Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is so close to perfection that its flaws are hard to spot. In terms of form and practicality, its design can be called the best among the devices released in 2015. Yoga's 360-degree hinge is designed as a thin metal strip (no thicker than a watchband) yet flexible enough to instantly convert from netbook to tablet and vice versa.
The new gadget is surprisingly thin and light, quite different from any other thin 13-inch netbook or convertible.
Another innovation that can be considered cutting-edge is the new Intel M CPU core. This chip is specially designed to ensure the perfect operation of thin, high-end tablets and transformers that provide the right combination of performance, battery life and energy efficiency. The big plus of this core is that systems using it can be run with minimal or no fans at all, allowing devices to be thinner and lighter than ever.
It can be argued that the power of this gadget is quite enough for everyday use, although from competing productsLenovo Yoga Tab 3 lags behind in this parameter. Battery life is also lower than other similarly priced devices, at around seven hours. However, for a simple user, these parameters are quite enough: the transformer allows you to use several web browsers at the same time, play streaming video, music and work in office documents. All this is processed quite quickly. But advanced tasks like gaming or HD video editing are best done on more powerful computers.
Case
The main body is made of aluminum. In addition, Lenovo has chosen to use black textured material on the back of the tablet for this model. Manufacturers call it imitation leather, and this comparison is quite appropriate. Externally, the gadget is similar to smartphones of the Motorola Moto X series: a glass front, a metal frame and a leather-trimmed rear panel.
The weight of the device is 1.18 kg, the approximate thickness is 13 mm. Thanks to this, the gadget feels surprisingly light in the hands, ahead of even the MacBookAir. The 13.3-inch touch screen has a very high resolution of 3200 x 1800 pixels.
The physical design of the transformer looks great and keeps you ahead of the competition in appearance.
Design and features
The Yoga line of convertible laptops has been a major trend in mobile PC design since the original 2012 version. Since then the idea of foldingnetbook with two 360-degree hinges has been implemented not only on several subsequent Lenovo products, but also on devices from Dell, Toshiba, HP and other manufacturers.
If you're not familiar with what the series looks like, you might be surprised. At first glance, the device looks like a normal thin clamshell laptop, but the display lid can be flipped 360 degrees to form either a thick tablet or a thin tablet stand (when the lid is flipped halfway).
In the Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 3 Pro, the hinge still flips back 360 degrees. The difference is that the new hinge is a single mechanism that works across the entire width of the device.
Instead of two loops (which are usually plastic or aluminum), the new accessory is a long metal strap made from over 800 individual steel and aluminum parts, with six attachment points across the width of a 13-inch display.
In addition to being visually interesting, the new hinge makes the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro 17 percent thinner and 14 percent lighter than the Yoga2 Pro. While the percentage difference may seem small, the visual difference from the old device is amazing.
As already mentioned, the hinge allows you to flip the lid 360 degrees in one of four different modes: standard laptop, tent, portrait and tablet. The "tent" mode is perhaps the most functional -thanks to it, the device takes up less surface area, and the work in Windows 8.1 applications remains very convenient.
Keyboard and sensor
The keyboard retains all the good features that are typical for Lenovo devices, including a slight rounding of the bottom edge of each key (this helps to avoid typos when typing quickly). But in order to make the gadget so compact, the manufacturer still had to compromise: the keys are too small. Other thin laptops (such as the MacBook Air) have a much more comfortable keyboard that allows you to type long texts without fatigue. However, Lenovo offers backlit keys, which is a big plus.
The keyboard case is covered with a thin rubber material. Some users find that the traditional metal surface is more familiar and preferable. However, the rubber coating allows for some soft touch when the device is placed on a hard surface.
The ClickPad works well and responds quickly to finger taps, but you may have to fiddle with its settings to get comfortable.
As in the previous version, the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro ultrabook has an excellent high-quality display. The 13-inch screen will please with a resolution of 3200 x 1800 pixels. It's better than standard 1080p screens, but more and more 4K displays are on the market today. This is a higher resolutionnow is not something unusual, as it was a year ago. However, the screen looks great even from a wide angle, which is especially important when using it with a group of users (for example, when watching a video together).
LENOVO Yoga 3 PRO Specifications
- Micro-HDMI video.
- Stereo audio speakers, headphone/microphone combo.
- 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB 2.0 port, SD card slot.
- Network 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.
Connectivity, performance and battery
For a thin laptop, the only real compromise for ports is the use of Micro-HDMI for video output. You will need a special cable or adapter to use it. The power connector can function as a USB 2.0 port, and there are also two standard USB 3.0 ports.
Lenovo Yoga 3 has the same specifications as the previous model: display, processor, RAM and other features. The only differences are the color of the case and the size of the internal SSD flash drive. In the standard configuration (256 GB SSD memory), the cost of the gadget is within $ 1300, in the updated (512 GB) it is about $ 1500.
Display
As for other Lenovo Yoga 3-related specs, the screen is quite bright and colors are clear. Images and videos are displayed fantastically, and the high pixel density completely eliminates the visibility of grains. Moreover, compared to otherSimilar gadgets, the Yoga 3 has smaller bezels, giving the tablet a more compact footprint.
QHD technology improves picture quality even though the resolution remains at 3200 x 1800 pixels, the same as the Yoga 2 Pro. However, you can now adjust Windows 8.1's zoom settings to 150%, as well as dramatically increase fonts to make text clearer.
Such high resolutions provide great opportunities for editing multimedia files and processing graphic documents. In some cases, this can be a real advantage, but in general, such power is overkill for a 13-inch screen.
One good option is to reduce the resolution to 2048 x 1152 (16:9), which will keep the screen content crisp and readable at 100% zoom. Also, at maximum settings, the display may be too bright for indoor use.
