Lenovo Yoga 2 review

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 02:19 PM PST

When the Lenovo yoga 2 was launched only ten months ago it was deemed by many to be a good, but not entirely faultless machine. One of the greatest weaknesses was the low-resolution display and the slow SSD. Lenovo have now launched the Yoga 2 with the hope that the second generation Lenovo Yoga is now about to eliminate the criticisms. The new machine retains the ability to turn the device into a tablet on the fly, however, in many other respects it breaks new ground.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro

Despite the fact that there is less than a year between these two generations, in many ways, the technology has evolved significantly. This includes not only Intel’s leap from “Ivy Bridge” to ” Haswell “, but also progress in terms of displays, SSDs and radio technologies. However, Lenovo has not revised everything, here and there we can recognize familiar details.

This is especially true for the housing, in which hardly anything has changed. Visually similar on both devices, even down to the colours available – silver and orange. When closed, the Yoga 2 Pro looks even more compact than its predecessor, even though nothing has changed with dimensions of 333 mm x 225 mm. However, the new generation model is 1 mm flatter at 15.5 mm, one of the thinnest of its kind. Often taken into account for such comparisons is the MacBook Air which gives 17 mm as its thickest point. However, Lenovo uses an optical trick that makes the Yoga 2 appear thinner than it actually is. The machine appears to be a classic wedge shape and only on closer inspection is the deception obvious.

It also conceals the Yoga 2′s ability to transform. The fact that the cover hinges 360°, can also be seen only on closer inspection. Optically, therefore, Lenovo has got many things right.

Great workmanship, poor interfaces

But its not only the design has been paid so much attention. On the surface there are no imperfections to be seen, neither uneven gaps, nor burrs or sharp edges. The torsional rigidity, even with evil intent, provokes the usual deformations – in the area of the palm rest and only during display. Only the hinges can be criticised — they are packed too tightly. Because of this the Yoga 2 Pro can not be opened with just one hand.

Regarding the interface assembly, Lenovo has learned nothing from the weaknesses of the first yoga and provides the user with only two USB ports, of which only one is to the 3.0 specification. In addition, there is only a micro HDMI output rather than a standard sized one. Also in terms of wireless transmission Lenovo has not covered itself with glory: Single-band wireless n standard is neither the current nor adequate for the price. The rest of the equipment falls short of what we might have expected: A combined audio input and output, a 1-megapixel webcam with at best average picture quality and speakers, which lack both medium and low frequency clarity.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro

Large and crisp keys

The keyboard, however, is in a class of ots own — as is so often the case with Lenovo. The keyboard offers a crisp typing feel, resulting from a well-chosen pressure point and an ideal hub. The keys benefit from fool proof labelling and a back-light. Giving credit where it is due, Lenovo has ensured that no element falls short, even the cursor and function keys have a more than adequate size.

The touch-pad is designed and constructed in the same vein though was not entirely free of faults. The lack of width, especially was rather annoying. The gesture recognition as well as the sliding properties are well-implemented and also worth a mention are the two integrated buttons.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro keyboard

Performance

Under current technology Ultrabooks are not the greatest performers. The main components have already been available and installed in numerous devices for months so the following comparisons are with its predecessor.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro performance

Lenovo chose to base the yoga on the “Ivy Bridge” platform, but the Yoga 2 is based on “Haswell”. Specifically: In the first yoga test pattern an i5-3317U was installed, and the de facto successor has the i5-4200U. The clock rates – 1.7 to 2.5 GHz and 1.6 to 2.6 GHz – and TDPs – 17 and 15 Watt – come out very similar. The extra power of the newer CPU is up to 10 percent, in Cinebench 11.5 it was, for example, 9 percent (2.23 to 2.42 points). The situation is different in terms of GPU performance.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro cinebench

Here, Intel has gone for a much greater leap for graphically demanding applications. The comparatively undemanding Bioshock Infinite can render only 720 pixels and low levels of detail for smooth playback. The situation is different for programs that demand more of the CPU, RAM and mass storage.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro mass storage

While the drive in the old yoga suffered from low transmission rates, the new drive is noticeably faster, and with more than 520 MB/s is one of the faster flash drive models.

In the upper half of the table, the Yoga 2 also beats its predecessor in terms of runtime. This is due to its use of the “Haswell” platform in the later model. In recent weeks, using the current Intel CPUs one could run multiple devices and still show very good endurance values, everything else would have been a surprise in the test device. In fact, the results are not as good as you would expect at first glance.

