I received a Yoga 3 Pro yesterday from Lenovo. I have read a few reviews about the Yoga 3 pro, so I was prepared to receive anything from a TI-99/4A all the way up to a brand spanking quantum computer. And I was not disappointed. I got a computer in that range. But before I get to my review I would like to share a few pictures. First The Box.
Looks like a normal shipping box with a standard issue FedEx tag. But this is a special box. It is on my kitchen table in this picture, but at the same time it is also 200 miles away at the FedEx sorting facility. Anyway I opened this special box and this is what I found. Bubble Wrap.
Now don’t get me wrong, Bubble Wrap is welcome in my house. All that popping is good relaxation, especially when you have a cat that is especially twitchy around sharp noises. I did find something under all that Bubble Wrap.
Lenovo really goes out and gives their laptops, tablets and convertibles a nice box. Holds up nice to shipping and can be used for returns. But when I opened up the Yoga 3 Pro box I got a bit of a scare. The Yoga started floating away. I had to grab it before it floated out of the box.
Then I opened up the lid and found out that I had no keyboard.
Yep, i bet you thought you were dealing with some newbie. Hate to disillusion you. I have been using computers since the first consumer model was released. This particular computer, it is well enough built and functions well enough that a bit of professional packaging just enhances what is inside. Have you ever gotten something that was in a third rate cheap cardboard box? You expect the contents to be a bit on the cheap side. But if you got the same item in a top rate custom box, you expect quality. In the case with this laptop you will not be disappointed. It is well designed and built. A Quality machine.
I have read various reviews about the Yoga 3 pro and some of them seem to make the assumption that it should rival a quantum supercomputer, if that is what you are expecting, you will be disappointed. If you purchased the Yoga 3 Pro expecting a good solid computer that you can use for just about everything, then you will be impressed. I don’t think you will want to play games on this machine, but I have cleaned up photos and other graphic chores like that, as well as some audio editing and it has performed well. Granted I have only had the Yoga for short period of time, but do far it seems to be a solid system. Are you going to be doing any 3d graphics rendering of a feature length film, probably not. But for the someone who needs a solid system for work, the internet, and a good all around flexible system, this will work. The first thing I did was to play with it a bit, update it and install all my favorite tools and utilities. It went thru the entire setup without a glitch. Although it did slow down a bit one time for about a minute. But I had just installed my AV scanner and it was running a preliminary scan and windows update started. But it kept on running and did what it was tasked to do.
It doesn’t weigh anything. A measly 2.6 lbs. Which makes it easy to carry around and using it just about anywhere very easy.
One thing I have read about is the battery life does not live up to the hype. If you turn down the screen brightness the battery lasts longer than the 9 cell battery I have on my Dell Inspiron 1520. I imagine the lifetime will depend on what the system is being used for.
I have also read complaints about the keyboard. Lenovo has gotten rid of the row of function keys. Do I miss them, nope. Because the function keys are still there, you just have to use the Fn key to get to them. The other functions that lived on the function keys have been arranged on the right end of the keyboard. It will take a bit of getting used to, but then again so does any new keyboard.
One other thing I have read in reviews that is being complained about is the fact that when the screen is folded back to tablet mode, that there is a bit of space between the back of the screen and the back of the keyboard. This is true, but it does not seem to be an issue. Why is it not an issue? Because the whole thing weighs 2.6 lbs. You should not have to hold it tight enough to cause the flex. At least I don’t and I have big hands.
Is this machine perfect? Nope. There is no optical drive (I wish there was one) and if you insert an SD card, half of the card is on the outside of the machine. But those are the only red marks on the system.
The plus side, did i say it was light weight? Also the screen resolution and graphics are great. I am very impressed with the sound system. Most laptops are lacking in that department, either because there is a tinny sound or the volume is very limited. This laptop will not rival a hifi stero system, but for what is designed for it does a good job. Unfortunately the light weight of the machine does affect the high volume fidelity of the sound system. The whole computer starts vibrating, there is not enough mass in the system to dampen out these vibrations. The keyboard is also good. I know you do not need to depress the keys as much as on older machines, but then you don’t have to hit them with a hammer. The more I use the keyboard the more I like it. And it is back-lit so if you are going to use it in the dark and you are not a touch typer this will be handy, but it does eat more juice than if it was turned off. One last thing, is the different modes you can use this system in. As a laptop or a tablet, and just about any position in between.
In short, this is a good computer to get unless you want it for gaming (and it might work well for that connected to a larger screen) or heavy duty 3d graphics rendering, but for just about everyone else, it should be at the top of your list.
More pictures to come.