Yoga’s winning hybrid design, now available for less

Lenovo’s Yoga remains one of the best computer designs to result from the release of Windows 8.

With its 360-degree flip-and-fold body, you get the look and feel of a regular thin-and-light laptop, but with the added flexibility to use it as a tablet just by folding the screen back. You can also tent it, which is nice for playing games, or use the keyboard as a stand, so the screen is better positioned for watching movies or having video chats.

Compared to the first Yoga 13, the Yoga 2’s touchscreen resolution is higher at 1,920×1,080 pixels and it has a fourth-gen Intel processor, with the latter giving it better battery life than its predecessor. However, the size and weight and overall design are about the same. So if that was a turn-off for you the first time around, it’s probably still going to be.

Plus, the price difference between the regular Yoga 2 13-inch and Yoga 2 Pro at the time of this review was about $200 (£300). That’s no small amount, but the extra money gets you quite a bit more computer including twice the amount of RAM (8GB total), a 256GB SSD, a QHD 3,200×1,800-resolution screen, and a slimmer, lighter metal chassis.

Rise of the Yoga-likes: The best hybrid design goes mainstream
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If you don’t care about the higher-resolution screen or chassis, the Yoga 2 is available with 8GB of memory and a 256GB, but then it’s only slightly less than the Pro. Also, the Yoga has picked up some nice competition since the first one launched, so depending on your budget and needs, one of them might be a better fit.

Regardless of which way you go, though, the Yoga 2 is an excellent hybrid for the money at $900 or £700. (The Yoga 2 is listed as coming soon on Lenovo’s Australia site, but with no mention of how much it will cost.)

Design and features

Available in black and orange versions, the Yoga 2 13 measures 13 inches wide by 8.7 inches deep by 0.7 inch thick (33 by 22.1 by 1.7 cm) and weighs in at 3.7 pounds (1.7 kg). The size and weight is perfectly manageable for commuting or carrying around campus. The body is plastic, but has a pleasant, slightly suede feel to it.

However, while I wouldn’t consider the Yoga 2 thick or heavy, it’s maybe not thin or light enough for regular use as a hand-held tablet.

On your lap or a table, it’s fine, though the keyboard doesn’t retract into the body like it does on the ThinkPad version of the Yoga. The keys are exposed when you flip the screen over, so you can certainly feel them if you’re resting it on an arm or gripping it in your hand.

When the screen is opened beyond 190 degrees, the keyboard and touchpad automatically lock to avoid accidental key presses or cursor movements. But, again, since there’s nothing to protect the keys, you’ll want to be careful about what you’re setting it down on.

The keyboard is good, but not great. There is a fair amount of travel given the relatively shallow deck, but the action feels soft and hard typists might not like the flex toward the center. A bigger immediate issue for me was the shrunken shift key on the right side. It’s something you adjust to over time, but so frustrating at first.

Also, the keyboard is backlit, but it only has one brightness level. And, unlike other laptops I’ve tested, it’s either on or off and you’re responsible for flipping the switch. There is no sensor to dim it if it’s not needed or when the keyboard is not in use.

The touchpad is on the small side. It’s big enough to take advantage of the multifinger gesture support, but I found myself frequently landing on the edges, which either activates the Charm bar or slides through other open windows.

Definitely a highlight is the full-HD IPS touchscreen. The increased resolution is appreciated (the original Yoga 13 had a 1,600×900-pixel resolution) and doesn’t make text too small to read on the 13.3-inch screen. The viewing angles are excellent as well — pretty important given the design.

Lenovo Yoga 2 13 comes back around (pictures)
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Again, the benefit to the 360-degree hinge is the positioning flexibility. Used in its tent position, I was able to get the keyboard out of the way and play some touchscreen games with my kids and have the screen stay put.