Review Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 Ultrabook
Unveiled at CES 2011 and further demoed at a number of following trade shows since, the IdeaPad Yoga has generated perhaps more attention from the general media than any other Lenovo release this year. Its alluring name and full swing of the touchscreen display have gotten consumers curious about the quality, functionality and usability of the Windows 8-specific hardware. While the notebook/tablet hybrid concept is not new (see Dell XPS 12, Fujitsu Lifebook T901, ThinkPad X220T/X230T and related T models), the swivel-free hinges of the Yoga is a first for a Lenovo convertible. The notebook certainly stands out from the crowd of "typical" Ultrabooks, but is the uniqueness of this hybrid enough to warrant a purchase over its competitors? DELL Vostro 3750 battery Asus P52JC Battery HP Pavilion dv2500 battery

In this review, we take a closer look at the Yoga 13, Lenovo's 13.3-inch convertible equipped with a 1.7 GHz Core i5-3317U CPU, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, 1600x900 resolution IPS display, and integrated HD 4000 graphics. The current configuration is available for $1099 in the U.S. (resellers may have it for $100 less) and can be pre-configured with select Core i7 CPUs and up to twice the SSD storage size as needed. A smaller, ARM-based Yoga 11 running Windows RT is set for launch before the end of this year. We subject the Yoga 13 to our usual measurements and benchmarks below to see if the actual hardware is as impressive as it is eye-catching. Dell Inspiron 1520 battery Acer Aspire 5733Z Battery Toshiba PA3817U-1BRS Asus A42-M70

At its closed position, the Yoga 13 closely resembles the IdeaPad U300s, a 2011 Lenovo Ultrabook that we praised for its design and quality. The matte silver lid and underside sandwiches the inner black case in a similar manner as the U300s. Nonetheless, the Yoga 13 is actually slightly thicker (16.9 mm vs. 14.9 mm) with a hard black base and inner display bezel. The chassis is matte on all areas, but with a distinct glossy display and surrounding edge-to-edge bezel that mimics the face of a typical tablet. Build material is plastic all around, but the manufacturer has avoided the "cheap plastic" feel by giving every surface (sans the display) a soft, faux leather texture that is especially evident on the palm rest areas. This unexpectedly makes the Yoga 13 feel and look more expensive than the U300s even if the core build materials are alike. A trivial disadvantage is that fingerprints build up easily and can be difficult to clean due to the texture. HP Pavilion dv5 battery

What users will notice first-hand is the weight. At about 1.55 kg, the Yoga 13 is one of the heavier 13-inch Ultrabooks. The convertible is around 100 to 200 grams heftier than competitors like the HP Spectre XT 13, Dell XPS 13, and Zenbook UX32A and almost 400 grams more than the super-thin Samsung 900X3B Series 9. In this case, the price of versatility is a slightly thicker, slightly weightier chassis. Asus X72F Battery

The Yoga 13 was built to be adaptable by way of multiple interchangeable forms. Because of this, it is vital that build quality be solid enough to withstand more relentless inputs, twists, and rotations than a regular notebook. Thankfully, the Yoga delivers on these fronts. Applying pressure on any surface results in minimal depression as the chassis is quite dense all around. The center of the keyboard and outer lid are more easily warped with a firm press of a finger, but this is common with most notebooks and other IdeaPads. Resistance to side-to-side twisting of the base is good but not the best as some bending can be observed. The same can be said of the lid, though the amount of twisting is minimal enough for both cases that build quality is not largely affected. Sony VGP-BPS13A/S

The hinges can either make or break the notebook as the Yoga's ability to transform rests on the rigidity and durability of the pivot points. We're relieved to say that the hinges are sufficiently strong to prevent any unintended display movements that would otherwise occur while transporting the notebook with the lid at a wide angle. The amount of force it takes to move the lid is also consistent from degree to degree, so users should not have to worry about the hinges becoming weaker at certain angles than others. Note that the display can still vibrate slightly if working in an unsteady environment, such as a car or bus. Luckily, magnets secure the display in place to prevent any shaking when in tablet mode. Although not the most rigid hinges we've seen, they are firm enough to get the job done and are surprisingly good in spite of their diminutive sizes. HP BJ803AA

Connectivity

The amount of available ports is average for an Ultrabook, meaning users shouldn't expect too much. Since the rear is completely reserved for the hinges and ventilation, all ports are located on the left- and right-hand edges towards the rear to mitigate potentially annoying cables blocking valuable space for left- and right-handed users. The core concept of the Yoga disallows ports on the rear anyway, so side ports are to be expected. HP 493202-001

