Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga

Thanks. But damn! :/

 

Written review of the Thinkpad Yoga from MobileTechReview is up! Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga Review - Windows 8 Convertible, Ultrabook and Laptop Reviews by MobileTechReview
As always, great job Lisa!

 

Is there a model number that has the digitzer I can search for? Getting the build I want on Lenovo drives the price way above what seems to be available on amazon, bh etc...

 

As far as I'm aware, digitizer models are only available direct from Lenovo at the moment. You may get 10-15% discount by speaking to customer service.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

Can anyone in the US tell me what should be included in the box? Is the network adapter included?
Also, I ordered my TPY today. When I checked the order details, it's mentioned the battery is 8 cell. Was it the same for you guys?

 

Anyone got info about availability of 500gb HDD and i5 8gb version of the TPY?

 

Just as big_boss stated. At the moment, the only digitizer models you can purchase are the ones directly from Lenovo. I got a discounted price of 12%. But I know that code no longer works. Someone claimed to have gotten as high as a 15% discount, which is a steal. If you can get it for that low I would it.

The word/rumor is that it will be available around Jan 2014. No exact date has been mentioned. NFC will probably also be available around this time.

 

In some countries, you can already get that combo. I ordered an i5 w/8GB RAM on the 22nd November, although with SSD, but you can order it with a 500GB HDD aswell if I'm not mistaken.

Also, @benschi11, that sounds awesome. If you didn't notice it so far, you probably don't have that issue.

 

I'm talking strictly about the US market.

 

I'm having no luck with the Search Thread feature.

Correct me if I am wrong: There is an mSATA slot in the TPY that is unoccupied in many configurations?

That would be a place where you could put one of Samsung's just-announced mSATA 840 EVO SSDs with capacities up to 1 TB?

Samsung unveils mSATA version of the 840 Evo solid-state drive | Reviews - Peripherals - CNET Reviews

Kewl.

 

I think it is m2 not msata slot
RTPW1230_ThinkPad_YogaUltrabook

 

gnator is correct - this is an m.2 port, not mSATA, so, unfortunately, the new mSATA EVOs won't fit.
Furthermore, it's a SATA interface m.2 port (as opposed to PCIe), which most manufacturers don't bother supporting (Samsung makes great m.2 SSDs that can hit 1000MB/s, for example, but they are PCIe) - so you are basically limited to 16-32GB cache drives or smallish (and slow) 128GB SSD from MyDigitalSSD.

 

If anyone is waiting for the new Pro OneLink dock (like me) - here's a link with some more details/screenshots/part number & MSRP: Docks / Port Replicators > Lenovo Quick Pick

 

Why does this say there are no CRU's?

 

So, I just got my replacement unit (same as before - i7, 8GB, 256GB, digitizer, 802.11 AC)

It's in better shape - no physical defects as far as I can see (although I do need to test the keyboard apparently - as there have been some complaints here), but still it doesn't feel like a Thinkpad to me...
Perhaps I've been spoiled by my older T-series machines, but they feel like I can drop it on the floor and just pick it up and go on (and I've actually seen this happen several times - in a worst case you loose a bit of plastic here and there). TPY feels "flimsy" for the lack of a better word - for example - when I open the screen there is a seam at the top of the screen that comes apart - just because hinges provide some resistance and it's enough for the seam to open up. I think I saw several posts here that mentioned that the seam is always open on their machine - but that can be attributed to bad QC (and while I've expected better from Lenovo, I guess early production units can suffer from various defects). However, when casing flexes like this under normal operation - this is just not something that Thinkpad should do. I mean - I have a ~4 year old T400 that I wasn't too gentle with and I can't find seams on it even if I look for them specifically.

When looking for a new laptop I've rounded it up to XPS 12 and TPY, I had equally good experience with Thinkpads and Dells (in terms of build quality, resilience and support) so I've only compared them feature-wise and decided to go with TPY, but after receiving mine (and shipping it back as DOA and getting a new one and playing around with it) - well, I guess I'll keep it, but for the next round I'll probably go with Dell.

