Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 review

Trade in Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7

(Image credit: Future)

TechRadar Verdict

Everything about the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 sees significant improvements on top of an already near perfect package from general computing usage to impressive audio/visual performance. Buyers willing to forgive some issues will find the Yoga 9i is still the laptop/tablet hybrid to beat.

Pros

+Gorgeous and thoughtful design
+Great performance
+Beautiful display with Dolby Vision support
+Phenomenal sounding speakers with Dolby Atmos support

Cons

-Expensive
-No SD Card slot
-Fans can get loud
-Battery life isn’t as good as Gen 6

Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7: two-minute review

The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 comes from a respectable pedigree. Its predecessor received a perfect score last year, and there really was nothing quite like it available on the market.

Everything from the design, performance, display and battery life to feature set just oozed excellence. Buyers with expendable cash who wanted a hybrid laptop/tablet solution had to look no further.

For the next generation of the Yoga 9i, Lenovo manages to improve on nearly everything that made the Yoga 9i Gen 6 an easy entrant into our best 2-in-1 laptop list last year. And while it makes some questionable side steps this go around, that doesn’t keep it from being possibly the best laptop for most people who just need a 2-in-1 laptop that performs well, is a breeze to use, and simply looks fantastic.

The Yoga 9i features a 12th-Gen Intel Core i7 and other hardware updates that is more than enough for general computing tasks. On a visual/audio front, the 1800p, 16:10 OLED touch display comes with Dolby Vision alongside Dolby Atmos-compatible Bowers & Wilkins speakers.

Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 at Lenovo AU for $2,399

Watching YouTube videos or Netflix movies look and sound like top-tier experiences. Not to mention a 1080p web camera that can detect contextual commands from when users walk away or get in front of it. All of this is packed into a device that’s literally less than four pounds. Closed or open like a tablet, the latest Yoga 9i literally still manages to be as thin as a dime as well.

Everything about Lenovo’s new 2-in-1 device screams quality when either using it as a laptop or in tablet mode. Even the included stylus pen has some useful purposes and customizability thanks to the Lenovo Vantage app which handles maintenance duties amongst other capabilities. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any issues potential buyers may have with the Yoga 9i though.

Regardless of configuration, the Yoga 9i is going to be an expensive purchase, starting at $899. There are some affordable 2-in-1 solutions that can match what Lenovo’s flagship provides. Meanwhile, certain standards like an SD card slot are missing and the fan can run loud despite never running hot on the lap. Though the battery life is good, the Yoga 9i Gen 7 doesn’t come close to providing what the Gen 6 was capable of.

The Yoga 9i Gen 6 is such a high standard to exceed and, for the most part, Lenovo does more than an admirable job with the Yoga 9i Gen 7 despite a few minor caveats. From general computing and media consumption to tasks like light photo editing, the 2-in-1 laptop offers a quality experience that adequately expands upon its versatility even more.

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Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7: price and availability

The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 is a stunningly designed device. (Image credit: Future)

How much does it cost? Starting at $899 / £1,499 (about AU$2,655)
When is it out? It is available now in the US and UK
Where can you get it? Available in US and UK, Australia availability not announced

The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 is available now in the US and UK, starting at $899 and £1,499. We have reached out to Lenovo about Australia pricing and availability and will update this review if we hear back from the company.

The starting configuration in the US Intel Core i5-1260P processor, soldered 8GB LPDDR5-5200MHz RAM, 256GB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD, and a 14-inch 1080p IPS, 400-nit touch display with Dolby Vision.

The starting configuration in the UK comes with an Intel Core i5-1240P processor, soldered 16GB LPDDR5-5200MHz RAM, 512GB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD, and a 14-inch 2,880x1800p OLED 400-nit display with HDR500 certification and 100% DCI-P3 color coverage.

The configuration as reviewed is a Best Buy exclusive configuration in the US, which is set to go on sale in June 2022 for $1,729.

Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7: design

The keyboard is as comfortable as ever. (Image credit: Future)

Balances premium design with functionality
Keyboard layout is ergonomic and intuitive
Audio/Visual package is top tier

Despite all the praise in our last Lenovo Yoga 9i review, one thing that didn’t work in its favor was the fairly vanilla design. It was a good looking laptop, but the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 9i Gen 7 takes it to the next level. There’s something gorgeous about the rounded design and how it fits into every aspect of the 2-in-1.

SPEC SHEET

Here is the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: 12th-Gen Core i7-1260P processor
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB LPDDR5-5200MHz
Screen: 14-inch 2.8K (2880x1800p), Touch OLED, HDR 500, 100% DCI-P3, 400 nits
Storage: 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD
Ports: 1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 | 1x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (data, power, DP 1.4) | 2x Thunderbolt 4 | 1x 3.5mm combo jack
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth 5.2
Camera: FHD IR Hybrid with Dual Microphone
Weight: 3.09lbs | 1.4kg
Size (W x D x H): 12.52 x 9.06 x 0.6 ins (318 x 230 x 15.25 mm)
Battery: 75WHr

Whether using the Yoga 9i Gen 7 like a traditional laptop, tablet or something in-between, everything about Lenovo’s new Yoga 9i is comfortable to use. Even the USB ports, headphone jack and power button are easily accessible regardless of how its positioned. Again, between the lightweight and thin frame, it’s surprising how much is stuffed in this package.

