Lenovo Yoga E-book 9i: two screens on the identical time

Two screens on the identical time. That’s the entire attraction of Lenovo’s Yoga E-book 9i in a nutshell, as finest as I can inform after utilizing the gadget for a few weeks. 

The $1,999.99 9i, for the uninitiated, is a dual-screen clamshell touchscreen laptop computer that eschews the normal keyboard deck for a second touchscreen on the underside half. Lenovo has been experimenting with nontraditional laptop computer designs for years, from foldable ThinkPads to twisting laptops with E Ink shows and digital keyboards, and it hasn’t at all times gone effectively. Excessive costs, awkward software program, and unconventional designs have saved them from actually being something you can purchase. 

The Yoga E-book 9i isn’t with out a few of these compromises. Nonetheless, it’s Lenovo’s finest execution of the dual-screen type issue and doesn’t really feel almost as very like an experiment as Lenovo’s earlier concepts. Having two screens on the identical time is a really compelling pitch for lots of people accustomed to working at a desk, and there are specific use instances the place the 9i’s distinctive type issue presents a bonus over different laptops. 

Lenovo got here up with some intelligent software program and {hardware} methods to make this work, and the result’s a surprisingly usable first lower at a tool with two screens and no built-in keyboard. Nevertheless it’s not more likely to exchange your clamshell laptop computer simply but.

Lenovo Yoga E-book 9i

$1999.99

The Good

Two sensible, usable screens in a single laptopClever equipment to make finest use of each screensExcellent audioSurprisingly good battery life

The Dangerous

Awful as a conventional laptopRequires numerous course of to arrange every timeSoftware quirks due to the 2 screensEndless bloatware and advertisementsExpensiveHow we price and overview merchandise

From first look, the 9i doesn’t look all that completely different from Lenovo’s different Yoga fashions and even another 2-in-1 convertible laptop computer. It’s about the identical thickness as my MacBook Professional when closed, with an additional lip on the highest half to make opening it simpler and supply room for the Home windows Whats up-compatible webcam. 

It might appear to be each halves are equivalent, however the backside half is thicker and the place the precise computing parts dwell. The chassis is a good-looking darkish blue aluminum with rounded, polished sides and simply three ports — all Thunderbolt 4 USB-C. The factor I missed probably the most from the port choice is a 3.5mm headphone jack; I’m simply not prepared to present these up on a laptop computer but.

Crack it open, although, and the 9i’s distinction turns into obvious. The 2 13.3-inch, 2880 x 1800 OLED panels with 16:10 side ratios gentle up and offer you two equally sized Home windows desktops to play with. They’re colourful and punchy like OLED screens needs to be, and the 400 nit peak brightness is lots for many conditions exterior of direct daylight. Fortunately, the screens are effectively color-matched, too.

Like prior dual-screen gadgets, equivalent to Microsoft’s Floor Duo telephone, the Yoga E-book 9i is all about completely different postures. The primary one is the default clamshell mode, the place you’d attempt to use it like an ordinary laptop computer. That is additionally the worst approach to make use of this gadget.

The digital keyboard is giant and has gentle haptic suggestions, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not a fantastic typing expertise.

You’ll be able to plop the included Bluetooth keyboard on high of the underside half and use that as a substitute, which is significantly better for typing.

Tapping eight fingers on the underside display pulls up a digital keyboard. Beneath it’s a digital trackpad that may span your complete width of the display or be constrained to a typical trackpad dimension. Typing on the digital keyboard goes about in addition to you would possibly count on: I may make it work at about half my regular typing pace and with much more errors. Lenovo constructed some gentle haptics into the system to supply some suggestions, nevertheless it’s not one thing that replaces a bodily keyboard. The digital trackpad additionally works and helps the standard multi-finger Home windows gestures, however the glass makes it really feel sticky, and it isn’t almost as clean to make use of as an precise {hardware} trackpad.

