Conclusion
There are multiple angles from which to approach the ThinkPad Yoga’s evaluation, so in our conclusion here, we’ll try and break it down for you in context with both the X240 and the previous Yogas separately to help you better digest the results of our testing.
The ThinkPad Yoga is, overall, a successful fusion of the ThinkPad philosophy with the Yoga design. It’s the most durable and business-like (not to mention the heaviest) Yoga to date, and yet simultaneously it’s also the most touch-versatile ThinkPad. It seeks to incorporate the best of both worlds into a package which both camps could appreciate.
The list of positives abounds, with expert construction quality and solidity (thanks in no small part to the Magnesium and Aluminum + Polyphenylene sulfide materials) leading the pack, followed by a clever transformative design (see: the Lift ‘n Lock keyboard innovation, which resolves one of our main complaints about previous Yoga designs and their exposure of the keyboard while folded into Tablet Mode). Speaking of keyboards, the ThinkPad Yoga’s is best-in-class, and in fact, it’s one of our favorite notebook keyboards ever. It also is one of the only devices on the market to include a touch panel which is not fully glossy (call it semi-matte)—something which will surely make many business professionals sit up and take notice. Topping it all off is a manageable weight of just 3.55 pounds and a battery life that exceeds that of the two most recent ThinkPad Ultrabook models we reviewed (the T440s and the X240). For $1,595, it’s a pretty solid package if you’re in the market for a business machine with touch functionality.
What about weaknesses, you ask? Of course, the ThinkPad Yoga can’t escape unscathed, with a fair list of drawbacks, beginning with its lack of integrated Ethernet, DisplayPort, and—to a lesser extent—VGA (it features mini-HDMI only for video output). The rest of its shortfalls are also applicable to its T440s and X240 ThinkPad cousins: display lid wobble when operating with touch in either Laptop or Stand Mode, slight CPU and heavy GPU performance throttling (due to thermal limitations) when under load—and, finally, the same flawed clickpad implementation which we found so difficult to handle on both the T440s and X240. Oh—and while it’s really just a question of aesthetics, that screen bezel is awfully large… but that’s not going to bother everyone. Depending on your intended use, this is a pretty forgivable list of negatives. As usual, it’s a question of priorities.
Okay, so what about those coming from the perspective of either the existing Yoga or ThinkPad line of products? Let’s break it down:
vs. Yoga 2 Pro (and previous Yoga models)
PROS:
- Screen is less glossy/reflective overall providing fewer obstructions
- More practical screen resolution (1080p)
- Construction overall seems more rigid and more similar to the ThinkPad line; metal hybrid versus plastic
- Superior keyboard (same as X240)
- Lift ‘n Lock design to help protect the keyboard in tablet mode
- Availability of Wacom digitizer
CONS:
- Inferior screen overall
- Around half a pound heavier
vs. ThinkPad X240
PROS:
- 1080p screen available (vs. 720p on X240)
- Availability of Wacom digitizer
- Max 16 GB dual-channel RAM (vs. 12 GB single-channel RAM on X240)
- Better perceived build quality overall
CONS:
- No integrated Ethernet port
In short? Despite its missteps, the ThinkPad Yoga is our favorite Lenovo device we’ve had the pleasure of testing so far this year. For casual consumers, we’d say it’s the best Yoga available, and for business professionals, it’s even superior to the X240 and T440s in nearly every way.
More photos:
I’ve been using a TPY as my
I’ve been using a TPY as my daily driver since January (CTO, 1920×1080 + digitser, i7-4500U, 8GB, 256GB sSD). The only complaints I have with it so far are:
– The pen silo is sharp-edged, so unless you insert the pen with robotic precision every time, it will inevitably become heavily scratched. Merely a cosmetic issue
– Mini-HDMI. Fuck mini-HDMI, I’d much rather have DP. It’s usually docked when I’m using an external display anyway, but it means carting around an extra couple of adapters if I’m expecting to use an external display on the go
– The middle-click section of the trackpoint ‘button’ area CANNOT be set as a middle-click! It can be used as a ‘universal scroll’ button, but not to send the middle-button click command. This is frankly moronic. You can still three-finger-click with the touchpad, so I generally just use the touchpad (which I’ve had no issues with).