In any case, once my 500Gb EVO arrives I'll be upgrading it - if anyone's interested - tell me and I'll post some pictures of the process.

 

Actually, there is some conflicting info out there. The videos and the service manual says there are no CRUs (except for the pen), but I've also seen a support document (there was a link a couple of pages back on this thread, but I couldn't find it now) that lists HDD/SSD as "•Optional-service CRU" (as in - you can bring it in for service and ask them to replace it or do it yourself - if you like)

Edit: found this: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product-and-parts/detail.page?DocID=PD029828

 

Does your trackpad make any sound when you just tap it without pressing it down? Feels like mine vibrates a little more on the left side of the trackpad than on the right.

 

I replaced the hdd myself and many of my acquaintances whom got the machine also replaced them. It is so easy to do.

 

I've had some more time with my replacement TPY and it feels like the screen is flickering. I'm saying "feels like" because it's not consistent and I've also tried to look at it through my iPhone camera and sometimes I can see the h/v sync flicker and sometimes I cannot, but there are moments where it's definitely apparent to the naked eye. It's most visible when I wake it up from sleep - it almost looks like it takes a couple of seconds for the backlight to "warm-up" (which is weird - it's led, it doesn't warm-up).
I have disabled auto-brightness and I keep the brightness level around 50%.

Have anyone experienced something similar?

 

Got the same issue here... Hadn't noticed it in the beginning but it's definitley there now from time to time (especially after "waking" the laptop as you said). Do you also experience the "image retention" thing ("burn-in" issue) that my notebook suffers from?

Greetz

 

@rabramov & Immo63
Sad to hear of all these quality issues..
But you don't have the digitizer inaccuracy at the left and top area that is described here?
Thinkpad Yoga - Digitiser has inaccurate area - Page 6 - Lenovo Community

What is your production date on the package?

 

The "image retention" issue isn't a lenovo problem itself but rather a problem with LG panels I guess. Not sure though if also other panels are used for the TPY (samsung for example)?! Haven't heared from any other device that suffers from this issue (or people haven't noticed). It's pretty annoying when you need to work with photoshop etc.

Mine was affected by the "black hole" but this has gotten better after installing the patch and especially after installing the wacom feel driver --> Wacom Feel Driver | Wacom Americas
Still I wouldn't call the accuracy "perfect" but it is acceptable and nearly the same everywhere on the display (so no more innaccuracy on the left or at the top/bottom than anywhere else on the panel).

My device was produced on the 3rd of November btw.

 

this is the problem with the type of LED lighting method they use. Most of the ThinkPad with LED backlight has this issue. This is a design issue, which afflicts all the laptop. You will also notice flickering on grey background.

 

Good to know, thank lead_org! Still pretty annoying though ... So replacing the panel would (perhaps) fix the "ghosting" issue but not the flickering? I guess I especially noticed the flickering as I amusing a grey background all the time.. will have to change to blue now

 

Sounds like it could be a power saving thing. Have you noticed the same issue when the laptop is plugged in to an outlet?

 

Replacing the panel probably is not going to fix the ghosting. Since Ghosting problem was an issue with all the lower quality LG IPS.

 

Hi Guys,
just ordered mine (500 Gb, ram 8Gb, FHD with digitizer)
I just wanted to know how interact the m.2 cache disk with the regular hard disk.
I plan to switch HD either by an SSD or by a seagate momentus XT (hybrid 7200 RPM with flash cache).
Should I remove the m.2 cache disk ? How is the cache disk handled by windows ?

Also, I'm a little bit disappointed to see there are quality issues.. I trusted the "Thinkpad" series :/

 

The 2012 Retina MacBook Pros had this issue as well, I had to have my display replaced - the LG ones had the ghosting, the replacement Samsung displays did NOT. Of course, Apple couldn't order one specific monitor type, since they used the same part number for both manufacturers, so when someone like myself went in with the problem, it was a crap shoot whether we'd get the bad LG again or a good Samsung. I was fortunate, many people were not, and had to roll the dice more than once...

And as lmm063 said, it can be VERY annoying...

 

Other than the lenovo instructions of lifting from the back (hinges) and sliding the bottom plate forward, do you have any recommendations to ease installation?

Any tips as far as not breaking off clips would be appreciated.

 

Hey everyone. First post here.

I got my TPY today and this is my first Lenovo. I had very high expectations as my last laptop was Samsung 7 series from last year and was very disappointed at the built quality and had nothing but problems with the device from the first day. One of the highest priorities for the laptop was the quality and it would be reliable when travelling abroad on a regular basis. So Lenovo seemed like a wise pick and Yoga something interesting and different.

Been playing with this machine for an hour now and I have couple questions if someone could be kind to answer. I'm not good with computers and this is my first Windows 8.

First about the quality. The lower left corner is a bit up and its annoying. Not something I would've expected. Enough of a reason to take this back already. Anyone else have this?

Second the touchpad. I'm not sure what the right English word would be as this is not my native language but I guess something like clumsy? When tapping it (not pressing) it keeps a little sound (left and right of the touchpad). When I put my fingers on it and not press but try to move it, it moves slightly to every direction (not cool!!).Lastly and most importantly, it's not accurate at all especially when trying to stop the movement of the cursor. Is this something that's normal for Thinkpads / Thinkpad Yogas or just quality issues ?

Third thing is software based and just out of curiousity. Is it possible to scroll with the Wacom Pen and actually use the computer with it? I can just press buttons and scroll when dragging the scroll bar but would be cool to know how to scroll with the pen.

This is going back to the store tomorrow and not sure if taking money back (hope I can lol), change to a new model or just hope that I'd get a better one. Just kinda frustrated, all last 4 laptops have had quality issues and just really hoped this would've been different...

Keyboard is great though.

E: okay, so it feels like the cursor makes a little movement back when I stop moving my finger on the touchpad and this makes it feel very inaccurate. Software bug or just build quality? When using external mouse this does not happen.

 

Do you mean that the lower left corner is not attached properly? Or that it is just bent, that it sticks out a little? And is this on the display or the body of the laptop?

And someone else mentioned that the display lid was coming apart slightly. Doesn't sound like the best quality control. Think this might only be the case with early production batches?

I'd hope the build quality would be on point. Mobiletechreview seemed to have a great unit, and others have been impressed with the quality. Anyone care to chime in? This will be a big purchase for me and I want to be sure it's going to hold up. Thanks!

 

Mine just shipped, was supposed to ship tomorrow. We shall see when it gets here.

 

I received my notification and tracking as well. Can't for this to get here.

I may try to do a unboxing video depending on if I have time between finals.

 

I got my i7, 256GB SSD, 8GB ram, wacoom pen unit today. This is my first laptop, first win 8 machine and first touchscreen device ever! Keep this in mind when reading my posts. So a lot of learning to do and settings to apply and some drivers and fixes to install. I was playing with the machine so hard that I forgot to eat my dinner which was waiting on a plate :O

First impressions: Absolutely beautiful and solid device!! I was surprised how solid this machine felt like. Weight is great. The seam on top of the display is mostly fine. There is like 2-4 cm long section where it is rather loose. So when I press it with fingers it moves very little, like 0,01 mm. So very little. Nothing like those pictures posted earlier. Does that affect the use of the laptop? No! If I want to fix it, I'll apply some contact glue on the seam and it will be fine! But I think that won't be necessary.

Keyboard is fantastic! It's like a steel concrete! Good for my small fingers. And great is the backlight too! I like the touchpad. It makes nice, mechanical sound when pressed. Feels like a solid build with that sound. I prefer this without buttons. The look is very clean. I also like those two red "i-light".

Display is fantastic too!!!! So sharp and looks nice. Haven't seen any flicker. I think there's a black hole. The little that I have used the pen, it seems rather inaccurate straight from the box. I'll apply the fix and calibrate and test some more. That will be later this week.

This laptop is very silent!!! I think I heard the fan a few times and it's not loud. It keeps being silent most of the times. I'll do some stress testing and measure temps later.

This must be the best laptop on planet! It's so great, it has balls! That's how I feel after using it a few hours. I think I'll be late from work tomorrow. I would like to play with it all night

I used metro Skype for a while. Worked nicely. Camera quality is great. That's what the person I was talking with said. Installed only Office 2013 so far. Installation was very quick, just put my serial and after a few seconds it was done. I have to start learning onenote and pen usage.

I wish they had put a little better sound chip inside. This is quite obvious: I can hear some difference with music quality compared to my desktop PC with 200 € sound card. I guess it's the same with pretty much all laptops. But it's not too bad, I can enjoy my music even with the laptop.

I think this was the best choice for my first laptop. It suits my needs. FHD IPS display, solid flip design, pen, 12,5" display, silent, win 8.1 pro. All just great for me. I'll have to find a protective case for my Thinkpad. Also I have to figure out how to do SSD encryption. If you have some tips how to do all this please share it with me

 

My ESD and EDD have been pulled (from ESD of 12/13 EDD of 12/30 in AU), blank now... see if I hear back from lenovo (emailed them) - last time they took 4 days to respond... really sad their service isn't a good as what I've had from dell for all my previous lappies... not a good purchase experience so far (be it christmas time or not, they should know they get busy at xmas and allow for that!).. let's hope they pick up their game.. or moreso let's hope the pulled dates mean it's gone to shipping...!

 

I want to buy 20CD0038 model but I am not sure about its specs? Is it wireless AC or BGN? Is it the digitizer version? Does specs vary in each country?

 

I got the 20CD0038MN, that supports "IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac". I think so, in my country (Norway), they only deliver 3 different options. All with the digitizer and full HD.

 

Must be getting caught up on orders, mine shipped as well a day earlier than quoted. (to Canada).

 

I haven't got a notification yet (UK), was meant to be shipped on 9th, then pushed back to 11th. Here's hoping they ship tomorrow!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

Hey thanks for the review! It sounds really solid. Ahh... reading through this thread everyday is like torture for I probably can't order one until January. Your review helped ease my mind about the build quality.

And it's true laptops probably won't have the best sound output. You could plug in a nice pair of headphones though.

Also, you said the pen wasn't so accurate. As well as calibrating it and installing the firmware update from Lenovo, Lisa from Mobiletechreview in her video said that installing the Wacom "feel" drivers also helped improve accuracy. You could try that, as well. Please let us know if the accuracy improves!

 

"The woman's" name is Lisa.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

Yeah I actually remembered after I posted that reply.

 

Amazon.com: Blue Backlit Keyboard Protector Cover for Lenovo Thinkpad E430 E430C E435 E330 E335 S430 L330 T430U X230 W530 L430 X1 T430 T430i T430S T530: Computers & Accessories

Would this fit on the keyboard?

Actually, I guess it would be better to get a flat keyboard protector since the keyboard raises up.

 

"First impressions: Absolutely beautiful and solid device!! I was surprised how solid this machine felt like. Weight is great. The seam on top of the display is mostly fine. There is like 2-4 cm long section where it is rather loose. So when I press it with fingers it moves very little, like 0,01 mm. So very little. Nothing like those pictures posted earlier. Does that affect the use of the laptop? No! If I want to fix it, I'll apply some contact glue on the seam and it will be fine!"

Is it normal to have a $2000 Thinkpad Yoga needing some sort of glue?

 

Strange - got a "your laptop shipment has been delayed" notice yesterday and the unit shipped today! (i7-4600U, 256 GB, digitizer, 8 GB RAM, AC dual band). Can't wait for it to get here.

 

My Thinkpad Yoga is arriving on Thursday and I'm very looking forward to it.
i7-4500u, 8G, 256G with no pen.

I'm a little bit anxious for the backlight flickering thing, but I heard about PWM frequency complain on most laptop models, so, should be fine.

PWM backlight flickering does not bother you, right?

 

Haven't noticed it at all.

 

That's great to know. Thanks.

 

Where are you from and where did you order? The models available in Switzerland only have the i5/i7-4500u CPU.

 

Question for people in the UK; what time did you get your shipping confirmation? Mine is meant to be shipped today, but haven't received any confirmation yet.