Lenovo Yoga 9i review: This premium 2-in-1 laptop keeps going and going

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Most of the updates Lenovo made to its flagship 2-in-1 convertible are on the within, from 11th-gen Intel Core processors and built-in Iris Xe graphics to Thunderbolt 4 assist. Outside of those upgrades and barely rounded corners, the Lenovo Yoga 9i stays just like the previous Yoga C940. That’s not essentially a nasty factor. Like the Yoga C940, the Yoga 9i delivers a skinny and light-weight but sturdy all-metal chassis, a satisfying typing expertise, and all-day battery life.

The greatest downside to the Yoga 9i is the show’s side ratio. At 16:9, it’s large with much less room from high to backside than a 16:10 show affords. More vertical area means much less scrolling via lengthy paperwork and net pages and offers extra room to work usually. And, if you transfer from laptop computer to pill mode, the 16:9 show feels awkward for anybody who has used an iPad with its boxy 4:3 display.

Luckily, the look forward to a taller display shall be a brief one. Lenovo announced at CES that the subsequent model of the Yoga 9i will characteristic a 16:10 show. As presently assembled, the Yoga 9i is a stellar 2-in-1, nevertheless it is likely to be price ready for the replace due out this spring if the thought of a taller show intrigues you.

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Lenovo Yoga 9i Specifications

Lenovo’s 14-inch Yoga 9i line begins at $1,299.99 for a configuration that options an 11th-gen Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a Full HD (1920×1280) contact show. Our take a look at system options upgrades to the CPU, RAM, and SSD. The above hyperlink will ship you to a mannequin that’s just like our take a look at configuration. The solely distinction is that it has a 1TB SSD.

• CPU: Quad-core Intel Core i7-1195G7
• Memory: 16GB
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
• Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
• Display: 14-inch, 1920×1280 IPS contact
• Webcam: 720p with bodily digital camera shutter
• Connectivity: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports, 1 x USB SuperSpeed 10Gbps Type-C port, combo audio jack
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader
• Battery capability: 60 Watt-hours
• Dimensions: 12.57 x 8.51 x 0.61 inches
• Measured weight: 3.07 kilos (laptop computer), 0.7 kilos (AC adapter)

Lenovo gives each Windows 11 Home and Pro, and our take a look at system options the previous. There’s additionally a show improve choice that we didn’t get, which trades the baseline Full HD panel rated for 400 nits of brightness for a 4K panel rated for 500 nits. The solely different improve not included on our take a look at system is a 1TB SSD. We acquired the 512GB center baby of the three solid-state storage choices.

Big sound, large show

Lenovo gives two shade choices for the Yoga 9i, considered one of which comes with a leather-based lid. If you select the Shadow Black mannequin, you’ll get the swanky leather-based cowl. We acquired the Mica choice, which is Lenovo’s identify for silver. It doesn’t characteristic the leather-based lid, sadly.

The Mica mannequin is metallic from high to backside. With the added layers wanted for the contact show and a sturdy 360-degree hinge, 2-in-1 convertibles weigh greater than a comparably sized laptop computer and the Yoga 9i is not any exception to this rule. It weighs a hair over three kilos the place many 14-inch laptops weigh nearer to 2.5 kilos. Still, the all-metal chassis feels rock-solid with no flex within the keyboard deck and little or no flex within the lid.

The lid is positioned only a bit off centered from the keyboard deck in order that when the laptop computer is closed, it overhangs off the entrance edge to create a lip that makes it simple to flip open the show. When the show is rotated all the best way round into pill mode, nevertheless, the misalignment between the lid and deck is much less interesting when gripping the system in pill mode.

One characteristic that works equally nicely in laptop computer and pill mode is what Lenovo calls the Rotating Sound Bar — a speaker cleverly constructed into the system’s 360-degree hinge that tasks sound towards you regardless of the mode (laptop computer and pill in addition to tent and presentation modes). With speaker grilles on the back and front of the sound bar, the sound is at all times transferring towards your ears.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Lenovo manages to squeeze in a pair of tweeters and two subwoofers that end in surprisingly dynamic output. Most laptops omit subwoofers and their presence might be felt with a bass response that you simply’ll actually really feel in your palms as you sort whereas listening to music. The Yoga 9i’s audio options spectacular separation between highs and mids that you simply often don’t hear in a laptop computer — a lot in order that I hope Lenovo’s concept of placing the speaker right into a laptop computer’s hinge catches on with different producers.

The FHD show appears to be like sharp throughout its 14 inches and sufficiently vibrant at its rated 400 nits of brightness. It’s so vibrant that I wouldn’t suggest the UHD 500-nit improve. I measured the FHD panel at a most brightness of 410 nits with good uniformity, so it positively lives as much as its claims. Colors appeared correct and vibrant, and the distinction was glorious with deep blacks and vibrant whites. Really, my solely grievance concerning the show is its large 16:9 side ratio.

After utilizing various laptops up to now yr with 16:10 shows, having a taller display is a significantly better match for normal use and productiveness. I’d argue that entertainment-focused laptops have the one trigger to make use of a 16:9 show, because it’s a greater match for watching films. Also, the Yoga 9i’s shiny display coating can produce distracting glare and annoying reflections, however that’s often the case with 2-in-1s and their contact panels.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The Yoga 9i options a regular 720p webcam, nevertheless it produces a remarkably well-balanced picture. Colors and pores and skin tones seemed correct and the picture was largely devoid of the graininess I often see with 720p cams. This is the uncommon occasion the place I don’t need a 1080p improve. It lacks IR functionality, however Lenovo features a fingerprint reader for biometric logins. Lastly, the webcam incorporates a bodily privateness defend to lend peace of thoughts when the digital camera is just not in use.