Battery testing
The Yoga 2 Pro's short battery life has been one of the main shortcomings of the device, and this time the situation has not improved significantly. The developers promise nine hours of continuous use, but in practice this time is much less.
If you use the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 3 very actively, browsing websites, making a few Skype calls, watching YouTube videos, editing documents and images, the device will work no more than seven hours. change the situation andPower Saver battery control panel settings and dimming down to 75%. Naturally, the keyboard backlight, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi use up power quite quickly.
Thus, battery life is the most basic problem of the device. The rapid development of Intel and the last few generations of laptop processors have taken a toll on battery life. Speed and power are directly related to power consumption, which directly affects battery life. As testing shows, Yoga 3 can work without recharging 6 hours and 46 minutes. This is not too different from the Yoga 2 Pro, which could be used continuously for 7 hours and 30 minutes with similar activities. However, when compared to other competing 13-inch devices, in particular the MacBook Air with its 16 hours and 26 minutes of battery life, the difference is clear.
This makes it clear that the Lenovo Yoga 3 is not an ultrabook that can be used all day without interruption. However, the battery charging time is very short. With appropriate software settings for normal charging, the battery is fully charged in 2 hours and 30 minutes. Power-saving mode will require about four hours of charging, but it helps extend battery life when plugged in regularly.
Features
When testing applications, Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 proved to be quite competitive device. Even when watching high-definition streaming video whileopening several browser tabs or running several applications, the device worked much better than many transformers and laptops on Intel Atom or Pentium processors. In other words, the Yoga 3's Intel Core M processor is great for everyday tasks.
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 3 is powered by an Intel processor running at 1.1GHz (turbo boost up to 2.6GHz available). The device is based on Intel Broadwell technology, which allows ultrabooks to be produced without a fan (making them thinner and quieter as a result). The Yoga 3 Pro isn't fanless, but it's very quiet. You will only occasionally hear the sound of the fan from heavy system loads under the CPU or when running powerful graphics applications.
Unfortunately, the transition to Broadwell technology has had a negative impact on processing power compared to the Yoga 2 Pro. The previous model showed very good test results, even when running games. The new device has more modest performance.
Device runs cool most of the time. When it starts to heat up as a result of heavy loads, the heat is concentrated in the upper right corner of the base and never reaches too much.
Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 3's other specs include 8GB of RAM and a 256GB Samsung SSD. All Windows 8.1 applications are provided at a high level. You will be able to use any programs and services available in the Windows Store without any problems.
Graphics implementsintegrated service HD 5300 from Intel, which means some limitations in running games. Certain modern games may only run at low resolutions without displaying detailed details. For example, Skyrim can only be played at 30fps at 1280 x 720.
Most tasks can be completed without any sign of slowdown. 1080p video plays quickly and without freezing (including when outputting to a large monitor or TV). GIMP allows you to work with images up to 300 MB: they can be scaled and resized with delays of tens of seconds, not minutes.
Multimedia & Apps
The Lenovo Yoga tablet 3 Pro's speakers are typical of most 13-inch laptops, loud enough to fill a small room, but lacking in bass. For this reason, it is necessary to set the output to an external device if you plan to use it for playing music at parties, for example.
At default settings, the speakers may produce slightly distorted sound. This is easily fixed by going to the Windows 8 Device Manager, uninstalling the Re altek driver and replacing it with the HD audio driver.
On the front of the Lenovo Yoga tab 3 Pro, the tablet features a 720p webcam that captures clear enough video for Skype calls (quality comparable to mid-range smartphone cameras).
In terms of the bundled software provided by Lenovo, the companyoffers its adaptive solution "Harmony", which is designed for settings when using the device for a long time. While reading an e-book, for example, the device can automatically change the contrast and brightness of the color according to the ambient light.
This service can also apply a sepia effect, which is designed to mimic the pages of a book. This is a useful feature, although it may be distracting to read at first, using it will result in less eye strain when used for hours on end.
Conclusions
The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro tablet is undeniably an amazing device: a surprisingly thin gadget that combines high functionality and the ability to use in various modes. If you value these attributes first of all, the device will be appreciated by you.
This originality is a double-edged sword, since the cost of the device is not the smallest, and the possibilities are somewhat limited. In particular, there is a weak battery and not very powerful performance, especially compared to other devices in the same price category.
Positive features
Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is a thin and light gadget with a bright original design, which makes it one of the most attractive modern Windows 8.1 devices. Its display isn't the brightest among competitors, but its QHD resolution makes text, images, and interface elements look crisp and deliver a fast performance.
Its excellent IPS display means content is easy to view from all angles. In addition, multiple users can use the device at the same time by setting one of four different modes.
For lovers of compactness, the absence of the F-row of keys slightly reduces the functionality of the keyboard. The backlight and small size of the keyboard made the device small and light.
Furthermore, the fast-booting SSD means you never have to wait long to start any task, and application windows open and close instantly. Thus, when it comes to the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro laptop, the reviews are generally positive.
Flaws
This is a rather expensive ultrabook, which is equipped with a too weak battery. Of course, if you set your display to 25% brightness and only browse a couple of sites a day, you might be able to use it for nine hours, but that's not what you call convenience.
In addition to a too low battery, the device has poor graphic support.
The ultrabook is incredibly beautiful and portable, but its slender size has come at the cost of build quality. The lid is not overly flexible and the monitor is too sensitive to color change no matter how you hold the device.
Final verdict
Lenovo Yoga 3, reviews of which are generally positive, still does not justify its high price, since the main advantage is only an attractive design. The gadget has too many flaws, so unconditionally fitonly connoisseurs of style and those who want to have only the latest model.
On the other hand, it's one of the thinnest and lightest Windows 8.1 devices, well suited for everyday tasks, whether it's web browsing, light gaming or word processing.
