What is Lenovo Yoga 920?
The Yoga 920 is the latest folding laptop from Lenovo. At first glance, this emblematic model does not look very different from the old Yoga 910, with the new device with the same belt hinge design and an almost identical external chassis. There is still the option of Full HD or 4K resolution for the 13.3-inch touch screen, too.
The big change is the upgrade to an Intel 8th Gen CPU, and all the performance and strength benefits it brings.
The result is a 2 in 1 that is desirable, as well as powerful and versatile.
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Lenovo Yoga 920 – Design and construction
While some may find that the lack of a disappointing design renovation, in my opinion, Yoga still meets all the requirements. And the slight changes that have been made have their merits.
The watch strap hinge is as useful as ever, allowing you to fold the laptop into a table "tent" position, where the screen automatically rotates to match – or even fold the keyboard completely behind the screen for a tablet feeling. Fortunately, it is stiff enough not to move when it should not.
I was not so in love with the golden copper color of the model I had in review; the contrast with the silver hinge sections seemed a bit disgusting.
However, this is not a criticism I can make about the quality of construction, which is excellent. Both the Yoga 920 chassis and the back of the screen are made of aluminum.
With 1.37 kg, this device is not exactly light, but it is not cumbersome either. It is comfortingly solid.
The most notable change of the Yoga 910 is that the port options have been updated to include two USB-C Thunderbolt inputs, one of which is for charging, along with the normal USB 3.0 on the left side of the device. Unfortunately, there is still no slot for memory cards.
A much more subtle alteration is that the Lenovo logo no longer appears on the cover, leaving only the mark & # 39; Yoga & # 39; lifted off the anodized aluminum surface. A little touch, but somehow it improves the class, in my opinion.
Fortunately, things get more interesting under the hood. The 920 is running an Intel 8th Gen CPU. The version I tested comes with an i7-8550U CPU, 8GB of DDR4 memory, a 512GB PCI-E 3.0 SSD and the Full HD touchscreen, and costs £ 1349.99.
Prices for an i5-8250U model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD start at £ 1199.99.
The package is completed with a fingerprint scanner located just below the arrow keys, and a combined stylus in the form of the Lenovo Active Pen 2, which can detect 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity.
The Active Pen 2 can be equipped with a supplied adapter that allows you to connect it to the USB port when not in use. However, I would not recommend it: the metallic body of the pencil regularly touched the side of Yoga while it was in transit, which caused some scratches over the course of a few weeks.
It also blocks access to the power button, which is simply stupid. I would have preferred a magnetic solution to secure the pen, similar to the solution on the Surface Pro.
Lenovo Yoga 920 – Keyboard, touchpad and Active Pen 2
The backlit chiclet keyboard has a solid, albeit slightly fluffy, feel it's as clear and reactive as the Surface Pro's cover, but it's still a cut above average, and comfortable enough in everyday use.
The touch panel certified by Microsoft Precision is also up to the task, and a decent size. I did not experience any problems with its ability to respond or with multi-touch gestures recording.
Lenovo's Active Pen 2 pen is an additional welcome addition: it costs £ 74.99, if purchased separately. It can detect 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity and feels good in the hand.
Personally I did not take the Lenovo stylus as if it had Microsoft's Surface Pen, partly because the Active Pen 2 is lighter, but also because its nib is harder, without generating enough "tooth" when it is drawn on the screen.
Again, he does a decent job without being a leader in his class, and at least it's not an optional extra.
Lenovo Yoga 920 – Screen and audio
If you are using the Yoga 920 for anything other than creativity, the 13.9-inch Full HD touch screen is very good. It is bright and clear, although a little more reflective than I would like.
Web browsing, Netflix binging, twiddling spreadsheet and other jobs that do not require accurate screen calibration are all a joy in Yoga, thanks to the nice colors and good contrast.
In fact, the performance of our standard colorimeter tests revealed a black level 0.2186cd / m2 and a white level of 304.88 cd / m2, resulting in an impressive contrast ratio of 1395: 1.
However , the screen covers 82% of the sRGB color gamut, and only 58.5% of the Adobe range. This simply is not going to be good enough for those who make a living with art and design.
The audio comes through a pair of JBL tuned stereo speakers in the bottom of the chassis. They reach a decent volume, but they sound harsh and brittle: low and medium bass are almost nonexistent. Together with the more robust and rugged Harman / Kardon speakers of the Asus ZenBook UX430U, the difference is obvious. You will not want to use the Lenovo for music tasks, but the heavy television programs in dialogues are fine.
Lenovo Yoga 920 – Performance
In terms of performance, the big change here is that it will move to an eighth Gene CPU, which promises a significant boost. Unfortunately, Lenovo has again chosen not to offer the option of a dedicated GPU, so this is not really a laptop for serious players or videographers.
For everyone else, however, Yoga 920 has more than enough power for anything you choose to throw at it. In benchmarking, it was very well compared to the 2018 Dell XPS 13 and the Microsoft Surface devices.
| Geekbench single-core | Geekbench multi-core | PCMark 8 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 920 | 4655 [19659035] 13963 | 3017 | |
| Dell XPS 13 | 4676 [19659035] 15262 | 3542 | |
| Microsoft Surface Book 2 | 4488 | 13724 | 2878 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro [19659035] 4603 | 9300 | 2778 |
In the real world , was up to these scores, never suffering problems from photo editing to streaming videos.
In other good news, there is rarely notable fan noise. This is certainly not a device that regularly sounds like it is preparing for takeoff.
The fingerprint scanner is also slippery, recognizing my super-fast digits, and it was reliably consistent.
Lenovo Yoga 920 – Battery Life
The most impressive part of the Yoga 920 package is its battery life. In the Powermark battery test, it ran for 10 hours and 40 minutes, and got similar results in actual use.
In fact, this is really the first laptop that I have been able to use during a whole day of work without having to go near an outlet. However, if you need a recharge, it charges incredibly fast through its USB-C port.
I imagine that this incredible battery life will be successful if you opt for the 4K screen, however, keep in mind that in mind.
Why buy the Lenovo Yoga 920?
The Yoga 920 may not seem so different from the previous Lenovo flagship, but in this case, this is not a bad thing. The chassis still looks great and, thanks to the improved port and hardware selection of the 920, it looks a lot like a modern Ultrabook.
The versatility of the format and the exceptional battery life mean that it is a portable computer that fits large numbers of people
. However, the performance of the screen will disappoint professional designers, and the lack of a option for a dedicated GPU means that videographers and light players should look elsewhere. And do not even think about regularly extracting melodies from your speakers.
As a daily use device for the average user, this is one of the best options currently available.
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Verdict
Yoga is beautiful, powerful and offers great resistance. A truly excellent Ultrabook.