True to Its Name, The Lenovo Yoga 900S Is the Most Flexible Notebook In Its Class
Unveiled during this year's CES in Las Vegas, the Lenovo Yoga 900S is an ultra slim, ultra stylish two-in-one Windows 10 notebook, designed to deliver a stellar blend of performance and battery life. The convertible laptop is positioned below the Lenovo Yoga 900 in the tech giant's product range.
In order to set itself apart from the Lenovo Yoga 900, the Yoga 900S features a smaller 12.5-inch display, as well as an Intel Core M processor. The solution is less powerful than the Core i7 found in the Yoga 900, but more power efficient. It also allows the newcomer be even slimmer than the Yoga 900, thanks to its lack of cooling fans.
In the Metal
Lenovo's Yoga two-in-one laptops have always been among the best-looking offerings in their class, and the 900S is no exception. By combining sleek lines, premium materials, and superb attention to detail, the notebook is easily among the best-looking offerings around.
The device's 360-degree hinge is once again amongst its key design highlights. A signature for the Yoga 900 lineup, the component looks as if it has been crafted by a jeweler, not a machine on a production line.
There are two eye-grabbing color options to choose from: Platinum Silver and Champagne Gold. The latter features a pinkish metal shell, coupled with a gold keyboard and black leather wrist pad — a combination that makes it part notebook and part fashion statement.
The build quality of the Yoga 900S is unsurprisingly excellent. With a body crafted from metal and carbon fiber, the laptop should handle normal wear and tear without any hiccups.
Lenovo's famous hinges also feel incredibly sturdy. The only component we were not too sure about was the leather cover on the notebook's palm rest. It looks fine after a couple of weeks with the device, but we wonder how it will wear on the long run.
Utilizing the 360-degree talents of the Yoga 900S is easy. By rotating the notebook's display, users can transform it into a tablet, or a content-viewing platform in stand or tent mode.
Hardware
Lenovo offers the Yoga 900S in several hardware configurations that include a choice of Intel Core m5 or Core m7 processor. The former comes with 8GB of RAM, while the latter features 4GB of RAM. It's worth noting that Intel's Core m processors have fanless design, which allows the notebooks that feature them to be thin and power-efficient.
All Yoga 900S notebooks come equipped standard with an SSD. The Intel Core m5 variants come with 128GB of storage, while the Core m7 variants pack 256GB drives.
The 12.5-inch display of the notebook is available with 1080p (1,920 by 1,080 pixels) or QHD (2,560 by 1,440 pixels) resolution. In a similar fashion to the notebook's memory capacity, the high-res display is strictly reserved for the Core m7 variants of the 900S. Every display panel supports on-screen writing with an optional digitizer pen.
Connectivity options of the notebook are unsurprisingly abundant. Each Lenovo Yoga 900S features zippy Wi-Fi 802.11 a/c and Bluetooth 4.0. Wired connectivity options include one USB 3.0 port, USB 2.0 port, and USB Type-C port.
The webcam of the Lenovo Yoga 900S is capable of delivering content with 720p resolution. Depending on the configuration, the laptop weighs 2.2 pounds or slightly more. A four-cell, 53-watt-hour battery powers every notebook in the range.
Display
The 12.5-inch QHD IPS display of the top-spec Yoga 900S we tested features has pleasant colors and excellent viewing angles. The contrast is also stellar, though far from what an OLED display can showcase.
One thing that we didn't like about the screen of the notebook is its rather underwhelming brightness. Even though it benefits the battery life, it makes using the 900S in bright environments a tad challenging.
Keyboard and Trackpad
Despite its compact size, the Yoga 900S features an excellent backlit keyboard. The keys are well-spaced and offer nice tactile feedback when typing.
The trackpad of the notebook also did the job, though it's nowhere near the quality of those featured in Apple notebooks, as well as other high-profile Windows 10 offerings. It feels flimsier and less accurate.
Battery Life
Lenovo claims that the Yoga 900S can last up to 10.5 hours on a single charge. However, the aforementioned number is attainable only in a specific scenario (HD video playback with Wi-Fi turned off at 200 nits of screen brightness).
In real-life usage, we found the notebook to deliver between six and eight hours of usage. The numbers varied depending on the tasks we performed, as well as the display's brightness level.
Buyers who are looking for better battery life should opt for the Yoga 900S model with 1080p display and Intel Core m5 processor. The combination will certainly deliver better battery endurance than the model we tested.
Performance
The Core m7 found in the Yoga 900S we tested sits on top of Intel's range of Core M processors, so the notebook felt fluid and responsive during our time with it.
As expected from a device in its class, it handled casual and light work computing tasks without a hint of slowdown. The tasks we put the device through included web browsing with multiple open tabs, running email, Twitter, Microsoft Office, and Spotify, as well as editing photos.
Overall, so long as users don't plan to batch process multiple images and RAW files, edit 4K video content, or gigantic database file formats, the top-spec Lenovo Yoga 900S will handily meet all their needs for processing power. Everyone else should consider opting for (a thicker) notebook with an Intel Core i processor.
Conclusion
The Yoga 900S is gorgeous to look at, superbly crafted from top notch materials, and plenty powerful for most users out there. Lenovo's signature hinge on the other hand, adds a touch of versatility to the lightweight device that many of its rivals cannot match.
Speaking of rivals, it is clear that Lenovo had the 12-inch Apple Macbook in mind while developing the Yoga 900S. The Windows 10 newcomer is easily a better choice thanks its arguably cooler design, 360-degree display, richer set of connectivity options, and lower starting price tag.
However, when compared to today's crop of high-end two-in-one Windows 10 offerings, the Yoga 900S begins to make a lot less sense as a viable contender. We reckon that the "regular" 13.3-inch Lenovo Yoga 900 makes a whole lot more sense to purchase. It is just as good looking and well made, a lot more powerful, similarly priced, and only slightly larger an heavier than the Yoga 900S (it weighs from 1.3 kilograms as opposed to 1 kilogram for its smaller sibling). The Yoga 900 will also deliver comparable battery life.
Buyers looking for even more versatility and portability should take a hard look at the likes of Samsung Galaxy TabPro S, Microsoft Surface Pro 4, and the recently launched Huawei MateBook. All three are more portable than the Yoga 900S, as well as capable to easily transform from a tablet to a laptop with a detachable keyboard.
Lenovo has priced the Yoga 900S from $1,099 for a model with Core m5 CPU and 128GB SSD; a top-end model like the one we tested goes for $1,299.
To sum things up, prospective 12-inch Apple Macbook buyers looking for a Windows 10 alternative should give the Yoga 900S a hard look. Everyone else should keep in mind that there are other viable alternatives out there, including ones made by Lenovo.
Photos by Stefan Vazharov
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