Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro
Lenovo basically defines the 2-in-1 category with its Yoga line. Just look at the convertible-hybrid laptops coming out of competing companies, which all use some variation on the basic multimode design introduced with the first Yoga laptop back in 2012.
Now, with the Yoga 3 Pro, Lenovo has come out with a new design that completely revamps the multimode hinge, swaps out the processor for Intel's new hyper-efficient Core M CPU, and packages it all in a very thin, very luxurious new chassis. It's a step forward in 2-in-1 design, and it's worth the high-end price, making the Yoga 3 Pro our Editors' Choice for high-end convertible-hybrid laptops.
Design
The Yoga 3 Pro is an evolutionary jump forward from the previous iteration. The biggest change is the hinge, which leaves behind the dual-axle design seen on the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro and the Lenovo Yoga 2 13, and instead uses a watchband-inspired hinge that runs the length of the device.
You can still flip and fold the laptop as before, with different usage modes, like Stand, Tent, and Display, but now you can also lay the laptop out flat, 180 degrees, which you could not do on previous models. More importantly, the new hinge gives Lenovo a few more millimeters to shave off the device, and that makes the Yoga 3 Pro the thinnest Yoga yet. In the past, I've felt that the 13 inches is simply too large for tablet use, but the lighter, thinner Yoga 3 Pro has changed my mind.
There may also be some desire on Lenovo's part to further differentiate the Yoga line from other 2-in-1 offerings, especially now that several other manufacturers have offered systems that are very similar to the original Yoga folding design. The new watchband design will certainly be harder to copy, with more than 800 individual pieces in the hinge alone.
The new design also makes for a sturdier hinge which holds up better to taps and touches. Regardless of the reasoning behind the watchband hinge, it's distinctive. The laptop measures 0.5 by 12.99 by 8.98 inches (HWD), and weighs just 1.17-kgs. The chassis is molded plastic, with anodized aluminum on the lid and underside of the chassis, but the palm rest gets a soft-touch finish with a polka-dot texture.
The laptop slims down even further with the new fanless chassis design, thanks to an Intel Core M processor, which doesn't need the cooling fans required by Intel's usual laptop CPUs. The keyboard is also a bit thinner, but Lenovo has managed to retain most of the comfortable depth and smooth key movement seen on past iterations of the Yoga
That said, this might be as thin as a laptop can get while still having a regular keyboard, and even this one won't please all users—I know I was irritated by how shallow the key travel was. The keyboard does have backlighting, so typing in a dark room will be a little less difficult. The touchpad is also quite good, with all of the gesture controls and accurate tracking you might expect from a Lenovo product.
The 13.3-inch display, with its Quad-HD (3,200-by-1,800) resolution, features Gorilla Glass, which should protect it from scratches and cracks. The edge-to-edge glass only enhances the gesture controls and the touch-capable display offers full 10-finger tracking. It's a gorgeous display, and it definitely helps justify the Yoga's premium price.
Features
In addition to the new look, Lenovo throws a couple of unexpected curveballs in terms of the port selection, like a power connector that doubles as a USB port. The standard USB port is modified with a slight bump on one side that makes sure the power cord is plugged in properly, and the port reverts back to standard USB whenever the DC power cable is disconnected.
This has the dual effect of reducing by one the number of ports needed on the system without reducing total connectivity, and adds a new proprietary charger that you'll need to purchase through Lenovo. Additionally, the laptop offers micro HDMI for display output instead of the more commonly used full-size HDMI. The smaller port doesn't require the extra chassis thickness that a standard HDMI port does, but it will require some sort of adapter dongle or micro-to-full-size HDMI cable to run a connection out to a TV or projector.
Aside from these two quirks, the port selection is fairly standard, with two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, and a headset jack. Along the right side of the laptop are several physical buttons for Power, Volume, and Screen Rotation. Inside, the system is equipped with 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.
Given the extremely slim chassis, it's not a bad selection of features at all. The sleek design also dictates the storage options, as the Yoga 3 Pro comes with a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD).
Performance
The slim design of the Yoga 3 Pro is owed largely to the use of the new Intel Core M 5Y70 processor, paired with 8GB of RAM. That 8GB is all you get, by the way, because it's soldered directly to the motherboard, instead of the usual So-DIMM slots, so there's no opportunity to upgrade the memory.
And while that processor is far more powerful than the Intel Atom CPUs used on many Windows tablets, it doesn't favorably compare to the Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors used in other convertible hybrids. In the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test, the Yoga 3 Pro scored 2,094 points.
The graphics processing is all done by the Intel HD Graphics 5300, the Core M chip's integrated solution. While integrated graphics are as a rule no competition for a discrete graphics processor, the performance is, again, lower overall than you would see with that of a standard Core i5 or Core i7 processor. For example, the Yoga 3 Pro scored 2,977 points in 3DMark Cloud Gate, and 202 points in Fire Strike Extreme.
The Core M CPU is essentially running at a lower clock speed to reduce power consumption and generate less heat. As a result, the Yoga 3 Pro has an edge when it comes to battery life, lasting an impressive 8 hours 19 minutes on our battery rundown test.
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