The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x has just arrived, and it’s making a big splash as the most affordable Copilot+ PC I’ve seen yet, with a starting price of $749. It’s an ARM-based laptop powered by the new low-end Qualcomm Snapdragon X chip, giving it access to all the shiny new AI features from Microsoft.
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It also has surprisingly good build quality and design for its price, with an aluminum lid that gives it a premium feel. But is this machine a budget-friendly gem, or are its compromises too great for the asking price?
The big selling point here is the combination of price and features. Thanks to the Snapdragon hardware, you’re getting a faster CPU, faster GPU, and much longer battery life compared to its Intel-powered sibling. It also supports modern standards like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, which the Intel version lacks.
The laptop runs cooler and quieter, which is always a plus. But for its initial retail price, it’s competing with higher-end Copilot+ PCs that have been out for a while and are often on sale for a similar price. This makes the decision of whether to buy it a little more complicated.
🎨 The Compromises: Display, Speakers, and More
This laptop isn’t without its flaws, and they all seem to be concentrated on the user experience. The 15.3-inch IPS display is arguably the weakest part of the machine. At 300 nits, it’s dim and looks dull, and its 60Hz refresh rate is the bare minimum.
The speakers are also a letdown, described as quiet and ‘tinny,’ with poor audio quality. And while it has a webcam with a privacy shutter, it’s only a 720p camera, which feels outdated in 2025 when 1080p has become largely standard on new laptops. These compromises feel more justifiable at a lower price point, but at $749, they add up fast.
🔋 An Unbeatable Battery Life
Despite the compromises, there’s one area where the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x truly shines: battery life. With its 60 Watt-hour battery and power-sipping Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, it lasted an average of 982 minutes—over 16 hours—in our video playback test.
That’s nearly twice the battery life of the similar Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 with an Intel Core 5 210H processor, and a great number for a budget laptop. It’s very likely to get you through an entire workday on a single charge.
So, is it worth buying? If you can find it on a good sale, it could be an amazing deal, especially if you want an inexpensive ARM laptop with killer battery life. But if you can’t get it for a lower price, you might be better off waiting for a sale on a higher-end model with a better screen and speakers.
Works Cited
Hoffman, Chris. “Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x: Snapdragon laptops become more affordable.” PCWorld, Aug. 2025, pp. 55-62.
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