Lenovo Yoga 13 IdeaPad Convertible Ultrabook (Tablet) 13.3" IPS 10 Multipoint Touch-Screen Laptop, Intel Core i5-3317U, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 8
Price:
Product Feature
- Intel Core i5-3317U CPU
- 8GB DDR3 RAM
- 128GB SSD
- Windows 8 Standard 64-bit
Product Description
The larger Yoga has a 13.3-inch IPS display (1600 x 900) and weighs 3.4 lbs. It is a mere .67 inches thick making it a true thin and light laptop that can also be used as a tablet.Lenovo Yoga 13 IdeaPad Convertible Ultrabook (Tablet) 13.3" IPS 10 Multipoint Touch-Screen Laptop, Intel Core i5-3317U, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 8 Review
== First things first ==My wife has been looking for a laptop to replace her old Vaio SZ (very nice laptop, still lighter than many and lasted her 5 years!). She was a little picky when it comes to aesthetics and didn't like Macbooks, so it took us a while to find a good looking and solid Windows laptop. So we were looking for a laptop that:
- is good looking as in the design not being an afterthought but a part of the whole package
- has a quality screen with above average resolution (average as in 1366x768, which comes with even some 15" laptops for heaven's sake!)
- is light but well built and durable
- has less optical drives and more space for battery instead, so that it can last a while (more than 5 hrs would be good)
- has a large and smooth track pad (hopefully with not-so-horrible multi-touch support, as I got used to see in even high-end PC hardware)
- has a 180 degree tilt-able screen like her old Vaio SZ (not sure why this is a requirement, but I know better not to ask too much at this point)
- has enough power to support daily tasks (she is not a gamer, so an i3-5 with integrated graphics should be fine)
- has an SSD (best thing happened to laptops since sliced bread with some PB & J: well worth real-world-not-just-benchmark performance gains and more portability)
So we finally settled with Yoga. And lo and behold, Yoga ticks all of the boxes above, only coming slightly behind modern Vaio Z in looks (Yoga's processor is good enough, thank you very much), but hey, this is a Lenovo quality Ultrabook slash Tablet that is built for Windows 8 not just compatible, has a *touch screen* and we have $600 left we can use on something else.
We bought ours from BestBuy for ~$1000 the week it came out (wasn't on Amazon yet). Ours is the gray version with i5 processor and a 128G SSD. Along with 3 years in-home repair + accidental damage protection for just $220 that I bought from Lenovo directly. Man, that is not even close to what I would have paid for a similar warranty coverage with Dell or HP or most anyone else as far as I know.
Now, on to the more specific points:
== Pros ==
- Very good display!
It has an IPS panel (go look it up if you don't know how good that is) with a sharp looking 1600x900 resolution (good enough for a 13") with *very* good
viewing angles (can't get colors to wash up no matter where I look at it). Don't let the resolution frenzy trick you; this is a laptop, not a smartphone, and while Windows 8 apps (Metro apps) are resolution agnostic, regular Windows desktop doesn't play well with high DPI screens unless you like looking at tiny icons all day long (in short hi-res with regular Windows is good when you have a 27" monitor, not so much when you have a 13" laptop)
- Touch screen is a lot better than expected
There was never a moment when the screen missed a touch or couldn't handle multi-finger gestures. It even has these nice little dots or trails that show up where you touch or drag, so you know if it is the screen that is unresponsive or the app (it happens, not all applications respond to touch well, especially gestures). Touch scrolling is even smoother than touchpad scrolling, which is why my wife prefers to move things around by touch instead of using touchpad/keyboard combo.
- Nice and sturdy double-hinge design
When I first saw the Yoga I though "That's a very elegant way to break your screen" but boy was I wrong. Right now the hinges are proving to be stiff enough to hold the screen in any position without being uncomfortable or giving out. Time will tell but right now it seems like job well done, especially compared to the old convertible PC-tablet hinge designs with a swiveling single hinge base.
- Solid and thin&light at the same time, just like what an ultrabook supposed to be
So this thing weighs 3.4 lbs and is very thin. Not sure if there is much else to say about this. Just know that it doesn't bend or squeak when you grab it from its corner and hold it in the air (can't say that about many)
- An ultrabook with user replaceable parts? Dream come true!
Yep, you can replace the memory, SSD or the battery, unlike Macbook Air or 13 Retina (regular MBP 13 is not fair comparison). Oh I almost forgot: Did you know that there is an empty SATA slot that you can use to put in a second SSD? Blew my mind when I learned about it.
