TP Yoga 12, 14, or Yoga Pro 2 / 3?

I'm swimming with decisions, and would really like to get a yoga convertible laptop sometime in the near future. Kind of struggling between the models. The ThinkPad Yoga 14 seems like a nice choice, but I'm told no pen/digitizer, and no customization so far. Other than that, how is the competition of the Yoga Pro 2 or 3 vs the Think pads, has anyone an opinion/hands on experience.

I'm looking at 8gbs minimum ram. I run about 5-6 used in general on my laptop due to multiple apps and a lot of caching web pages for offline reading/use on airplanes or other travel uses. Which is also why I'd like 6+ hrs of battery life with moderate use (not gaming, just typing, web searching, excel, etc)

Gaming isn't high on the list but some games will be used, so the 840 card in the 14" model is appealing, but I think integrated graphics would work out alright.

Any features that pull people to one over any other? The watchband on the yoga 3 is nice eye candy, but I could see the hide-away keyboard on the Thinkpads as the most user friendly option to sway the choice. I also like the idea of the pen/digitizer on the Thinkpad yoga s1. Funny how they take all these nice options but split them amongst the model lineup.

 

I have the old 12" TPY, and between these four models, I'd still choose that... the lack of the digitizer takes the Pro 2/3 out of consideration because the only reason I'd want a convertible tablet is for drawing. Then between the 12" TPY and the 14" TPY... well, I really wish they made a 10" or 11"; I want smaller and lighter, not bigger and heavier so the 12" it is. I don't really think the 14" has any features that make it significantly better than the 12" unless you like really need the dGPU.

 

The differences between them are quite far. If I needed one, I'd probably go Yoga pro 2 maxed out. It does not throttle as bad as the Yoga pro 3 while being about as thin. I had one and loved it. I also had a thinkpad yoga (12) and thought it was very well built, but I rather have a thinner and lighter machine. I am not someone who needs a digitizer, so to me that was a mute point. The 14 seems really cool because it is larger and has a dedicated GPU... so if you are a gamer, then it may be a good choice. Either way, yup, YP2 i7/8gb/256 is my vote.

 

the TP 14 doesnt have a digitizer & it seems it will never get one...if the digitizer is a dealbreaker for u...
i'm in the same boat, between TP 12 & 14

 

for convertibles I think smaller is usually better if you use that mode often.

 

Ok, on that note, it makes sense. If you had an Ipad that weighed 4lbs, well... you wouldn't be walking around holding it much, huh?

So weight is understandable. Without a digitizer, is there no pen that will work for drawing on the touchscreens? That's unfortunate. My hp zbook14 seems to work alright for drawing, anyway.

Is the Yoga 3's 1.1ghz cpu dreadful? I haven't read much about that processor yet, but it has a 4mb cache but much lower clock speed, it looks like. the idea is being able to run fanless, correct? As I hear my HPs fan running on full (50% cpu right now full time, getting hot)

 

The processor in the new Yoga Pro 3 is slow and not powerful. It was the first excursion into the Core M processor. Still haven't got it quite right.

I do like the Thinkpad Yoga 14 that I have, but not sure it's right for your needs. It maxes out at 8GB RAM with only one slot, and since you won't need the dedicated GPU there's not much to sell here. But it works for me.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but on all these models, memory is board-soldered, correct? I talked with lenovo and a tech thought that was the case. Only upgrade possible is the HDD/SSD if I am not mistaken. Likely, I would put a larger SSD in whatever I get, but the 8gb memory up front will have to be ordered as such.

It is quite a decision. I'd actually been pulling on the TP Yoga 12 or the Yoga Pro 2, for most of the suggestions that have been covered. If the TP Yoga 14 was configurable, that would be my choice, I think.

 

The ThinkPad Yoga 14 has 1 DIMM Slot (max. 8 GB).

 

Yea, I stand corrected. I'll figure out which ones are board soldered vs non. I don't think it matters too much though.
Removal steps of the memory module - ThinkPad Yoga 14 - Lenovo Support (US)

 

I am using a Helix 1st gen (i7), now they have the 2nd gen (core M). Not sure which one will be better, but both of them may fit your need better than the thinkpad yoga (lighter, better battery life).

