Lenovo Yoga Book 9i Review: The Right Kind of Weird

Worth When Reviewed

From $2,000

Greatest Costs Immediately: Lenovo Yoga Guide 9i

$1999.99

Lenovo has a historical past of experimental dual-screen laptops.

The present vary consists of the ThinkPad X1 Fold‘s versatile, folding OLED show and ThinkBook Plus Twist‘s has an additional e-ink display on the display. Trying additional again, 2009’s ThinkPad W700ds had a slide-out second show.

The Yoga Guide 9i builds on these concepts to ship a flexible, useful 2-in-1 that packs most show actual property right into a 13.3in chassis. It’s an enchanting system, albeit not one many individuals can purchase proper now. Right here’s our full evaluation.

Design & construct

• Distinctive dual-screen design
• Very versatile
• Premium construct

The Yoga Guide 9i’s exterior appears similar to common Yoga Slim 9i (simply Yoga 9i in North America) when unfolded, with the one exception being an eye catching blue possibility. It’s a refreshing change from the standard black, gray or silver.

A mixture of brushed aluminium and chrome edging make for a really premium appear and feel. The curvature of the system provides the system an uncommon aesthetic, but additionally makes it extra snug to carry.

As quickly as you open the Yoga Guide 9i, although, issues get a bit bizarre. Twin shows imply each the highest and backside halves of the system are screens. Each assist contact and have a shiny end, making it an actual magnet for fingerprint smudges and different dust.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Whereas tough to get used to at first, this design gives some actual perks when used as a 2-in-1.

Firstly, there’s loads of flexibility when it comes to the way in which the system is used and held. The Yoga Guide 9i’s backside half can fold 360° to be used as a normal pill, or be held like a e book with each shows in use without delay.

Different choices embrace is ‘tent’ mode, the place the underside half turns into a kickstand, or laying it flat on a desk to grow to be a big touchscreen canvas. In fact, it may be used as a daily clamshell laptop computer for those who’d desire.

After which there’s Lenovo’s celebration trick: the Yoga Guide 9i’s stand. In any other case used as a canopy for the removable keyboard and the stylus, it will probably fold right into a form that props each shows up in an open place. You then place the keyboard under each screens, providing you with a complete display space that’s bigger than a traditional 16in laptop computer.

This can be a genuinely helpful possibility for travellers, who usually have many apps open without delay however don’t need the additional dimension and weight of a much bigger laptop computer. Simply be warned: the kickstand solely works on a steady, flat floor resembling a desk or desk.

The Yoga Guide 9i’s design is actually uncommon, however it doesn’t really feel like a gimmick. Packing two touchscreens right into a 13in laptop computer makes it a compact but useful 2-in-1.

It’s supreme for engaged on paperwork, doing analysis or enhancing spreadsheets. The big shows and included stylus will attraction to digital artists, whereas it makes for an excellent digital pocket book.

Keyboard, trackpad & ports

• Irritating Bluetooth keyboard
• Annoying digital touchpad
• Solely USB-C ports

In fact, the part above misses out a key a part of the Yoga Guide 9i’s design: the keyboard and touchpad. In trade for the enticing and versatile dual-screen design, each are considerably compromised.

The bundled wi-fi keyboard connects to the system by way of Bluetooth. When used as a laptop computer, the keyboard is positioned able just under the primary show. However it may also be used on a desk, hooked up magnetically to the kickstand or shifted to the underside half of the decrease display.

Whereas the flexibleness is sweet, however the typing expertise as a daily laptop computer is awkward. The keyboard is raised noticeably above the palm relaxation floor, that means your wrists are merely left to dangle with out assist.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Whereas the keyboard is uncomfortable at instances, the touchpad is downright annoying. There’s no bodily touchpad of any description, with a digital model showing under the keyboard when in laptop computer mode.

However it’s tough to know in case your fingertip is inside the touchpad floor with out trying, as there’s no tactile suggestions. Generally, the cursor additionally ended up hidden under the keyboard or utterly unresponsive.

Nevertheless, at different instances there have been loads of unintentional presses. That included the right-click possibility, which was exhausting to manage and incessantly opened issues I didn’t ask it to.

These issues are maybe an inevitable consequence of the Yoga Guide 9i’s design, however vital to notice nonetheless. In case you plan on utilizing it primarily as a daily clamshell laptop computer, and solely often as a dual-screen pill or with pen enter, you’ll be dissatisfied by the keyboard and touchpad.

