Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro Review

Introduction

With the introduction of Windows 8.1, Lenovo is refreshing their “Yoga” series of ultrabooks, with the Yoga 2 Pro being at the higher end of the hybrid line, directly competing with the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 and Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus. With that in mind, there are several Yoga 2 models, beginning at $929 for the base model with an Intel i3-4010U 1.7GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD and Windows 8.1 64-bit, $1149 will get you an i5-4200U 1.6GHz Processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD, our review unit at $1299 comes with an I7-4500U 1.8GHz Processor, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD, lastly the most expensive tops out at $1599 with a larger 512GB SSD and Windows 8.1 Pro. But one nice feature between all of them is the large 13.3” QHD+ LED display with a crystal clear resolution of 3200x1800 pixels. All of this combines to give the Yoga 2 Pro enough edge to compete with other high-end ultrabooks and tablets on the market.

Included in the retail package is the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro, wall charger, and documentation.

Design

The overall design of the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro gives it a premium look and feel, with rounded edges and a soft-touch finish on the top and bottom surface, making it fingerprint and smudge resistant.

For ports, on the left side is the AC power, USB 3.0, microHDMI output, and SD card reader, with the headphone/mic, USB 2.0, volume rocker and power button on the right side. The only thing we did not care for is that when inserting a SD memory card, half of it sticks-out from the side, instead of going all the way in.

Unlike the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 and Asus Transformer line, which have a detachable keyboard, the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro’s keyboard is not removable, but can open up to a full 360 degrees. This give the device the flexibility to be used in 4 modes: laptop, stand, tent, and tablet mode. While this is versatile, it still adds some extra weight and bulk if using it just as a tablet, with the Yoga 2 Pro coming in at 0.61” thick and 3.06 pounds (1390g), while the Microsoft Surface 2 Pro is less at 0.53” think and 907g (without keyboard).

Keyboard

We like the overall design and layout of the keyboard on the Yoga 2 Pro, as is it similar to a “traditional” laptop. They keys are large and well-spaced, so typing is easy, and they also have the same soft-touch coating on them that is used on the rest of the device. One nice perk is that the keyboard has a white LED backlight that you can turn on or off, so typing in the dark isn’t a problem. Located below the keyboard is the capacitive trackpad, which measures 3.5” x 2.5”. It works well, as it’s not overly-sensitive, and is precise with the on-screen mouse movement.

Display

The most eye-catching feature on the Yoga 2 Pro is its 13.3” IPS LCD touchscreen display, as it comes with an impressive QHD+ 3200x1800 pixel resolution (276 ppi), which happens to be the same display type used on the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus. To put this into prospective, a standard 1920x1080 HD display has a total of 2 million pixels, while the Yoga 2 Pro has 5.7 million pixels. This means that text and images are super sharp and clear. Colors are also fully saturated and the display has good viewing angles. Its LED-Backlit with 350 nits brightness is good for most conditions, but when used outside in direct sunlight, it can be hard to see at times.

Interface and Functionality

All of the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro models come running Windows 8.1 (64-bit) expect for the top model that run Windows 8.1 Pro (you can compare the differences here). This means that you can run regular desktop programs (32 and 64 bit).

On the surface, Windows 8.1 is still flashy thanks to all the dynamic live tiles occupying the Start screen, which aggregate content based on what they are. However, there's a little bit more control given to the user when it comes to personalization, seeing that we can now select up to four different tile sizes for better organization across the Start screen – though, the amount of options can vary depending on the app.

You can read further details about the Windows 8.1 platform in our Microsoft Surface Pro 2 review.

Lenovo includes something new called Yoga Picks. Depending on which mode the device is in (laptop, stand, tent, or tablet), you can have it set for easy access to different apps. Some of the apps require a download, but Lenovo does include 4 of them: Phone Companion to share info between your smartphone, Camera Man to take self pics, Chef for accessing on-line recipes and cooking tips, and Photo Touch to customize your photos.

Processor and Memory

Lenovo has taken its cue from the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 and uses Intel 4th Generation processors on the Yoga 2 Pro. You can select from the i3-4010U 1.7GHz Processor, i5-4200U 1.6GHz Processor, and I7-4500U 1.8GHz Processor, with 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and an SSD drive of 128/256/512GB.

