Yoga 2 Pro Release Thread

This is a long thread. What's up with the Wifi? I was just about to buy the model they had at the BB but I noticed it had a 5+ second delay before it started to load a page on ie win 8.1.

They were using a hotspot so I asked him to log in the Samsung 9 and Asus UX31A to the same wifi hotspot in his pocket. The other laptops were accessing website almost instantly. No lag.

Is it a setting on the Yoga 2 or what? I'd like to go buy it but I couldn't live with that wifi lag.

Here's a pic of the model info


And here are the other two.

 

There is no 5 second lag loading web pages. There is a Network Adapter update in Optional Windows Update as soon as you run it and that has apparently fixed any drops people were getting. I updated everything right away, so I have never experienced WiFi drops.

 

BTW at best buy I changed the main power setting to max performance. Wifi was still slower. Do I still need to go deeper in the sub menus to up level the wifi performance?

 

Yes, try another BestBuy.

 

There was definitely an issue between the shipped Wi-Fi drivers and my DIR-655 wireless router. No amount of fiddling (power options, router firmware updates, etc.) could make the dropouts stop. However, once I updated the Wi-Fi drivers from Intel's website... poof, no more dropouts.

The dropouts acted like they were usage-based. I could browse for hours without a dropout, but couldn't make it through the 2 minute 4k Elysium trailer, or stream Netflix for more than a minute, or download a large file without receiving a "limited wireless connectivity" message of some sort. Everything's sorted after updating the drivers.

 

I can go make a video of the lag if you don't believe it.

I didn't mention any drop out but that's good to know there is a fix for that.

I'll call the guy at BB and ask him to update the wifi driver and the Windows Network Adaptor update while he's at it. Maybe it will help.

 

He's not doubting you; he's just stating that he doesn't experience any lag. I don't experience any lag either. This computer is just as responsive as any other.

You could ask about doing a driver update, it may or may not help... It's anyone's guess as to how Best Buy has their Wi-Fi configured.

 

What milkfat said. I wouldn't be using BB's network for testing and then complaining there are WiFi issues with the laptop that no one else has reported. JM2C.

 

It has nothing to do with BB's network since the other laptops worked fine on the same network.

Regardless, it's promising to know there may be a fix. I'm looking into it.

Where do you guys recommend I buy the i7 version?

BTW does anyone know if these are available with built in mobile service?

 

Besides picture quality, are there any downsides for using 1600 x 900 resolution? I honestly prefer this setting when working on stuff because the text is larger and using 200% scaling has issues with some programs. Also, I think the pictures at 1600 x 900 on a 13" screen look perfectly fine. So besides picture quality, would there be any other issues with using a lower resolution than a laptop's native resolution (ie distortions of any kind)? On a plus side, do you think it will help with battery life?

 

Exactly, you can't possibly judge a PC on how it is working in a store that probably has shielding problems, access problems, interference problem and who knows what else. If somebody likes a PC buy it, take it home and if it's not what you want take it back..BB is fine on returns.

 

Okay. Problem is, they don't have the i7 version in stock. Does this forum have a recommended source for these?

 

I can't find the post atm but to the guy who answered my question about installing a VM and Ubuntu, thanks. I have mine set up and no issues at all.

Call up the BestBuy and ask them to look it up via the SKU. The one nearby me said UNAVAILABLE online but when I called, they had one in stock.

 

Just to provide another minor tip on this, I did this yesterday as well and the second store I spoke with was able to tell me the one location in my metro area that had any of these in stock (saving me a lot of calls and hold time). So, you might just ask the first store you call to look elsewhere if they don't it themselves.

Also FWIW, when I showed up at said location, they didn't have any on display and had no idea what I was asking about ("Yoga 2 Pro?", "Oh, we've never carried the i7 model in store. That's online only."). I had them look it up by SKU and they had two i7/8M/256 tucked away in a cage. I guess that explains why they were still in stock. So, be ready with that SKU number.

 

So here are a couple of photos of full yellow in the "stable mode" and "high performance mode", both with brightness turned up to full.




I expected that high performance would make use of the white pixel, but all that really happens is that the red and green pixels are brighter. Also, the black background does seem to have some light bleeding through, resulting in an overall brighter color, while in "stable mode" the black is totally black. It's really obvious looking at it live in the microscope and switching back and forth between the two modes.