Ports are additionally very restricted, with simply three USB-C connections. All assist Thunderbolt 4 and you should utilize any of them for charging, however the lack of USB-A or devoted video output means you’ll almost certainly want an adapter or hub.

The distinctive design may also restrict entry to the USB-C ports at instances. Within the vertical dual-display mode, the place the screens are side-by-side in portrait orientation, you may’t entry at the very least one among them.

Show & audio

• Twin 13.3in OLED shows
• Nice for all sorts of content material
• Superb audio system

The Yoga Guide 9i’s twin shows are mirror photos of each other. Each are 13.3in, 2880×1800 OLED panels, and appears wonderful in all conditions.

Choosing OLED means distinction is excellent, with deep inky blacks and nice shadows. Colors are additionally very correct, with good protection of all the standard gamuts. Lenovo has gone for a vivid, hyper-saturated look right here, which ought to be to most individuals’s liking.

IDG / Matthew Smith

With round 255 pixels per inch (ppi), sharpness can be wonderful. That’s larger than Apple’s 2023 MacBook Professional, and means you’re getting near a 4K panel throughout each shows. With over 10.3 million pixels in complete, it’s truly round 2 million larger than your common 4K display.

In keeping with my measurements, the Yoga Guide 9i truly barely exceeded its promise of 400 nits of max brightness – that’s greater than sufficient for a house workplace.

Nevertheless, the shiny end of each shows means there’s loads of glare in vibrant lighting situations – together with exterior. The shows are additionally a top-tier fingerprint magnet, to allow them to get very soiled after solely a day or so of use. If travelling, ensure you pack a microfibre material.

Audio high quality is an sudden spotlight. The Yoga Guide 9i has a robust Bowers & Wilkins sound system constructed into the show hinge. It supplies loud, clear audio which is impressively balanced and gives a stunning quantity of bass.

Given the sound on many laptops is comparatively tinny, the depth and readability of the audio you get right here is refreshing. Consequently, the Yoga Guide 9i is effectively suited to music, films, and video games. It may simply fill a house workplace with sound. 

Webcam, microphones & biometrics

• Spectacular 1440p webcam
• Respectable microphones
• Face unlock works effectively

Lenovo gives one other shock win with the webcam. When utilizing as a clamshell laptop computer, it’s positioned above the highest show in its conventional place.

The 5Mp sensor is able to recording video at as much as 1440p decision and 30 fps. Even with out a lot lighting, video appears very sharp. Webcam colors are correct and effectively saturated, making the Yoga Guide 9i a fantastic possibility for video calls.

An array of noise-cancelling microphones ship audio that’s clear and crisp, however fairly tinny. Consequently, I wouldn’t suggest it for recording podcasts or making movies. However for those who simply want to leap on a video name, it’s completely tremendous.

There’s one biometric possibility, with the webcam and separate IR sensor enabling Home windows Hiya facial recognition. This supplies a fast, hands-free option to entry the system.

The Yoga Guide 9i additionally helps zero contact login and locking, which use the digicam to detect if you find yourself current on the pc. When on, these options mechanically wake the system while you sit down in entrance of it and mechanically lock it while you step away. They’re genuinely helpful, and largely correct, however will be turned off for those who’d desire. 

Specs & efficiency

• Intel Core i7-1355U and 16GB RAM
• No discrete GPU
• Respectable on a regular basis efficiency, however restricted elsewhere

The Yoga Guide 9i isn’t a very giant system, one thing that has penalties for its efficiency.

It’s powered by Intel’s Core i7-1355U processor, which gives a complete of 10 cores and most turbo enhance of 5GHz. Which may sound good, however solely two of these cores are targeted on efficiency, with the remainder primarily about effectivity.

Lenovo has additionally opted for Intel Iris Xe built-in graphics, reasonably than a discrete GPU of any type. 16GB of DDR5x RAM and a 512GB SSD are spectacular, however efficiency specs aren’t essentially the most high-end.