Snappy keyboard, skinny pen

The Yoga 9i’s keyboard is roomy and cozy however lacks the plush really feel of a ThinkPad keyboard. The keys are flat with shallow journey, offering a fast response that’s firmer than that of a ThinkPad. The solely keys which can be shortened are the up and down arrow keys. Everything else concerning the structure feels pure. You additionally get two-level keyboard backlighting, however you’ll must preserve it turned off throughout daytime since you lose the distinction between every silver key and its icon when the backlighting is on and also you aren’t typing in a darkish room.

The touchpad felt responsive with a satisfying click on, however I might’ve preferred Lenovo to make it wider to match the side ratio of the show. Or, higher but, preserve the touchpad as is and alter the show to 16:10.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The Yoga 9i features a garaged pen that hides within the upper-right nook of the laptop computer on its again edge. The pen prices in its port and incorporates a rubbery Elastometer tip that creates a little bit of friction towards the touchscreen that approximates writing on paper as a substitute of a glass floor. The pen is just too skinny and troublesome to grip, nevertheless, which prevents it from offering a pure writing and drawing expertise.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The Yoga 9i options 4 ports and so they’re all situated in a neat row on the laptop computer’s left edge. There’s a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports flanked by a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port and a combo audio jack. While having two Thunderbolt 4 ports is appreciated, I might’ve preferred to have had them cut up up with one on either side of the Yoga 9, so you would cost the system from each the left and proper facet. A quantity rocker to make use of whereas in pill mode can also be on my 2-in-1 want listing however goes lacking on the Yoga 9i.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Yoga 9i efficiency

Our Yoga 9i options the Core i7-1195G7, 16GB of RAM, built-in Intel Iris Xe graphics, and a 512GB SSD. While fashions with the Core i7-1195G7 are presently unavailable, you’ll see some with the Core i7-1185G7 chip. Both are quad-core CPUs from Intel’s 11th-gen Tiger Lake household of processors which can be practically an identical.

We in contrast the Yoga 9i towards different premium 2-in-1s. HP will get two entries within the Intel-based HP Spectre x360 14 and AMD-based HP Envy x360 15. We additionally included Dell’s premium XPS 13 2-in-1 and the midrange Dell Inspiron 14 7000 2-in-1. The former options the Core i7-1165G7 and the latter options the Ryzen 7 5700U. Rounding out the charts is a business-minded convertible from Lenovo within the type of the ThinkBook 14s Yoga primarily based on the Core i7-1165G7. Each laptop computer options built-in graphics.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Our first benchmark is PCMark 10, which measures efficiency on on a regular basis computing work together with workplace productiveness duties, net shopping, and video chats. The Yoga 9i will get off to a powerful begin with a first-place end on PCMark 10. The above 5,000 rating signifies that the Yoga 9i is greater than geared up to run Office and different productiveness apps and deal with a wide range of multitasking situations.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The Yoga 9i completed forward of the opposite Intel machines however behind each AMD programs on our HandBrake take a look at, which includes encoding a big 30GB video file. The Ryzen 7 5700U has double the processing cores and threads because the Yoga 9i’s Core i7-1195G7 chip and allowed the Dell Inspiron 14 7000 and HP Envy x360 15 to complete the take a look at in roughly half the time.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

If our HandBrake take a look at is a marathon, then Cinebench is a dash. This take a look at renders a posh 2D scene over a brief time period. More processing core and threads additionally result in higher efficiency on Cinebench and the 2 AMD programs are clearly a step or three forward of the Yoga 9i and the Intel competitors.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The Yoga 9i doesn’t supply the perfect multitasking efficiency, nevertheless it carried out admirably on our 3DMark take a look at. A primary-place end amongst a bunch of laptops with built-in graphics, nevertheless, doesn’t make it a superb match for players. Although Intel’s Iris Xe integrated graphics is surprisingly good, as our exams have proven, you’ll want a discrete GPU for those who plan to make use of your laptop computer for gaming.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

To take a look at a laptop computer’s battery life, we loop a 4K video utilizing Windows 10’s Movies & TV app with the laptop computer set to Airplane mode and earbuds plugged in. We set the display brightness at a comparatively vibrant 250 nits to 260 nits, which is an efficient brightness for watching a film in an workplace with the lights on. The Yoga 9i’s 4-cell, 60 Whr battery lasted practically 16 hours on our battery-drain take a look at, a vastly spectacular consequence and an extended runtime than different 2-in-1s we’ve reviewed.

Conclusion: Wait for the subsequent replace

The Lenovo Yoga 9i has loads going for it. It actually lives as much as its premium billing with an all-metal enclosure that’s each attractive and rock-solid. Its show is vibrant and vibrant. The progressive speaker bar pumps out spectacular sound. The keyboard is roomy and cozy. The battery runs all day and into the evening. As a pure laptop computer, it’s nice. But regardless of its many charms, I like to recommend ready a number of months for the up to date Yoga 9i to reach that can introduce a taller, 16:10 display for those who plan on utilizing your laptop computer in convertible touchscreen type.

This mannequin’s large 16:9 show feels cramped and awkward in pill mode. The taller show will allow you to view extra content material on the display with much less scrolling and supply extra room to juggle open home windows when multitasking. It also needs to really feel extra pure if you rotate the display all the best way round into pill mode. The new mannequin may also characteristic a thicker pen for a extra pure grip for drawing and scribbling. The present Yoga 9i is nice, however the subsequent model coming quickly appears to be like to be even higher.