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check it out. This is the convertible, right? Detachable screen? I will check it out, there is one on the outlet. I'm eying an I5 TP Yoga w/8gbs for 600, which is a decent deal, and the i5 vs i7 wouldnt kill me, I think.

Laptops | Buy Windows Laptops & Chromebooks | Lenovo US

 

I am in a similar boat as the original post. I believe I have ruled out the YP3 as the processor sounds a little slow and it is shockingly flimsy. The screen itself has quite a bit of flex too it.
I am now very torn between a maxed out Y2P and the TP14. If the TP14 was a little lighter I think I would pull the trigger but at 4.2lbs vs the Y2P at 3lbs, it pretty significant. There is a better wireless card in the TP14 and it sounds like its pretty easy to upgrade to a SSD.
So I guess its really about the weight for me which is a personal decision, I know.
That said I am coming from a Dell M6400 that weighs a ton (8.5lbs).
I do like that for the same money I could get the Y2P with an i7 and a SSD already in place.

 

I'm now looking at the thinkpad yoga 12, and picking up a samsung 850 ssd. the samsung 256gb 850 pro is decent on a budget. If you want to save money, an evo 840 512 is about 219. I know some people are worried about the reliability of that drive, but I run one in my Zbook 14. Its fine for daily users, I don't download massive video/photo/etc files, all of that goes to an external HDD anyway. SSD is for apps/games/word files and the likes. Works well, fast boot, and adds to the overall quick system I have.

I can't tell you specifically about the TP Y 14", but I have an HP zbook 14" with dedicated graphics (amd Firepro), 16gb memory, ssd, and i5 4300u, so similar specs. Its plenty fast, and handles games, word files, and about 100 tabs in chrome open, all at the same time, only using about 1/2 cpu power and 6-7gbs of memory at the most stressed point. I can imagine the YP 14" will be powerful enough for most every-day uses. Games I refer to would be like starcraft II or WoW, something similar to those. The HP zbook is also within a few tenths of a pound of the think pad, and I don't mind the weight much. A 14" convertible sounds odd to me, though.

I am still between the TP yoga 12, or the yoga 2 pro. Or something else that may pop up. But for $600 I can get a thinkpad yoga 12" with I5 and 8gbs memory, and throw in the drive of my choice and be done. Not a bad compromise.

 

I believe the TPY 14 only comes with 8gb, not 16.

 

Correct. My point was, I have yet to utilize over 8gbs. I think 6-7 is the most I've ever seen the system able to use at once.

 

Got it, thanks for the reply. I went to look at the TPY14 at best buy yesterday. Very nice build quality. Seems much more robust compared to the Y3P and Y2P. The screens on both of those flex a lot.
The sales guy told me if it was up to him, he would go with the Y2P as he was unimpressed by the resolution, lack of ssd, and the i5 in the TPY14. Not sure if would really bother me all that much as my current computer is ~5 yrs old, but it does make me want to wait a little to see if they offer this machine in other configurations soon.

 

i would pick TPY 14 over the 12 inch

1) the 14inch has a much better IPS display than the IPS display on the 12 inch. TPY 14 has 91%/71% rgb gamuts vs 60/43 on 12 (notebookcheck and mobiletechreview.). also black levels are better on TPY 14. so i guess better for watching movies.

2) the 840m is a decently powerful gpu (more powerful that older "high end" gpus like ati 5870, gtx 460m, gtx 280m) . paired with i5 4210u you can play starcraft 2 in 1080p/900p with high settings and newer games in 768p med.

3) TPY 14 doesnt use the same LG screen as in the 12 so probably will not get the ghosting defects reported in the 12 inch. Although some people have reported light bleeding in the screen in the TPY 14 (need to look into that)

4) 3.5 pounds seems heavy for the 12.5 inch. the 14 is 4.2, so not a big weight and size difference. ( i currently own the envy 14 radiance from 2010. its 14.5 and 5.2 lbs and its not too bad).

5) i might as well by the macbook air 11 (and install windows) for portability instead of the TPY 12. has better intel 5000 gpu, i5, ssd, color gamut about the same on mb air 11, although no touch screen.

