GadgetsLab: LENOVO YOGA 9i

Reviewed by GABRIEL PE

Convertible laptops were all the rage in the last decade. These devices provided allaround mobility, versatility, and most importantly convenience to users who want the tablet experience with the power of a PC. The Lenovo Yoga series has provided its users the ultimate convertible experience, and the latest Yoga 9i looks to continue its legacy.

DESIGN 4.5/5

As the flagship in the Yoga series, Lenovo has fitted the Yoga 9i with all the works! First, it has an elegant European leather cover and an impressive aerospacegrade aluminum body. Our review unit came in the Shadow Black color with the etched Lenovo Yoga Series on the cover delivering great finishing touch.

Opening the laptop you’ll be greeted by the 14-inch IPS FHD (1920 x 1080) touchscreen display. The keys are placed on the aluminum body but the palm rest, including the touchpad, is made with edge-to-edge glass. Also on the glass palm rest is the fingerprint reader.

On the left of the Yoga 9i is a USB 3.1 type A port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports that double as the charging port, and the 3.5mm audio port. On the right of the laptop is the power button. At the back is the stylus dock, which I found a rather weird location for a stylus.

HARDWARE 4.5/5

The Lenovo Yoga 9i was made with power and efficiency in mind. Lenovo opted to go with an Intel core i7-1185G7 in our review unit which offered a surprisingly impressive power performance in benchmarks. The 11th-gen processor scored 1940 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 883 for single core. For PC Mark10 it was rated 4669, a respectable all-around score.

Paired with the Intel Core i7-1185G7 is Intel’s Iris Xe graphics, based on the Xe architecture. It’s an integrated graphics so gaming was really not the Yoga 9i’s first option. On 3Dmark Timespy it scored 1557 and 11,447 on 3Dmark Night Raid (night raid was specially made for integrated graphics). But in the spirit of once again pushing laptops to the limited, I tried Valorant on the Yoga 9i and it was able to push out 60 to 70fps on high settings but around the 100s on low settings — not bad, I would say.

Memory-wise our test unit came with 16GB of LPDDR4 RAM. For storage, we had 1TB of PCIe SSD. As for the battery, the Yoga 9i comes with a 60Whr battery rated for 17 hours of use. Charge time is quick with the 65W fast charger.

USER EXPERIENCE 4/5

It has been a while since I was able to get my hands on a 2-in-1 laptop and to be honest I was quite excited to play around with the Yoga 9i.

There’s a lot to be excited about with the Yoga 9i. First, there’s the touchscreen which I think more laptop manufacturers should consider. It’s handy, and Windows has done a good job optimizing the Windows 10 touch interface. Plus, you can actually carry it around like a tablet since it is pretty light at 1.44kg.

Then there’s the included stylus, which is good for a bit of scribbling and doodling, although I think not quite at the level of the styli like the S-Pen or Apple Pen. What’s great though is that Lenovo has found a way to insert the pen directly into the laptop for better portability. The location, though, seems pretty weird and obscure, as it is hidden behind the power button such that I was initially disappointed because I thought there was no included stylus.

I think the best features of the Yoga 9i are its display and audio. The Yoga 9i’s IPS display isn’t an OLED nor a 4K panel, but somehow Lenovo managed to tweak it to display vivid images. As for the audio, the Dolby certified speakers are placed on the 360-degree hinge and rotate when you change the laptop’s position. This design choice allows it to produce loud yet clear audio even in tablet mode.

If there’s one downside to the Yoga 9i, it would be cooling. I found it getting hot just above the keyboard after some — not too hot, but still a bit uncomfortable to touch. Even in tablet mode, the same area warms up, making it uncomfortable to place on my lap or hold for too long.

VALUE 4/5

Starting at PHP109,995, the Lenovo Yoga 9i demands a hefty purse; but for what it offers I can honestly say it’s worth every penny. With the great display, great audio, and all-around performance, the Lenovo Yoga 9i is a great convertible for anyone looking.

WHAT’S HOT

- Great audio

- Great display

- It’s a 2-in-1

- Included stylus with dedicated port

WHAT’S NOT

- Does get warm

- Limited port selection

BOTTOMLINE

The Lenovo Yoga 9i is definitely a choice for users who want a convertible laptop.