– If you leave orientation unlocked, and lift up the laptop by the side immediately after closing it, it will re-orient before it goes to sleep. this means that the next time you wake it, it will awaken in the wrong orientation, flip to the opposite orientation, then flip the the correct orientation. There’s an orientation-lock button on the outside, so this is rarely an issue.
– The matte finish on the display is applied over the gorilla glass, so can scratch easily.
Other than that, it’s a great laptop.
I would love a 2015 version
I would love a 2015 version with the following alternations:
– Ditch HDMI in favor of DP
– Add Broadwell or preferably (if available) Skylake processor
– Replace the 2.5″ SATA with a M.2 slot => gained room could be used for beefier cooling solution and / or battery
– Replace touchpad with a standard ThinkPad one
– If the hinges are as distracting as stated in this review: rework them 😉
I guess that would result in an almost perfect device for myself!
I got a dozen or so of these
I got a dozen or so of these and are prepping to deploy them. Some notes:
The Onelink Doc can’t be used to boot from network (PXE).
You can ONLY use the Thinkpad branded USB / Ethernet to PXE.
I wish I could swap the Mini-HDMI (WHY?) with Mini-DP and / or VGA. Built in Ethernet would also be awesome.
All of the new Thinkpads have horrible touchpad. Not sure what Lenovo is thinking with them?
Seems like most reviews of
Seems like most reviews of the newer Thinkpads don’t like the click pad. Where as it’s not perfect, I much prefer it to the physical buttons. The physical buttons require a lot of two handed work to do click and drag and such. Where as the click pad can single hand click drag and release for either left or right click. And three finger click for middle works better than a left+right click or other options with physical buttons. I agree that the click itself feels loose and could use some tweaking. That might help with repeated clicking which is harder than with the physical buttons. But I think it’s move in the right direction.
And I haven’t really noticed any issues with accidental clicking or moving while typing. I think I did when I rebuilt a T431S and didn’t have the most recent drivers installed. But after update it seemed fine.
Or course I understand a lot of the complaints for people who liked things the way they are. I have my things that I don’t like when they are changed.
Yes the business will reimage
Yes the business will reimage this with windows 7, so why should any enterprise spend money for touch when any enterprise will use their IT department’s approved system Image and Productivity software. And, there are plenty of last year’s model Core i7 quad core business laptops available from the resellers, at bargain prices(New in a sealed Box), that outperform this laptop, and last year’s model business laptop usually comes with discrete graphics, that OpenCL really accelerates those spreadsheets! There is nothing like Intel’s last year’s model core i series CPUs, that can compete with Intel’s this years overpriced and under-improved “New” offerings, that is in the CPU category, graphics, and OpenCL acceleration, is better left to AMD or Nvidia.
enterprise
resellers
There’s
enterprise
resellers
There’s your answer. In an enterprise environment, it’ll always be cheaper to buy new hardware and use the manufacturers warranty services, than to buy from resellers and handle repair in-house.
Besides, this isn’t a mobile workstation. Comparing it to a (e.g. Wxxx series) powerhouse with a discrete GPU is apples-to-oranges. I’ve seen plenty of X-1 Carbons and X2xx series without discrete GPUs used for regular office work.
All very good points guys and
All very good points guys and I wholeheartedly appreciate the dialogue. I take all of these things into account for future reviews.
In regards to the new clickpad, I have tried hard to adjust to its use and appreciate what it brings to the table. But, in an even worse turn than HP Elitebook's ForcePad, I just feel like it makes operation unnecessarily difficult. I'm not sure why all three of the ThinkPads I've reviewed have exhibited the pointer jumpiness, but I do know that the drivers on the Yoga were the latest release and I was still experiencing that problem. It is especially frustrating as it really doesn't buy that much additional room, and even a conventional clickpad could have been much better in my opinion (such as even that which was found on the X220 and X230).
Under “Pros” you stated RAM
Under “Pros” you stated RAM is upgradeable but I’ve read elsewhere that says the RAM is soldered in. Can you clarify this point?
Great review BTW.
@William:
Whoops, not really
@William:
Whoops, not really sure where that came from, heh. Thanks for pointing that out! Corrected.
Also, glad you liked the review! These things take a lot of time to assemble 🙂