If you typically use a laptop, but want a system that can also be used as a tablet or a display, then the Lenovo Yoga 3 14 ($949 as tested) is worth serious consideration. The convertible-hybrid laptop's 14-inch, full HD screen makes it easy to share with others when in Tent and Stand modes, but it's somewhat unwieldy in Tablet mode unless you're looking to use it on a flat surface. Battery life is a strong point, and it sports the vaunted and oft-copied Yoga hinge, but there are other convertibles that flip over these days, so the Yoga 3 14 has plenty of strong competition.
Design and Features
The Yoga 3 14($949.00 at Lenovo) is reasonably thin in Laptop mode, measuring 0.72 by 13.25 by 9 inches (HWD), and it weighs 3.65 pounds. That's larger and heavier than our current Editors' Choice for midrange convertible-hybrid laptops, the HP Spectre x360 13t (13-4003)( at Amazon), but smaller and lighter than the 15-inch Toshiba Satellite Radius P55W-B5224($495.00 at eBay). It has almost the same dimensions and weight as the Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1($649.99 at Dell), which has a smaller 13-inch screen. The Yoga 3 14 is available in light silver or in black (like our review unit).
The 14-inch In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen has a 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, which is perfect for viewing movies from Netflix or other online video services. The built-in speakers aren't incredibly loud, but you can get by with them if you're watching a talk-heavy movie in a small, quiet room. Stand and Tent modes are perfect for video watching since those two modes don't have the backlit keyboard in your view. The default adaptive screen brightness setting dims the screen aggressively, so you may want to turn it off if you're watching videos. There's a bit of screen bounce after quick taps, but you'll have to be really picky to have that bother you.
The size of the screen becomes problematic when the system is in Tablet mode. The bulkiness makes it hard to hold in one arm for an extended period of time, especially since the laptop weighs 3.65 pounds. That's lighter than the almost-five-pound Toshiba Satellite Radius P55W-B5224, but heavier than the HP Spectre x360, which, with its 13.3-inch screen, is easier to carry around.
Similar Products
HP Spectre x360 13t (13-4003)
Toshiba Satellite Radius P55W-B5224
Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro
Acer Aspire S7-392-5410
Dell XPS 13 Touch (9333)
Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 Special Edition (7352)
Lenovo Edge 15
Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch, Retina Display (2015)
The keyboard has curved and scalloped keys, like on previous Lenovo systems like the Lenovo Edge 15($299.99 at Lenovo), but the keys on the Yoga 3 14 seemed to have a shallower keystroke. It's easy to get used to, but if you're a stickler for key feel, give the system a try in your local big box store. The one-piece touchpad worked well, though the one on the HP Spectre x360 is proportionally wider.
It's worth noting that this is one of the few Lenovo models to use a USB plug for its power adapter (another is the pricey Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro($949.99 at Lenovo)). That helps give you an additional USB 2.0 port when you're using the system on battery power. The Yoga 3 14 also has a micro HDMI port—which requires users to purchase a separate dongle to connect the laptop to a HDMI monitor or HDTV—as well as two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, and a headset jack. 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 offer wireless connectivity.
The 8GB of system memory is excellent if you're the type of user that keeps two dozen browser tabs open simultaneously. The 256GB solid-state drive (SSD) offers lots of free space. There's an annoying amount of bloatware, however, including Dailymotion, Evernote Touch, Kindle, Share It, the Weather Channel, and Zinio. A bunch of Lenovo-branded apps like Companion, Photo Master, and Yoga Chef also take up space in the Start screen. The system has a standard one-year warranty.
Performance
Our review unit has a fifth-generation Intel Core i5-5200U processor with integrated Intel HD Graphics 5500. It helped the laptop score 2,715 points on the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test. That's actually par for the category, putting it within striking distance of both the HP Spectre x360 (2,707) and the Intel-Core i7-powered Toshiba P55W-B5224 (2,757). The Dell XPS 13 Touch($749.00 at Amazon) (2,987) was the top dog on the test.
The Yoga 3 14 was also competitive on the Handbrake (3 minutes 4 seconds) and Photoshop CS6 (5:16) tests, and a smidge faster than the Acer Aspire S7-392-5410($1,299.99 at Adorama) and Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1. The latest 13-inch Apple MacBook Air and 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro($484.99 at eBay) were both a bit faster on the Handbrake and Photoshop tests, but it wasn't a runaway win either. 3D test results were as expected: low teens on the gaming tests at Medium-quality settings, which means it can't handle anything more strenuous than light gaming.
Battery life is a real strong point for the Yoga 3 14. It lasted 9 hours 10 minutes on our rundown test, making it the best in the category. That's a half-hour longer than the HP Spectre x360 (8:45) and more than an hour longer than the Toshiba P55W-B5224 (7:45). Still, it can't touch the MacBook Air (15:51) and the MacBook Pro (11:10).
The Lenovo Yoga 3 14 shows improvements over the 13-inch Lenovo Yoga 2 13($599.99 at Amazon), like a larger screen, while retaining a thin profile and its 360-degree Yoga hinge. It's a well-equipped laptop whose convertible form factor offers greater flexibility in terms of how you can use it, and it has the best battery life in its category. For now, however, the best convertible-hybrid laptop does not necessarily come from the company that pioneered the 360-degree hinge. That distinction goes to the HP Spectre x360 13t (13-4030) with greater portability, better audio, less bloatware, and niceties like a smooth-geared hinge mechanism, a larger touchpad, and a full-size HDMI port.
The Yoga 3 14 is a large-screen convertible-hybrid laptop with Lenovo's vaunted 360-degree hinge. It's a good system in a category with fierce competition.
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