Summary
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 review:.. The quality of laptops that cost $1,000 or less has really improved. Furthermore, the midrange laptops cover all ground when it comes to necessities.
But as soon as I opened the package and began configuring the convertible 2-in-1 Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9, I was reminded of why an expensive laptop like this is well worth the additional money.
The thinness, premium materials, and overall attention to detail make the Yoga feel and look amazing. In addition, it has an amazing OLED display and is quick. The only thing deterring the Yoga 9i Gen 9 is its average battery life.
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 review: Specifications and setups
Not all of the Yoga 9i Gen 9’s configuration options have been made public by Lenovo. With an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 14.0-inch 2.8K OLED display, the 2-in-1 begins at $1,477. With a 4K+ OLED display and a 1TB SSD, it costs $1,589 in total. My review device has a 2.8K display, a 1TB SSD, and costs $1,509.
Although they are premium 2-in-1 pricing, they are reasonable considering the performance and build quality. With 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, the Lenovo Slim 7i Gen 9 costs $1,116 less than the other model, but its OLED display only has 1920 x 1200 resolution. Similar in display to the HP Spectre x360 14, this convertible 2-in-1 begins at $1,450 (now $1,150 on sale) and comes with a Core Ultra 5. The HP costs $1,550 ($1,250 when on sale) with a Core Ultra 7.
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 review: Create
First impressions count, and the Yoga 9i Gen 9 delivers, as I said in the opening. The Yoga has a unified design, much like other well made laptops like the Apple MacBook Air, HP Spectre x360 14, and the previous Gen 8 model. Each component has a function and makes sense. Under the correct lighting conditions, the rounded edges of the chassis radiate a purple color and feel pleasingly cool to the touch.
Aside from the cosmic allusion, the Cosmic Blue color palette of my review device radiates elegance, and the somewhat darker keyboard makes it easier to read without detracting from the overall design. The off-color keyboard on the Spectre x360 14 further lessens rather than adds to the beauty of that 2-in-1.
In a nutshell, the Yoga is a very stylish laptop. Additionally, it is utterly contemporary without sacrificing usefulness. The camera and microphones are located in a reverse notch at the top of the very thin top and side display bezels.
This is the opposite strategy that Apple used with the MacBook’s display notch, and Lenovo’s design not only avoids changing the UI, but it also has a lip that makes lifting the lid more simpler. The bigger bottom display chin is there to accommodate the laptop’s hinge and soundbar, which houses two of its four speakers (more on them later).
Moreover, the all-aluminum Yoga 9i Gen 9 has a very sturdy build. The chassis bottom and keyboard deck are inflexible, and while the lid yields to strong pressure, it is still not as flexible as the MacBook Air’s. Although the overall build quality of the Dell XPS 14 is better, the Yoga nonetheless feels quite high-end.
The Yoga is a convertible 2-in-1, but its hinge is rather stiff—much more so than that of the MacBook Air and the superb dual-clutch version of the XPS 14. When in clamshell, tent, or media mode, the hinge properly maintains everything strong. And the hinge vanishes when you turn it completely to tablet mode. While convertible 2-in-1s tend to be a little bulky as tablets, the Yoga is a good option since it comes with an active pen.
With a maximum thickness of 0.64 inches, the Yoga 9i Gen 9 is a fairly small 14-inch laptop—slightly thinner than the 0.67 inches of the Spectre x360 14. At 2.98 pounds as opposed to 3.19 pounds, it is also somewhat lighter. As a result, the two laptops are quite similar in size, albeit the Yoga seems smaller to me.
The XPS 14 is the heaviest (3.7 pounds) and thickest (0.71 inches), whereas the clamshell MacBook Air is significantly thinner (0.44) and lighter (2.7 pounds). The latter may be set up with a separate GPU, which requires more space for air to circulate.
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 review: Touchpad and keyboard
The keyboard on the Yoga was very fun. It has the customary sculpted keycaps for the range, and there is sufficient of gap between the virtually edge-to-edge keyboard. The bottoming movement of the switches was nice and light and quick. Although I still prefer the MacBook’s Magic Keyboard, I found typing on the Yoga to be really pleasant.
The mechanical touchpad had buttons that clicked confidently but a little too loudly. It was also quite large. A high-end laptop with a haptic touchpad, like the fantastic one on the ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2, is something I would much rather see. Haptic touchpads are becoming increasingly common on Windows laptops, which is a great development that isn’t present here.
