Review
Roderick Scott 0
yoga pro 3

The laptop isn't anything new as it has been around for what seems like ages but really only almost 40 years as a concept and less than that as a consumer product.  Lenovo is no stranger to creating innovative laptops.  The Yoga Pro is definitely one of their finest examples of that.  Late last year we entered into the 3rd iteration of this.  

The Yoga Pro 3 arrives w/ a new even thinner, lighter, and more flexible yet.  It is the 1st device to utilize Intel's M CPU ahead of the new MacBook.  We've been using it for quite some time now and we're ready to let you know if these new parts created the ultimate laptop or not.  Shall we begin?



We call the Pro 3 a laptop but it is really classified as something more - a 2-in-1 to be exact.  This 2-in-1 is now a more like a Transformer.  The new design and innovation behind it makes it a true marvel of engineering.  Now being super-thin, Lenovo created a new hinge for its transforming ways.  

Yoga Pro 3 bending

Their new watchband hinge is hand-crafted using 813 pieces of aluminum & steel and it is solid.  After a few months of using it, still no creaking or signs of losing its stability.  Elegantly made and beautiful to look at.  Going from the laptop to tent to stand to tablet mode all w/o missing a beat.  Its not stiff at all and offers nice, fluid movement.

yoga pro 3

A 13.3inch multi-touch LED display w/ 3200 x 1800 resolution is handling all of the visuals.  Lenovo decided to retain the specs from the previous generation in regards to the screen.  It definitely holds up pretty good in regards to it not being obsolete but I think its a double-edge sword for this model.  We'll dive into it more in the later portion of this review.

Inside handling all of the computing is the latest from Intel w/ a 1GHz dual-core Core M CPU w/ 8GB of RAM & 256GB SSD running Windows 8.1.  This all makes for a great on-the-go productivity laptop as it performs like a champ w/ zero lag or stutters involved at all within the months I've been using it.  Its not really made for intense stuff like audio/video production.  

Yoga Pro 3

Increase this battery size and swap out the M for a Core i5 and now you got a winner. 

Keeping it powered up is a 4-cell battery quoted at just over 7 hours of battery life.  During my time w/ I was only able to get just over 6 hours when fully charged.  A smaller battery within a slimmer body and a new Intel M chipset.  I'm sure sacrifices on the design could have been made for a better battery life.  I remember talking to one of their engineers and asking about the battery life and kind of felt the same way.  Maybe for this year's model, they'll fix that.

Lenovo wanted to give this one a boost in sound quality by partnering up w/ JBL.  They provided the speakers on this thing and sounds better than your average laptop.  The only misstep here is that the speakers on the bottom so if you're using it as a laptop, you won't get the full audio experience out of it.  

yoga pro 3 grade 

The Yoga Pro 3 is a great laptop but needs more battery power.

TG 2 Cents

Lenovo is truly my favorite Windows manufacturer as they have something for everyone.  The Yoga Pro series really changed the game in regards to hardware limitations and what laptops should do.  But you can't hit a home-run every time.  As awesome as the it is on the outside of this, the inside is kind of a let down.  Increase this battery size and swap out the M for a Core i5, now you've got a powerful yet flexible Windows machine.  In the meantime, you're stuck w/ a well put together convertible laptop that you will require you to be near an outlet most of the time.  Hard to recommend this at the price of a MacBook Air when you can get more powerful CPUs and double the battery life.  
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Author: Roderick Scott

Father. Husband. Creative. Mild foodie. Batman in my dreams.