Dubai: Lenovo’s third-generation Yoga laptop — Yoga 3 Pro — is thin and light and it is one of the slimmest ultra-thin laptops in the market.
The 13.3-inch device is powered by fifth-generation Intel Core M 1.1GHz processor (turbo boost to 1.3GHz) with 8GB RAM and 256GB solid state drive internal storage capacity. It is first Core M PC to hit the shelves.
The IPS touchscreen panel with Gorilla Glass has a resolution of 3200x1800 pixels and weighs 1.19 kilos.
The main attraction of this laptop is the hinge, which consists of six wristwatch-like links. It is strong and sturdy. The 360-degree hinge helps to lay the laptop flat on the table and can be converted into tablet, tent and stand modes. Lenovo’s previous Yogas had dual hinges. The Yoga 3 Pro is made of plastic top and bottom.
The micro-HDMI port, SD card reader, charging port cum USB 2.0 port and a USB 3.0 port are on the left while power key, volume rocker, auto-rotate button, headphone jack and a USB 3.0 port on the right.
The screen ripples when you press down slightly and from the edges while the machine flexes and creaks a bit.
The backlit keyboard deck and the palm rest are coated with a rubbery material so that the palm won’t slip.
It lacks the Function row of keys despite having enough room on the top and bottom of the keyboard. Lenovo could have added the Function row of keys and made the clickpad slightly bigger.
On the audio front, Lenovo has added JBL speakers and a MaxxAudio equaliser but placement of the speakers on the bottom of the device loses its appeal and the quality of the sound is not that great.
On the software front, Lenovo has added an app called Yoga Harmony which suggests different programs depending on which mode the user is using.
The app list the users own favourite apps for each category and the recently used apps in that mode. There is a usage statistics which shows how much time a user has spent in each mode and compares to the world average of Yoga owners. It is a very useful feature.
Another interesting feature is the Harmony Settings which automatically adjust the settings depending on each mode.
For example, after opening a photo in laptop mode and then switching to tent or stand mode, it automatically expands to full screen and motion control turn on, allowing users to skip photos by waving hand in front of the webcam. Not all the apps work in Harmony Settings.
It comes pre-loaded with eBay, the Zinio magazine store, The Weather Channel, Evernote Touch, Dailymotion, The Telegraph and TripAdvisor, apart from Lenovo’s own Yoga Chef, Lenovo Photo Master, Lenovo Support, Lenovo Settings and Lenovo Companion apps.
The graphics are taken care of by Intel’s integrated HD 5300 and no lag in playing 3D graphic-rich games and Full HD videos played with ease.
Regarding connectivity, it has WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0.
Even though it is using a low-powered chip to reduce power consumption and generate less heat, the battery life hasn’t improved much compared to its earlier fourth-generation processors. It gives just close to six-and-a-half hours of video playback. It is priced at Dh6,999.
