Lenovo Yoga Book 9i review: The world isn’t ready for dual-screen laptops, but Lenovo is

Once in a while, a tool comes alongside and challenges you to contemplate the viability of a wholly new product class. That’s exactly what Lenovo is doing with the Yoga Book 9i. By changing the normal bodily keyboard with a second show, the corporate is rethinking what a laptop computer can do. In tight confines, you possibly can depend on a digital keyboard or an included magnetic various. However when house isn’t a priority, you possibly can prop the entire system up on its customized folding cowl to create an interesting dual-screen workspace. It’s like a miniature all-in-one PC that’s extremely straightforward to hold round. And whereas its software program nonetheless wants work and it prices twice as a lot as a regular clamshell, the Yoga E-book 9i is proof that this new kind issue is value exploring.

Design and shows

There’s a profound magnificence to the Yoga E-book 9i’s design. Although the laptop computer’s backside half is a bit thicker than the highest, it appears like Lenovo has boiled the machine all the way down to its most simple parts: two halves (on this case, screens) joined by a hinge within the center. The twin 13.3-inch shows (2,880 x 1,800) look nice too, boasting OLED panels with wealthy colours and a examined brightness simply shy of 400 nits.

Across the outdoors, the Yoga E-book encompasses a polished metallic body with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, which is sweet to see on a system this measurement. Sadly for followers of wired audio, you don’t get a 3.5mm audio jack. Fortunately, Lenovo’s 5-megapixel IR webcam is sharper than what you get on most competing units, and holding every little thing collectively is the corporate’s signature speaker bar hinge, which is impressively loud and punchy. All advised, regardless of being barely heavier than a typical 13-inch ultraportable as a consequence of that second layer of glass, it’s nonetheless very straightforward to hold round.

The remaining items of the Yoga E-book 9i’s package are its equipment, which embrace a stylus, a indifferent magnetic bodily keyboard, a folding kickstand cowl and even a smooth journey mouse. The keyboard communicates through Bluetooth and has its personal USB-C port for charging. Regardless of its measurement, it doesn’t really feel cramped and gives extra key journey than you would possibly anticipate. Throughout transport, the duvet wraps across the keyboard to maintain it protected, whereas Lenovo’s Digital Pen 3 will be stashed within the hooked up loop. 

The mouse is the odd one out as a result of whereas it is a helpful inclusion, it’s additionally slightly fundamental (its solely noteworthy attribute is having a toggle on the underside for rapidly switching between two paired units). Plus, it would not connect to the remainder of the system in any approach. Nonetheless, what you possibly can create while you put these items collectively is when issues get actually attention-grabbing.

A dual-mode machine

In clamshell mode, the Yoga E-book 9i seems and features like a daily laptop computer. However after all, it’s lacking a discrete keyboard and touchpad, so what do you do while you want them? That’s straightforward, you simply faucet eight fingers on the underside panel and immediately you get digital stand-ins. And for instances while you solely have to mouse round, you should utilize a three-finger faucet as an alternative, which summons a floating touchpad that leaves room for Lenovo’s widgets (climate, information, et cetera.) or anything you’d wish to put down there.

Surprisingly, typing on a touchscreen isn’t as dangerous as you would possibly assume. Don’t get me mistaken, it’s nonetheless not almost as quick or correct as utilizing a bodily keyboard. But it surely’s serviceable, so long as you’re keen to make some changes. You’ll be able to’t slam your fingers down as a result of there are not any switches or precise keys with depth to cushion each strike and it’s essential to be extra conscious of when your arms begin to drift lest your sentence devolves right into a jumble. However after slightly observe, I’m capable of hit 60 to 65 phrases per minute, which is down from round 85 wpm usually. As for mousing, the tackiness of the glass means swiping round isn’t fairly as fluid both. However that’s OK, as a result of if you happen to don’t need to rely solely on a digital keyboard or touchpad, you don’t need to.

