Lenovo Yoga 900: a luxurious convertible laptop

Presentation

We are still dealing with a convertible laptop with a hinge allowing the screen to tilt 360 degrees. With its 13.3-inch screen, a weight of 1.3 kg and its 6th generation Intel Core i7 processor, this laptop is clearly positioned in the premium ultraportable segment. Prices start from € 1,300.

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Construction

Lenovo boasts of offering the thinnest laptop with an Intel Skylake processor. Difficulty to verify the claim, but we must admit that the 14.9 mm thickness of the Yoga 900 is impressive. And it's not just that: the manufacturer has particularly taken care of its product, which benefits from an excellent finish and a premium design. Exactly what you would expect from a laptop at this price, in short. The gray all-magnesium chassis feels nice under the fingers, as does the soft-touch coating around the keyboard, which manages to imitate the touch of leather surprisingly well.

Yoga requires, this version can turn around in all directions: tablet mode, tent mode, laptop mode ... Whatever your position, the machine adapts. The hinge occupies the entire length of the device and appeared to us to be extremely well designed. Its look is quite particular and recalls a timepiece. At the editorial office of dev.rankuzz.com, this aesthetic choice divides: some find it simply ugly, while others salute the luxurious aspect of the whole. We let you judge, but impossible to deny the solidity of the system.

As often with this type of hybrid laptop, the purely "tablet" use is not very convincing, the 13.3 inch panel is clearly too large for a pleasant grip. On the other hand, the "tent" mode finds all its usefulness in the viewing of a video.

Once back in laptop mode, the Yoga 900 offers a very satisfying experience. The trackpad slides well - but tends to retain fingerprints - and the chiclet keyboard is nice. The latter has rounded keys on the lower part: the typing is precise, the keys sink correctly and typing text for several hours will not be a problem. The set benefits from two levels of backlighting.

On the connection side, the Yoga 900 is doing well: two USB 3 ports, a USB 2 port, a USB Type C port with video output, a multiformat card reader, a jack input / output. Note that Lenovo had the clever idea to use the USB 2 port as a charging support for the battery, which saves space on the chassis.

As for heat management, this is again faultless: there is a hot spot of 40.8 ° C at the front, under the screen on the right and left, and 39.6 ° C in back. These good figures are accompanied by controlled ventilation, the sound volume of which does not exceed 34 dB (A). You will hardly ever hear the machine, except during heavy use, where a slight breath is noticeable.

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Screen

We expected a lot from the screen of this Yoga 900, and we must admit that we are a little disappointed. If the machine benefits from a glossy IPS panel in QHD (3200 x 1800 px), the results of our probe are mixed. There is thus a brightness of 342 cd / m², which is correct for this type of product, but above all a low contrast ratio of only 392: 1.

The balance is also mixed side delta E, gamma curve and color temperature: the average delta E is set at 4.8, the temperature at 6799 K while the gamma curve shows a lack of brightness in the whites. If the overall rendering remains homogeneous, we clearly expected more on certain points, in particular the readability of the screen in a bright environment.

The configuration tested The configuration received in test includes an Intel Core i5-6500U processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a 128 GB SSD.

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Performances

This new Lenovo convertible benefits from an Intel "Skylake" Core i7 6500U processor. It is a dual-core CPU engraved in 14 nm, taking advantage of frequencies ranging from 2.5 GHz to 3.1 GHz in Turbo mode. For comparison, this is the same processor found on the last iteration of the Dell XPS 13.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, the speed is there. Our performance index is good, and this hybrid is very fast, whatever the use. We can therefore work and have fun in excellent conditions. It is also very quick to start and stop (complete stop in 12 seconds, start in 11 seconds).

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Games

Like the vast majority of machines of this type, the Lenovo Yoga 900 is not made for the game. Its iGPU - here an Intel HD Graphics 520 - is only at ease in old games or titles in 2D or in pixel art.

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Mobility / Autonomy

With 1.4 kg and reduced dimensions for a 13 inch (324 x 225 x 14.9 mm), the Yoga 900 is clearly an ultra mobile machine, all the more with its possible transformation into tablet or tent mode. We also appreciate the small size of its charger, which adds very little weight to the transport bag.

On the autonomy side, it's a little more mixed. It is clear that we are not reaching the level of the best products on the market on this point. Our reading test under Netflix (under Chrome, brightness at 200 cd / m², headphones plugged in) thus reached 4:58, which is very little compared to the HP Specter x360 (more than 7 hours) or the Lenovo Yoga 3 (6 hours ). It is therefore difficult to use the Yoga 900 for a whole day without having to connect it to the mains.

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Audio

As is very often the case with this type of product, the sound part must be divided into two very distinct parts: on the one hand, the quality headphone output; on the other, the speakers, with a very average rendering. Headphones plugged in, you get a convincing sound experience: the distortion rate is very low, the power is there and the entire sound spectrum is well rendered. The rendering of the speakers, on the other hand, lacks bass and treble and is only suitable for the diffusion of the voice (graphic below).

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Conclusion

This new high-end Yoga from Lenovo is an undeniable success in terms of design, portability and daring in terms of design in view of this famous hinge that one would think straight out of Swiss watchmaking. Unfortunately, its fifth star barely escapes him, because of a screen that seriously lacks contrast and just decent battery life.

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