A Sublime Multimedia 2-in-1 – Review Geek

A laptop-tablet duo might sound gimmicky, but Lenovo is here to thwart those assumptions. The brand’s latest 2023 2-in-1 model, the Yoga 9i Gen 8 laptop, builds on the excellent reputation of “Yoga” as a premier foldable device.

I’ll renounce my previous assertion that no one has a use for a laptop-tablet hybrid. I initially thought hybrids were a hard sell, but I would gladly buy one of these Yoga 9is tomorrow. Lenovo’s Yoga line continues to impress—we enjoyed the Yoga 9i (2022) laptop and the Yoga 7i (2022)—despite the limitations of a laptop as a tablet in terms of heft.

The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 laptop isn’t a “gimmick”; this workhorse laptop flawlessly handles your workload, content creation, and basic off-hours entertainment. While it may not be for everyone, the latest Yoga 9i checks all the boxes for its price point.

Design: The Best of a Laptop and Tablet

• Processor: 13th Generation Intel Core i7-1360P
• RAM: 16GB (soldered)
• Storage: 512GB (M.2 2280 SSD PCIe 4.0 x4 slot)
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Color: Oatmeal
• Material: Aluminum CNC (top and bottom)
• Dimensions: 12.52 x 9.06 x 0.6in (318 x 230 x 15.25mm)
• Weight: Starting at 3.09lbs (1.4kg)

The Lenovo Yoga 9i enters the scene with a quiet elegance of design. Included with it are a stylish “Yoga” branded laptop sleeve and Lenovo’s Precision Pen 2. The aluminum chassis comes in two color choices: Storm Grey and Oatmeal. I received the “Oatmeal” shade, which sits between beige and silver and has a pleasing matte finish.

The top lid of the Yoga 9i features a stylish “YOGA” logo, and the body’s free of sharp corners thanks to its rounded design. The edges have a polished sheen which contrasts nicely with the matte body. When open, you’ll see the integrated webcam built into a slight bevel above the 14-inch screen.

Between the screen and generously-sized keyboard lies the hinge. Built into that hinge is a speaker system (two Bowers and Wilkins tweeters) that rotates for any angle you position your laptop.

The two woofers are on the bottom corners of the laptop. Below the keyboard lies the TrackPad, which measures about five and a half inches.

Ports and Connections

I was disappointed there was only one USB-A port, but it’s not a dealbreaker since you can get a hub to expand your ports, such as the Satechi Pro Hub Max.

The Touchscreen, Keyboard, and Trackpad

• TrackPad: Buttonless glass surface multi-touch touchpad with Precision TouchPad support
• TrackPad Dimensions: 3.15 x 5.31in (80 x 135mm)
• Keyboard: 6-row, multimedia Fn keys, 1-click function keys, LED backlight

The touchscreen on the Yoga 9i is responsive and pleasant to use. I had no problem navigating through different windows, using the touchscreen keyboard, and using the included Lenovo Precision Pen 2 to write notes. It’s very reflective, so a slight glare occurs at particular angles (this computer has a different type of screen than Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10, which is anti-glare).

The TrackPad and keyboard also have a premium feel with the right amount of sensitivity. The keyboard is well-balanced, so it’s not easy to hit the wrong keys while typing, and the actuation feels springy without being too stiff. The TrackPad responds well, and I didn’t find myself cursing at its too-sensitive scroll (a problem I’ve had with other laptops—like the Razer Blade 18—when I accidentally brush my palm against the touchpad).

The keyboard also features some notable “one-click function” keys located on the far right side. These include a “Background Blur” key for video chatting, an “Audio Profile” key to switch between sound profiles (game, video, or music mode), a “Color Mode” key to toggle between light and dark mode, and a “Smart Power” key to cycle through Windows’ “Performance,” “Balanced,” and “Quiet” power modes.

These are handy if you need to change your settings while working. Below these keys is an integrated fingerprint reader for biometric sign-in.

Tablet Mode: A Fun Convertible, Though Bulky, Option

The Yoga 9i Gen 8 gives a duality—the best of a Lenovo laptop blended with a tablet. The two-in-one experience works well, but this depends on your expectations.

Note: Read more about what a two-in-one PC is if you still feel uncertain.

I found the tablet mode a joy to use, but only when I sat it on a table, on my lap, or propped on a pillow. It’s uncomfortable to hold like a real tablet, as it’s weightier and clunky. If you hold it by the hinge/soundbar, it also gets quite hot to the touch.

When I wanted to utilize the touchscreen or the Precision Pen 2, I entered tablet mode with a quick fold of the display. The keyboard and TrackPad are situated on the bottom when the screen is bent back.

This position doesn’t feel ideal. Still, it isn’t problematic either, as the device intelligently puts the keyboard and TrackPad to sleep, so you don’t type or scroll accidentally while holding the laptop.

Writing with the included Precision Pen 2 and typing or scrolling with touch felt natural—but if you’re looking for a tablet that’s comfortable to hold for an extended period, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 isn’t it. Rather, it’s a two-in-one designed to stay propped on a table, held with both hands (for a short time), or perched in your lap as you scroll.

