Lenovo's premium 2-in-1s, the Yoga series, are seeing an upgrade to Intel's latest processors as the company continues, 10 years after the original IdeaPad Yoga, to refine its design. A new series of laptops, to be released in the second quarter of 2022, will utilize Intel's 12th Gen Alder Lake-H45 chips. And one cheaper option will use current Ryzen processors from AMD.
The flagship is the Yoga 9i, a 14-inch convertible that goes up to Intel's Core i7-1260P with 12 cores. While it still has the usual fold-over design, this year, Lenovo is touting the speaker bar powered by Bowers & WIlkins, with a pair of woofers and tweeters. And – I couldn't make this up if I tried – there's an audio mode function key that Lenovo calls "Vibe Check" to switch between profiles for music, movies and gaming. The display goes up to 3840 x 2400, with OLED and DisplayHDR 500 as an option.
The touchpad, which uses haptics, is 45% larger than the last generation, and Lenovo is changing the deck to have a more rounded profile that it calls "Comfort Edge" for less strain on your wrists. Ports include a pair of Thunderbolt 4, two USB Type-A and a headphone jack; a stylus will only come included in some markets.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Lenovo Yoga 9i | Lenovo Yoga 7i | Lenovo Yoga 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Up to Intel Core i7-1260P | Up to Intel Core i7-1260P, Up to Core i7-12700H | Up to AMD Ryzen 7 5700U |
| GPU | Intel Iris Xe (integrated) | Intel Iris Xe (integrated), Intel Arc A-series | AMD Radeon graphics (integrated) |
| Display | 14-inch 3840 x 2400 or 2880 x 1800, OLED or 1920 xs 1200 IPS | 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 16:10, 14-inch, 2880 x 1800 OLED | 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1200, IPS, 16:10 |
| RAM | Up to 16GB LPDDR5 | Up to 16GB LPDDR5 | Up to 16GB LPDDR4x |
| Storage | Up to 1TB PCIe SSD Gen 4 | Up to 1TB PCIe SSD Gen 4 | Up to 1TB SSD |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 | Up to Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Starting Price | $1,399 | $899 | $749 |
| Availability | Q2 2022 | Q2 2022 | Q2 2022 |
Next down the line is the Lenovo Yoga 7i, which comes in 14 and 16-inch sizes. The Yoga 7i also goes up to the Intel Core i7-1260P, while the screen goes up to a 2800 x 1800 OLED on the 14-inch and a 2560 x 1600 LCD on the 16-inch, with the option for Dolby Vision. But you can also get a more specced out version of the 16-inch, with up to a Core i7-2700H and Intel Arc A series graphics with a 60W TDP.
Like the 9i, the Yoga 7i is adopting a rounded edge. The 16-incher includes a1080p camera with IR for Windows Hello, as well as Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-A, HDMI and an SD card reader.
The cheapest option is the Yoga 6, an AMD-powered convertible (up to a Ryzen 7 5700U), with either a recycled aluminum lid or one with a fabric made from 50% recycled plastics. The touchscreen is 1920 x 1200, and Lenovo is listing a 1080p webcam, even at the sub-$1,00 price point.
All of these laptops are coming this year, but you'll have to wait a few months – the latest Yogas are scheduled for Q2 of 2022.
Beyond the laptops, Lenovo is announcing a number of accessories, including mice, monitors, abd a 130W multi-port charger that are set to come out throughout the spring and summer.
