Thin and light for 16-inch laptop All-metal design Good performance for the price Long battery life

Dim display Dismal audio output Mushy keyboard Slow USB ports

The IdeaPad Slim 5i sits in the middle of Lenovo's IdeaPad lineup. It trades the plastic chassis you get with the budget IdeaPad Slim 3i series for an all-aluminum design, but one that lacks the rigidity and gently rounded edges of the high-end Slim 7i line. Decked out in a deep blue color, our IdeaPad Slim 5i 16 Gen 9 review unit boasts an upscale look, and it's surprisingly light for its size. It makes a good first impression, but the warm feelings I had initially for this thin-and-light midrange 16-inch laptop evaporated as soon as I powered it up.

When I plugged in the IdeaPad Slim 5i and turned it on, I was greeted with a dim image on the 16-inch display. White backgrounds were a dull gray, and colors looked muted. Pushing the brightness to its max didn't do much to improve things. I also didn't like the keyboard feel, the placement of the touchpad or the speed of the USB ports. Lenovo's own Yoga 7 16 Gen 9 is a better option if you're looking for an affordable, big-screen laptop; it offers better build quality and a brighter display for roughly the same price while also adding two-in-one functionality to the mix.