[rwp-review id=”0″]
The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro… where do I begin? The quick rundown is that this is Lenovo’s newest 13.3 inch multimode ultrabook. If you’ve been living under a rock and are wondering what exactly a multimode ultrabook is, it’s an ultrabook that can be used as both a laptop and tablet. Lenovo went the extra mile and added 2 more modes to Laptop and Tablet modes; Stand and Tent. The keywords when considering the Yoga 3 Pro are actually multimode and ultrabook, keep that in mind when reading the rest of the review.
Unboxing
I will start by saying I was amazed by the packaging of the Yoga 3 Pro. Look at it. It rises up, presenting itself in a glorious manner. Mini fireworks would have been greatly appreciated, but I’m not a greedy guy. One of the few things I do give Apple credit for was their packaging, but now Lenovo has outshined them in that department.
In the box you’ll find the USB power adapter (it uses a proprietary USB cable, but the adapter itself can be used to charge other devices) and product documentation.
Aesthetics, ports and keyboard
This is one sleek and sexy device, and I will be honest, the Clementine Orange color grew on me within minutes. I’m more of everything-in-black-is-better kinda guy, but I do have to admit that I’m loving this color. Also, did I mention this was sleek? It’s half an inch thick and weighs roughly 1.2 kgs, so carrying this around will not be an issue. Even the wristband hinge design stands out in an appealing manner. The keyboard deck is surrounded by a very nicely textured rubber, giving it both a nice look and a better grip (which will come in handy in Tablet mode). Everything about the Yoga 3 Pro just yells eye catching.
The ports and buttons on the laptop are standard but there are a few things that stand out. On the left side is a USB 2.0 port and a USB 3.0 port (which doubles as the power connector), 1 Micro HDMI port and an SD card reader. On the right you’ll find 1 USB 3.0 port, a headphone and microphone combo jack, volume rocker keys, a rotation lock key, Lenovo’s OneKey Recovery key and the power button. That about covers it all. Yes, that is it. There is no Ethernet port, which took me by surprise, but I imagine as an ultrabook this is somewhat an expected omission these days.
The keyboard has decent feedback to it, although it feels a bit lighter than Lenovo’s Y510p and the U410 Touch but I had no problem typing on it whatsoever (this review was completely written on the Yoga 3 Pro ;)). The keyboard has a 5-row layout, and the only noticeable difference for me was that the F1-F12 keys are now assigned as alternative functions in the number row; they can only activated once the function (Fn) key is held down. So if I want to refresh a page, I’ll have to hold Fn while pressing the number 5 key, or to rename a file I would have to hold down Fn and the number 2 key (as opposed to just pressing the F2 key). Lenovo did include an alternative to closing apps; instead of holding Fn and the Alt key while pressing the number 4 key, you can just hold Fn and press the Delete button. This layout only affects my renaming/shutting down and refreshing needs, so I wouldn’t say it’s a major problem, just a very slight learning curve.
Display
The display is a 13.3 inch QHD+ IPS touchscreen, and it is glorious. Straight out of the box you’ll find it in the highest display resolution setting which is a whopping 3,200×1,800. This might be too much for some people’s eyes, which is why by default Windows is set up to display all text at its largest setting (that’s 250%).
At the bottom center of the display frame is the Windows logo which is also functions as a touch Start button for when you’re in Tablet mode. I’ve read online of people having issues with the button not quite working right, it’s something that I have barely experienced, but Lenovo is listening and have promised a fixed via software update.
Lenovo has included a nifty Paper Display Mode which is aimed at those who plan to do some reading on the Yoga 3 Pro, which simulates reading on paper by changing the brightness and tone of the display.
Under the hood
Another thing that sets the Yoga 3 Pro apart is that it’s the first laptop to ship with Intel’s new Core M-5Y70 chip. What makes this a special thing is that the new chip runs on a significantly less power than its predecessors (4.5 watts instead of 11.5 watts) and is reduced in size. The low power consumption of the Core M chip frees it from needing a fan to cool it down, which the Yoga 3 Pro does not have (It does however have a small fan that just distributes the heat internally). That along with the reduced size are contributing factors to the Yoga’s thing and light design.
