base specs, which is the model that we reviewed. If you want to spring for the highest possible spec configuration, you’ll pay $1,379.
• How’s the performance? The IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 is still a speedy and efficient machine thanks to its Snapdragon X2 Plus processor.
• What about the display? Albeit a little dim, the IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11’s 1200p LCD touchscreen display is really colorful and easy to use.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 review: Specs

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 review: The ups

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 impresses thanks to its fast performance, elegant design, and durable battery life.

Efficient performance and a fantastic value

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 offers great performance at an affordable price, thanks to the inclusion of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X2 Plus chip.

During my time with the Slim 5x Gen 11, I immediately noticed the laptop’s speed on productivity tasks. I used it for most of my daily work, including writing article drafts, sending emails, filling out spreadsheets, and basic web browsing. It handled all of that with ease, even while multitasking and leaving a decent number of tabs open.

Our Geekbench 6 CPU performance data shows that the Slim 5x Gen 11 can hold its own against heavy hitters like the M5 MacBook Air and Asus Zenbook A16. Single-core performance, which covers low-lift tasks like the ones I mentioned above, is solid at 3,299. That falls below the 4,191 score of the M5 Air, but is still close to the Zenbook A16’s score of 3,807.

The multi-core scoring data, which is responsible for more demanding tasks like gaming and photo/video editing, shows that the Slim 5x Gen 11 trails the competition a bit. The Slim 5x scored a 12,390, while the M5 Air and Zenbook A16 scored a 17,276 and 22,733, respectively. That’s not “bad,” but you’ll have to manage your expectations when it comes to tasks that require more processing power.

As long as you’re using the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 for the basics and not pushing it too hard, you can expect to get a really great laptop for your money. For reference, the Slim 5x starts at just $849—compared to the M5 MacBook Air’s starting price of $1,099 and the ZenBook A16’s starting price of $1,699.

Battery life that keeps up with the MacBook Air

You’re going to get a lot of mileage out of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 thanks to its impressively long battery life. During our tests, it achieved an average of 15 hours and 24 minutes on a full charge, which falls just under that of the M5 MacBook Air. The only difference is that you’re not getting an M5 MacBook Air for under $1,000.

Overall, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 is a great match for those who are always on the move and don’t have time to constantly search for an outlet to recharge their device.

A nice display for the price

The Slim 5x Gen 11’s 1200p LCD isn’t necessarily dazzling, but it gets the job done and even includes a smooth, responsive touchscreen. I ended up using this feature far more than I initially expected — it was a game-changer for scrolling through long-form articles or zipping through documents to make quick edits.

The screen is slightly dimmer than the M5 MacBook Air (476 nits) and Asus Zenbook A16 (427 nits), but it still holds its own at 385 nits. While the brightness isn’t perfectly uniform across the screen, especially in the corners, I never noticed any graininess or artifacts.

The laptop’s display is quite colorful and isn’t far off from the competition in its Delta-E results (we use this metric to measure color accuracy, and the lower the number, the better). While technically less color-accurate than the M5 MacBook Air (0.22) and Asus ZenBook A16 (0.25), its 0.31 Delta-E is still commendable. To my naked eye, at least, the Slim 5x Gen 11’s display looks really nice.

And here’s a pro tip: If you’ve got an extra $30 on hand, you can upgrade to an OLED display with higher resolution, brightness, and refresh rate (though you’ll have to give up the touchscreen). If you ask us, that’s definitely worth considering.

A simple but effective design

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 isn’t anything fancy in terms of design, but its minimalism is what makes it so great.

For a 15-inch laptop, it’s super thin and portable at just 0.61 inches, making it a solid device for travel. I also like the sleek silver finish that’s reminiscent of Apple’s MacBooks, and overall build quality that feels durable and thoughtfully constructed. The hinge on the display is very sturdy and can nearly lie flat, which works well with the touchscreen.

It has a well-sized trackpad that glides effortlessly, and while the individual key shape is not my preference, the overall typing experience is excellent thanks to its responsive keyboard, which also has really nice tactile feedback.

The Slim 5x Gen 11’s port variety is another highlight, which includes two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports (with DisplayPort), an HDMI 2.1 port, a headphone jack, and a nifty MicroSD card reader.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 review: The downs

It's hard to nitpick anything about such an affordable laptop, but there are some drawbacks worth discussing.

Performance limits

While the Slim 5x Gen 11 delivers generally solid performance, certain use cases will push this budget laptop to its limits. Don’t expect to be able to cut together a feature film in Premiere Pro or spend hours playing games on Steam. Throughout our testing, the Slim 5x Gen 11 ran into issues when taking on power-hungry tasks like these.

But, this laptop isn’t really designed for that anyway — where it aims to excel is in the basics, and it does that exceedingly well. You might still be able to get away with running photo-editing apps like Photoshop, but your mileage may vary, and you might experience slower performance at times.

As long as you’re not looking to take it to its limits, you’ll get a reliable work laptop in the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11.

Crackly speakers hurt the entertainment factor

Unfortunately, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11’s stock speakers are not great. It comes with two 2W upward-facing speakers on the sides of the keyboard, and both of them sounded pretty crackly and tinny throughout my review period.

They can definitely get pretty loud thanks to their support for Dolby Audio, but they lack the clarity and immersion you’d get with a Dolby Atmos-supported speaker system. If you’re going to use this laptop to listen to music or watch TV shows and movies, I’d say you should invest in one of the best headphones so you don't hinder your entertainment experience.

A webcam that misses the mark

Remote workers will want to note the Slim 5x Gen 11’s 1080p webcam, which was, sadly, a disappointment when I used it. No matter which video calling app I booted up, the webcam's picture quality was subpar — everything looked grainy and showed noticeable lag whenever I moved.

Is it a dealbreaker? Definitely not. But if you’re someone who’s constantly on work calls and wants to look their best, you’ll want to consider this laptop’s shortcomings in the webcam department. At least it has a built-in privacy shutter.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 review: Verdict

At just $849, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x Gen 11 is an excellent productivity laptop, especially amongst rising tech costs and shortages. It boasts impressive performance and makes great use of the Snapdragon X2 Plus chip, solidifying it as a reliable machine that nails the basics.

Aside from performance, you’ll get a device that’s built to last, not just because of its thoughtful design, but also its surprising 15.5-hour battery life that rivals big competitors like the M5 MacBook Air. The colorful touchscreen display and a diverse lineup of ports only sweeten the already great deal.

While the Slim 5x Gen 11 has a performance ceiling for gaming and video editing, casual laptop users won’t be missing out on much. As long as you can deal with a slightly subpar speaker and webcam setup, you’re looking at a fantastic work and travel laptop for the money.

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