The Lenovo Yoga 900 Series Launched: The ‘Thinnest’ Core Laptop and a 27-inch Portable All-In-One
by Ian Cutress on October 20, 2015 10:30 AM ESTLenovo’s Yoga line has been consistently at the forefront of attempting to define exactly what a combination clamshell laptop ‘that’s also a sort of tablet’ should be. Over the years we’ve reviewed several models, including the Yoga 2 Pro and the Yoga 3 Pro. The latter was the first Broadwell-Y device, taking a high frequency 4.5-watt Intel processor into a 13.3-inch QHD+ high-end device weighing only 2.6 lbs and with an interesting hinge that seemed to be a feat of mechanical engineering. The new Lenovo Yoga 900 released this week is in many ways the update to the Yoga 3 Pro but with full-fat 15W Skylake laptop processors and is advertised as the world's thinnest 'Core i' laptop with Skylake.
Lenovo Yoga 900
Lenovo Yoga Specifications | ||||||
Yoga 2 Pro | Yoga 3 Pro | Yoga 900 | ||||
Processor | Intel Core i3-4010U (15W) Intel Core i5-4200U (15W) Intel Core i7-4500U (15W) |
Intel Core M-5Y71 (4.5W) | Intel Core i7-6500U (15W) | |||
Memory | 4-8GB DDR3L-1600 | 8GB DDR3L-1600 | 8-16GB DDR3L-1600 | |||
Graphics | Intel HD 4400 (20 EUs, Gen 7.5) |
Intel HD 5300 (24 EUs, Gen 8) |
Intel HD 520 (24 EUs, Gen 9) |
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Display | 13.3" Glossy IPS 16:9 QHD+ (3200x1800) |
13.3" Glossy IPS 16:9 QHD+ (3200x1800) LCD |
13.3" Glossy IPS 16:9 QHD+ (3200x1800) LED |
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Hard Drive(s) | 128GB/256GB/512GB SSD (Samsung mSATA) |
256GB/512GB SSD (Samsung PM851) |
256GB/512GB SSD (Samsung ?) | |||
Networking | Intel Wireless-N 7260 (2x2:1 802.11n) |
Broadcom 802.11ac (2x2:2 802.11ac) |
Intel Wireless AC-8260 (2x2:2 802.11ac) | |||
Audio | Realtek HD Stereo Speakers Headset jack |
JBL Stereo Speakers 1.5w x 2 Headset jack |
JBL Stereo Speakers Dolby® DS 1.0 Headset jack |
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Battery | 4 cell 55Wh 65W Max AC Adapter |
4 cell 44Wh 40W Max AC Adapter |
4 cell 66Wh | |||
Buttons/Ports | Battery status indicator Novo button 1 x USB 2.0 1 x USB 3.0 Headset Jack Volume Screen Rotation Lock AC Power Connection 1 x Micro-HDMI SD Card Reader |
Power Button Novo Button 2 x USB 3.0 Headset Jack Volume Control Auto Rotate Control DC In with USB 2.0 Port 1 x Micro-HDMI SD Card Reader |
Power Button 2 x USB 3.0-A 1 x USB 3.0-C Headset Jack SD Card Reader DC In with USB 3.0-A Port |
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Back Side | Exhaust vent | Watchband Hinge with 360° Rotation Air Vents Integral to Hinge |
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Dimensions | 12.99" x 8.66" x 0.61" 330 x 220 x 15.5 mm |
13" x 9" x 0.5" 330.2 x 228.6 x 12.8 mm |
12.75" x 8.86" x 0.59" 324 x 225 x 14.9 mm |
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Weight | 3.06 lbs (1.39 kg) | 2.6 lbs (1.18kg) | 2.8 lbs (1.3 kg) | |||
Extras | 720p HD Webcam Backlit Keyboard |
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Colors | Silver Grey Clementine Orange |
Light Silver Clementine Orange Golden |
Platinum Silver Clementine Orange Champagne Gold |
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Pricing | $879 (256GB) $1049 (512GB) |
$1148 (256GB) $1379 (512GB) |
$1200 (8GB/256GB) $1300 (8GB/512GB) $1400 (16GB/512GB) |
With Intel’s 6th Generation, as most OEMs will be moving to, Lenovo is hoping to leverage new features such as Speed Shift and video decode to improve both performance and battery life. Over the previous generation of Yoga laptops, the Yoga 900 comes in a little heavier than the Yoga 3 Pro but allows up to 16GB of memory, comes immediately with Windows 10 Home and also sports a USB Type-C 3.0 with video out functionality. Currently all versions listed online come with the i7-6500U, one of the top Skylake Core i7 15W models with GT2 integrated graphics. Lenovo is listing the battery life as nine hours of local video playback, as well as sporting a 50% increase in battery density.
