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The next step up for Yoga

SINGAPORE — When the Lenovo Yoga first hit the scene last year, it was one of my favourite ultrabooks: The four-way folding system was an ingenious way to meld laptop and tablet.

SINGAPORE — When the Lenovo Yoga first hit the scene last year, it was one of my favourite ultrabooks: The four-way folding system was an ingenious way to meld laptop and tablet.

But it wasn’t perfect, for the keys were exposed in tablet mode. Now, Lenovo has come up with two new ultrabooks, the ThinkPad Yoga and the Yoga 2 Pro, with the former containing a solution to the keyboard problem.

The ThinkPad Yoga comes with the new Lift ’n Lock backlit keyboard that lowers the keys to be flush with the keyboard in tablet mode. It sounds great — in theory. The lowered keys can still be slightly depressed if something presses directly on them. Keyboard input is still thankfully turned off in tablet mode but, otherwise, this is an improvement over the old Yoga.

The Yoga 2 Pro sadly doesn’t have the same option, but it does have a great 13.3-inch QHD+ (3200x1800-resolution) screen that’s very bright and detailed, making it great for viewing videos and photos.

However, it’s not ideal for apps which haven’t been made for the higher resolution, so a stylus would have come in handy. Sadly, only the ThinkPad Yoga has the option for a stylus, which stores neatly in the body.

The ThinkPad also comes with a different touchpad from previous Yoga iterations and takes some getting used to as the entire touchpad is depressed about half a centimetre with each click. I personally preferred the Yoga 2 Pro’s touchpad, which is closer to the old version.

Still, like the old Yoga, both ultrabooks are well-built and can withstand all the bending you will do while changing from tablet to laptop mode and back. The Yoga 2 Pro, even with a slimmer, more tapered chassis, still holds up well in “tent mode”. The ThinkPad Yoga is slightly thicker and heavier but has a narrower 12.5-inch screen. Both systems can be tailored to be quite similar, specifications-wise, during your purchase.

Battery life for the two ultrabooks was average, with the Yoga 2 Pro lasting for around six hours of use, while the ThinkPad Yoga lasted closer to seven hours.

There’s enough power under the hood and both laptops can handle multi-tasking with ease. This means that if you want a Lenovo, choosing between them boils down to the monitor, keyboard and stylus.

On paper, it’s difficult to tell the ultrabooks apart based on their specifications alone. This makes the ThinkPad Yoga’s much higher price, weight and smaller monitor less ideal, unless you need the slightly longer battery life. However, the ThinkPad appears to be pitched towards business users, while the Yoga 2 Pro is more of an evolution from the previous edition.

The Yoga’s flip design is still one of my favourites in the ultrabook world, but it’s clear Lenovo hasn’t worked out all its kinks yet. In an ideal world, one would get the ThinkPad’s stylus and key-locking function combined with the Yoga 2’s QHD+ screen and slimmer build. However, they are pitched at different markets and are both very capable machines that might just be flexible enough for your use.

Now, if only they would fold into one.

The Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro retails from S$1,899 and the ThinkPad Yoga retails from S$2,699.

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