Our review unit at $1299 comes with the I7-4500U 1.8GHz Processor, Intel HD Graphics 4400 GPU, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and 256GB SSD, which was plenty fast overall, with only an 8 second cold boot-up time. The Yoga 2 had no problem for running various apps at the same time, as multitasking is its strong point.

Internet and Connectivity

Regardless of which one of the 4 modes the Yoga 2 Pro is in (laptop, stand, tent, or tablet), you can easy run Internet Explorer 11, either the touch-friendly one from the Start screen, or the Desktop version – it’s your choice. Both of them are naturally equipped with handling all our web browsing needs, since they're super-fast with page loads, offer instant page rendering, and have smooth navigational controls. And since the Yoga 2 Pro comes running Windows 8.1, you can install other desktop web browsers, such as Chrome or FireFox if you want.

The Yoga 2 Pro comes equipped with Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz) for data connection, as well as Bluetooth 4.0. This worked fine for us, though we would think at this price it should also support 5GHz Wi-Fi networks as well. Also, keep in mind that it doesn’t come with built-in wireless mobile-data support (such as 4G LTE), but you can always buy and install a USB data stick for use while on-the-go. For video out, the microHDMI output is easy to use and connects to any HDTV or Monitor with HDMI input.

Camera

Unlike most tablets that have a rear facing camera, the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro ultrabook only comes with a 1MP front facing camera for self pics and supports video recording/video chatting at 1280x720p resolution. As expected there are no settings in the Windows 8.1 camera interface, except to just take the picture or video. We’re not thrilled the image quality, and at this price point we’d like to see a dedicated rear camera that could take decent pictures and videos.

Multimedia

After checking out the camera app, we were disappointed since nothing was done to improve it. Thankfully, that was just isolated to the camera, as the Photos Hub app in Windows 8.1 receives a modest update. No longer is it a boring place where we simply browse our photos, but we’re now given some editing functions – with some being more useful than others. Under editing mode, we can apply several different filters, while further enhancements can be made to liven up the images more. Specifically, they include controls to adjusting the brightness, contrast, highlights, shadows, color temperature, tint, saturation, color enhancement, and much more.

The Music Hub has now been rebranded as XBOX Music, which thankfully also sees an updated visual presentation. We were always pleased by the Windows 8 music player – mainly because its Modern UI really accentuated the experience. However, with Windows 8.1, it continues to be one of the more appealing music players on any platform, thanks in part to its dynamic presentation. In fact, we really appreciate that it cycles through various photos of the artist/band while a song is being played. As for the audio quality through the front stereo speakers, we’re glad to say that its output is clean, clear, crisp, and mighty strong. Even at the loudest volume setting, it doesn’t emit any strenuous tones or speaker crackling.

Likewise, the XBOX Video hub sees some subtle changes with its layout, but for the most part, the functionality remains intact. For example, not only does it allow us to view content that’s locally stored in the tablet, but we’re also given the opportunity of purchasing content too – that or just renting. Not surprisingly, the Yoga 2 Pro handles high definition videos with no issues whatsoever, even 4K videos, as they look amazing on the 3200x1800 resolution display.

Battery

The internal non-removable 4 Cell 54 Watt-Hour Lithium-Ion battery is rated to provide up to 9 hours of battery life with basic use, or up to 6 hours with continuous HD video playback (with the display brightness at 150 nits and the keyboard light turned off). On average, we were able to get about a full day of usage on the device before requiring a nightly charge. This is by no means the best out there, but it does have enough juice to get you through the day.

Conclusion

When it comes right down to it, the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro has a lot to offer for someone looking for a high-end ultrabook. The price is a bit up there, between $929 and $1599 depending on the model, but our review unit at $1299 (or even the next model down at $1149) would be good enough for most users. As we mentioned earlier, the key features include the impressive 13.3” 3200x1800 resolution display, which makes using the device a pure joy, as well as the selection of fast Intel processors and SSD drive that give it plenty of speed. Add to that the Windows 8.1 platform, and the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro is a real winner in the ultrabook category.

If you are looking for a tablet/hybrid though, it is a different story. Even though the keyboard is not removable, the device can still be used in 4 modes, which does add to its flexibility. However, when compared to other tablets, it is pretty bulky and heavy.

Software version on the reviewed unit: Windows 8.1, Version 6.3 (Build 9600).