Lenovo Yoga 7i 2023 Review: Affordable 2-in-1 Laptop Worth Considering

The user community holds a deep appreciation for Lenovo’s 2-in-1 Yoga 7i laptops, recognizing their seamless integration of premium features and enticing price points. In March, Lenovo unveiled the latest iteration of this product line, infusing it with cutting-edge 8th-generation (Gen 8) enhancements. These upgrades include the formidable 13th-generation Intel Raptor Lake processor, among other noteworthy improvements. Embark on the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2023 review as we delve into its offerings and unravel its secrets.

The Yoga 7i Gen 8 arrives in two screen sizes, 14″ and 16″, accompanied by options for both OLED and LCD panels (with the 16″ variant limited to LCD panels). In this comprehensive Lenovo Yoga 7i 2023 review, we immerse ourselves in the 14″ OLED variant equipped with an Intel Core i7-1360P CPU, retailing at an approximate price of $1,100. Alternatively, the configuration featuring an Intel Core i5-1335U CPU can be acquired at a reference price of $775.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2023 Review

Design

Lenovo’s Yoga laptop products introduced a new design philosophy called Comfort Edge just last year, and it comes as no surprise that the Yoga 7i Gen 8 continues to embrace this approach. The edges of the notebook are skillfully beveled, offering a more comfortable grip. This becomes especially important with a 2-in-1 laptop, particularly if you frequently utilize the device in tablet mode.

Crafted entirely from CNC aluminum, the laptop boasts two color options: Storm Gray and Tidal Teal. Compared to its predecessor, the Yoga 7i Gen 8 is thinner, measuring 16.49mm versus 17.35mm. However, it does carry a slightly increased weight of 1.49kg compared to 1.42kg. Nevertheless, these dimensions are considered average for a 14″ laptop featuring an aluminum case. It is generally convenient to stow it in a backpack or hold it in hand while heading to a café for work.

Being a 2-in-1 laptop, the Yoga 7i Gen 8 offers the flexibility to adjust its screen to different angles, catering to various use cases. For instance, tent mode optimizes the viewing experience for movies, web browsing, or graphic-related tasks. Tablet mode, on the other hand, proves useful during work sessions when you need to hold the laptop like a notebook for note-taking.

Indeed, the device not only allows touch-screen interaction but also enhances productivity with the inclusion of the Lenovo Digital Pen 2 stylus. This pen boasts a recording capability of up to 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, enabling drawing, navigation, and note-taking with ease. Additionally, the Lenovo Pen Settings software enables customization of the two physical buttons on the pen body and the sensitivity of the pen tip to suit your preferences.

Given its slimmer profile compared to its predecessor, the Yoga 7i Gen 8 does not offer an abundance of ports. However, Lenovo deserves recognition for incorporating an HDMI port, providing users with additional options for image output. The inclusion of two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports and one high-speed USB-A port proves sufficient to meet most users’ needs. While certain users may miss ports like Ethernet or SD card slots (the Yoga 7i Gen 8 only features a microSD slot), they can explore alternative solutions when required.

Keyboard and touchpad

The keyboard and touchpad of the Yoga 7i Gen 8 are no different from those found in other Yoga laptops we have encountered. Hence, we will address them here instead of allocating a separate section as usual. Moreover, our primary focus revolves around the pen and the touch screen for the majority of our interactions. In summary, anticipate a compact typing experience encompassing deep key travel, key-by-key backlighting, and a sleek touchpad adorned with a glass cover.

Display

Lenovo has introduced diverse screen options for the 14-inch version of the Yoga 7i in this year’s generation, all boasting a 16:10 aspect ratio to facilitate the display of vertical content.

The available options include:

• A 2.8K OLED panel (2880 x 1800 pixels) with 400 nit brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, a refresh rate of 90Hz, and support for Dolby Vision.
• An optional WUXGA OLED panel (1920 x 1200 pixels) with 400 nit brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, a refresh rate of 60Hz, and Dolby Vision, as seen on our Lenovo Yoga 7i 2023 review unit model.
• A 2.2K IPS LCD panel (2240 x 1400 pixels) with 300 nit brightness, 100% sRGB color gamut, a refresh rate of 60Hz, and Dolby Vision.

The addition of WUXGA resolution as an option on the Yoga 7i Gen 8 strikes a balance between the exceptional display quality of OLED technology and affordability. If your work involves graphics, such as photo and video editing, OLED panels offer the advantage of precise black performance and a broad contrast range.

However, due to the glossy nature of the screen, which tends to attract fingerprints, and to ensure accuracy, it is recommended to use a stylus instead of direct touch input. In addition to the Digital Pen 2, the Yoga 7i Gen 8 is also compatible with the Precision Pen 2, Lenovo Active Pen, or other Wacom pens.

