Which Lenovo Yoga 6 (Gen 7) should you buy?
Best answer: Lenovo offers multiple different versions of the Yoga 6 (Gen 7), with prices starting at about $640. Those with general productivity in mind can get away with the introductory model (or similar configuration), while those with more intensive tasks to tackle can upgrade to a better AMD CPU, more RAM, and a larger SSD. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s new with the Lenovo Yoga 6 (Gen 7)?
Lenovo’s Yoga 6 convertible PC received a fairly serious refresh for its seventh generation, bringing it more in line with the rest of the Yoga lineup. Despite these changes, the Yoga 6 is still the most affordable option out there, and it’s one of the best Lenovo laptops that can be used as a notebook or as a tablet. One of the most noticeable changes has to do with the overall design. The chassis, made up of a PC and ABS plastic base and aluminum lid, has rounded edges for a more comfortable hold, especially in tablet mode. The lid also has an optional fabric covering
The display moved up to a taller 16:10 aspect ratio along with a boosted 1920×1200 (FHD+) resolution and Dolby Vision support. Above the display, the camera is now FHD with a hybrid IR portion for Windows Hello. There’s also a shutter for added privacy when not in use.
The laptop now has more ports, including two USB-C 3.2 (Gen 1), two USB-A 3.2 (Gen 1), HDMI, 3.5mm audio, and a microSD card reader. In terms of performance hardware, the Yoga 6 is still using AMD Ryzen 5000 processors, but it has faster LPDDR4x RAM and optional M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD storage.
In my Lenovo Yoga 6 (Gen 7) review, I mention that the laptop “demonstrates how complete the Yoga lineup has become.” Models start at an affordable price (and don’t get to crazy), yet there aren’t that many sacrifices as you’d usually find in PCs that cost this much. Battery life is great, the camera offers a crisp picture, top-firing speakers with Dolby Atmos make for easy listening, typing and pointing are comfortable, and the display is better than expected.
Choosing the right Lenovo Yoga 6 (Gen 7) for you
Lenovo currently offers four different Yoga 6 (Gen 7) configurations at its official website. These same configurations have found their way to some third-party retailers, including Best Buy and Walmart. It’s expected that at some point you’ll be able to configure your own model at the official Lenovo website, mixing and matching hardware, but for now you’re stuck into one of the pre-configs.
There are some things to keep in mind when buying. Memory is soldered, meaning you can’t upgrade after purchase. Be sure to get the amount of RAM you think you’ll need to handle your workload. Our guide on how much RAM you might need in a laptop can help. Also note that the M.2 SSD is accessible after removing the bottom panel, allowing you to upgrade after purchase. Our collection of the best SSDs has some great options if you go this route.
One final thing to consider is that there’s just one display option for the Yoga 6. It has a 1920×1200 (FHD+) resolution, 300 nits brightness, glossy finish, Dolby Vision, and low blue light properties. Color hits 100% sRGB, 82% AdobeRGB, and 85% DCI-P3, making it ideal for just about anything other than specialized work where the other color gamuts are key. If you’d like a display with a higher resolution, you’ll want to check out something like the Yoga 9i 14 (Gen 7).
Getting back to the Yoga 6, the introductory model comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U CPU, 8GB of LPDDR4x-4266MHz RAM, and 256GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD. It costs about $640 and should be more than enough for those looking to handle email, spreadsheets, web browsing, video streaming, and word processing. If you need more storage space and don’t want to upgrade the SSD yourself, you can bump it up to 512GB for an extra $35.
Next in line is a model with AMD Ryzen 7 5700U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD. The Ryzen 7 CPU is certainly an upgrade, and it will help you multitask without slowing down. These models cost about $730. Because the memory can’t be upgraded after purchase, I would recommend getting the model with 16GB of RAM if you choose to go with the Ryzen 7. The extra 8GB of RAM adds $50 to the total, bringing it up to $780.
The full 16GB of RAM will play much nicer with the Ryzen 7, especially if you want to get into work like photo editing or anything else that eats up memory. Pairing 16GB of RAM with the Ryzen 7 will also keep the laptop relevant longer into the future. And because the storage is upgradeable, you can always add a larger SSD on your own if required.
Lenovo’s Yoga 6 (Gen 7) is currently available in four different configurations, with Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 CPUs, up to 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and up to a 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD. All configurations remain fairly affordable and come with some high-end features that sweeten the deal.