Display: A Gorgeous OLED With Bright Clarity and Color

• Screen Size: 14in
• Native Resolution: 2880 x 1800p
• Display: 2.8K OLED, IPS with Dolby Vision
• Brightness: 400 nits
• Refresh Rate: 90Hz

This is not just a laptop for work purposes. Oh, no. The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8’s impressive OLED display made it impossible not to enjoy some downtime on YouTube, Netflix, and Tubi. That said, graphics of any kind (even tables and graphs!) pop on this display.

From some of my favorite YouTubers to nature videos to movies like the 2017 Chris Evans flick “Gifted,” the Yoga 9i Gen 8 streamed everything with deliciously crisp detail and balanced contrast and saturation.

Graphics in games like “Life is Strange: True Colors,” “Disney Dreamlight Valley,” and “Coral Island” were all a pleasure to view in 2.8K resolution, and I also enjoyed cranking up the refresh rate to the max of 90Hz, which made a difference in the smoothness of streams and games alike.

Performance: A Multimedia Dream

• CPU: 13th Gen Intel Evo Core i7
• GPU: Intel Iris Xe

I recently reviewed the Lenovo ThinkPad T16 Gen 1 laptop and felt it lacked a few features for the price, but I can’t say that about the Yoga 9i Gen 8. The Yoga 9i may come with a hefty price tag, but you’ll get plenty of things to celebrate and little to complain about for your lettuce. What makes the Yoga line of laptops so pleasant to use is their versatility—something the Yoga 7i also excels at—and Lenovo’s latest Yoga 9i is arguably one of the best two-in-one laptops of 2023.

However hard I pushed the Lenovo Yoga 9i, it kept up, and its speedy processing was a major selling point (though the Yoga 9i has many). From browsing the web with 34 tabs open while running resource-heavy programs like Adobe Photoshop and listening to music on Spotify, I flitted to and fro from tab to program and back like a hummingbird between flowers. The swiftness of this laptop kept my workflow going nonstop until I closed up shop for the night. Though some people might be upset the 16GB of RAM is soldered (not upgradable), I found it enough to do everything I needed, and most PCs don’t come with the next step up, 32GB…yet.

As for media, the Yoga 9i Gen 8 is the perfect choice for people who dabble in a little bit of everything in terms of media consumption. Music, games, videos, movies—the Yoga 9i is ready for it all. And while the Yoga 9i doesn’t run some resource-hog video games like “A Plague Tale: Requiem” über smoothly, it can handle many games with smaller resource requirements.

My worst gaming experience was when playing Obsidian Entertainment’s “Grounded.” High latency made it impossible to eke out any gameplay. However, the game ran well when I adjusted my graphics settings, switching from 90Hz to 60Hz and toning down the resolution. Other games, like “Life is Strange: True Colors” and indie romps, performed swimmingly on the Yoga 9i.

Webcam, Microphone, and Speakers: A Quality Experience

• Camera: FHD 1080p + IR, with privacy shutter, fixed focus, ToF sensor
• Audio: Bowers and Wilkins speaker system with2 x 3W woofers and 2 x 2W front-facing tweeters, optimized with Dolby Atmos

The Yoga 9i’s camera does a solid job of capturing your image. I used it for several video calls via Zoom and was impressed by the quality—even in dimmer environments. Of course, its performance in dark settings depends on how bright your display is. I kept mine high, which may have helped give my video calls a better quality.

Meanwhile, the Yoga 9i’s speaker system is by far one of the most immersive sound systems I’ve encountered on a laptop—and I don’t say this often, though another laptop with incredible speakers is the Razer Blade 18 (2023). This 14-inch Yoga puts off some impressive decibels for its size. When cranked up to 100%, I could still hear a song or a YouTuber speaking in the next room over (with doors left open).

The microphone performs well enough—but you won’t want to use it for recording pro audio. For a simple mic for video chatting purposes, though, it gets the job done.

Microphone Test on the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 Laptop in a Quiet Environment

Microphone Test on the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 Laptop in a Noisy Environment

Battery Life and Charging: There’s Room for Improvement

• Battery: 75Wh Li-Polymer with Rapid Charge Boost support (up to 2 hours of charge in 15 minutes)
• Charger: 100W

The battery life on the Yoga 9i isn’t the best, but I’ve seen worse. In general, running the laptop in “Performance” mode, with the brightness between 60 to 100%, I got an average of 4 to 6 hours of charge before I needed to plug it in. For example, playing a game for 56 minutes resulted in a battery drain of 42%, while my typical workday usage drained around 40 to 45% in about 2 hours of run time. I had to charge up once per day. This was also without powering off the laptop at night.

Charging time isn’t very speedy, but it sits in an average time frame. In 20 minutes, expect to gain a 12 to 15% charge. A full charge took about two hours on average.

Should You Buy the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 2-in-1 Laptop?

If you want a high-performing, 2-in-1 laptop, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 is it. Even if you don’t use its tablet mode often, the Yoga’s feature-packed specs justify the price. For $1,399.99, you get a gorgeous display with over 2K resolution, a leading Intel i7 processor, and plenty of muscle.

Those looking for something more powerful may consider the Lenovo Slim 9i, which has 32GB of RAM and a 4K display.

You can buy the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 laptop in Oatmeal starting on April 10, 2023.