Sharing space with the ports above are several buttons commonly found on tablets. A volume rocker, screen lock, and even the power and OneKey Recovery buttons are all located around the edges closest to the user. The buttons, though small relative to the size of the hardware, allow for basic functionality when using the Yoga as a tablet. It would have been handy to include a brightness rocker as well for quick manual brightness adjustments. Asus G74 Battery

We are a little disappointed to see some basic ports missing from the Yoga, namely the Ethernet port and Kensington Lock option. VGA-out, which is still offered on a small handful of Ultrabooks in the form of mini-VGA, is also gone, leaving only an HDMI-out. Also of note are the two USB ports, only one of which is 3.0. Suffice to say, physical connectivity options are limited without external hubs and/or adapters. Dell Studio 1747 battery

Performance

Our model in review is equipped with the middle-of-the-road third generation 1.7 GHz Core i5-3317U. On Balanced or Energy Saver mode, both cores idle at 800 MHz. Two other ULV Ivy Bridge CPUs are available, the i3-3217U and i7-3517U, with no standard-voltage or Sandy Bridge options in sight. This particular i5 processor is now common amongst Ultrabooks and ultrathins, including the Toshiba Satellite Z930, Samsung Series 9 models, Aspire models and the MacBook Air 11. The 17 W CPU is rated at about half the TDP of its standard-voltage counterparts and should be more than enough for everyday browsing or video playback needs. More information and benchmarks on the i5-3317U can be found on our dedicated CPU section here. Sony VGP-BPS13B/S

For RAM, the Yoga 13 under review is equipped with a 4 GB DDR3 PC3-12800 SODIMM module from Micron Technologies. The RAM and SSD are both user-removable, though there is only one slot total for the memory. Exposing the hardware is not as simple as removing a couple of screws underneath as the user must first detach the keyboard and several subsequent screws before any sort of upgrading is possible. A hex wrench (Allen key) is required, further thwarting end-user upgradability. We do, however, appreciate the fact that the modules are removable and not soldered, unlike a number of other Ultrabooks in the market. HP Compaq NX4800 battery

DPC Latency Checker shows no recurring high latency peaks or spikes even with wireless radios active.

Processor
The synthetic CPU-oriented benchmarks rank the Yoga about average with other Ultrabooks with the same CPU, if not a little lower. For example, the similarly equipped Spectre XT 13 and Samsung 530U3C Series 5 both score at least 10-20 percent higher than the Lenovo in CineBench 64 Bit CPU tests and the multi-core wPrime tests. This may be due to the poor Turbo Boost stamina of the processor in the Yoga as discussed in the stress test below. Compared to Sandy Bridge processors, the i5-3317U provides tangible benefits over the i3-2310M and is comparable to the common i5-2410M. The latter is noteworthy because the Ivy Bridge i5-3317U achieves a similar level of processing power at half the TDP of the Sandy Bridge i5. HP HSTNN-LB72

System Performance

PCMark 7 was used to assess general system performance. At about 4396 points, the notebook is again bested by the similarly-equipped Spectre XT 13 by about 20 percent and a few hundred points below that of the ThinkPad Carbon X1. The differences may be explained by the SATA II SSD and limited Turbo Boost potential as discussed in the sections below. This is by no means a bad score as it is still significantly greater than notebooks without dedicated SSDs. The Zenbook UX32VD, for example only returned 1934 points in the same benchmark because of its hybrid HDD/SSD setup. Thanks largely to the SSD, day-to-day activities feel instantaneous on the Yoga.

Lenovo ThinkPad X230 adapter , ThinkPad X230i adapter , LENOVO ThinkPad X230 Hybrid adapter ,

At the time of writing, PCMark Vantage was incompatible with Windows 8. Instead, we provide the Windows 8 Experience Index results below for reference. Note that the new Experience Index is scaled differently than that of Windows 7, so Experience Index numbers between the two operating systems should not be compared directly.

At the bare minimum, the Yoga 13 is equipped with a 128 GB mSATA SSD and is configurable up to 256 GB. Our model houses a removable 128 GB SATA III mSATA SSD from Samsung and is the same model as the one found on the Spectre XT 13. We expect to have very similar benchmark numbers as a result, when in reality the numbers on the Yoga 13 are lower across the board according to CDM, AS SSD, and ATTO. The final numbers are akin to a SATA II drive even though the Samsung SSD itself is SATA III capable, meaning it is entirely possible that the actual interface on the board is only compatible up to SATA II speeds (confirmed by Lenovo here). Though by no means a slouch, it is disheartening to know that users may not be getting the full benefits of a SATA III SSD in the Yoga 13.

LENOVO ThinkPad X230T adapter , LENOVO ThinkPad X230Tablet adapter , LENOVO ThinkPad X230 Tablet adapter ,

Of the 119.12 GB of space available, 20 GB is reserved for system recovery, leaving about 88.8 GB free for Windows 8 and the user. See here for our growing list of benchmarked HDDs and SSDs.

