This year marks the 10th anniversary of the original Yoga, the first 2-in-1 laptop that was worth a damn, and Lenovo is “celebrating” by launching three new models: the Yoga 9i, Yoga 7i, and Yoga 6.
The flagship Yoga 9i, one of the better convertible laptops released each year, received several noteworthy updates — but be warned, not all of them are welcome. I’ll cut to the chase: The convertible no longer has a stylus garage on the rear to house the included pen when you’re done sketching or taking notes. It still ships with a stylus, but if you’re as clumsy as I am, then you may as well start saving for a replacement.
It’s a risky omission considering the stylus garage was a clearcut advantage the Yoga 9i enjoyed over other convertible laptops and one that might have swayed certain users, like artists or designers, to choose it over rivals like the XPS 13 2-in-1 or Spectre x360 13.
The redesigned chassis is now more curved and the “high-gloss” rounded edges remind me of those on older pre-flat-edged iPhones. To me, the 1 kg Yoga 9i looks sleeker and more luxurious than before. I also like that it comes in a colour called Oatmeal (or you can choose Storm Grey), but that’s neither here nor there.
Beyond aesthetics, the chassis sports upgraded quad speakers tuned by luxury audio company Bowers & Wilkins. Lenovo claims the two woofers and dual tweeters on the top and sides of the soundbar hinge provide a wider frequency range for better depth, clarify, and bass. The audio quality on previous models was already good, so while I haven’t listened to music on the Yoga 9i, it should get pretty close to replacing a Bluetooth speaker.
New display options on the 14-inch Yoga 9i include a 4K OLED, 3840 x 2400 VEDA DisplayHDR 500 True Black-certified panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and an intriguing 2.8K OLED panel that could potentially conserve battery life while delivering excellent picture quality. If you want to save money and power, there is a 1920 x 1200 option.
Other changes can be found down on the keyboard, which now spans from one side of the deck to the other. On the right side is a new vertical row consisting of one-click function keys that enable background blur during video calls, performance boost, sound modes (movie, games, etc), and switching between light and dark mode in Windows 11. The fifth square isn’t really a key, but a fingerprint sensor for biometric login.
I’m glad to see that Lenovo expanded the Yoga 9i’s touchpad by 45% and included a Precision Pen 2 with tilt detection inside the box, even if it’s bound to get lost beneath couch cushions.
For performance, the Yoga 9i can be equipped with either a Core i7-1260P or a Core i5-1240P CPU with either 8GB or 16GB of DDR5 RAM and up to a 1TB SSD. Lenovo says the 1080p model lasts for 20 hours of local video playback while the 2.8K OLED and 4K OLED versions go for 14 hours and 13 hours, respectively.
The new Yoga 9i will be available in Q2 starting at $US1,399 ($1,924).
Lenovo Yoga 7i
If you don’t need the most premium convertible, the Yoga 7i slots in just below the Yoga 9i and is available in 14-inch and 16-inch models. It, too, can be equipped with up to a 2.8K OLED panel and runs on Intel’s 12th-gen P-series processors. Interestingly, the 16-inch model is available with a Core i7-12700H CPU and can be paired with upcoming Intel Arc A-series graphics.
The Yoga 7i will be available starting in Q2 at $US899 ($1,236) for the 16-inch model and $US949 ($1,305) for the 14-inch version.
Lenovo Yoga 6
Designed to be environmentally friendly, the Yoga 6 is the least expensive of the bunch and has a gorgeous Dark Teal chassis made with recycled materials. You can choose between a recycled aluminium cover or a fabric-wrapped cover made with 50% recycled plastics.
While not the new AMD 6000-series processors revealed at CES, the AMD Ryzen 5 5700U in the Yoga 6 should provide ample performance for this 13-inch device.