Lenovo Yoga 920
ANOTHER REMARKABLE HYBRID LAPTOP FROM LENOVO.
THE LENOVO YOGA 920 features USB-C ports, an improved webcam location, a better keyboard and boosted battery life, while retaining the 360-degree hinge that’s a hallmark of the Yoga range. However, with devices such as the Microsoft Surface Book 2 really pushing the boundaries of what we should expect from 2-in-1s, the Yoga 920 has its work cut out for it, if it’s to really stand out from the crowd.
The Yoga comes in different configurations. The base model comes with an Intel Core i5-8250U processor, a 256GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, a 13.9-inch 1080p touchscreen and an Active Pen stylus. The second model — which we’re testing here — comes with the same specs, but features a faster Intel Core i7-855OU processor and a larger 512GB SDD.
The 2-in-1 is thin, yet sturdy, weighing in at 1.37kg and measuring 32.3 x 22.3 x 1.4cm. This means it has a nice heft, without feeling heavy or bulky. It also has a metallic finish which adds to the premium feel, although after only a few hours of use, it quickly becomes a haven for fingerprints.
The hinges along the back of the Yoga 920 are also eye-catching — we’ve fluctuated between thinking they’re stylish and finding them a bit gaudy. There’s no doubting the strength and build quality of them, though, which is essential for a convertible laptop since they’re likely to see a lot of action as you flip the screen orientation. Like the hinge on the Surface Book 2, they’re strong enough to angle the screen without the body tipping up, while the screen remains held in place. Unlike the Surface Book 2, however, the design of the hinges doesn’t stick out quite as much, and the screen can flip a full 180-degrees. Plus, the keyboard is clever enough to turn off, so the keys don't interfere when in tablet mode.
Given the design, it’s probably no surprise that there aren’t a huge number of connectivity options. There’s a headphone/mic jack, two USB-C ports — one of which is also used as the power supply — and a full-size USB 3.0 port. The number of ports isn’t restrictive, and is a reasonable trade-off for the svelte design.
One thing we criticised the Surface Book 2 for was the fact that you’ll need to pay extra for the Surface Pen stylus. Thankfully, the Yoga 920 comes with a battery-powered Active Pen as part of the package. The Pen has a nice design and the Yoga responds well to it, thanks to its screen being able to detect 4,096 levels of pressure. Light presses and hard presses are registered accurately, and the Yoga 920 can keep up with even the most frantic scribbles.
The keyboard is large enough to type comfortably on, and despite the keys being fairly shallow, they have satisfying travel. The touchscreen is also fast and responsive, when using either your fingers or the stylus, while the 1080p screen looks fantastic with crisp and bright visuals and deep, dark blacks. Sound quality is good too.
Windows 10 runs smoothly on the 1.8GHz Intel Core i7, and Lenovo has kept the number of unwanted pre-installed applications to a minimum. Day-to-day tasks are usually processed quickly, although it took the Yoga quite a long time to extract a large ZIP file, which also caused its fans to kick in.
The integrated graphics don’t have enough power to drive graphically-demanding games, but it can still handle older titles.
The Yoga 920 lasted 9 hours and 23 minutes in our movie test, and just over 4 hours in the PCMark 8 Battery Life benchmark, which simulates medium to high usage. That’s almost 2 hours less than the Surface Book 2 13.5-inch — although the Surface Book 2 is both more expensive, and actually contains two batteries. The Yoga does recharge very quickly via USB-C, though — taking just 90 minutes to reach 92%.
In all, the Yoga is a triumph. It has a lovely premium design, and performs day-to-day tasks well. It's a little weak when it comes to graphically-intensive tasks, but it’s a price you’ll want to pay.