Mobile Technology

Lenovo's Yoga 3 Pro gets lighter and thinner, adds watchband hinge

Lenovo's Yoga 3 Pro gets lighter and thinner, adds watchband hinge
The Yoga 3 Pro takes Lenovo's familiar formula, and makes it lighter and thinner
The Yoga 3 Pro takes Lenovo's familiar formula, and makes it lighter and thinner
View 4 Images
The Yoga 3 Pro takes Lenovo's familiar formula, and makes it lighter and thinner
1/4
The Yoga 3 Pro takes Lenovo's familiar formula, and makes it lighter and thinner
Tent: one of the Yoga 3 Pro's multiple modes
2/4
Tent: one of the Yoga 3 Pro's multiple modes
When it isn't folding back like a Yogi, the Yoga 3 Pro makes for a very thin laptop
3/4
When it isn't folding back like a Yogi, the Yoga 3 Pro makes for a very thin laptop
The Yoga 3 Pro will be available soon, starting at US$1,350
4/4
The Yoga 3 Pro will be available soon, starting at US$1,350
View gallery - 4 images

To say Microsoft's 2-in-1 approach to Windows 8 (and 8.1) didn't go as planned would be a colossal understatement. But it did spawn a few success stories, including the Lenovo Yoga. The company is back with the 2014 version of its Windows flagship, the Yoga 3 Pro.

If you missed the Yoga train the first two times around the bend, here's a quick recap. The 2-in-1 has a hinged design that lets the device rotate 360 degrees. Imagine the last standard laptop you used – only with its screen stretching all the way around, folding into a tablet (with keyboard tucked on its backside).

One of the downsides to this form factor is that, with the keyboard folded back, it's going to be thicker than most standard tablets. The Yoga 2 Pro helped to cut down on that, but the Yoga 3 Pro moves farther in that direction.

Tent: one of the Yoga 3 Pro's multiple modes
Tent: one of the Yoga 3 Pro's multiple modes

When closed, the new model is 12.8 mm (half an inch) thick. That's going to make for a very thin laptop, and a tablet that's 17 percent less beefy than the last Yoga. Just remember, though, that it's still going to be roughly 71 percent thicker than an iPad Air.

At 1.19 kg (2.62 lb), it's also 14 percent lighter than the Yoga 2 Pro. That is, however, 154 percent heavier than the iPad Air.

Unlike an iPad, though, you get a full desktop operating system (either Windows 8.1 or 8.1 Pro) with an Intel Core M 5Y70 processor (say hello to Broadwell). RAM is set at 8 GB, and you can choose from 256 GB and 512 GB storage options.

Lenovo is pushing the new model's "watchband hinge," which looks about how it sounds. The company says that the hinge is made of over 800 pieces of steel and aluminum, and played a part in shaving so much thickness off of last year's model. It also gives the Yoga 3 Pro six hinge points, instead of the two found in earlier Yogas.

The Yoga 3 Pro will be available soon, starting at US$1,350
The Yoga 3 Pro will be available soon, starting at US$1,350

The new Yoga retains the same impressive screen specs as we saw in last year's model. The 13-in display has QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800) resolution, which comes out to 276 pixels per inch (PPI). By comparison, the 13-in Retina MacBook, which also has a very sharp display, comes in at "just" 227 PPI.

Starting at US$1,350, though, the Yoga 3 Pro is a bit more expensive than Apple's professional 13-in laptop. The device is up for pre-order now, with Lenovo listing it as shipping "within three weeks."

You can get a glimpse of the new 2-in-1 in Lenovo's brief launch video below.

Product page: Lenovo

Updated 10/11: We originally said the Yoga's 12.8 mm depth was when it's folded open, but the measurement appears to be when the device is closed.

Lenovo YOGA 3 Pro Tour

View gallery - 4 images
3 comments
3 comments
tigerprincess
The system is not a 360* but a 180* system. Get your facts straight.
pmshah
"The 2-in-1 has a hinged design that lets the device rotate 360 degrees" The "device" can rotate thousands of degrees as your heart desires. The correct terminology should have been "screen" instead of "device" ! Unless of course you consider the tablet part as "the device" and the keyboard as appendage !
@tigerprincess
No the author is right with 360°. The keyboard does swing fully to fit flush behind the tablet part. This has been made possible with the articulated hinge design that has been used.
ngal
It would be fair to compare the Yoga with the Macbook Pro 13 Retina, not the iPad. In that case, the Lenovo is thinner (12.8 compared to 18mm) AND lighter (1.19 to 1.57kg, both in standard configuration). Seems Lenovo is doing a fairly good job.