Creatives and productivity freaks, students, professionals, or everyday users are in for a treat with the cutting-edge convertible laptop of Lenovo, its Yoga 9i (Gen 8).
The two-in-one device, part of Lenovo’s flagship 9 series, stands out with its 360-degree hinge and sophisticated design. Available in storm grey and oatmeal color options, it sports a comfort-edge design with rounded and polished edges.
It also has an aluminum chassis and weighs around 1.4 kilograms.
For this review, we were able to get our hands on the eighth generation of Yoga 9i in the oatmeal version.
Unboxing
The device, its manual and its accessories such as stylus pen, charger, AC adapter and laptop sleeve were packed inside a stylish black-gray box with shiny red logos of Yoga and Lenovo.
At first glance, we were enamored by its glossy finish that made it look elegant.
Lenovo said the laptop’s all-aluminum unibody build is tested to endure 21 MIL-STD 810H durability tests. It remains lightweight and easy to grip despite this.
A feature we love the most is its 14-inch touchscreen that uses a 16:10 aspect ratio with an up to 4K OLED display as well as Dolby Vision that adds vibrant color. The display is just a little bit larger than its predecessor.
Upon powering the laptop, we were impressed by how the visuals, colors and resolution were clear, sharp and radiant.
Complementing its dazzling display is the impressive audio it provides.
Yoga 9i’s chassis houses a premium set of Bowers & Wilkins speakers in its signature rotating soundbar that makes its audio more immersive.
The speakers are optimized by Dolby Atmos that take the sets to another level.
We tested these features by watching videos.
Lenovo advised maximizing the Dolby features by watching content made just for Dolby from compatible streaming services like Netflix and Disney+, among others.
Apart from these, Yoga 9i has an edge-to-edge keyboard that provides a great key travel and actuation experience. We like how soft the keys were and how easy it was to navigate it when we tested it for a document we encoded and during online chats.
Using the large touchpad was also a breeze.
The laptop likewise has useful one-click function keys on the right side of the keyboard that make access to multimedia functions quick and convenient.
Performance
Performance-wise, we also have no complaints as Yoga 9i generation 8 is powered by the 13th Gen Intel® Core™ mobile processors. Multi-tasking was no sweat for us when we used this during a video conference call with simultaneous opened multiple tabs and other apps. We also tried this while editing using the touchscreen feature and we did not experience any lag.
Other features
With heavy use, the battery lasted for around four hours just enough for work out of office. The laptop uses a battery size of 75 watt-hours, with an incorporated version of rapid charge boost technology that enables up to 2 hours of use in just a short 15-minute charge. Full charge, on the other hand, took us nearly more than an hour.
We also commend Yoga 9i’s camera quality. It is equipped with an FHD 1080p + IR hybrid webcam that provides high-resolution photo or video.
You don’t need to worry about security as it carries a built-in physical camera shutter.
Moreover, its webcam’s IR functionality enables convenient logins to Windows and its compatible applications. If you want to preserve battery life, you can turn off the display or assist with device security by automatically locking the device if you step away with the help of Lenovo’s Smart Assist software.
Meanwhile, for connectivity, this laptop supports 16 lanes of PCIe 5.0, DDR5 memory and up to 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports. It also supports Intel’s Wi-Fi 6/6E as well as Bluetooth 5.2, for nearly 3x faster connectivity speeds.
Here are its physical ports and connections:
- USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (supports data transfer only)
- 2 x Thunderbolt 4
- Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack (3.5mm)
- USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
- Power button
- 1-Click function keys
Overall, the eighth generation of Yoga 9i is a great laptop choice whether you are a budding content creator or just a casual user. More than its sleek, elegant jewelry-like aesthetic, its performance and versatility are impressive and checks out all the features a good laptop should possess.
The two-in-one laptop retails starting at P90,995.41, according to Lenovo Philippines’ website.