Features

Yoga laptops have embraced dual front-facing speakers as a prominent design element, surpassing the audio quality offered by conventional down-firing speakers. Furthermore, the device comes equipped with pre-installed Dolby Atmos software, allowing users to tailor the sound quality according to their specific needs and tasks.

The webcam featured in the Yoga 7i Gen 8 boasts a 1080P resolution, complemented by an infrared sensor for accurate face recognition. To enhance privacy during online activities, the laptop includes a convenient privacy switch (shutter) that can be effortlessly activated with a simple swipe of your hand.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2023 review test

Performance

Our Lenovo Yoga 7i 2023 review unit is equipped with an Intel Core i7-1360P CPU from the Raptor Lake generation, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and a 1TB NVMe 4.0 SSD. Fabricated using Intel’s 10nm SuperFin process, the Core i7-1360P exhibits a 300 MHz increase in turbo clock speed for both the P-Core and E-Core while maintaining a TDP of 28W (PL1, 64W PL2). This chip is expected to feature in numerous thin and light ultrabooks this year, such as the LG Gram SuperSlim (REVIEW).

The Yoga 7i Gen 8 is Intel Evo certified, meeting Intel’s standards for battery life, display quality, charging time, and more, ensuring a consistent user experience. Furthermore, with the Raptor Lake CPU generation, Intel has extended the availability of the Unison software to a wider range of Evo laptops. This platform enables seamless connectivity between laptops and smartphones.

Through Intel Unison, users can effortlessly transfer files and images between their laptop and smartphone, as well as make or receive phone calls, send messages, sync notifications, and more.

Here are the performance scores of the Yoga 7i Gen 8 on popular benchmark applications:

In the Cinebench R23 application, which measures CPU performance for rendering tasks, the Core i7-1360P chip of the Yoga 7i Gen 8 achieved 1,683 single-core points and 12,194 multi-core points. Compared to the Core i5-1340P on the LG Gram SuperSlim, the Core i7-1360P showed a slight improvement in single-core performance and a roughly 50% increase in multi-core performance.

PCMark 10, a benchmark that assesses overall laptop performance, yielded an average score of 5,781 for the Yoga 7i Gen 8.

In GeekBench 6’s CPU benchmark, the Core i7-1360P scored 2,204 single-core points and 11,008 multi-core points.

The Intel Iris XE integrated graphics core of the Core i7-1360P CPU achieved 17,244 points in GeekBench 6’s OpenCL benchmark.

The Yoga 7i Gen 8 attained a total score of 18,990 in the 3DMark Night Raid benchmark test.

Regarding storage, the Yoga 7i Gen 8 utilizes Western Digital’s SN740 SSD. It is worth noting that this SSD comes in the form factor 2230 instead of the more common 2280, so caution should be exercised if a replacement is needed. According to WD, the announced read/write speeds are 5,150 MB/s and 4,900 MB/s respectively. Our measurements using Crystal Disk Mark yielded even slightly better results.

Battery

With its 71 Whr battery, the Yoga 7i Gen 8 offers ample power to sustain us throughout a workday filled with typical tasks like web browsing, news searching, Netflix streaming for relaxation, and Photoshop photo editing. Even with the brightness set at 60%, we still had around 15% battery remaining by the afternoon.

Lenovo claims that the included 65W charger provides 3 hours of usage after just 15 minutes of charging. To test this, we connected the charger for 15 minutes and observed the battery level reach 30%. After approximately 1 hour, the device was fully charged.

Final line

In conclusion, the Lenovo Yoga 7i Gen 8 emerges as a standout 2-in-1 laptop that excels in every aspect. With its harmonious blend of high-end features, agile performance, and reasonable pricing, it stands out as an excellent choice for those seeking a versatile computing experience. 

The addition of multiple screen options further enhances its appeal, allowing users to tailor their devices to their specific needs. From its sleek design and comfortable keyboard to its impressive battery life and exceptional performance benchmarks, the Yoga 7i Gen 8 proves to be a reliable companion for both work and leisure. 

While this Lenovo Yoga 7i 2023 review highlights the positive aspects, it is important to note that no product is without its drawbacks. The device does not offer an abundance of ports. Some users may miss ports like Ethernet, or SD card slots, as the laptop only features a microSD slot. This limited port selection may be inconvenient for users who require a broader range of connectivity options.

Whether you’re a creative professional, a multitasking enthusiast, or simply someone looking for a cutting-edge device, the Yoga 7i Gen 8 offers an exceptional 2-in-1 experience worth considering.

Lenovo Yoga 7i Gen 8 price and availability

The Lenovo Yoga 7i Gen 8 is now readily accessible for purchase on Amazon.com. The entry-level variant offers a 2.2K touchscreen display, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD, all for $775.99.