 

oops, dupe

 

Please take a picture with white next to yellow. The problem isn't with yellows.... it's more that white is too bright in comparison to yellow.
What microscope do you have?

 

Yellow and white in "stable mode":



Yellow and white in "high performance mode":



both with brightness 100%

Sorry, original images were not actually yellow and white, but yellow and light gray. They are still attached as thumbnails.

 

I concur with this. I updated the driver just as he stated and it's been rock solid all day today.

 

When you say 1 msata hd slot, do you mean one extra slot, like with the yoga 13 ?

I'm new here, haven't figured out how to limit a search to one thread, trying to find something about upgrading storage. I see that the keyboard module is not the same as on yoga 13 based on youtube videos of upgrading that model, but it probably comes out the same way...

 

Check out this unboxing and opening of the Pro from a poster here.

Lenovo Yoga 2 PRO Unboxing & Teardown & Upgrade How-to via Google Glass (with Yoga 11S) - YouTube

 

I have a few questions for you guys.

What is the average battery life you're getting with real world usage? I would really like to hear real world estimates. Lenovo claims "9 hours". But with mostly web surfing, Skype, etc. What do you guys get?

I have ordered two ultrabooks recently.. the Yoga Pro 2.. i7, 512 gb ssd.. and a Macbook Air i5 (with Intel 5000 graphics), 256 gb. Obviously the Yoga Pro 2 looks better on paper.. I mean twice as much storage.. and an i7 over a i5. I don't really have a preference between Mac or Windows. I have never used a MacBook Air before though.. and unfortunately I live out in the boonies and there's no Best Buy nearby. Can someone who has tested out both the Yoga Pro 2 and the mid-2013 MacBook Air i5.. please give me a little feedback on which I should keep.. or just a general opinion on these two ultrabooks and how they compare? I would appreciate it a lot!

^^ More specifically to the above question.. does the MacBook Air seem more "solid" compared to the Yoga Pro 2? In the past, I have found 1600x900 to be a fitting resolution for a 13.3" size ultrabook. That is why I guess I am confused by anyone would need 3600x1600. But I guess the higher resolution screen must be beautiful.. but isn't it hard to read text at that resolution? Is the MacBook Air screen comparable to the Yoga 2 Pro screen when the Yoga 2 is set at 1600x900 resolution? These are the kind of things I am wondering about from users with experience.

 

Just to add my story about my purchase:
I called the best buy hotline thing and asked them to look up the SKU, nothing.
I go on the website, nothing.
I go to the store, and voila! They have one i7 model in stock.
Moral of the story is; don't give up, and try heading to your local best buy to see for yourself.

 

3200x1800 is the resolution of Y2Pro. Like you said, 1600x900 is perfect at 13.3 inch display. Since Windows 8,1 now has 200% scaling, it does pixel doubling so you'll get the 1600x900 picture but the clarity of 3200x1600 just like in iPhone 3GS and iPhone4.

 

Thanks for the pictures.

It looks like high performance mode significantly brightens the backlight, then darkens all 4 subpixels in the white area so they are exactly as bright as in "stable mode."

Here's an animated gif:


All I did was slightly warp one of the images so they would line up. I'm assuming the camera is at a fixed exposure time and aperture. The images are over-exposed so the difference would probably be more noticeable in real life than in the gif.

 

FYI it seems all of my local best buys just restocked on the i7s.

 

Same here.

 

Not a full comparison, but a few thoughts:
I would guess that the MacBook Air has about double the battery life (better or worse depending if you want accurate color on the Yoga 2), and probably a faster SSD. The main difference when upgrading from i5 to i7 is hyperthreading, which a lot of apps don't take advantage of. <- Doh, they both have hyperthreading.

 

That's the case for the desktop CPUs, but all of the mobile ones have hyperthreading. Even the i3's.

 

So does anybody know if less resolution will give significantly more battery life?

 

Doh! thanks for the correction.

 

I doubt it.

 

What kind of battery life is everyone currently getting and with what kind of usage?

 

here's some news about the X1 Carbon refresh for Haswell (ThinkPad X3):

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thi...l/735003-thinkpad-x3-x1-carbon-successor.html

looks promising, can't wait to compare it to the Y2P.

 

I am guessing that is because it officially goes on sale today.

