Review – Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 13 : Stylish Hybrid Ultrabook with A+ Build Quality.

Lenovo-Yoga-132

The presence of Windows 8 which brings a new experience of “touch interaction” in computing activities, has made several computer hardware vendors start flocking to adopt the touch screen feature in their products, especially the type of mobile PC. Including Lenovo, whose product we will review this time, namely the Ideapad Yoga 13. Although physically the Ideapad Yoga 13 resembles most ultrabooks, with a keyboard and touchpad that supports computing rituals, what this product offers is far from its physical destiny.

Specification

Intel 3^rd generation Intel® Core™ i5-3317U
4GB, 8GB DDR3
Intel® HD Graphics 4000 (integrated)
13.3″ HD+IPS capacitive multitouch display (16:9 widescreen) (1600×900)
128GB SSD
802.11 b/g/n wireless
Bluetooth®
AccuType keyboard
Windows 8 Pro
Dimensions : 333.4 x 224.8 x 16.9 mm (13.1 x 8.9 x 0.67″)
Weight: 1.54 kg (3.4 lbs)

Design & Build Quality

Preview while doing yoga. — Flexible with sturdy hinge support.

The hybrid design on the Ideapad Yoga 13 is arguably not something new. However, some similar products from other manufacturers, often cause concern when bending the LCD panel 180′ backwards to change the function of a notebook into a Tablet PC. On the Ideapad Yoga 13, the lcd panel is not only flexible but also sturdy. No matter how many degrees bent, the hinges will lock firmly, so you don’t have to worry about the hinges “loosing” and closing. Likewise, the worry that often arises when the hinge is opened and closed back and forth. Excellent Quality Control makes you no longer have to worry about hinges on the Ideapad Yoga 13 “dool”.

The touchpad is very wide, in addition to supporting multi gestures for the purpose of interacting with the Windows 8 interface, the touchpad on the Ideapad Yoga 13 adopts an “Intelligent Touchpad” which will intelligently read the click process at any point you press the touchpad.

The upper case and bottom case are made of aluminum which seems mandatory for ultra-thin notebooks as a media to help the heat dissipation process, and of course to keep the weight from being too heavy. The Palm rest is made of textured with a rough surface like rubber. Besides being clean from fingerprints, this is very useful for those of you who have sweaty hands.

Ports & Interfaces

On the right, Lenovo places a USB 2.0 port, Card Reader, charging port and a button that functions to lock the LCD auto rotation. What is unique, of course, is the charging port. Similar to the USB port found in many old game watches.

On the left, there is an HDMI port, a USB 3.0 port, Audio Combo port, Mic and Volume Key. The placement of the mic is a little odd in this position, especially when the Ideapad is in the Notebook position. Another thing when in the position of the tablet.

Performance

Equipped with an integrated Intel HD 4000, predictably the Ideapad Yoga 13 is designed for needs Office use. So, the performance test was deliberately only using Synthetic Benchmarks without any real world gaming benchmarks. For your information, the Intel HD 4000 on the Ideapad Yoga 13 is still capable for 3d games 2 years ago such as the need for speed series and online games.

Cooling System

Long Exhaust Hole supporting the heat dissipation process.

The disease that often occurs in notebooks with thin casings is definitely an increase in heat that is not accompanied by a maximum dissipation process. Of course this is related to the air space in the casing. This has been anticipated by Lenovo by making the heatsink as well as the exhaust design extends so that it is expected to be more capable of releasing heat.

Sales Package

The sales package can be said to be simple. However, the packaging is made quite exclusive plus a soft sponge sheet is added as additional safety during the distribution process. For a size of 65W, the size of the Ideapad Yoga Adapter is quite small. With a pretty sweet design and the adapter’s weight that can be considered light, it’s definitely not too burdensome when you have to carry it around in a bag.

Conclusion

Build Quality which is arguably very good is a plus for the Ideapad Yoga as a Hybrid Notebook that will often be folded. When functioning as a Tablet PC, the LCD screen is quite comfortable to slide in whichever direction your finger points. During office testing, we didn’t find a “lag” process even though we were using Tablet mode. As a hybrid notebook, the Ideapad Yoga 13 is intended for those of you who have the habit of computing with high mobility at work. For this reason, the Yoga 13 is equipped with a battery that is claimed to last up to 8 hours. A little search, when testing using the battery eat pro software, the Ideapad Yoga 13 battery can last up to 165 minutes. If converted to daily use, approximately 4.5 hours to 5 hours equivalent.

Pros: