Lenovo Yoga 900 Review

Lenovo Yoga 900 Review by Dragnoak

Hardware/Software

Lenovo YOGA 900-13ISK
Processor Name: Intel Core-2600
CPU Brand Name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6500U CPU @ 2.50GHz (Skylake-Y)
Drive: 256 GB SSD Drive (Trusted Platform Module 2.0)
Memory: 2 X 4096 Mbytes Dual-Channel 1600 MHz SODIMM (8097 MB)
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520 (Skylake-U GT2) 3200 x 1800
WiFi: Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
Monitor: 13.3” QHD IPS LG Display LP133QD1-SPA1 (10-point touchscreen)
Battery: 66 Whr
Ports: 2xUSB Type A 3.0,1xUSB Type C 3.0 w/ video out, 1xDC-in with USB 2.0 function, 4in1 card reader (SD,MMC,SDXC,SDHC), Audio Combo Jack,
Audio: JBL Branded Speaker, 1.5W x 2, 3cc x 2 Chamber, Sound post processing –Waves; DOLBY Home Theatre certification.

OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional Build 10240

Weight: 1.29 Kg (2.84 Lbs.)
Dimensions: 324 x 225 x 14.9 mm (12.75 x 8.85 x .59 In)

I’ve named my Lenovo Yoga 900, LST2. That’s because it has 4 modes of operation, Laptop, Stand, Tent, and Tablet.


This is made possible by Lenovo’s revolutionary, award winning, Watchband Hinge.

It has 813 individual components, for a smooth transition between modes.

Back by popular demand, it has a 6 row, backlit keyboard, and a Synaptics Lenovo Pointing Device, for smooth mouse operation.



My impressions.

Display

The 13.3” QHD IPS display is stunning, with vibrant colors, and an “all angle” viewing, without any noticeable loss of brightness, or fade. The 10-point touchscreen is accurate, and very responsive in tablet mode. The device automatically switches between Laptop, and the Tablet mode depending on the physical configuration you choose. You can also lock the mode in the settings, or by a switch on the side. As with other Windows 10 installations, the scalability of information in the Control Panel, most notably in the Device Manager, tends to be somewhat blurry at the 3200 x 1800 resolution.

Wireless

The Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 gives good, and stable connections in the 2.4 GHz, or the 5.0 GHz band. I don’t have an AC router, but on my old Cisco E3200 that has both bands, I was able to maintain a solid 300 mbps in my backyard, 75 feet away from the router, through 4 walls of my house.

Keyboard/Mouse

The chicklet style keyboard is more than adequate for general use, however; due to a disability, I only use my left hand to type. I don’t know how any 2 handed, touch typist, would find this keyboard. The Lenovo Pointing Device trackpad is very configurable using the Synaptics Control Panel, under the One Finger, Multi-Finger, and Advanced settings. Two finger scrolling is smooth under the desktop applications. One caveat I noticed was under the Tablet mode, and the Settings application, the mouse trackpad scrolling does not work to advance the menu to the bottom information on those screens. You need to use the touch screen finger scrolling.

Battery

The new, upgraded 66 Whr battery is rated at “Up to 10 hours real battery life”. In my testing, I got 16 hours, using 40% screen brightness, starting out at full charge (100% battery), and ending the test at 12% remaining. I balanced the use at 50% idle time, and the other 50% doing internet surfing, and listening to music. It took 2 hours, and 25 minutes, to bring the battery up to a full charge, from the 12% remaining charge.

Boot/Performance

With the 256 GB SSD Drive, and 8 GB memory, I find the cold boot time to be 5-8 seconds. I am not a “gamer”, so I can’t give you any performance benchmarks for games, but for any other intensive applications, such as video editing, the Yoga 900 performs quite well. I’ve had multiple applications open in my taskbar, and switching between the apps, were fast, and smooth, with no delay, or stuttering.

Cooling

The cooling is handled by a new metal alloy fan. There are no intake air vents on the bottom of the chassis. All of the vents are in rear, next to the watchband hinge. Because of this unique feature, you can truly use the Yoga 900 on your lap, without fear of cutting off the airflow, and don’t need to worry about any overheating!

Some final notes

The Lenovo Yoga 900 is released with a bare minimum amount of “bloatware”, and what there is (Companion, REACHit, SHAREit, OneKeyRecovery, Settings, Photo Master, and Lenovo ID), I find to be very useful. Of course, you may want to un-install/disable any “feature” that you don’t intend to utilize.



I am one happy user.

Happy Computing!

 

Hi, I was wondering how long you have been using the 900 for, and also had some questions. Can you do a test of the SSD speed? Also, is charging handled via the USB type C connection? if not, will it charge via that port? Some pictures of the charger would be appreciated.

Id love to see the refresh you talked about with digitizer and the pcie ssd, do you have any more information or a source for that info?

 

Hi tridran,

I've had it for about a month. I could answer most of your questions, but a friend of mine has them all covered in his blog. He's much more eloquent than me, and his pictures are pro-quality. (Unlike my feeble attempt to capture the images above)

gcoupe's blog


Keep checking the Lenovo Yoga 900 web site, for any updates.

Cheers

 

how long does the battery last: movie playback max brightness wifi on, or browsing wifi on max brightness?

appreciate if you could answer that. currently on yoga 2 pro and battery is only about 3 hours in above scenarios.

 

Also interested in the battery life length. When having 100% brightness, how long does it last when net browsing with wifi on?

I think it is 6h minimum to even start thinking about purchasing a flagship model laptop.

 

Are there any alternatives for a nice convertible ultrabook around 13" with good battery life? Ideally with 1080p for longer battery life.

 

Are there 2 ram slots available? Thanks

 

There are literally probably 20 different models wroth taking a look at. HP, Asus, Dell all make convertibles as well.