With seven hours and 14 minutes at low load you’re exceeding your first yoga-generation charge by almost an hour, but which compares less favourably with the current competition. This effect is weakened in other tests: Under high load a full charge lasts for at least 2 hours and 42 minutes in PCMark 8 we recorded up to 3 hours and 39 minutes. That, despite the almost 55 Wh (under low intensity use) is not enough for a high load. On closer inspection there is a simple reason: the high-resolution display. For the representation of approximately 5.7 million pixels, more energy is needed than with full HD displays (2 million pixels).

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro battery life

With a maximum of around 8 watts running through it the Yoga 2 Pro seems to be idle but frugal. Using all its resources, less than 30 watts are used – also a good value.

The same applies for volume and temperature. For here, the Yoga scores 2% above average and shows that a small housing and effective cooling need not be mutually exclusive. But the latter can be quite busy as the fan starts up every few minutes for a few seconds. Although it can then be heard clearly, it is not troublesome. And even at full speed only 36 dBA are produced — in many notebook computers this would see the fan running idle. Worries about the temperature are still misplaced, however, because even after long periods of full load, the case and processor are far away from critical values. The underside of UltraBooks should be a maximum of about 45°, we obtained a maximum of 43° Celsius.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro temperature

It should be noted that even though the i5-4200U only came to 83° Celsius in the test, the GPU performance was turned down. However, this was only done in synthetic tests.

Display

For many years resolution didn’t change very much — now manufacturers can barely keep up. While a few months ago full HD was the measure of all things, and the first yoga machine was criticised for its 1600 x 900 pixels. 3,200 x 1,800 pixels are now available in the new model. Thus, the Yoga 2 Pro draws level with the Dell XPS 15 in this respect, but is largely due to the smaller screen diagonal and a higher pixel density (276 ppi to 235) and thus again a sharper display.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro display brightness

Display benchmarks

In three of the four most important measured values, the Yoga 2 also scores well. The maximum brightness is 409 cd/m² — suitable for outdoor use , the homogeneity of the back-light is 82% with an average White spot of around 6,200° Kelvin which represents an approximately neutral colour.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro

Conclusion

We could conclude that the Yoga 2 is in fact the Yoga 1 with all the problems ironed out. The performance for most purposes is more than adequate, thanks to new CPU and faster SSD. In addition, Lenovo has been able to improve the cooling system so as not to bother the user with noise and to provide the computer with sufficient fresh air. Finally, the display of the Yoga 2 can no-longer be considered out-of-date in terms of resolution.

The list of plus points gets even longer. On it are the very good build quality, compact and torsionally rigid housing, but also the crisp keyboard along with the touch-pad and the good battery life. But where there is praise criticism is usually not far away, for in many an area something is missing. The prime example of this is the screen contrast.

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro

And a clear bad point is the choice of interfaces. While the bulk of the Ultrabooks offer only two USB ports, but at the end of 2013 to only equip one of the two with the fast 3.0 technology is surprising. The same applies to the WLAN module: Here one can expect more than what is offered in an above $1000 (≈ $1000) expensive notebook. In the end, the yoga 2 Pro’s performance is clearly above average, but not very good. This is not only due to the above shortcomings, but to some extent also on the concept. A real tablet may not be the device that users may ultimately find difficult. And I doubt if the other two modes of operation that Lenovo refers to as ‘Tent’ and ‘stand’, are frequently used in everyday life.

Thus, the $1299 (≈ $1299) expensive yoga 2 Pro is a rather good Ultrabook, that must compete with the Dell XPS 12 (smaller screen with a lower resolution, better battery life), ASUS ‘Taichi 31 (no “Haswell”, lower resolution, two displays) and Sony VAIO Fit Multi-flip (lower resolution).

Positive aspects of the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro:

Bright display with high resolution
High quality of workmanship
Quiet fan
Good battery life
Convincing Input Devices

Negative aspects of the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro:

Poor interface assembly
Too heavy for a tablet

Specifications

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro Hardware

Processor: Intel i5-4200U
Processor – Cores: 2
Processor – basic clock: 1.6 GHz
Processor – Turbo clock: 2.6 GHz
Processor – Manufacturing 22 nm
Processor – Cache 3 MB
Main memory 8 GB – DDR3

Graphics Card

Intel HD Graphics 4400
Graphics Card – Video Memory -

Hard disk

1x 256 GB SSD

Monitor

Display – Technology: IPS
Display – Screen size: 13.3 inches
Display – Resolution: 3,200 x 1,800 pixels
Display – 3D-capable: no
Display – Glare-Type: yes
Display – LED: yes
Display – Touch: yes

Input Devices

Keyboard – key size: 14 x 14 mm
Keyboard – key distance: 4 mm
Keyboard – Number of Keys: 85
Keyboard – Numblock: no
Touchpad – Dimensions: 90 x 60 mm
Touchpad – Multi Touch: yes
Track stick: no