 "Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga: Too expensive for a thought")
The Lenovo Yoga line gained a lot of popularilty as it offers the convenience of a tablet with the stability of a laptop to consumers. Now, Lenovo wants to provide that same level of flexibility to its enterprise-grade users with the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga S1.
Featuring an Intel Core i5-4200U processor and a 128GB hard drive, the notebook comes with the durability and performance expected of a business notebook, while retaining the flexibility of the 360-degree hinge design.
Let's find out if this device has the allure of a consumer ultrabook with the practical needs of a business notebook.
Build and design
Similar to other ThinkPad devices the Yoga S1 uses a high-quality black matte magnesium alloy build. Unlike the traditional square Lenovo ThinkPad T Series design, the Yoga S1 sports a softer curved look.
The gadget comes with the iconic 360-degree display hinge, allowing the notebook to easily transform between the standard notebook, tablet, tent and stand modes. New to the Yoga S1, the moulding around the keyboard raises to create a flat surface when display hinge moves 180 degrees. The flat surface does make the device more comfortable to handle in tablet mode.
Display and sound
The device features a gorgeous 12.5-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS touch display. Boasting a brightness of 330 nits the Yoga S1 is perfect for reading text and viewing media. The display's touch controls also work wonderfully. Swipes, clicks and multi-finger gestures read exceptionally well, allowing users to enjoy the Yoga S1's Tablet Mode and navigate Windows 8.1's home screen with ease.
With its exceptional screen brightness the Yoga S1 provides wide viewing angles. On the horizontal axis, images hold upwards of 90 degrees with no noticeable colour loss or image distortion. The notebook fares just as well on the vertical axis, as images remain pristine even at extreme angles.
The Yoga S1 houses speakers along the back end of the device's deck directly below the display. The speakers manage to produce sound levels capable of filling a modestly sized room with audio.
Keyboard and touchpad
While the Yoga S1 doesn't strictly abide by Lenovo's traditional ThinkPad formula, the device does feature the iconic spill resistant island-style keyboard that the series is known for. Similar to other ThinkPad notebooks, the Yoga S1 offers exceptional spacing, despite the device's petite frame. Each curved key is slightly indented on its face for providing a comfortable feel and grip.
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga S1 touchpad is located just below the space bar on the keyboard, the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga S1 houses a moderately sized touchpad. The pad is devoid of buttons, instead opting to use the bottom left and right portions of the pad (along with multi-finger gestures) to act as mouse buttons.
Performance
Equipped with a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-4200U CPU, 4GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 4400 and a 128GB SSD the Yoga S1 offers solid performance in line with other high-end Lenovo devices, such as the IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro and ThinkPad T440s.
With its solid array of specifications, normal Word and web functions prove to be little challenge for the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga S1. The device is also capable of handling more complicated Microsoft Office functions such as computing complicated Excel spreadsheets.
Without a dedicated GPU, graphics performance is somewhat limited. The Yoga S1 cannot handle high-end demanding game titles and is not capable of editing 3D videos.
While the 128GB SSD does not afford the Yoga S1 a great deal of storage it does offer lighting speeds.
Heat and noise
The notebook's main series of vents rest along the back end between the two display hinges. The notebook does not produce much heat to begin with. Even with heavy duty usage, the notebook remained cool and can be comfortably used as a laptop. Also, the device remains relatively silent under normal usage.
Battery life
The Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga S1's built-in 47Wh battery ran for about five hours. Running well over four hours the Yoga S1 offers solid battery life.
Conclusion
While there's a lot to like about the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga - especially the introduction of Lenovo's excellent multimode design in the business realm - the fact remains that it falls short when compared with similar ThinkPad models and business Ultrabooks.
The Dell Latitude 6430u remains our top pick for business ultrabooks, thanks to its superior performance, and the Lenovo ThinkPad T440s offers equally compelling performance in a traditional clamshell design. At Rs 112,418, I would say, consider your options before going for this one.
Featuring an Intel Core i5-4200U processor and a 128GB hard drive, the notebook comes with the durability and performance expected of a business notebook, while retaining the flexibility of the 360-degree hinge design.
