This review first appeared in issue 360 of PC Pro.
While HP’s Elite x360 2-in-1 laptop would wear a bowler hat if it could, the Yoga 9i is a free spirit. It wants you to make art not presentations, to view films not spreadsheets, to sit in cafés not end-of-quarter sales meetings. That’s not to say it can’t look serious – if anything, the slim, dark blue metal chassis could be a funkier color – but it essentially screams entertainment.
The Yoga 9i is encased in a slim, dark blue metal chassis(Image credit: Future)
Let’s start with the 14in OLED panel. While it peaked at a modest 402cd/m2 in our SDR tests, its VESA TrueBlack 500 certification shows in punchy colors when watching films or playing games. It covers 119% of the DCI-P3 gamut and you can trust its colors, too, with an average Delta E of 0.45. The native color temperature is a fraction warm, so whites aren’t as blazing as I like when typing in Word, but a density of 242ppi thanks to its 2,880 x 1,800 resolution makes the edges of text look razor sharp.
Lenovo includes its Slim Pen stylus, which magnetically attaches to the top of the lid. I love the firmness of the connection, but it doesn’t charge at the same time; there’s a USB-C slot at the top of the pen. As ever when using a plastic tip on a glass surface you can’t expect a paper-like experience, but digital artists will appreciate the minimal 18ms lag, and the Smart Notes app is great for scribbles and sketches. At 1.3kg this isn’t an iPad rival, but I was happy holding it in the crook of my arm while doodling.
The keyboard is no ThinkPad in terms of “feel”, but there’s a generous 1.5mm of travel and the keys are large and easy to hit. Lenovo adds a bunch of shortcut keys on the right-hand side: eye-care mode, mute, a shortcut to its useful Vantage app for controlling settings, and a performance mode switcher.
This is by no means a bad laptop, but others offer better value(Image credit: Future)
During benchmarking I opted for Lenovo’s high-performance mode, but don’t get too excited.
Intel’s Core Ultra 7 155H is a fine processor, but the Geekbench 6 scores printed below won’t concern AMD or Qualcomm, while its PCMark 10 score of 6,392 is strong but not incredible. Likewise a multicore result of 816 in Cinebench 2024.
Where Intel’s chip continues to beat Qualcomm is gaming, and there is potential here: 41fps in Dirt 5 at 1200p is a respectable return, as is 30fps at the screen’s native resolution, but you’ll need to find less demanding titles to benefit from the panel’s 120Hz refresh rate. I thoroughly enjoyed Dirt 5’s pumping soundtrack through the Yoga’s speakers, though, with far more bass than I’m used to from laptops. That’s thanks to a pair of 2W woofers in the base.
(Image credit: Future)
Unlike the ThinkPad T14s (see p56), the Yoga 9i isn’t designed for easy maintenance. The difficulty isn’t so much in getting inside the chassis – four Torx T5 screws offer little resistance – as what you can do once you’re there. It’s good to see QR codes to help identify components, but I would only feel confident replacing the M.2 SSD – a scorching 1TB unit that returned 6,197MB/sec sequential reads – and the 75Wh battery.
Two months ago, I would have been full of praise about this laptop’s battery life: 12hrs 40mins under light use is a fine result. Or it was, until Snapdragon-based chips almost doubled my expectations. Still, that’s enough to mean you don’t need to sling the 65W charger into your bag on the daily commute, and it recharges speedily: 41% in half an hour, 75% after an hour.
Colors pop when watching films or playing games(Image credit: Future)
Lenovo is throwing in a couple of sweeteners. Use the part code 83AC000FUK and you’ll receive a swanky cover – complete with a loop for the stylus – and a three-in-one USB-C hub that adds USB-A, VGA and HDMI. These complement the three USB-C ports and one USB-A port tucked into the laptop’s narrow base (there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack, too). It’s a shame the hub doesn’t include an RJ45 port, and while I’m wishing it would also have been nice to see Wi-Fi 7 rather than Wi-Fi 6E. You can configure the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Gen 9 on Lenovo’s website, with options such as 32GB of RAM, a higher-res screen and a grey finish rather than blue. But this pre-configured system is better value, especially as it was on sale for £1,500, a £200 discount, at the time of going to press. Still, I’m not convinced that’s bargain enough. Despite all the quality on show, the price feels like it should be closer to £1,300 to compete with the deluge of laptops currently appearing on shelves.
If you were to tone down the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8’s charisma to an average 7, it would still be a pretty great laptop – compact, capable, and packed with mention-worthy features such as a great keyboard, an included stylus, and a rotating soundbar that blasts out decent audio. But as it is now, its appeal is simply off the charts, making it even more irresistible. In fact, it might have just sealed Lenovo’s status as the new IT brand for laptops.
Don’t get me wrong; Lenovo’s portables have always been incredible in my opinion, and I’ve always been a fan. But they’ve also always sat in the shadows of Dell and HP, relatively unknown except to those who are in the know.
These days, however, I think most are willing to concede that they may be surpassing even the Dell XPS line in the best laptops realm – quite a feat considering that the line has held a lofty status for years and considering that Dell has recently given its XPS 13 2-in-1 model a not wholly welcome design overhaul (it’s now essentially a tablet with a detachable keyboard).
One of the best touchscreen laptops – and naturally, among the best 2-in-1 laptops – we’ve tested in 2023 (so far), the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 is an absolute stunner, with an Oatmeal, glossy-trimmed satin chassis that’s worthy of your adoration, a 360-degree rotating soundbar, a vibrant OLED display, and an elegantly minimalist look. It packs a punch as well, going toe-to-toe with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 in terms of performance. And, most importantly, it isn’t as pricey as the Dell XPS and HP Spectre x360 lines, which makes it a more prudent choice.
It isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty damn close, and if Dell and HP were wise, it might behoove them to start paying attention.
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8: Price and availability
How much does it cost? $1,399.99 / £1,440
When is it available? Available now in the UK, available on April 10 in the US
Where can you get it? Available in the US and the UK
At the time of writing, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 has yet to hit the shelves in the US, being slated for release on April 10. You can, however, already pre-order our review configuration at Best Buy for $1,399.99, which puts it in the same price as the similarly-specced Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 and just a little more affordable than last year’s Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, which I am in the process of testing now. A higher-specced version will be made available, hopefully on the day of release.
In the UK, it’s a slightly different story, with both configurations available now at Lenovo UK, with the base model costing £1,440 and the higher model priced at £1,599. I’m still waiting on word as to when it’ll be available in Australia.
I wouldn’t call the Yoga 9i Gen 8 a budget or even affordable model. It definitely sits in the premium range, albeit perhaps on the lower end. However, for what you’re getting, it’s definitely reasonably priced and a great value proposition.
Price: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8: Specs
The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 comes in two configurations, the base model and the higher-end model that has twice the storage capacity and a higher resolution display.
Lenovo has been known to limit its available configurations to two or three per laptop model, and it’s no different here. At the time of writing, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 is only available in two configurations. Both are powered by the same Intel Core i7-1360P chip and Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, and they both have the same 16GB memory.
Where the higher-end model deviates is in the storage capacity and the display. It doubles the base model’s storage to 1TB and sees its 2.8K OLED display and raises it a 3840 x 2400 OLED panel.
It’s worth noting that while these configurations are confirmed in the US and the UK, we don’t have any information about pricing and availability in Australia. In addition, it’s entirely possible that Lenovo adds more during or after its official launch. Not to worry; we’ll update this review accordingly.
(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8: Design
Look and design that are impossible to resist
Great trackpad and keyboard with useful shortcuts
Stunner of an OLED display
I’ll tell you right now that you’ll have a hard time resisting this laptop as soon as you hold it in your hands. Though it largely preserves its predecessor’s design, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 still feels like how the Dell XPS line felt when it was overhauled – a breath of fresh air. Its all-aluminum chassis has an elegant, minimalist look with just the words Lenovo and Yoga engraved on opposite sides of the top cover.
I quite like the Oatmeal colorway, as it works well with that modern minimalist look as well as the rounded corners and glossy edges, which by the way is rare on laptops, making this one even more distinctive.
(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)
The Yoga 9i Gen 8 is more than adequately travel-friendly, being compact, fairly lightweight, military-grade solid, and svelte, which makes it sufficiently easy to handle in tablet and tent modes. I’m not quite sold on laptops that turn into tablets yet, but what I can say is that I’ve used this one in both modes, and the experience was comfortable. I especially like being able to watch Narcos in bed without having to put on my glasses. In addition, a stylus comes packaged so you can interface more with that touchscreen without spending extra money.
(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)
Its 360-degree-rotating soundbar moonlights as the hinge, and it’s a pretty ingenious element. Whatever mode you’re on, those speakers are never facing directly away from you, which means you're getting good audio every time. But more on that later.
The keyboard, backlit and spacious, spanning the length of the laptop, will never make you feel cramped, especially since the keys are stubby – short yet thick – and there’s enough space between them. And, the whole thing’s comfortable and satisfying to type on, just the ticket for hammering out those work documents or, in my case, reviews and features. I also appreciate that Lenovo took great pains adding shortcuts here: performance modes, webcam background blur, light and dark modes toggle, airplane mode, audio profile, and more within easy reach thanks to these shortcut keys.
(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)
This keyboard is so great, in fact, that it makes the trackpad look insipid and boring, which is saying something since the trackpad — big, responsive, accurate, and nice to the touch — is pretty great in its own right.
For quick sign-ins, you’ve got a fingerprint scanner and facial recognition here, and they’re both not only fast and responsive but not at all a pain to use. My biggest gripe with fingerprint scanners is that they’re usually finicky little things – your fingers have to be dry and clean and whatever else for them to do accurate readings. That’s never been an issue with this one. Speaking of cameras, professionals and casual users alike will appreciate that 1080p webcam, which we are starting to see in a number of higher-end laptops these days.
And for the finale, there’s the OLED multi-touch glossy display which gives you a 2880 x 1880 resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision support, and 14 inches of pure unadulterated OLED viewing. It gave me about 200% sRGB and 142% DCI-P3 coverage during testing, and a yummy average color accuracy of 0.39 (standard is Delta-E<2). And, honestly, my Netflix experience has been elevated.