Lenovo Yoga E-book 9i specs (as examined)

Show: two 13.3-inch, 2880 x 1800 OLED touchscreensProcessor: Intel Core i7-1355URAM: 16GBStorage: 512GBPorts: three Thunderbolt 4 USB-CDimensions (when closed): 11.78in (299mm) x 8.03in (204mm) x 0.63in (16mm)Weight: 2.95lbs (1.33kg)Included equipment: wi-fi keyboard, mouse, stylus, folding standPrice: $1,999.99

Swipe down with eight fingers on the keyboard, and it’ll transfer to the underside half of the display, revealing two widgets above it. These widgets suck: one is an Outlook calendar widget that refused to work with my Google Calendar account, and the opposite is a chumbox of terrible clickbait headlines powered by Microsoft’s Information app. Lenovo actually must make extra choices to supply some usability right here.

This posture additionally sometimes has software program points: the mouse cursor will typically get “trapped” on the underside display underneath the keyboard when you slide it down too far, and you may’t use the trackpad to substantiate any Home windows safety prompts; you need to attain up and faucet the display every time. One time, my entire Slack window obtained caught on the underside display and I couldn’t discover it as a result of the keyboard and trackpad lined it up.

Bundled with the Yoga E-book 9i is a Bluetooth keyboard that may sit on high of the underside half of the pc and take the place of the digital keyboard. Typing with that is a lot simpler, and it’s cool that the system routinely is aware of whenever you’ve plopped the keyboard onto the display. Nevertheless it’s not a lot enjoyable to make use of on a lap like a typical laptop computer as a result of the entire thing feels unstable and awkward when typing or shifting your weight because the keyboard isn’t really connected to the deck. Plus, you continue to should deal with that less-than-stellar digital trackpad.

The best posture of the 9i, and my most well-liked approach to make use of it, includes that Bluetooth keyboard and a folding stand and mouse that additionally include the pc. Utilizing the stand, which conveniently doubles as a journey case for the keyboard, you may prop the 9i up virtually vertically, permitting you to simply see each screens on the identical time.

This turns the 9i right into a multi-monitor productiveness machine. Home windows views it as two separate shows, similar to it does with two displays on a desktop, which opens up numerous sensible use instances. I can have my browser or energetic window up at virtually eye degree on the highest show whereas I regulate chat apps or e mail on the underside display. Or I can take part in a video name on the highest display and reference or take notes on the underside one. It’s like having a separate USB-C moveable show constructed proper into the laptop computer itself. You’ll be able to even stretch a single window throughout each screens to take a look at an particularly lengthy doc or webpage with much less scrolling (although the hinge will obscure some data), however I didn’t actually find yourself doing this in day-to-day work.

That is the Yoga E-book 9i’s true and finest type and its most helpful.

One intelligent use case is writing notes on the underside display whereas referencing the highest.

The 9i may also be rotated 90 levels so you’ve gotten two portrait-oriented screens facet by facet. Some would possibly discover this handy for evaluating two paperwork on the identical time, however I a lot most well-liked utilizing the 9i with its screens in panorama orientation.

The draw back of all of that is it clearly doesn’t work in your lap and requires toting round a bunch of (fortunately included) equipment and organising the entire workstation with stand, keyboard, and mouse everytime you need to get right down to work. In case you’re the kind of individual to already pack a transportable USB-C monitor or simply use your laptop computer on the identical desk on daily basis, this gained’t be a lot of an issue. However everybody else will discover extra friction to getting began with the 9i than nearly another laptop computer.

Additionally included with the 9i is a stylus, which may conveniently be saved in a material loop on the folding stand. The stylus works on both display and may be helpful for jotting down handwritten notes on the decrease display whereas on a video name on the highest display or utilizing the area above the keyboard as a scratch pad for to-dos and different issues to recollect all through the day.

There are numerous use instances you may think about with two screens stacked on high of one another, and I can see video editors desirous to have their enhancing timeline on the underside display and their footage preview on high or players hoping to regulate Discord on the decrease display whereas enjoying on the highest one.