Dropping Lenovo’s keyboard on the underside display immediately converts the Yoga E-book right into a extra conventional setup. The magnets inside even assist align it correctly. From there you possibly can sort away on bodily keys if you happen to want. Simply don’t neglect to take away the accent earlier than you shut the lid.

What’s most spectacular concerning the Yoga E-book 9i’s is its means to remodel into a transportable all-in-one PC when it’s propped up on its kickstand cowl. On this mode, there are two choices for its shows: a stacked setup with one display on high of the opposite and a side-by-side association. Each configurations have their makes use of. Twin portrait-mode panels are nice for rapidly referencing supplies like spec sheets whereas writing. Alternatively, the vertically stacked orientation is great for maintaining an necessary venture open up high whereas the underside display is reserved for e-mail or messaging apps.

No matter your choice, merely being able to make use of two shows on a tool provides the Yoga E-book 9i a novel benefit over just about each regular laptop computer. Positive, you possibly can recreate an analogous state of affairs utilizing a bunch of add-ons, but it surely’s by no means going to be fairly as smooth.

Software program

The most important draw back to the Yoga E-book 9i is that whereas its {hardware} is stable, its software program is hit and miss. Lenovo makes an attempt to mitigate this with its Consumer Heart, which does an amazing job of showcasing the laptop computer’s dual-screen options and is a simple place to regulate settings like show modes, brightness and extra.

Sadly, even with the additional help, it’s clear Home windows 11 isn’t designed for laptops like this. Generally when launching full-screen apps like a recreation, the Yoga E-book will get confused and places the window on the mistaken panel. Different instances, like while you’re putting in a program or logging in, a immediate pops up that utterly disables the decrease show, which is type of annoying while you’re counting on a digital keyboard and touchpad. I can perceive that it is arduous to optimize software program while you don’t have a tool to check issues on. Besides, there’s no hiding that this creates a stilted expertise in comparison with a regular laptop computer, and if you happen to’re contemplating shopping for a Yoga E-book 9i, this can be a fact you’re going to need to dwell with (at the least for now).

Efficiency

With an Intel Core i7-155U chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, the Yoga E-book 9i can deal with most productiveness duties. Even when multitasking throughout each shows, efficiency felt comparatively snappy. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re planning on frequently doing extra demanding issues like video enhancing, you’ll most likely need a beefier machine. On our video encoding check, the laptop computer took a minute and a half to transform a one-minute film trailer from 4K to 1080p. That’s not nice when in comparison with methods with quicker chips that may carry out the identical process in 30 to 40 seconds.

Battery life

Even with a comparatively massive 80Wh battery, for a system with two screens, the Yoga E-book 9i fared higher than anticipated on our customary video rundown check. It posted a time of eight hours and 12 minutes, which is a pair hours shorter than conventional similarly-sized rivals just like the Asus ZenBook S 13 (10:39). But it surely’s longer than what you get from extra highly effective thin-and-light gaming notebooks, which regularly wrestle to get greater than 5 hours on a cost.

Wrap up

As the primary laptop computer to function two shows, the Yoga E-book 9i is a slightly divisive machine. Beginning at $2,000, not solely is it actually costly, however its efficiency can be slower than extra conventional opponents on this worth vary. Nonetheless, for folks like me who yearn for extra display actual property after they’re away from residence, Lenovo has created one thing compelling. When house is proscribed, the Yoga E-book 9i’s clamshell mode feels proper at residence on an airplane tray desk. However when it is not, it could possibly broaden into a transportable dual-screen workstation–full with all of the fixings of your desktop at residence. And when it’s essential to pack up, every little thing collapses right into a neat, semi-self-contained bundle that matches within the smallest of laptop computer luggage.

The Yoga E-book 9i is a nifty little transformer that’s extra partaking than something Michael Bay has directed within the final twenty years. With how little laptops have modified not too long ago, it feels just like the Yoga E-book has much more room to develop within the years to return. Positive, it’s nonetheless a bit awkward, however as the start line for a brand new sort of pocket book, Lenovo’s debut dual-screen convertible has me satisfied.