The downside to the processor is that it’s not built for serious computing. It’s clocked at 1.1 GHz with a turbo boost clock of 2.6 GHz. Don’t get me wrong, the Yoga 3 Pro was able to handle quite a lot, including light usage of Autodesk Maya and some photo and video edition on Adobe Photoshop (yeah, I never knew you can do some basic video editing Photoshop… that was neat), but keep in mind the clock speed of the processor and the lack of a dedicated graphics card when choosing how you want to use this ultrabook.
The graphics processor is Intel’s HD Graphics 5300 which is integrated into the Core M chip. Just like the CPU itself, my needs were met when using this an ultrabook and not expecting it to operate as Core i5 or i7 chip with a dedicated graphics card would.
The battery runs quite well. Playing movies on a full charge and on the balanced power mode lasted on several occasion around 4 and a half hours, while only performing tasks like browsing and using Microsoft Office will last roughly 8 to 9 hours on a full charge. While the Intel Core M chip does in fact boost battery life, the 3,200×1,800 display is probably the culprit here. Nonetheless, for my personal use I find the battery life to be quite adequate, and the charger is so compact that carrying it around is not an issue for prolonged usage.
The modes
Thanks to the unique and durable 6-hinge system that was inspired by wristwatch and bracelet bands, the Yoga 3 Pro is able to effortlessly convert to any of the four modes. By having 6 hinges instead of the traditional 2-hinge design, there is less stress distributed amongst the hinges, which translates a more durable and reliable experience.
Lenovo has introduced an app called Harmony. What Harmony does is that it allows you to quickly pick from your most used apps in each of the modes and adjust the settings accordingly. What Harmony also does (and I think this is kinda cool) is display the percentage of the time both you and the global average Yoga 3 Pro user have been using each mode. It will also display the trending apps of each mode, in case you wanted some inspiration on how to use them. Nifty, right?
Laptop mode is a very straight forward mode so I’m going to be skipping that (however if you do have any questions regarding this mode, uh, do ask me)
You get into tablet mode when you flip the screen all the way to the back, doing a full 360 degrees. The screen will snap into place (using magnets I believe, there are no hooks or other visible mechanism), so you’ll know you’re in tablet mode. In this mode, the keyboard and mouse pad are deactivated so you don’t have to worry about accidentally launching apps or typing gibberish. The screen rotates smoothly, but if you want to lock it to the orientation you have it on, you can do so by clicking the screen rotation lock key on the right side of the laptop. Using this mode was great for catching up with my Manga (getting close to the end of Naruto, no spoilers please) or reading long articles online. I imagine it would be great for those who like to read e-books, too. Of course, as light as the Yoga 3 Pro is, carrying it with one hand was tiresome after some time, which is why it’s advisable to rest against something, switch hands frequently or carrying it with both at the same time.
Next up is the Stand mode. You get into this mode by flipping the screen back to about 280 degrees or so. You’ll essentially have the screen closer to your face and the keyboard facing down. With the screen closer this would be useful for video chats or using any touch-centric app.
Tent mode is similar to the Stand mode, actually it also has to have the screen flipped back to about 280 degrees, except rather than lay it on the keyboard, you’ll have to turn it upside down and rest it on the top edge of the screen along with the bottom edge of the keyboard. You might think that at this angle and orientation, the weight of the device itself would cause hinge to loosen up and slam it flat down on the table, however as I mentioned before the specially designed hinge is stable and remained steady. Tent mode is really suitable for watching movies or shows as the screen is closer to you, the small surface area it needs (so you can put it anywhere) and the uncovered state of speakers in this mode.
I want to note that typing on the virtual keyboard I both Stand and Tent mode was actually quite fun and surprisingly there were barely any mistakes or issues. Since the display supports up to 10 fingers, typing on it is a natural experience.
It really is up to you how you want to use any of these modes, do get creative and use it as you want, the Yoga 3 Pro will not disappoint.
The Verdict
All in all, the Yoga 3 Pro is marvelous device. It looks amazing, provides you with innovative ways to use it, and is great for those who move around a lot and need to take their work (and play) with them. I’ve been using it as a companion when I’m out and about and at home it makes for a great lounging experience. Like I said earlier, keeping in mind that this is a multimode ultrabook puts everything in perspective. The price of the Yoga 3 Pro is 6,999 AED (roughly 1,900 USD), so if that is within your budget, then I highly recommend you lay your hands on the Yoga 3 Pro.