- Smooth and sensitive large touch-pad, nice keyboard; overall good ergonomics
Touch pad is nice. It is sensitive and has a smooth surface with built-in buttons (anywhere is clickable, but there are still buttons integrated on the bottom). It supports quite a few multi-touch gestures along with Win8 specials like slide-in gestures. It is missing a few gestures (more on that later) but one it support are nicely done. First time I can comfortably use two finger scrolling, pinching etc.
Keyboard is good. It could be better, a little firmer keys could have been used but, again, this is a subjective observation and it is better than most. The only thing my wife doesn't like is the layout of some of the keys: placement of the home/end, small right-shift key etc. We'll see if we can get used to that.
- Windows 8 is great (though not flawless yet)
With all the fuss about Windows 8, let me tell you this: It won't bother you, really. If you like Windows 7, Windows 8 is even better in terms of under the hood performance (faster boot, smoother throughout) along with visible improvements (e.g. the new task manager, file copy system, better multi-monitor support) with only a mostly-aesthetic change that is the new Metro start screen, which you can ignore for most of the time if you *really* hate it (search for Start8 program if you would like to use Windows 8 like a better Windows 7 including the good old start menu). That said, you might even like the new Metro interface since it is *really* a joy to use with a good touch screen (which this one has). How good? We got into a fight over whose turn it is to play the Wordament game last night. Yup, it's good for your love life too!
== Cons ==
- Trackpad is missing some gestures thanks to Lenovo
This is interesting since original Synaptic drivers would allow you to do so much more (three finger flicks, four finger touches, smoother scrolling) but that won't support the tablet mode as well (I tried and had issues when in tablet mode, not being able to use on-screen keyboard etc.) Not a deal breaker but it would be nice if Lenovo supported a little more (especially three finger flicks would be nice).
- Windows 8 is not *fully* there yet
First of all, let me say this is kind of expected and not really MS' fault. Windows is undergoing a huge (and brave) paradigm shift and these things are kind of normal in transitions like these. Also, this is purely subjective; you may not feel the same. Now: The new interface is clean and nice; Everything is smooth and well suitable for touch (mostly Metro parts). However, it just seems/feels like some things could have been done better. Can't put my finger on it though; it's just a feeling I get. Sometimes the integration feels incomplete. Especially when you are dealing with relatively advanced things like picking which updates from MS to download (this involves both Metro settings screen and the classic Control Panel for some reason). Again, nothing serious but something to mention.
Also, there are a lot of Metro apps in the store but it is still in its infancy. It will get better but right now (as of Nov '12) it is lacking, and the apps they have on store are mostly beta-ish quality. Android Market in 2008 anyone? Lets say Windows 8 has a lot more incentive for developers since it is going to be on millions of devices very soon.
== Meeh ==
- It can be a tablet but it is not an actual tablet (iPad/Android) replacement
Don't expect to throw away your tablet the minute you get this. It is a little heavy and large to be a tablet. However, it is wonderful for those times you need a screen on your table/counter but you can't bother to use touchpad/keyboard. My wife uses it to read and search for recipes; she can browse through easily just by touch (even in normal Windows apps, not just Metro) and I love this setup when I browse through reddit while eating (via ReddHub app or browser). Oh by the way: Internet Explorer 10 for Metro is great. Not much to complain there. I believe Yoga would best complimented with a 7" tablet for other times.
- Battery life is very good but may not be the best
I haven't actually measured it but it doesn't seem to last as long as, say, Macbook Air. It is still good enough for our purposes (which would be anything more than 5 hrs). Though, this is when we are doing a lot of surfing, watching couple of shows on Netflix, some coding etc. It is not bad in any way but if you are looking for something that will last you the whole 7 hr flight while enjoying movies all the way, you might want to look elsewhere.
- It doesn't get hot, at all, but fan is on constantly, though not so noticeable or distractive
Not much else to say. It's just that the fan is on most of the time and it is noticeable if you are in a *very* quiet room but even than it is not really bothering us. I just wanted to point it out. On the other hand, it never got hot on us yet, so the cooling performance is good for normal usage (may not be so for gamers, not sure)
== Wrap Up ==
All in all this is a *very* good ultrabook, a capable laptop and a nice tablet alternative depending on what you use one for. It has a great screen with good colors, good resolution and nicely done touch capability. The keyboard is good the touchpad is better than most PCs (not on par with Macbook's, still) and it is overall very comfortable to use.
I would suggest this laptop if you are in the market for a good and capable Windows 8 machine that doesn't need to play latest Crysis in good settings and won't damage your wallet. It seems like Lenovo really does know how to make nice laptops :)
(P.S. I'll try to update the review if something comes up or if I have things to add, though don't hesitate to comment and ask questions, I'll try my best)
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