Results from the synthetic GPU-oriented benchmarks appear underwhelming. The integrated HD 4000 GPU is capable of Turbo Boost up to 1050 MHz, but is more than likely to run closer to 500 MHz during 3D gaming sessions. ULV processors like the i5-3317U get the short end of the stick with regards to the integrated graphics core as other standard-voltage Ivy Bridge CPUs have the same HD 4000 GPU capable of higher clock rates up to 650 MHz or 1100 MHz with Turbo Boost.

Lenovo S200 adapter , Lenovo S260 adapter , Lenovo S280 adapter , Lenovo s220 adapter , Lenovo s230 adapter , Lenovo s270 adapter ,

The slow GPU is evident while running Starcraft 2. The average HD 4000 should run the title at about 110 FPS and 25 FPS on Low and Medium settings, respectively, according to our benchmarks. The Yoga 13 runs the title at half these frame rates and similarly as low on Guild Wars 2. With no dedicated GPU options, 3D gaming is definitely not a strong point with the Yoga 13. More information and benchmarks on the Intel HD 4000 GPU can be found in our dedicated review here.

To test if system performance will remain the same on battery compared to AC adapter power, we ran 3DMark06 on battery power and recorded any potential changes. The final scores showed negligible differences between AC power and battery power.

Lenovo G770 adapter , Lenovo G770A adapter , Lenovo G770E adapter , Lenovo G770L adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G770 adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G770A adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G770E adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G770L adapter ,

System Noise

The Yoga 13 produces audible noise from its dual fans even when idle, leading to a notebook that is never completely silent and a little louder than other Ultrabooks. Still, noise level increases only slightly under medium load and never becomes an annoyance. Ambient sounds from the home or office can easily drown out the fan noise, which is only distinctive under quiet circumstances.

At about 38 dB(A), fan noise under load becomes very obvious, but not high-pitched enough to become irritating. This noise level is very close to what other Ultrabooks at maximum load can produce and should not be an issue during regular use. For example, we were only able to reproduce the measured load values with full system stress benchmarks and not during browsing or gaming sessions.

Lenovo G575 adapter , Lenovo G575A adapter , Lenovo G575E adapter , Lenovo G575G adapter , Lenovo G575L adapter , Lenovo G575M adapter ,

Temperature

Surface temperatures in the idle state are relatively cool and uniform on both the keyboard side and underside. Of note are the top left corner and the corresponding corner underneath, which are prominently warmer at about 32 degrees C each. When fully stressed, these hotspots became very warm at over 40 degrees C. In comparison, other areas of the notebook increased by only a few degrees, resulting in a modestly warm notebook as most of the produced heat is concentrated quite well towards the rear and corner. Most importantly, the front areas where the palms and lap are more likely to contact stay quite cool regardless of system load.

The load measurements below were reproduced with Prime95 and FurMark running simultaneously for over an hour and are thus not a perfect representation of typical surface temperatures during browsing or word processing. As such, we don't expect users to run into uncomfortable surface temperatures during everyday use with the Yoga 13 based on our maximum temperature readings.

Lenovo IdeaPad G575 adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G575A adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G575E adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G575G adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G575L adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G575M adapter ,

Stress Test
Prime95 and FurMark were utilized to simulate stressed condition first independently and then simultaneously while monitoring CPU/GPU status with various tools.

We stressed the processor with Prime95 and noted any fluctuations in CPU speed. Under the High Performance setting, both cores idled at their advertised 2.4 GHz Turbo Boost speeds according to HWiNFO. This quickly dropped to a more stable 1800-1900 MHz range after initiating the benchmark, suggesting that the processor cannot sustain its Turbo Boost speed for even a considerable duration when under load.

The integrated GPU was then stressed with FurMark and monitored with GPU-Z. Similar to the CPU, the GPU Turbo Boost (1050 MHz) was only in effect for the first several seconds of the test and eventually leveled off at the 400-550 MHz range.

Under full stress from both Prime95 and FurMark, both CPU and GPU speeds were observed to be operating at their respective minimums of 800 MHz and 350 MHz. These speeds are essentially the idling states when in Power Saver mode. We ran 3DMark06 immediately following the stress test, which revealed a lower final score of 3206 points compared to the 4000+ points prior to the stress test. Throttling is thus a possibility under high enough workloads and conditions.

Lenovo G470 adapter , Lenovo G470A adapter , Lenovo G470AH adapter , Lenovo G470G adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G470 adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G470A adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad G470AH adapter ,

It may be worth noting that core temperature was only about 62 degrees C during maximum stress and that the GPU load was seen fluctuating between 85 and 100 percent during the same test. This suggests that throttling was likely not due to any overheating issues and may be more related to power or current bottlenecks of the hardware itself.

