Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i (15", Gen 11) review

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 Gen 11: Xe3 gaming from a budget chip

The Gen 11 15-inch Slim 3i at $900 is the budget line's first taste of Intel's Xe3 graphics — the two-core variant — and the sheet shows the generational effect clearly: a graphics score of 45.85, 68.3 percent above the general-class median of 27.24, carrying a gaming index of 75 in the high band. The Core Ultra 5 322 and 24GB of RAM frame the platform. The flagged weakness is memory (24GB against a class median of 32), and value at 33.6 sits low-band.

Where it holds up

Gaming at 75 high-band is remarkable for the money and the lineage: recommended-level clearances across Overwatch, Grand Theft Auto V and Rainbow Six Siege, plus a Visual Studio Code minimum. The office index of 65.45 reads high-band, reliability of 64 runs 18.5 percent above the median in the top quarter, and portability of 57.8 is mid-band and honest for the format. For a light-gaming budget machine, the toolset is verified and current-generation.

Where it falls short

Memory at 24GB is the flagged weakness — 25 percent below the class median — and the compute side shows the budget positioning: modeling 28 and photo design 29 both sit low-band, with CAD at 28 low as well, and the performance index of 44.54 lands mid-pack. Value at 33.6 is low-band: $900 for a two-core Xe3 part asks the buyer to fund the new graphics generation at the bottom of the stack, and the math does not hide it.

Price and depreciation

$900 is upper-budget money in this batch. The depreciation register reads zero because the 2026 cohort has no history — an empty ledger rather than a promise, leaving first-year exposure with the buyer. New-generation entry parts carry both the excitement and the risk of unmeasured age.

Alternatives to consider

The 16-inch Gen 11 (model 1843) posts the identical sheet at the same $900 with a lower portability figure (49.3). The Gen 9 siblings (model 1841) at $650 keep the older 100U platform with mid-band 64 gaming for $250 less. The Slim 5i Gen 11 (model 1848) at the same $900 adds 32GB of RAM and a top-band 86 photo figure — the stronger $900 machine.

Bottom line

Fairly priced for the class. High-band gaming on a budget line is a genuine generational win; the 24GB ceiling and low value figure are the budget's honest signature. A playful machine that knows its lane.