I Found A Lenovo Laptop That I Wouldn't Mind Ditching My Macbook Pro For - And It's On Sale

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is connected waste for astir $1600.
• It's a lightweight laptop pinch a coagulated artillery life and vibrant OLED show that is cleanable for activity and entertainment.
• However, its lightweight quality extends to its hardware, too, since it isn't a peculiarly powerful computer.

At Amazon, the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition has been discounted by $160, dropping to $1,440.

If there's 1 point you tin expect from Lenovo, it is simply a coagulated activity laptop that is judge to impress. Over nan past mates of weeks, I had nan opportunity to effort retired nan company's latest convertible device: nan Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition, 1 of Lenovo's caller laptop lines that utilize artificial intelligence successful absorbing ways.

The word "Aura Edition" refers to a bid of AI features that purpose to heighten nan personification experience. For nan liking of brevity, I won't spell into each azygous 1 successful detail, but I will item nan devices I enjoyed nan most.

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Through nan Smart Connect app, you tin activate Aura Smart Share to link a smartphone to nan laptop and transportation files betwixt them. I was capable to move a image from my telephone to nan machine successful a matter of seconds. You will request to instal Smart Connect connected your mobile instrumentality for this process to work. Once done, nan relationship betwixt nan 2 devices is seamless.

There is besides a postulation of optimization features called Smart Modes, which are accessible by hitting F9. There are 5 successful total, pinch my favourite being Wellness, which allows nan laptop to nonstop retired literal posture checks and oculus wellness warnings. As personification who types successful beforehand of a surface for hours, these devices travel successful very handy.

Through its webcam, Lenovo's laptop will show you if you've been staring astatine nan show for excessively long. A model will appear, suggesting that you look astatine thing 20 feet distant for 20 seconds to springiness your eyes a break. And if you're hunched complete for illustration a shrimp, different alert will look successful nan corner, telling you to beryllium up straight.

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I was besides a large instrumentality of Attention. This instrumentality lets users group up timers that soundlessness each notifications truthful you tin enactment focused connected nan task astatine hand. Timers tin scope from 10 minutes up to 4 hours.

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Working successful comfort

On nan surface, nan Yoga 9i Aura has a akin creation to nan 10th-gen Yoga Slim 9i. They're some slim, lightweight laptops pinch rounded corners and a vibrant OLED touchscreen. The keyboard is arsenic as comfortable. Like before, nan keys agelong from extremity to end, are evenly spaced out, and are covered successful a soft matte material. The 4 buttons connected nan acold broadside make a return, too.

Also: Why this Lenovo Yoga is 1 of nan champion MacBook Air alternatives (and it's $350 off)

You person Smart Power astatine nan apical for changing capacity profiles connected nan file, Audio Profile to set audio profiles, and Eye Care Mode to reside down nan magnitude of bluish ray sent out. And that's beautiful overmuch wherever nan similarities end. Notable differences betwixt them make maine for illustration nan newer Yoga exemplary more.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

You'll announcement nan laptop is successful a different color, sporting acheronian Cosmic Blue alternatively than Tidal Teal. I for illustration nan teal, though nan space-inspired hue is beautiful nice. The backmost of nan surface isn't ultra-glossy either, truthful fingerprints don't guidelines retired arsenic much.

I enjoyed nan wider trackpad. It takes up astir half of nan wrist remainder and is much comfortable to use. You're fixed a wider scope of motion, letting you move nan cursor from 1 broadside of nan surface to nan different without lifting your finger.

What you get pinch this system

The Yoga Slim 9i was its CUD (camera nether display) design, meaning nan webcam was virtually wrong nan screen. It was a bold move that didn't cookware retired -- nan webcam is lackluster. For nan Yoga 9 Aura Edition, however, Lenovo went backmost to a much accepted creation by placing its webcam supra nan screen.

Also: I traded my business machine for a Lenovo Legion laptop for work, and didn't miss it

As a result, video calls are measurement amended connected this laptop, moreover though it only has a 5MP lens. Visuals are a batch little grainy, and location isn't a weird bluish select complete everything. Colors are much accurate.

The camera ridge isn't arsenic pronounced connected this model, but it still passes nan one-finger test. Contrary to its ultrathin shape factor, nan Yoga 9 Aura Edition houses much ports than its counterpart. You'll find 2 Thunderbolt 4 inputs, a USB-C port, a USB-A input, and a headphone jack.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

A brace of speakers is connected nan bottom. Normally, I would kick astir this placement since it would muffle nan sound. Thankfully, Lenovo placed different speaker connected nan laptop's hinge, truthful moreover if you push nan show each nan measurement back, audio will travel done crystal clear. 

Paired pinch nan powerful speaker is simply a vibrant 2.8K OLED touchscreen supported by aggregate image-enhancing software. This includes, but is not constricted to, an anti-glare coating, a refresh complaint of 120Hz for soft animations, and Display HDR True Black 1000 for acheronian shadows. In plain English, each this intends that nan surface is simply a ocular marvel.

Lightweight performance

The Yoga 9i Aura Edition falls down nan 10th-gen Yoga Slim 9i successful position of performance. My reappraisal portion housed an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, 32GB of RAM, and an Intel Arc graphics card, while nan different laptop had a akin configuration. Below is simply a array comparing nan 2 devices crossed various benchmark tests.

These numbers show that nan Yoga 9 Aura Edition isn't arsenic adept astatine processing dense workloads aliases rendering images. That said, it is still a tin machine. I performed my accustomed 50-tab test, opening a bunch of web pages, Amazon listings, and YouTube unrecorded streams to spot really good it could grip everything.

And I'm happy to opportunity it did mostly great. I was capable to hop betwixt aggregate 4K YouTube videos without overmuch issue. However, erstwhile I sewage person to 50 tabs, I did statesman to acquisition immoderate slowdown.

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The bully point astir this hardware is that it's not excessively demanding connected nan battery. Under Best Power Efficiency, I managed to get nan Yoga 9i to past almost 12 hours connected a azygous complaint earlier it died.

It is imaginable to widen nan artillery life moreover further by activating Battery Saver done nan Smart Modes menu. Doing truthful extends nan runtime to astir 15 hours. Additionally, recharge times are beautiful fast. A 30-minute complaint brought nan artillery up to 43%.

ZDNET's buying advice

Lenovo's Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is presently connected waste pinch prices starting astatine $1,600. On nan company's website, you person a fewer customization options. Instead of a 512GB SSD and a 2.8K OLED touchscreen, you tin elite to person a 1TB SSD pinch a 4K OLED touchscreen. Be alert that doing truthful will summation nan last price.

If you want a better-performing laptop and don't mind a lesser-quality webcam, I highly propose nan aforementioned Yoga Slim 9i. It's a spot much expensive, but worthy it for nan capacity boost. If you're looking for thing extracurricular of nan Lenovo ecosystem, I urge nan HP EliteBook X G1a. It's a awesome ultrabook that boasts a slim creation and a 3K OLED touchscreen.