Speakers
The Yoga 13 includes built-in stereo speakers each operating at 1 W. The location of these speakers are unique in that they emanate from the crevices underneath the Chiclet keys instead of through dedicated speaker grilles as found on most other notebooks. More specifically, the left and right speakers are located beneath the "Caps Lock" and "L" keys, respectively. The positioning is not entirely symmetrical down the center of the notebook, but this fortunately has no negative impact on balance.

Sound quality is good considering the size, but not the best in its class as we found that the similarly-sized Samsung 900X3B can produce comparatively clearer acoustics. Sounds are a bit muffled overall and the forward-facing speakers mean that audio will be emitting towards the opposite direction of the user when in tablet mode. On the bright side, the speakers have evaded the "tinny" quality that plagues most cheap notebooks and tablets and the drawbacks are countered somewhat by the loud volume and subjectively distortion-free bass and treble balance. We found ourselves satisfied at even below 50 percent volume in most cases. Though external speakers are best, the built-in solution should be more than satisfactory for everyday music and video use.

Lenovo IdeaPad G470G adapter , Lenovo B570 adapter , Lenovo B570A adapter , Lenovo B570G adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad B570 adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad B570A adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad B570G adapter ,

Battery Life

We put the convertible through our usual tests with Battery Eater to record. For the maximum runtime idle test, the notebook was set to its lowest brightness on Energy Saver mode with wireless radios and all timeouts disabled. The battery was able to last for almost 6 hours and 30 minutes under these settings.

Minimum runtime was performed at maximum brightness, wireless radios active and on the Performance profile. With the Battery Eater Classic Test, the notebook was able to last for about 2 hours before automatic shutdown.

The more realistic WLAN test involves subjecting the notebook to our standardized looping script to simulate internet browsing conditions and short Flash videos. With brightness close to 150 cd/m (9/10 setting) and on the Balanced profile, the notebook was able to last for about 4 hours and 30 minutes.

Lenovo V370 adapter , Lenovo V370A adapter , Lenovo V370G adapter , Lenovo V370P adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad V370 adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad V370A adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad V370G adapter , Lenovo IdeaPad V370P adapter ,

According to Battery Eater, the non-removable lithium-Polymer battery provides 54.7 Wh of power similar to that of the U300s. In fact, total runtimes are fairly comparable between the U300s and Yoga 13. Lenovo again claims up to 8 hours of battery runtime, something that we were unable to reproduce without resorting to turning the display off completely. A more realistic runtime would be 4-5 hours on a full charge, which puts the Yoga 13 in line with most other Ultrabooks and above a few battery underperformers (i.e., ThinkPad X1 Carbon and LifeBook UH572) as well. Still, we feel that battery life can be slightly underwhelming overall as its capacity itself is larger than the more typical 40 to 50 Wh modules on the majority of other Ultrabooks.

The Yoga 13 is both a cautious and valiant effort at introducing a unique, yet ThinkPad X220T-like experience for the first time to IdeaPad users. The patented hinges are more than a novelty and the tablet functionality works wonders after acclimating to the uneven weight distribution. It's not as easy to pick up and play as with a tablet, but the duality and versatility of the Yoga combined with Windows 8 make the convertible leagues beyond what any available dedicated tablet can offer.

LENOVO ThinkPad T430 adapter , LENOVO ThinkPad T530 adapter ,

LENOVO ThinkPad T430s adapter , LENOVO ThinkPad T430si adapter ,

On the hardware front, the Yoga has one of the sleekest designs and form factors for an IdeaPad to date. Build quality is better than expected with no overly plastic textures that can normally make an expensive notebook feel cheap. It's clear that some girth and weight have been added in order to incorporate the touchscreen, which may turn off some users who prefer thinner and lighter Ultrabooks. The keyboard could have provided more feedback and travel as well and the small Backspace and Enter keys may take some time to get used to. Luckily, arguably the most important piece of the hardware – the hinges – are far from weak and do a fantastic job at holding the display relatively stable on its multiple modes.

Those who have no interest in the tablet form may want to opt for a lighter, thinner, and more portable Ultrabook for around the same price or even less. For example, similar battery life expectations and likely better system performance can be had with the HP Spectre XT, Samsung Series 9, or Acer Aspire S5. Even so, the Yoga 13 is aggressively priced and is ultimately a fresh, well-designed hybrid that is both fun-to-use and practical all at once.

Posted by: luckystar at 03:13 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 3560 words, total size 30 kb.