6) TPY 14 does lack an SSD. however a 128gb is <$70 these days. not a big deal. the 16gb caching will speed up boot times and 1TB 5400 rpm gives alot of room. some games these days like the witcher 2 can take 20gb.

I'm a college student so TPY 14 seems like the perfect balance between power, portability, and size. I can play some games ocassionally, watch 1080p movies on the great screen. Planning to buy the TPY 14 at a bestbuy tomorrow or wednesday. best buy has great holiday return policy so no big deal if don't like it. If i buy the TPY 14, i would have to give my envy 14 radiance to my dad though still love the laptop.

 

Lenovo website has some pretty nice deals listed. $500 off a y2p with i7, 8gb, and 256 ssd putting it under $1k.
I may pull the trigger on that.

 

The TPY 14 is 887 +tax through the B&N gold portal... lowest so far? Anyway to apply a coupon to the deal?

https://shop.lenovo.com/barnesnoble...d/us/en/laptops&PUBNAME=Slickdeals+LLC&NID=CJ

 

What's the Barnes and noble gold? Do you have to pay for a membership to Barnes and noble?

 

If you don't like the 1tb drive vs an actual ssd, take a look at pricing on Samsung 850s. Pretty easy to swap in a drive yourself. A 128/256 would be cheap enough, get an external drive case, an 8gb memory stick, and make a recovery memory stick. Pop in the SSD, install windows, and throw the 1tb drive into an external case w/usb 3.0. Have your windows and ssd onboard, and extra storage when you need it. GTG. I've 3 2.5" drives I swap between once case like this at home. Probably should get 3 cases instead, but its an easy enough method.


if I can get a TPY 14 for >900, that's the ticket. Was now looking at previous gen Helix on the outlet. The outlet and retail store pricing on TPY 12 and Helix 1st gen are really close, due to a lot of discounting on the retail site right now. Good deals abound.

B&N gold looks like offers through Barnes and noble on Lenovo's site. Create an account via the link, and then log in and use the link. Cheers.

 

Followed the directions, created an account and surprised to see that it now appears I can buy a Thinkpad Yoga 14 for less than 900. I didn't really expect it to work.

Any idea how long these prices are good for? They don't appear to be temporary sale prices.

 

thats crazy $887. i bought mine at best buy for $1099, will try to see if they could price match it. if not i will return it and purchase from the website.

 

Same site has y2p at $989 for i7, 8gb, and 256gb ssd. Did you still like tp14 better?
Figure if you upgrade the HD then they are basically same price. So that leaves build, separate graphics, display, battery, and weight as the differences.
Sorry, I am just really struggling on how to decide between the two.

 

Actually its better than that - on my screen it shows the y2p maxed out with i7, 8gb and 512ssd for 889. Evidently these prices are quite fluid. Much thanks to xkingpin and MSMNick for leading us to this program.

On a sad note, I was leaning towards picking up that Thinkpad Yoga 14 for $886 but its gone now. ):

Edit: And now its back.

 

so happy right now, best buy price matched my lenovo TPY 14 got for less than 890.
great deal. For $1099 i think its abit too expensive.
the price online is for "barnes and noble gold members?", but anyone can buy it?
I find it hilarious the best buy customer service guy gave my the extra $200 so off without even carefully looking at the website or compared the specs.

 

Congrats! Now you can take that extra money and get a 512GB SSD or add another hundred and go for a 1TB SSD - that's what I'm leaning towards doing.

How are you liking the new laptop overall?

 

Good deal everyone. I'd love to hear reviews! I am again leaning on the TP Y14... I don't think it can be beat for my situation. Digitizer be damned, the graphics and hidden keys are what take me, as well as the 14" size. I don't really care for the 12" form factor, as far as too small of a screen and keyboard space. I can tell I just like my 14" better. Compromise between size (15, 17 inch), weight/portability, and usable screen space. I can always use a workstation afterwards for more screen space, though (such as right now) Nothing beets a 24" monitor

I think barnes and noble gold is just a lucky thing, it may be how barnes and noble sells lenovo products? Not sure.

 

No idea what the motivation is with the Barnes & Noble program but doubtful it will be that cheap again until around February when the new models come out. Also, it looks like that sale price will expire by November 30th so we may have two more days left before need to make a final decision.

