Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro Laptop Review

The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro has the same foldable shape and attractive matte finish as its predecessor, the Yoga 2 Pro, but is slimmer and lighter at 0.5-inches and 1.19 kg respectively. This premium quality ultrabook can be used in four different modes – laptop, tablet, tent and stand. While the other three are familiar, in the tent mode the hybrid can be folded in the shape of a tent to enhance the video experience. It is quite slim and light which makes it a joy to hold. Stylish looks, crisp display, and a watchband-inspired hinge enhance its overall beauty.

The ultra-book gets a unique tweak in its hinge, to keep it thin. The watchband-inspired hinge enables you to use it in different four modes easily and at the same time keeps the ultrabook sturdy. The top and bottom surfaces wear the metallic matte finish, which keep smudges and fingerprints at bay. The deck is covered with a luxurious, black-dotted, soft-touch material which feels like rubber and offers good grip and comfort to your hands.

Yoga Harmony software customises your display with appropriate apps

Lenovo has also included Yoga Harmony software with this ultrabook. This software suggests appropriate applications to use when you switch modes. For instance when we used it in stand mode, we got a Windows 8-style notification from the software: "Stand Mode: Click here for your frequently used apps," and likewise for other modes.

Bright 13.3-inch display

The Yoga 3 pro has a 13.3-inch, QHD, 3200 x 1800 display which produces vibrant colors. The display is capable of handling 4K content. When we played 4K videos or played games, the picture details and color reproduction quality were quite evident. The bright display offers good viewing angles though colors washed out at the extremities. The touch response of the display was smooth. We were able to play with our fingers on the display without any noticeable lag or jitter. It supports a 10 point-touch that allows you to draw whatever you want.

Grooving sound, shallow keyboard and decent webcam

The Yoga 3 Pro comes with JBL speakers that provide a pleasant music playback. It is loud and crisp enough to groove, whether you are listing to music, watching movies or playing games. However, the volume of the speakers could vary depending on the mode you are in. For instance, if you are in laptop mode and switch to tablet, the sound will increase.

The keyboard of the Yoga 3 Pro is ergonomic to type on. Also, the rubberized coating on keys enhance the grip but we were a little disappointed with its accuracy. It is backlit so you can easily use it in dark.

Despite the thin frame, it has most of the ports you'd ever need including two USB 3.0, an audio jack, power button, volume rocker, a microHDMI port, a 4-in-1 card reader, and the laptop's power port. It boasts a 720p webcam for video chats.

Great performer

The ultrabook is powered by Intel Core M processor, 8GB DDR3L RAM and 512 GB SSD. It is among the few devices shipped with the Core M processor which lowers heat dissipation. It performed well while surfing the Internet, watching videos and playing games. It comes loaded with Windows 8.1 OS and has the MultiWindow feature that splits the screen into two. You can run all the available application on it simultaneously plus play graphic intensive games like Fifa and Asphalt 8 without any visible lag. Multitasking and switching between apps were also smooth. In our benchmark testing Yoga 3 Pro scored P689 on PCMark and 1828 on 3DMark.

The Yoga 3 Pro has a 4 cell, 44.8 WH battery which provides average backup. The device can run for about 6 hours in moderate usage and while running the BatteryMark, it lasted for 4 hours and 16 minutes.