Prices start at $1200 for the 8GB/256GB version, rising to $1400 for 16GB/512GB models. There will be versions in Lenovo’s Clementine Orange, but also Platinum Silver and Champagne Gold. From looking at the breakdown online, not all colors will be available in all specifications.
Lenovo Yoga Home 900
Cast your minds back to 2014. It was a fun time, with Haswell and Broadwell processors from Intel being talked about as bringing a revolution to the mobile computing market. I remember some of the product ideas becoming quite amusing at the time, especially when Intel was talking about making all-in-one devices (where the PC built into the monitor and you just add a keyboard/mouse) something that could be carried around. Clearly something that measures up to 32-inches in this context is going to be heavy and short on battery life, and was perhaps not something to be taken too seriously as a product idea. Fast forward to the end of 2015, and Lenovo is going to sell you one.
Information about the specifications is small right now, but we are told that at 27-inches, the device will come with a 5th generation processor, Windows 10 and offer up to three hours of battery life. The 5th generation processor part is interesting, suggesting a Broadwell part – if this is a 47W or 65W processor, it could be an eDRAM equipped processor in that instance. Nevertheless there will probably be a range available, as Lenovo is going to offer the Yoga Home 900 with optional NVIDIA GeForce 940A graphics as well. The software package from Lenovo will include the AURA 3.0 interface which allows for image manipulation and a selection of apps from the Windows Store developed with portable AIOs in mind.
Prices for the Lenovo Yoga Home 900 will start at $1549 and be available from the end of October.
Source: Lenovo
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10basetom - Tuesday, October 20, 2015 - link
I happen to like Lenovo's orange color -- to each their own. By the way, Lenovo's doing just fine in the PC industry.boeush - Thursday, October 22, 2015 - link
I was talking about bad color gamuts, poor contrasts, and horrible miscalibration. I was talking about display attributes, not the color of the case. Sheesh...Bigrio - Tuesday, October 20, 2015 - link
The 27in model with its 1080p screen is "2k". Stop bashing resolutions without knowing what you're talking about. 4k(UHD) is actually 3840x2160 , the 4k is the horizontal pixel count, and 2k is 1920x1080, notice how 1920 is almost 2k?Morawka - Wednesday, October 21, 2015 - link
should have put a 1440p screen in it at least.. when you see 27" monitors, they are 90% 1440pDigitalFreak - Tuesday, October 20, 2015 - link
SSD models used in the Yoga 900Here are the SSD models used in the different configurations:
Samsung MZNLN256HCHP M.2 256GB
Liteon CV1-8B256 256GB M.2
Hynix HFS256G39MND-3310A M.2 256GB
Samsung MZNLN512HCJH M.2 512GB
Liteon CV1-8B512 512GB M.2
Hynix HFS512G39MND-3310A M.2 512GB
DigitalFreak - Tuesday, October 20, 2015 - link
Source - https://download.lenovo.com/consumer/mobiles_pub/y...kjmathew - Friday, October 30, 2015 - link
Brilliant! Thanks!SoulShadow - Tuesday, October 20, 2015 - link
What is with this crazy obsession with as thin as possible? I'd rather the laptop be 0.2 or 0.5" thicker if it meant a bigger battery.BrokenCrayons - Tuesday, October 20, 2015 - link
I don't understand it either. There's certainly value to be found in reducing device weight and size, but the functionality lost in this unending pursuit of thinner devices results in compromises that need not be made and are not beneficial to the end consumer that purchases them. Even with a vast reduction in thickness, a laptop still requires roughly the same sized protective bag to completely protect it since the length and width have remained the same despite a loss of thickness. I'm glad to see lighter more portable devices, but I think we've surpassed reasonable limits in an attempt to differentiate products that are otherwise running fairly mundane/similar internal components from one of a few limited hardware companies (Intel/AMD/NV/etc).hansmuff - Tuesday, October 20, 2015 - link
Look at HP's EliteBook series to witness what terrible design changes are made to excellent machines just to make them thinner.I had a 8460w for years, an excellent machine in every regard. It was replaced by our IT staff with a 840 G2. Oh where to start.. a terrible keyboard (but backlit! that's important!), a frickin hinged ethernet jack that's a PITA to use, piss poor battery life (with a 15W CPU, mind you!! No dedicated GPU) and the add-on battery prevents use of a docking station because thin is great.
The configuration I have is a $2,100 laptop, and I hate the guts of that thing. But it's very thin and light.