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 review: ports and a webcam
Connectivity-wise, the Yoga 9i Gen 9 is decent for a 14-inch 2-in-1. Three USB-C ports are included on it, two of which can power the laptop and enable Thunderbolt 4. Additionally, there is a 3.5 mm audio connection and a USB-A port for legacy communication. Another advantage of the Yoga over the Spectre x360 14 is that it features a microSD card. Although it’s not as practical as a full-size SD card reader, it’s still better than nothing. Everything is wirelessly connected, with the exception of the state-of-the-art Wi-Fi 7.
A 5MP high-resolution webcam capable of recording 2.5K video and an infrared camera that can recognize faces with Windows 11 Hello are also included. Lenovo’s user-sensing technology, which can wake the laptop from sleep and lock it when the user walks away, then wake it up again and log back in when the user returns, is included into the Yoga 9i Gen 9.
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 review: Achievement
The more affordable discrete GPUs, such as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, and the outdated Intel Iris X3 graphics are situated between the integrated Intel Arc graphics. This restricts how well the Yoga performs in creative programs and games that make use of the GPU.
The Yoga received a performance mode score of 2,329 on the PugetBench Premiere Pro test. Because of the Yoga’s somewhat superior GPU performance, it garnered 2,026 points, which is more than the 2,026 points received by the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED with the same chipset. However, the HP Spectre x360 16 scored 3,552 with an RTX 4050 and the same chipset. The MacBook Air M3’s encode and decode improvements were shown by its score of 3,633.
Although Meteor Lake claims to be more efficient, in my evaluations, that hasn’t always been the case. With a large 75-watt-hour battery and a sharp 2.8K OLED display, the Yoga 9i Gen 9’s battery life was not particularly remarkable.
The Yoga performed far less than average in our testing of online surfing and video looping, even when compared to other laptops from Meteor Lake with comparable panels. The Asus Zenbook 14 Q425 with its FHD+ OLED display and the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus with its 2.2K IPS screen are two noteworthy outliers. The MacBook Air is the most durable laptop by a significant margin, while the Lenovo Slim 7i Gen 9 with its 2.8K OLED display was likewise subpar.
A step back from the previous generation, the Yoga won’t last much beyond noon with a regular workload. Lenovo should be able to extend battery life with a firmware upgrade.
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 review: Both visual and auditory
I examined the 2.8K (2880 x 1600) 120Hz OLED display of the Yoga 9i Gen 9. Right out of the box, it was breathtakingly beautiful, with vivid and lively colors, deep blacks, and superb clarity. An OLED display option in 4K+ (3840 x 2400) is available, however its refresh rate is just 60Hz. Faster refresh rates are now second nature to me, and it shows in the way effortlessly Windows operates.
My colorimeter indicates that the display is on par with all other OLED displays I’ve looked at. Because of the almost limitless contrast, blacks were flawless. At 100% sRGB, 97% AdobeRGB, and 100% DCI-P3, its colors were broad and accurately represented, with a DeltaE of 0.83 (1.0 being imperceptible to the human eye). At 400 nits, brightness was also excellent.
Additionally, Dolby Vision is supported with the display, offering high dynamic range (HDR) content with a high-quality picture. The mini-LED display on the MacBook Pro 14 is the only superior one.
The company’s Soundbar, which holds two tweeters and produces crisp sound in all four of the 2-in-1’s modes, is included with the Yoga 9i Gen 9. With its two side-firing woofers, it boasts an excellent four-speaker setup. I tried the configuration with a range of audio files, including several music tracks, a Netflix movie, and a YouTube trailer. It generated a lot of volume, with distinct highs and mids and more bass than most 14-inch Windows laptops. When I reduced the level to 95%, I was able to eliminate the minor distortion I was experiencing at maximum volume, which was really loud.
No other Windows laptop I’ve tried is as excellent as the Yoga, but the MacBook Air may be on par with it in this regard.
When combined, the sound system and display create a fantastic media machine. The jet-black writing on clean white backgrounds will be appreciated by productivity users, while the colors will be adored by creative.
Excellent convertible 2-in-1 with one major issue
I like the Gen 9 Yoga 9i. A great deal. It’s a stunning, well-made 2-in-1 convertible device with great acoustics and an OLED display that makes for an enjoyable video experience. It’s also pretty portable and rather quick. The battery life is below average, which is a major problem.
Additionally, it costs around $1,500, which is 50% more than some other laptops with comparable specifications. Do you value versatility and an incredibly stylish chassis above all-day battery life in a 2-in-1? If so, get the Yoga without hesitation since its short battery life is the only thing preventing it from receiving a better rating.