Let's find out if this device has the allure of a consumer ultrabook with the practical needs of a business notebook.
Build and design
Similar to other ThinkPad devices the Yoga S1 uses a high-quality black matte magnesium alloy build. Unlike the traditional square Lenovo ThinkPad T Series design, the Yoga S1 sports a softer curved look.
The gadget comes with the iconic 360-degree display hinge, allowing the notebook to easily transform between the standard notebook, tablet, tent and stand modes. New to the Yoga S1, the moulding around the keyboard raises to create a flat surface when display hinge moves 180 degrees. The flat surface does make the device more comfortable to handle in tablet mode.
Display and sound
The device features a gorgeous 12.5-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS touch display. Boasting a brightness of 330 nits the Yoga S1 is perfect for reading text and viewing media. The display's touch controls also work wonderfully. Swipes, clicks and multi-finger gestures read exceptionally well, allowing users to enjoy the Yoga S1's Tablet Mode and navigate Windows 8.1's home screen with ease.
With its exceptional screen brightness the Yoga S1 provides wide viewing angles. On the horizontal axis, images hold upwards of 90 degrees with no noticeable colour loss or image distortion. The notebook fares just as well on the vertical axis, as images remain pristine even at extreme angles.
The Yoga S1 houses speakers along the back end of the device's deck directly below the display. The speakers manage to produce sound levels capable of filling a modestly sized room with audio.
Keyboard and touchpad
While the Yoga S1 doesn't strictly abide by Lenovo's traditional ThinkPad formula, the device does feature the iconic spill resistant island-style keyboard that the series is known for. Similar to other ThinkPad notebooks, the Yoga S1 offers exceptional spacing, despite the device's petite frame. Each curved key is slightly indented on its face for providing a comfortable feel and grip.
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga S1 touchpad is located just below the space bar on the keyboard, the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga S1 houses a moderately sized touchpad. The pad is devoid of buttons, instead opting to use the bottom left and right portions of the pad (along with multi-finger gestures) to act as mouse buttons.
Performance
Equipped with a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-4200U CPU, 4GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 4400 and a 128GB SSD the Yoga S1 offers solid performance in line with other high-end Lenovo devices, such as the IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro and ThinkPad T440s.
With its solid array of specifications, normal Word and web functions prove to be little challenge for the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga S1. The device is also capable of handling more complicated Microsoft Office functions such as computing complicated Excel spreadsheets.
Without a dedicated GPU, graphics performance is somewhat limited. The Yoga S1 cannot handle high-end demanding game titles and is not capable of editing 3D videos.
While the 128GB SSD does not afford the Yoga S1 a great deal of storage it does offer lighting speeds.
Heat and noise
The notebook's main series of vents rest along the back end between the two display hinges. The notebook does not produce much heat to begin with. Even with heavy duty usage, the notebook remained cool and can be comfortably used as a laptop. Also, the device remains relatively silent under normal usage.
Battery life
The Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga S1's built-in 47Wh battery ran for about five hours. Running well over four hours the Yoga S1 offers solid battery life.
Conclusion
While there's a lot to like about the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga - especially the introduction of Lenovo's excellent multimode design in the business realm - the fact remains that it falls short when compared with similar ThinkPad models and business Ultrabooks.
The Dell Latitude 6430u remains our top pick for business ultrabooks, thanks to its superior performance, and the Lenovo ThinkPad T440s offers equally compelling performance in a traditional clamshell design. At Rs 112,418, I would say, consider your options before going for this one.
LENOVO THINKPAD YOGA S1
Windows 8.1 (64-bit)
Display: 12.5" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Touch
Processor: 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5-4200U
Graphic: Intel HD Graphics 4400
RAM: 4GB of DDR3
HDD: 128GB SSD
Battery life: Up to 5 hours (claimed)
Price: Rs 112,418/-
Windows 8.1 (64-bit)
Display: 12.5" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Touch
Processor: 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5-4200U
Graphic: Intel HD Graphics 4400
RAM: 4GB of DDR3
HDD: 128GB SSD
Battery life: Up to 5 hours (claimed)
Price: Rs 112,418/-