The Yoga 9i Gen 7’s keyboard layout is one of the best available in the 2-in-1 segment. For short Twitter bursts or long editorial writing sessions, there’s a tactile response to keystrokes that feels good and isn’t necessarily loud either. Lenovo describes the keyboard as leveraging its “soft landing” switches for those comfortable results.

The dual-purpose function keys are intuitive enough to utilize including the function key lock on/off button. As an added bonus, the keyboard also has some quick keys for switching between performance modes, audio profiles, display profiles and blurring out the background during video calls underneath a handy fingerprint reader. Lenovo also made the touchpad 45 percent larger than the previous generation’s.

The soundbar and Dolby Atmos make for some outstanding audio. (Image credit: Future)

That immersion is enhanced through the Dolby Atmos-compatible Bowers & Wilkins speakers which are attached to the display. The soundbar like speaker under the display features two tweeters and the bottom keyboard half have two woofers. Folded like a tablet or open laptop style, these speakers sound phenomenal.

Given the size, there are an impressive number of ports. (Image credit: Future)

For some general laptop users, the 16:10 aspect ratio may be a bit off putting at first but it makes absolute sense due to the hybrid nature of the Yogi 9i. Beyond that is a lovely OLED display regardless of which option you use.

The 2.8K display features 400-nits of brightness and makes sure images can be seen inside a dark room or outside in the sun. Add Dolby Vision compatibility into the mix and visuals when watching Disney+ or Netflix films in addition to other video content looks fantastic.

Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7: performance

The 12th-gen Intel processor makes for some fantastic performance. (Image credit: Future)

Laptop and tablet mode performance is brisk
Fan can get a bit noisy

For general computing tasks like web browsing, video watching, word processing and the likes, the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 9i Gen 7 can handle that without problem. Be mindful that the internal fans can get a bit loud even when under menial processing tasks.

Though the fans don’t become a hinderance to the awesome speakers, they can be a bit intrusive. During a week of testing, the Yoga 9i managed to handle various workloads like photo editing, 4K video on YouTube, and Netflix worked flawlessly.

BENCHMARKS

Here is how the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Cinebench R23 Multi-core: 7,244
3DMark Time Spy: 1,736 Fire Strike: 4,440 Night Raid: 15,876
GeekBench 5: (single-core) 1,758;(multi-core) 9,650
PCMark 10 (Home Test): 5,764
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 8 hours and two minutes
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 9 hours and 51 minutes

Our benchmark tests were in line with expectations of performance. Cinebench R23 Multi-core test scored 7244 while GeekBench had a multi-core score of 9650. There wasn’t much noticeable slowdown and due to the PCIe 4.0 SSD, apps loaded fairly quickly.

The only time the device started to stutter was when attempting to try some gaming benchmarks. All of the 3DMark runs lent scores of 1736 for Time Spy, 4440 for Fire Strike and 15876 for Night Raid. More in line with general computing and tablet centered tasks, don’t expect the 2-1 device to do much gaming. Even at low settings at 1080p, the Yoga 9i averaged around 23 frames per second on Total War: Three Kingdoms.

When Lenovo designed the Yoga 9i Gen 7, it’s clear that video conferencing played a factor in design decisions due to the Full HD camera and quick background blur option among others.

Using Zoom or other video conferencing software works really well on the 2-in-1 with clear image quality even under low lighting conditions. Considering who the Yoga 9i Gen 7 is for, buyers will find that the specs provide more than enough power. Whether using it as a tablet or laptop, this 2-in-1 doesn’t disappoint.

Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7: battery life

The rounded corners and edges are a beautiful touch. (Image credit: Future)

Battery life for the Yoga 9i Gen 7 isn’t as good as the Yoga 9i Gen 6
Fast-charging feature gets you two hours of life with a 15-minute charge

Though we’re disappointed that the battery life on the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 9i Gen 7 isn’t as good as the Yoga 9i Gen 6, it’s still above average thanks to the upgraded 75WHr battery.

Both internal Windows 11 features and Lenovo Vantage do a great job in making sure battery management is efficient. In our PCMark 10 battery life test, the Yoga 9i Gen 7 lasted around eight hours and during our FHD video loop test, it topped out at almost 10 hours.

There’s even an upgrade to the Yoga 9i Gen 7’s rapid charge boost technology that gives two hours for just a 15-minute charge. This is more than enough for a bi-coastal trip on a plane or long train ride.