Sadly, the 9i isn’t actually highly effective sufficient to allow both of these experiences very effectively. It’s very a lot nonetheless a sub-three-pound skinny and light-weight laptop computer, and its U-series Core i7 chip isn’t designed for these extra intense workloads. I had no drawback with efficiency in my day-to-day productiveness workflow, consisting of numerous browser tabs, video calls, Slack conversations, and listening to music or watching video, however in our normal benchmarks for gaming and inventive work, the 9i scored fairly low. (That music and video sounded surprisingly good because of the soundbar constructed into the hinge between the 2 screens, by the best way.)

Battery life, alternatively, is healthier than anticipated given the 9i is powering two full-size screens on a regular basis. I used to be capable of handle between six and 7 hours of use between costs, which isn’t a lot lower than I get from most skinny and light-weight laptops. And since one of the best ways to make use of this laptop is on a desk or at a desk, it’s possible you gained’t be removed from an influence outlet anyway.

Lastly, I’ve to notice that Lenovo masses up this laptop with a lot bloatware that you’ll be swatting pop-ups for issues like McAfee and Amazon Prime Music trials for days whenever you begin utilizing the pc. This stuff are gross on any laptop computer however actually tarnish the expertise of a $2,000 laptop.

There’s simply numerous stuff that goes together with the Yoga E-book 9i in comparison with conventional laptops.

The Yoga E-book 9i isn’t the moveable laptop you purchase for targeted, intense work. It’s for multi-all-the-taskings, it’s for keeping track of that Slack dialog whereas watching YouTube on the display above, it’s for not compromising in your multi-monitor setup whenever you’re away from residence. Extra screens, you demand, and the 9i supplies.

The 9i provides extra at a desk however requires compromises elsewhere

However on the identical time, it’s arduous to advocate it to the standard laptop computer purchaser. The standard clamshell design has been round for therefore a few years as a result of it really works — you may put it on a desk or you need to use it in your lap, and you’ve got dependable enter gadgets in each positions. The 9i provides you extra whenever you’re at a desk however requires compromises in much less formal positions. It’s not as comfy to make use of casually on the sofa as a result of neither the digital nor the bodily keyboard is sensible on the underside display, and taking it to a espresso store or different location requires bringing alongside a keyboard, mouse, and stand, along with the pc itself.

Past that, there’s the price — you’re paying rather a lot to have these two screens joined collectively. You may get a wonderful laptop computer plus an exterior USB-C show and save lots of of {dollars} in comparison with the Yoga E-book 9i — and nonetheless dwell the two-screen life-style. You’d even have the flexibleness of one thing that works effectively whenever you’re lounging on the sofa.

Nonetheless, the Yoga E-book 9i permits me to be almost as productive from the espresso store as I’m at my desk at residence, supplied I bear in mind to tote alongside all the required equipment to make it work. That alone is likely to be well worth the compromises elsewhere.

Pictures by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Comply with Proceed: Lenovo Yoga E-book 9i

Each good gadget now requires you to comply with a sequence of phrases and circumstances earlier than you need to use it — contracts that nobody really reads. It’s unattainable for us to learn and analyze each single one in every of these agreements. However we began counting precisely what number of instances you need to hit “agree” to make use of gadgets after we overview them since these are agreements most individuals don’t learn and undoubtedly can’t negotiate.

To begin utilizing the Lenovo Yoga E-book 9i, you’ll have to comply with the next:

Microsoft Software program License Phrases (Home windows working system)Software program license agreements and Lenovo Restricted Guarantee

You may also say sure or no to the next:

Privateness settings (location, Discover My System, sharing diagnostic information, inking and typing, tailor-made experiences, promoting ID)Present your identify, area, and e mail tackle so as to add the gadget to your Lenovo ID profile

That’s three obligatory agreements and 7 optionally available agreements for the Lenovo Yoga E-book 9i.

$100 free cash app money $100 free cash app money