Design: 4.5 / 5
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8: Performance
Great performance for productivity and every day workloads
Decent but not the snappiest with creative workloads
Display could be brighter, audio is decent
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8: Benchmarks
Here's how the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
I wish I could compare this laptop to another new anticipated release this year with very similar specs, but seeing as that’s currently under wraps at this time, let’s settle with the ones that are already out.
TechRadar’s own benchmark results show that the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 surpasses the likes of a similarly-specced and similarly-priced Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 in most of them except in the Fire Strike extreme stress test. Same with an Intel Core i7-1360P, Iris Xe- powered LG Gram Style with double the RAM.
In fact, it crushed the competition in CPU performance, especially multi-core ones, and our real-world application benchmark, scoring 10,828 in the Geekbench 6 multi-core test and 1,789 in Crossmark. As is the norm with integrated graphics, the graphical performance isn’t anything to write home about, scoring an average of 25fps with Sid Meier's Civilization VI at the native 1800p resolution although it did perform better than the two aforementioned rivals in Night Raid.
In practice, it’s also not too bad. I used it to edit and export 50 high-res 7952 x 4472 images from RAW to JPEG in Lightroom, and it took about two to three minutes to do so. That’s obviously not instantaneous, but it’s faster than my own M1-powered iMac 24-inch – though, to be fair, this review unit does have double the memory. It did get a little warm and pretty loud when exporting those images, however.
(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)
As I mentioned before, the display is yummy to stream on. The only drawback here is that it averaged about 350 nits of brightness during testing, and with many displays offering more than 400 nits these days, some might find it a little dark for their taste.
I don’t mind it, however, especially since it offers a dynamic range wide enough that visuals do not lose a lot of detail in darker scenes or clips. I also tested this out in a bright, outdoor cafe on a warm and sunny day, and I could see what’s on my screen just fine, despite some glare. And, the whole panel looks to be fairly uniform in brightness in all quadrants, according to the colorimeter readings.
Everybody is praising the sound quality here, but I find it no match for the MacBook Pros. The mid-range is full, and it sounds good for streaming. But there’s really very minimal low end here, the mids are a little compressed, and the high end is boosted so it can sound a little harsh depending on the audio. Also, listening to music is not as pleasant as streaming shows and movies. Don’t get me wrong; it’s good audio, just not amazing as other reviewers make it sound like.
Performance: 4.5 / 5
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8: Battery life
A little over 10 hours at full charge
Rapid charging on hand
There’s not a lot of higher-powered Windows-powered laptops out there than can surpass the MacBook Pro in battery life. And sadly, the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 is in the same boat, not even coming close to the Apple Macbook Pro 14 with M2 Pro’s 14 hours and 23 minutes battery test results.
The upside is that the Yoga 9i Gen 8’s battery life really isn’t that bad. It’s good actually, delivering a little over 10 hours of juice during our proprietary Web Surfing battery test and beating out the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360’s just under eight hours result and 2022’s Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, which just made it over that eight-hour mark.
Listen, 10 hours will get you a full day’s work and then some, so while it probably isn’t going to outlast your energy levels, it’ll ensure that you’re commuting light since you can leave the charger at home. Plus, if it’s one of those days when you need to put in more than 10 hours, you can count on its rapid charging as well.
Battery life: 4.5 / 5
Should you buy the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8?
Buy it if...
You need a laptop for productivity and the occasional photo editing This is an incredibly capable laptop that handles productivity and every day tasks like a pro and holds its own with creative workloads.
You're looking for a great-featured laptop There's a lot of great features here, including a rotating soundbar, an OLED display, a fingerprint reader, many keyboard shortcuts, and a 1080p webcam, making it futureproof.
You're tired of the homogenous look on devices The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 veers off the beaten path with its minimalist, elegant look you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
Don't buy it if...
Money is tight I think that this laptop is reasonably-priced for its performance and features, but it's not exactly a budget option. Look elsewhere if you need something under $1,000/£1,000.
You want a brighter display That OLED display is fantastic, but it averages at about 350 nits in brightness, which in today's standards is just average.
You do more creative workloads It held its own with photo editing high-res images, but it got pretty loud and warm, and it also wasn't the fastest. If you do more photo and video editing than productivity tasks, you should get something with more graphical prowess.
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8: Also consider
If our Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 review has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...
How I tested the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8
Used it as my work and streaming laptop for a week
Tested it with the apps I used for work, including Adobe Lightroom
Ran a standard suite of benchmark tests
Using the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8 for work and media consumption for about two weeks allowed me to really see what it's made of. I used it indoors and outdoors for productivity work, editing high-resolution images, and streaming Netflix.
Of course, we also ran in through our suite of benchmark test as well, putting its CPU, GPU, and display through its paces, and compared those results to those of similar laptops.
I have been testing laptops, Chromebooks, and PCs for a few years now, first as a freelance journalist for many of the top tech publications and now as one of the Computing editors for TechRadar. That makes me more than qualified to test laptops such as the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8.