 

I've been reading this thread with excitement from the first post as I'm very keen to purchase the Yoga 2 Pro. Unfortunately they won't be selling this magnificent device in Australia, so my best option is from the U.S. I cannot pick up from Best Buy obviously, and I didn't have the cash in the bank when the SCOUTS code was working for the Lenovo site. I was going to buy the i7 8gb 256gb SSD but at the normal price of $1,499 from Lenovo including US taxes, shipping to Oz and more taxes in Oz it's just too expensive. I really hope that another 20% discount makes its way to the Lenovo site, I'd like to grab the clementine version.

Also, I must say that this is an awesome forum and there's been some really good contributions. Pity they've made it difficult to track down at Best Buy for you US based folk. Makes it all the more sweeter when you finally snag one.

 

Is it possible to get the 128gb SSD 4GB ram version and upgrade to a bigger SSD and RAM capacity later?

 

Here, create an account (you don't have to be an IBM employee or shareholder) and you can now get the i7/256/8 for $1312..the prices change often so watch it for awhile as you never know when they will have a better sale. Oh and you can get the i5/8/256 for 1099 which is probably all anybody needs in an ultrabook anyway.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/.../StdAffinity:Home?home=ibmspp&affinity=ibmspp

 

I'm afraid I have painted myself in a corner: I was waiting a bit to buy the Yoga 2 Pro and now I can't find the model I want (the core i7 one).

The problem is I'll be in the US between 25/10 and 06/11, do you think it is possible to buy the core i7 from Lenovo's site and get it before 06/11?

Or should I take my chances and try to find it in some San Francisco's area Best Buy? If I cannot find it, I'll have to settle with another laptop I can find.

 

It's possible to upgrade the SSD but the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard.

 

i just ordered it yesterday from lenovo website and got delivery date on 29/10

 

Ordered on the 17th with a ship date of the 28th and delivery of 11/04. This is for the i5/8gb/256gb

 

Ordered on the 17th. My ship date is 24th and delivery of 10/26.

 

For those who have been asking about battery life, below is a post I made a couple days ago. This was NOT using it in the high performance mode to get brighter yellows (I got about 3 hours 45 minutes in that mode) for this test.

 

any idea when this will finally arrive in UK already ?

 

nice try apple but the macbook pro doesnt come close the specs of the yoga and at a much high price point

 

Hey everyone, first off thank you for this (and the owners) thread. Wasn’t sure which one this belongs in. I’ve been following very closely, and picked up my i7/8gb/256 last week. I’m coming from an old XP laptop and have a few questions I was hoping someone could use their vast knowledge to enlighten me a little. I’m loving windows 8.1 so far, it’s new, refreshing, and plain fun to figure out. Sorry if I’m way behind/ignorant on some of this. So you know the context, I’m a grad student. Really appreciate someone taking the time to answer this.

1) Like I said, I’m coming from an XP machine, what are the essential apps I need? Office? Security? Adobe? Help?
2) Speaking of which, what is the different between an app and a program?
3) Is there any work around to sync google with the calendar/email/people apps? I live in the google ecosystem, any way at all to connect it?
4) In IE11, the text was normal at first. Then all of a sudden it became tiny, and there are huge borders. It almost looks like it’s fully zoomed out. Any idea how to fix this?
5) Finally, chrome. Not a huge issue, but my tabs are squashed together to the left. Anyone know why?

Thanks guys! This has all been unbelievably useful. I’ll be here reading and following everything

 

My local BestBuy has the 8/256 model in stock and I am seriously tempted to ignore the Yellow Issue, and get one. There is good chance I'd return it if the Yellow is too bad, do you think BestBuy would waive the restocking fee for an open laptop because of it?

 

Looking to get people's opinions. I can get i5/8gb/256gb model directly from Lenovo for $1099 vs the i7/8gb/256gb model from Best Buy for $1199. Is the the i7 worth the $100 upgrade?

Also, typing from a refurbished Yoga 13 i5/4gb/128gb that I got for $699 last week. Been a hard decision to determine if the upgrade is worth the $4-500!

 

I don't think they even have a restocking fee anymore (I know mine doesn't but they never did). I am sure you can google the general BB policy.

So I looked it up for you, on December 17, 2010 they did away with all restocking fees except on special orders.

BBY - Restocking Fee Policy Change - Best Buy: Unboxed