The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i is aimed at creators and packs in plenty of power, including the custom Lenovo X Power AI solution, which can help the system run faster and more efficiently.
When you think of Lenovo’s Yoga range of laptops, what immediately comes to mind? Most likely, it’s the innovative 2-in-1 design that the Yoga range helped to popularize.
But it seems Lenovo decided to switch up things a little bit with the new Yoga laptops. None of the recently announced Yoga laptops can turn into a tablet.
This might sound like a bad thing, but it’s simply not necessary on creator-focused Yoga Pro laptops.
The new Yoga lineup is headlined by the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i, and this is because it’s the most powerful Yoga laptop Lenovo has ever made.
Let’s have a look at why this is the case.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i specs
Available in 14.5in or 16in models, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i is equipped with “custom” 13th-gen Intel Core CPUs (i5-13505H, i7-13705H or i9-13905H) and DDR5 RAM ranging from 16- to 64GB.
But it’s the discrete GPUs that are arguably more exciting. While the cheapest 14.5″ version uses Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, all other configurations feature Nvidia RTX 40 Series graphics – 4050, 4060 or 4070.
It’s no wonder Lenovo says it’s suitable for demanding tasks such as 3D modelling and graphic design.
New display tech
However, those are specs you’ll find on other high-end laptops. What you don’t often see are Mini-LED displays, which generally strike a good balance between contrast and brightness.
I’m not sure whether this is the same display tech found on the latest MacBooks and iPads but Lenovo claims a maximum of 1200 nits here, which is some four times brighter than some budget laptops.
If you’re a creative, you’ll be happy to know that the color accuracy is top notch, with full coverage of both the DCI-P3 and AdobeRGB gamuts advertised.
Alongside a 165Hz refresh rate on most models, it looks set to be one of the best laptop displays around.
Design & other specs
Lenovo is also concerned about the ecology, since half of the aluminum in the back cover and half of the plastic in the keyboard are manufactured from recycled materials.
The keyboard has 1.5mm key travel and a wide trackpad, with the only difference being a separate numberpad on the 16-inch version.
Other key features include a 5Mp webcam with electronic shutter, quad microphones and a 75Wh battery.
You also get plenty of ports: 1x USB-C, 2x USB-A, HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack and full-size SD card reader.
Pricing
But with starting prices of $1,699.99 for the 14.5-inch and $1,799.99 for the 16-inch respectively, you’ll need deep pockets once they arrive.
Both variants of the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i are expected to be available in May 2023.
The Yoga 7 range
If your budget can’t quite stretch that far, Lenovo has plenty of more affordable options. There are no fewer than seven Yoga 7-branded models, and it’s worth briefly exploring what each brings to the table.
The Yoga Pro 7i
First up is the $1,185 Yoga Pro 7i, although this will only be available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa from June. Here, you’re limited to an Intel Core i5-13500H or i7-13700H, with integrated graphics on entry-level models swapped for the RTX 3050 or even RTX 4050 on more expensive options.
It’s only available with a 14.5-inch IPS display, but you can choose between 2560×1600 at 90Hz or 3072×1920 at 120Hz.
You drop down to a 73Wh hour battery, but fast charging support means just 15 minutes of being plugged into the mains should be able to give you you up to three hours of use.
The Yoga Pro 7
The $1,449.99 Yoga Pro 7 is identical to the 7i in many ways, but there’s one key difference. It shifts to AMD CPUs, with a choice of four high-end chips from the latest Ryzen 7000 HS Series.
Cheaper models use integrated Radeon graphics as a result, but you can still step up to the RTX 3050 or 4050. It’ll be available in North America from July.
The Yoga Slim 7
As the name suggests, the slim7 is relatively thin and light for a 14.5 (OLED, 90Hz) laptop, at 13.9mm and 1.35kg respectively.
You also get AMD Ryzen processors here (Lenovo hasn’t specified which ones), but integrated Radeon graphics are your only option here.
Yoga 7i and Yoga 7
Then there’s the regular Yoga 7i and Yoga 7, both of which are available in 14-inch or 16-inch sizes. Prices here start at $749.99, so they’re much more affordable.
Release dates vary between April and May, while the latter is when you can get your hands on the Yoga Slim 6 – it starts at €899 (approx. $970/£790).
It can be hard to keep track of the wide variety of Yoga devices Lenovo releases every year, but the company is catering to a range of different budgets with its latest lineup.
