Lenovo has been building hybrid computers for years, which can be used either as a laptop or tablet. With the latest addition to the Yoga series, the versatile computer has been packaged in a really chic way for the first time. Unfortunately, the Yoga 9i still has weaknesses.
At first glance, a convertible looks like a good idea: a tablet and a laptop in just one device. But experience has shown that not many manufacturers manage to package this mixture in an appealing and meaningful way. At the new Lenovo Yoga 9i is that different: Compared to the predecessor, the Chinese manufacturer has completely revised the case and made many small adjustments. You can feel that in everyday life, because the seventh generation Yoga 9i is literally a round thing. It can be used as a notebook, tablet or simply as a stand-up display. The test shows where the device has its strengths and what is missing to make it the perfect everyday companion.
Really nice design
First things first: the Yoga 9i isn’t square, it’s round. Similar to what is known from older iPhones, such as the iPhone X, the edges of the case are rounded. The Yoga benefits from this in tablet mode in particular, since it fits more naturally in the hand. The device uses a 14-inch OLED panel, optionally with a 4K resolution (3840 x 2400 pixels). The display looks good, the colors are bright and the display is pin sharp. The maximum brightness is 400 nits, which corresponds to the performance of the current Macbook Air and is sufficient for everyday use.
Of course, the device supports touch control, since it also has to function as a tablet without input peripherals. Two pens are available for the device, but there is no way to store them on the Yoga 9i itself – the risk of loss is therefore high. As is typical for glass screens, the OLED display of the Yoga 9i is also very reflective outdoors or in direct light. Working outdoors is difficult. Tablets like the current iPad Air are slightly easier to read under the same conditions.
As you can see, you see nothing: the glass pane of the Lenovo Yoga 9i takes revenge outdoors, with backlighting (as with most laptops) not much can be seen.
© star / Christian Hensen
Lenovo sets the tone
The Lenovo 9i is hard to beat when it comes to media playback. The hinge, which enables the various modes by folding the screen, is also part of the speaker system. Together with the sound experts from Bowers & Wilkins, Lenovo installed two tweeters that, together with the two subwoofers in the bottom of the case, produce a powerful sound. The Lenovo 9i outperforms most Macbooks in this regard, and iPads even more so. Rarely has the bass been so noticeable when played back on a mobile device as with the Yoga.
The rest of the hardware is impressive and up-to-date in every respect. An energy-saving Intel Core i7 1260P is used as the processor, and the integrated Intel Iris XE graphics chip is used to calculate the graphics. Together with 16 gigabytes of RAM and a terabyte of SSD storage, this results in a laptop that can easily cope with most tasks. The device has difficulties with complex games, but the graphics performance is simply not enough. The two fans in the Yoga 9i rarely start up, but they can get annoying under high system load.
tablets or laptops
The device weighs a total of 1.4 kilograms and can therefore be used on the go without any problems. But: Conventional tablets only weigh half as much. If you mainly want to use the Yoga 9i in this mode, you might be better served with another device. The same goes for staying power. While most tablets easily get through the day, the Lenovo’s 75 Wh battery weakens after a few hours, depending on the load. The test ended after six hours of continuous display of high-resolution web videos. This is quite weak, especially since the manufacturer speaks of up to 20 hours, which the Lenovo 9i is unlikely to achieve in reality.
Simply fold the screen and the Lenovo Yoga 9i is a tablet. The keyboard is of course deactivated in this state to prevent incorrect entries.
© star / Christian Hensen
The device cuts a good figure as a computer, with a total of three USB-C ports (2x Thunderbolt 4) and one USB-A port, an adapter is not always required immediately. The trackpad is huge, and it’s easy to use. Lenovo doesn’t make any compromises when it comes to the keyboard, the keys are sufficiently sized and the typing feel is great. Only the special keys for switching between the energy-saving modes, a rather poorly functioning privacy filter, audio profiles and dark mode could have been left out by Lenovo in favor of other keys – they didn’t seem really useful in the test.
On the left side there is a USB-A port and two USB-C ports in the Thunderbolt 4 standard, the device can be supplied with power via one of the ports.
© star / Christian Hensen
A small annoyance awaits buyers after the first installation: With test versions of McAfee LiveSafe and Microsoft Office 2019, two extensive program collections are installed that shouldn’t have been installed on the device. McAfee in particular immediately attracted negative attention due to unsolicited update installations and the associated howling fans.
Conclusion: Lenovo Yoga 9i 2022
The new Lenovo Yoga 9ihas become a really nice device that is second to none, especially when it comes to playing media. The flexibility of the screen paired with the impressive sound make the device a real multimedia bulwark. The Yoga 9i is fast enough for other work, the Intel processor is convincing across the board, especially since it theoretically ensures longer battery life. The system is hardly suitable for gaming.
In terms of endurance, however, the Yoga 9i showed clear weaknesses in the test. The battery melted away mercilessly during Netflix streams or YouTube videos with a medium-high screen brightness, and more than six hours could not be achieved. However, this may also be due to the fact that programs such as McAfee stole resources in the background without being asked. Lenovo, like any other Windows laptop manufacturer, would do themselves a favor by removing the pre-installation of unwanted trial versions.
That startest device costs 1999 euros at the time of this review, the cheapest entry is 1779 euros. And that’s a problem. Because this price is really only worthwhile if a combination of tablet and laptop is explicitly desired. On their own, there are better alternatives for both tablets and notebooks, which are also significantly cheaper. However, if you really want a convertible, Lenovo offers a fairly well-rounded overall package with the seventh generation Yoga 9i, despite the mentioned weaknesses.
These are alternatives in this price range HP Specter X360 15that LG Gram 16, Samsung’s Galaxy Book2 Pro 360, Microsoft’s Surface Book 3 or that Acer Spin 5 Evo. The clever hinge design with integrated speaker is currently only offered by the Lenovo.
This article contains so-called affiliate links. Further information are available here.