Why the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i became my go-to laptop for work & play after just 2 weeks of use

It’s been one day and I already miss the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i (14-inch, Gen 9). Who knew spending two weeks with the laptop would make me so attached?

The Yoga Pro 7i, which was just recently released in Malaysian markets, is all about power, portability, and connectivity. This came just in time for me, as I had been working on the go frequently during those weeks.

With that in mind, I was especially happy to know that the laptop was engineered to be held and carried comfortably. Despite boasting powerful internals, it’s also slim and light with a starting weight of around 1.49kg.

Fitted with a USB-C port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, one USB port, and one mini-HDMI port, it had everything I needed. As someone who enjoys using accessories, I despise laptops that lack ports, so this was greatly appreciated.

The laptop can also lie flat (basically go up to 180 degrees), which to be honest, I don’t have many use cases of. But I guess it’s kind of cool.

Our review unit came in the Tidal Teal colourway, and thankfully, made good on its promises of portability.

But what about the power and performance?

For work and play 

I don’t run anything too intense for work, but this Lenovo laptop is built to handle it. With the latest Intel Core Ultra processors and boosted with Lenovo X Power, it can supposedly “crank up” its CPU and GPU to run on maximum performance with raw, well-cooled power.

What I do use a lot for work, though, is the keyboard.

The 1.5mm dish keycap Yoga Keyboard feels great even after prolonged typing. The backlight is a nice touch for both cool points and functionality points if you work in a dim environment.

I’m a diehard mouse user for ergonomic reasons, but that said, the trackpad on the Yoga Pro 7i offers quite a lot of real estate, offering a rather comfortable experience for a 14-inch laptop.

Equipped with a 1080P FHD IR (Full High-Definition Infrared Camera) hybrid camera and a setup of four noise-cancelling microphones, work calls with this bad boy are better than ever.

Even with multiple people talking from multiple directions, not once did the other party on the line tune in with a “I can’t hear you” or “Can you repeat that”, which usually happens on other calls.

The camera is pretty great as well, though it is still a webcam, so it’s not going to give you the sharpest, clearest quality, but it’s definitely aeons ahead of what laptop webcams used to be like.

And gosh, the speakers. With four Dolby Atmos-optimised speakers, the laptop’s audio is crisp, loud, and clear.

With speakers on each side of the laptop, it’s also binaural which is pretty neat (yes, I tested it with an ASMR video).

Not only do all these elements mean the laptop is great for work, it also makes it phenomenal when it comes to entertainment. The powerful speakers make the laptop great for streaming music or movies.

Fitted with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Series graphics, gaming on this laptop is superb with high-resolution graphics and powerful performance. The 3K PureSight Pro screen definitely adds to the vibrant visuals.

However, I noticed that the laptop did get quite warm. I couldn’t quite hear the fan running at this point though, which I suppose is both a good and a bad thing.

While the graphics are amazing, the laptop’s peak brightness is 400 nits, so I struggled with working outdoors when it was sunny.

Perfect for on the go 

Lightweight and sturdy, I genuinely enjoyed my two-week stint with this laptop, bringing it along my outings and work events.

With a 4 Cell Li-Polymer battery that supports rapid charge, this is the kind of laptop that I could bring for a full-day outing without worrying about bringing a charger.

Its Lenovo AI Engine+ expands your capabilities in ways you can’t imagine. It intuitively recognises what creative software you’re in and optimises processing performance, battery life, and cooling efficiency.

With a starting price of around RM5,329, it is a bit of an investment for a laptop, but if you’re someone like myself, who’s going to really use your laptop for work, gaming, entertainment, and more, I think it’s a worthwhile purchase.  

VP Verdict is a series where we personally try and test out products, services, fads, and apps. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion to our Facebook page.