Living With the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying out the latest version of the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7, the company’s high-end consumer all-in-one. This is a 14-inch convertible with the latest Intel 12th Generation Core processor, in a very solid package with a few unusual and interesting extras that make it stand out.
The Yoga 9i is a well-built laptop, with an aluminum case, measuring 0.65 by 12.5 by 9.1 inches (HWD). It's not the smallest 14-in convertible, but still seemed a good size. By itself, the unit I tested weighed 3.3 pounds, and with charger and pen, it came in at 3.95 pounds. The unit has rounded corners, which made it easier to hold than some laptops.
It has a solid keyboard and a large touchpad—much larger than the version on previous generations or the company’s ThinkPad laptops. (Unlike the ThinkPads, it does not have a TrackPoint pointing stick.) I wish it had visible lights on the keys to show whether sound and the mic are turned on.
Perhaps the most visible difference from most other 2-in-1s I’ve seen is the sound bar, which is built into the hinge that attaches the screen to the keyboard section rotates, so that it is always facing in the direction of the screen. The Bowers & Wilkins speaker system has two speakers in the hinge plus two subwoofers on the sides. The result is a louder, clearer sound than I'm used to on tablets, with very nice base (and it gets pretty loud). I thought it sounded very good.
The Yoga 9i offers two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports on the left-hand side (which are used for charging) and a single traditional USB-A port on the left-hand side as well as another USB-C port, the power switch, and a headphone jack on the right side. It’s very convenient to have ports for charging on either
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