 

After using the laptop for two days here are my thoughts. Amazing screen very bright and sharp, excellent keyboard, great build quality, the 1tb HDD/16gb ssd isn't too bad, trackpad feels very nice. its very clean and professional looking laptop and 14 inch is perfect size. At 4.2 pounds surprising it doesnt feel heavy at all. Apart from the pros i want to point out some problems i encountered.

-the display is heavy (probably do to touchscreen) so if you tip the screen too far back (like around 120 degrees) it sort of tips the front of the laptop *very slightly* so when you are typing there is a VERY slight wobble. but i probably use my screen at 100 degrees and there isnt a problem. but i want to point out that the display is unusually heavy compared to a nontouchscreen laptop. the hinges are very sturdy though.

-windows 8.1 sucks. 3 times today i got the BSOD like "you pc ran into an error and needs to restart" not sure what the hell is going on. maybe i messed up something? Also compatibility issues. will try to install windows 7 later today

-i installed the witcher 1 from GOG.com. for some reason it wont detect the 840m gpu. tried everything (control panels, drivers, running in compatibility, admin) still cant get it to work. However borderlands 2 had no problems with the 840m (smooth at 900p medium-high settings).

- the harddrive/fans is not the quietest. i think its the harddrive that is producing the noise. probably a good idea to swap for a 256gb ssd

-there is very very slight light bleed in the upper left. you can barely notice it during startup. again its *very* slight.

overall i would give this laptop a 9/10, especially for less than $900. if you guys have any specific questions i would be happy to answer. the cons are very little compared to how excellent the laptop is so i would definitely recommend this laptop. also best buy has a holiday return policy until jan 15 2015 so if you dont like it you can always return. i recommend you get it through best buy and have them price match for $887.

 

I am not seeing this deal? anyone else?

 

Either I got it wrong looking at the incorrect page or its gone now. I definitely don't see it anymore.

Their current price for the Y2Pro is okay but its not all that much cheaper than the prices we've seen over the last year.

 

If you are an anti-windows 8.1 kind of guy and will use windows 7 instead then I would guess this likely isn't the laptop for you. You aren't going to be able to use that touch screen very effectively nor tablet, stand or tent modes.

 

That $887 price for TPY14 appears to be their EPP price. I work for another company and I'm getting the same price. However as I mentioned in another topic, I'm not still sure if I should wait for other configuration options or just get the current one.

By the way, if we swap the HDD with SSD, it voids the warranty, right?

 

anyone else having trouble getting onto lenovo through the link posted above? Webiste never connects. I wonder if they blocked it somehow?

 

i have no idea if you can actually get the laptop on the BN gold account website but just show the price to Best Buy and you will get it for $887 instead of $1099.

Next year when haswell comes out, they might have other configurations or a better base configuration. Better processor, maybe slightly better graphics card, maybe SSD. then again thee laptop is fast enough with the current i5 4210u and 840m. makes no difference unless you want to play the lastest game.

 

Should void warranty on HD only, so the rest of the laptop is covered. Moss-maguson act deal. Fairly certain a SSD can't fail ram, technically, but I could be wrong.

Either way, I have an Ev0 840 in my HP and I still get warranty coverage/tech support/etc. I've also added memory and never had a problem with warranty before in multiple products. Just saying.

as for windows 8.1, it takes a bit of working through the bugs and a bit more of getting used to. CP, I would get ahold of lenovo on their website for tech support right off. For my HP, I had the touchscreen stop being recognized once, and I had Sleep mode not working once. The sleep mode issue was solved by a bios update, and the touchscreen not being recognized was solved by rolling back a few windows updates. But it took troubleshooting to set up on windows 8, and then even more on windows 8.1, and every now and then an update takes some work as well. after a while, I still like the new OS in most instances over 7. I use both OS' daily, and prefer 8 for a touch laptop.

 

How do you like that Samsung EVO 840? I'm seeing the 1 TB version for about $350 and tempted to get it. Some reviews had stated there were flaws causing slower performance over time that may or may not have been corrected with a firmware update.