IDG / Matthew Smith

PCMark 10 (above) paints a disappointing image of the Yoga Guide 9i’s efficiency. Its mixed rating is decrease than many current laptops, together with the Floor Laptop computer 5, regardless of Microsoft’s system utilizing the older Intel Core i7-1255U processor. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

The modest efficiency continues in Cinebench R15 (above), the place the Yoga Guide 9i’s multi-core rating is decrease than many rivals.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Handbrake (above) is extra encouraging, however the system nonetheless lags behind many laptops of the same dimension. Clearly, the Yoga Guide 9i is tuned to focus extra on portability than efficiency.

IDG / Matthew Smith

3DMark Time Spy (above), a graphics take a look at, additionally delivers disappointing outcomes. The Yoga Guide 9i as soon as once more finds itself behind the competitors, together with laptops that additionally use Intel Iris Xe graphics.

You may improve efficiency barely by enabling the ‘Excessive Efficiency’ mode. The Cinebench R15 rating rises from 1,211 to 1,439, whereas 3DMark Time Spy improves from 1,681 to 1,289.

Nevertheless, general efficiency stays mediocre, and also you get the additional fan noise and better exterior temperatures.

The Yoga Guide 9i feels snappy in day-to-day use, however benchmarks make its limits clear. It’s not a tool for high-resolution content material creation, streaming, gaming or different demanding duties.

That shouldn’t come as an enormous shock given the dimensions of the Yoga Guide 9i, however lacklustre efficiency undoubtedly reduces its general worth. Most similarly-priced Home windows machines supply higher efficiency.

With solely USB-C ports on the system, Lenovo clearly desires you to embrace wi-fi equipment. With each Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1, that shouldn’t be a problem. Wi-Fi connectivity was dependable in my time with the system, and I had no points with Bluetooth connectivity.

Battery life

• 80Wh capability
• Respectable battery life

The Yoga Guide 9i’s dual-screen design put a pressure on the battery, which has to energy twice as many pixels as standard.

To assist with this, Lenovo has included a sizeable 80Wh cell. You may anticipate acceptable battery life, however nothing excellent.

I recorded 10 hours and 23 minutes of runtime in our commonplace 4K video playback take a look at, with the outcomes proven in minutes under. That is similar to laptops and 2-in-1s of comparable dimension and value: the Lenovo Slim 7 Professional lasted over an hour extra, however the HP Dragonfly Professional lags by a half-hour. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

Any of the three USB-C ports can be utilized for charging, making it suitable with a variety of chargers. Something 65W and above will make sure you’re not ready too lengthy.

Third-party GaN chargers that ship at the very least 65 watts will cost the laptop computer with out subject.

Worth & availability

As you may think, the Yoga Guide 9i doesn’t come low cost.

It begins at $2,000/£2,200 for an Intel Core i7-1355U processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. However for a 1TB, you’ll pay at the very least $2,100/£2,290.

The system is out there from Lenovo or Greatest Purchase within the US and Lenovo or Currys within the UK.

That makes it some of the costly 2-in-1 units you should buy. Most individuals can be higher off with the Microsoft Floor Professional 9, Samsung Galaxy Guide 3 Professional 360 or iPad Professional 12.9in, however none can match the vary of performance the Yoga Guide 9i gives.

Verdict

The Yoga Guide 9i is a profitable experiment in dual-screen PC design that raises the bar for Lenovo’s opponents.

Its slim profile, 360° hinge and enticing OLED screens are well-suited for each contact enter and use with the included stylus. This versatility is a key power, particularly when mixed with a fantastic webcam, stable microphones and spectacular audio system.

Nevertheless, the wi-fi keyboard and reliance on a digital keyboard make the Yoga Guide 9i irritating to make use of as a daily laptop computer. Its excessive price ticket nearly means most individuals can be higher off with one thing extra custom.

However for those who’re a frequent flier who’d like the flexibleness of an additional monitor, or just take pleasure in utilizing a stylus, the Yoga Guide 9i may very well be the proper of bizarre for you.

Specs

• CPU: Intel Core i7-1355U
• Reminiscence: 16GB LPDDR5
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Iris Xe
• Show: 2x 13.3-inch 2,880 x 1,800 OLED touchscreens
• Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD
• Webcam: 1440p 
• Connectivity:  3x Thunderbolt 4/USB-C
• Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1
• Biometrics: IR Digicam for Home windows Hiya facial recognition 
• Battery capability: 80Wh
• Dimensions:11.84 x 8 x .63 inches
• Weight: 3.51 kilos (1.59kg)