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| The new IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra switches to Intel's Wildcat Lake platform. |
Lenovo has quietly added another 14-inch laptop to its growing IdeaPad Slim 5 family. Unveiled at the start of October, the IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra 14IWC11 arrives just seven months after Lenovo introduced the similarly named IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra 14ILL11, which currently sells for around $1,199 on Amazon. The new model is already available in Europe, as well as parts of East Asia and Southeast Asia. Lenovo has also marked it as “coming soon” for Australia and Malaysia, among other markets. However, the company’s PSREF website indicates that the IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra 14IWC11 is not coming to North America.
Specs and performance: A small gap between Intel Core options
As expected, the IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra 14IWC11 can be configured with the Intel Core 5 315, Core 5 320, or Core 7 350. Buyers can also choose between 8 GB and 16 GB of LPDDR5X-7467 RAM. According to benchmarks, there is only about a 5% performance gap between these three processors. Even that difference can largely be attributed to clock speeds, with the Core 7 350 peaking slightly higher than the Core 5 315 and Core 5 320 on both its E-cores and P-cores. In other words, most users are unlikely to notice a dramatic real-world difference between the entry-level and mid-range chips.
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| The IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra 14IWC11 can be configured in a variety of colours in some markets. |
Display options: OLED or higher-resolution IPS
The display situation is a little more complicated. Lenovo’s 500-nit, 60 Hz IPS option is missing for now. Instead, buyers can choose between a 1200p, 60 Hz OLED panel with 300 nits of peak brightness or a 1600p, 120 Hz IPS panel with 400 nits of peak brightness. The OLED option should appeal to anyone who prioritizes contrast, deep blacks, and vibrant colors, while the higher-resolution IPS panel offers a sharper image and a smoother 120 Hz refresh rate. Neither option is a direct replacement for the missing 500-nit IPS display, so buyers will need to decide which trade-off matters more to them.
Battery life: The new model’s biggest advantage
Battery life may be the IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra 14IWC11’s strongest selling point. Its 65 Wh battery is said to last over 30 hours during 1080p local video playback at 150 nits with the OLED display, and 26.1 hours with the IPS alternative. As previously discussed, those runtimes give the new model up to a 54% battery life advantage over the IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra 14ILL11. That is a significant jump for anyone who spends long hours away from a charger. The older 14ILL11 still outperforms the new 14IWC11 in benchmarks, though, so the two laptops ultimately trade blows depending on whether you value raw performance or endurance.
For buyers comparing the two generations, Lenovo’s official product page offers the full spec sheet and regional availability details. LaptopsCheck has also published a detailed breakdown of how the new model compares with its predecessor. And if you are considering the previous-generation IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra 14ILL11 instead, you can check its current Amazon listing here.
Pricing and availability
The IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra 14IWC11 starts at HKD 8,639 in Hong Kong and SGD 1,460, or roughly $1,139, in Singapore. Meanwhile, the same laptop retails for £910 in the UK and between €1,059 and €1,090 in the Eurozone. Lenovo’s website has more details about its latest 14-inch laptop, including configuration options and regional rollouts.
For now, the IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra 14IWC11 looks like a battery-focused refresh rather than a dramatic performance upgrade. Its Intel Core 5 and Core 7 options should be more than enough for everyday productivity, while the OLED and high-refresh IPS displays give buyers some flexibility. The lack of a North American release will disappoint some shoppers, but for customers in Europe and parts of Asia, the new IdeaPad Slim 5 Ultra is already shaping up to be a compelling ultraportable—especially for anyone who cares more about battery life than benchmark bragging rights.
