Technology

Lenovo Yoga 7i (2022) Review: The pros and cons of this stylish 2-in-1 laptop

"Productivity meets passion"

01.12.2022

By Rachel Au

Lenovo Yoga 7i (2022) Review: The pros and cons of this stylish 2-in-1 laptop

Should you get a new laptop or a tablet? The new Lenovo Yoga 7i Gen 7 (2022) answers your dilemma with a single stylish hybrid device.

With Christmas around the corner and the dawn of a brand new year, some of you might be thinking of upgrading your current devices. However, between a new laptop and a tablet, it’s a tough decision to make. Hence, 2-in-1 laptops have been a game-changer, and Lenovo has been ahead in the field. After two weeks with the latest Lenovo Yoga 7i Gen 7 (14″, 2022), I can genuinely see its appeal. Read on for my tried-and-tested review, pros and cons.

BODY, BUILD AND DESIGN

At 1.43kg and a depth of 16.35mm, the Lenovo Yoga 7i is undoubtedly sleek, lightweight and travel-friendly. Featuring a Comfort Edge design—soft edges all around—and sandblasted anodised metal in either a classic Slate Grey or sophisticated Dark Moss, it’s a joy to carry around for both work and play. 

Being a 2-in-1 laptop, you can quickly transform it into four convenient modes: tablet, stand, tent and laptop. The stand and tent modes are great for presentations and pure entertainment. When it is in tablet mode, the keyboard is locked to prevent any interruptions. While this is great, I personally don’t fancy the feeling of touching the keys while holding it in this mode. On the bright side, the transformation between modes is fuss-free thanks to a solid and dependable 360-degree hinge. 

However, the screen is one of the best aspects of the Lenovo Yoga 7i. With a four-side micro-bezel display that sports a 16:10 aspect ratio, the screen is expansive and provides true viewing pleasure. In fact, the seventh generation of the Lenovo Yoga 7i offers a greater 91 per cent screen-to-body ratio when compared to its predecessor.

GRAPHICS AND SOUND

Visuals look stunning on the Lenovo Yoga 7i, whether you’re watching movies, editing videos, sketching or gaming. The 14-inch 2.8K OLED display also boasts a speedy 90Hz refresh rate, integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, 600nits of peak brightness, 100 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500-certified for darker blacks and enhanced dynamic range. Basically, colours appear sharper and more vibrant—creators and gamers would consider this a huge tick in their checkboxes. 

The sound quality on the Lenovo Yoga 7i doesn’t falter either. Boosted with the Lenovo SmartAmp and enhanced with Dolby Atmos, two tweeters and two woofers make up the quad-speaker system delivering, literally, music to your ears. 

PERFORMANCE

Powered by Intel EVO and the 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor, working on the new Lenovo Yoga 7i has been a breeze. Of course, my day-to-day life involves mostly virtual meetings, web browsing, dabbling in your typical Google Suite of apps, and basic content creation, such as editing videos for social media. All of the above bodes well with the 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor. However, pushing it further with a game like Genshin Impact (an open-world game with detailed backgrounds, fighting animations and a larger-than-life file size) made the fans work extra hard. Plus, there was a slight lag when I merely made the character take a few steps around. Then again, the Lenovo Yoga series is not marketed as a gaming laptop after all—they have the Lenovo Legion for that.

 

CONNECTIVITY

Another huge plus point with the Lenovo Yoga 7i is the range of connectivity options. You get two USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, and even a microSD card reader. There’s also a Smart Login feature using the Full HD infrared camera so logging in is as easy as lifting the display for facial recognition. 

On the note of the camera, it’s equipped with a 2MP camera, complemented by Lenovo Smart Appearance, which takes care of your background lighting and subject exposure, ensuring you look your best in every virtual call. 

BATTERY LIFE

The battery life is phenomenal on the Lenovo Yoga 7i—when the brand says it’s an “all-day battery life”, they mean it. But, again, considering that most of my work revolves around everyday productivity tasks, I even went two whole days without charging it. Disclaimer: This is during the days when it’s all work and no play—no YouTube and video editing, to be fair. Officially, Lenovo claims a single charge can take you up to 16.5 hours of local video playback or up to 11.5 hours of web browsing. In addition, with Rapid Charge Boost, it can regain three hours’ worth of video playback time with a simple 15-minute charge. 

 

VERDICT

Overall, the new Lenovo Yoga 7i is an excellent convertible for everyday productivity tasks—and a little more. Thanks to its Comfort Edge design, it’s also really comfortable to type on this 2-in-1 laptop. The trackpad is of a generous size, though it’s a bit too sensitive than what I’m used to. Nevertheless, due to its portability and variety of modes, I highly recommend it if you tend to do presentations when you meet with clients. 

If you’re an artist, the optional Lenovo Digital Pen (sold separately) is worth adding on too. I only have two pet peeves with the Lenovo Digital Pen. The first is that there’s no place to slot it in with the Lenovo Yoga 7i, so there were times I actually forgot to bring it with me from home. The second is that new users might need time to get accustomed to it as the tip felt a little rough on the screen.

For everything else—web browsing, streaming shows, simpler games, creating digital art—it’s a great combination!

PROS: 360-degree touchscreen, rich display of visuals, long-lasting battery life, Dolby Atmos-certified quad speakers, a combination of a laptop and tablet

CONS: Audible fan noise when too many/heavier programs opened, sensitive trackpad, no slot for the stylus

 

The new Lenovo Yoga 7i (14″, Gen 7) starts at RM4,536.77. For more information or to make a purchase, head to their website.

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