 

Correct. Me, personally, haven't noticed anything like that. However, aside from benchmarking it for the first few months,I haven't tested since. Windows 8 still pops on in 3-5 seconds, so no big deal really. I'm more stressing my memory than my SSD anyway. Most people agree if you are a movie/music hoarder, you may want to go another route, but I'm very happy with the Evo. I may benchmark it sometime soon and see how it is a year later. Can't argue the prices, though. The 850 is a nice , shiny new drive, but much more expensive, about 50% more right now. Either way, like I said, compared to an HDD I will never go back, and the evo still performs to my liking. My biggest issue is memory because I like to cache some 30 days worth of work, I.e. I don't restart my computer. I'm at 9.1gbs of ram used right now, for instance, because I have music and moves on chrome that get cached so I can watch them offline. Just really hard to get internet here so this helps, I open dozens of tabs and let them load and watch later.

Looks like the deal went belly up, can't get the site to load anymore. Kinda bummed, I missed my own party.

 

Nope - it is still there. The Lenovo server has been going on and off the last 24 hours most likely due to being overloaded with Black Friday shoppers. I just checked it a few minutes ago and its back up. However, it does say that the Thinkpad Yoga 14 sale price is only good till November 30th. So we'll have to make a decision very soon...

 

Thanks for the heads up. I'm sold, just need to actually buy it. Noticed the site was going wonky on me. Maybe its leveling out soon.

Was going to add, you have to edit the search options on the left to include think pads w/touchscreens to easily find it. Clicking on Thinkpad yoga brings you right to the 12.5" model

 

And so its done. New owner of a TP Y14 and another samsung evo 840 512, and bought 3x 2.5" HDD caddies and usb 3.0 cables. Good use for the 750gb drive out of the hp and the 1tb drive out of this new lenovo.

Thanks everyone.

This convinced me, and helped easy the worries on the M.2/SSD and memory front:
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/Lenovo-ThinkPad-Yoga-14.htm

 

congrats MSMNICK

are you installing windows 7 or windows 8 on the new ssd?

 

Very few people will buy a brand new windows laptop with touch friendly modes and then wipe out the touch friendly operating system.

 

Going to go 8. I prefer it over 7 honestly. If you start getting used to the way it works, where they moved all your favorite stuff, and shortcuts, I prefer it. Tapping in the upper left corner to switch apps is nice, or swipping in left and splitting the screen, etc. The only thing I miss about windows 7 is the aero view for Windows+tab. But I have the Zbook 14 on 8.1 for a personal computer, and a Dell E5440 on 7 for work computer. Far prefer the HP for the OS, the dell has a few nice things about it, such as HDMI out and a DVD drive. I say its nice to have a DVD drive, but the last time I put a disk into a laptop was probably over 3 or 4 years go. So, its a trivially nice thing. Lastly, I do urge anyone to try windows 8 for more than a day, or a week for that matter. Get past the updates, bugs, driver compatibility issues, and then enjoy it. It easily took me a few days to get it set up and debugged, and about a month reading "survival guides" and brushing up on the new OS, but its a good change IMO. Many people who hate change just don't like to learn new ways of doing the same task, it doesn't bother me.

This Lenovo is going to the better half, as her Vaio is, well, for one, a sony vaio, so now rather old, and two, it lasts 20 minutes on battery, if you're not doing anything. So its time for her to step up. I get to play with it until Christmas, but it will be hard to hide it, especially with all the work needing to be done. I plan on slipping it into her backpack one day without telling here, so when she goes for her laptop she pulls out the Thinkpad. Hopefully she won't need any files off her computer that day :-D

 

Ehh, I don't think that's a good idea. I don't know about others, but that would that confuse me and completely mess up my workflow.

 

hey MSNICK

did you get it for $880 (with price match) at best buy or online? i just bought it at best buy since they had a generous holiday return policy until jan 15.

 

I know that sounds like a good idea in your head, but trust me, it's not. What if she *does* need some files off her computer that day?

 

The Best Buy idea is nice - having them match the deal on the website. One issue though is some (maybe all?) of their laptops required going back to them for servicing and warranties versus being able to go directly through the vendor, which is probably fine for most people. However, I spend most of my time in Asia so that wouldn't be optimal in my situation.