Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 laptop Review – A creator’s dream machine!

Amidst a multitude of options, Lenovo stands out as a veteran computer manufacturer. Over time, the company has significantly expanded its product offerings, catering to a diverse range of consumers. The Yoga Pro series represents Lenovo’s high-end, creator-focused machines, designed to compete with the likes of the Dell XPS series and even MacBook Pro models. We have the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 for review, currently priced at INR 1,39,900.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 laptop comes in various SKUs, and our review unit features an Intel 13th Gen Core i7 13700H processor, a 14.5-inch IPS display with a 90Hz refresh rate, Intel Iris Xe graphics, a slim and lightweight form factor, and more. We’ve been using this Pro machine as our daily driver for the past two weeks, and in this post, we provide a comprehensive review of its performance.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 (14IRH8) Specifications

• Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i7 13700H
• Graphics adapter: Intel Iris Xe
• Memory:  16GB, DDR5
• Display: 14.5-inch 2560 x 1600 pixel, IPS, glossy: No, 90Hz
• Storage:  1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 SSD
• Connections: 2 x USB 3.2 (Type C), 1 x USB 3.2 (Type A) HDMI 2.1, Audio Connections: Combo audio
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11b/g/n/ac/ax) (2×2), Bluetooth 5.2
• Battery: 73Wh Lithium-Polymer (4 cells)
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11
• Camera: 1080p@30fps, IR + ToF
• Additional features: Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: 6-row chiclet, Keyboard Light: Yes
• Weight: 1.49 kg

Box Contents

A complete list of items you get inside the box:

• Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 laptop
• Power Adapter
• Warranty and User Guide

Design

If you’re well-acquainted with Lenovo Yoga laptops, the design of the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 14IRH8 will immediately strike a chord. However, it’s worth noting that this model is a tad chunkier compared to its predecessors. At first glance, it may resemble a standard laptop, but it unmistakably carries the essence of the Lenovo Yoga series. Its distinctive rounded edges at the bottom are a tell-tale sign of its lineage, exuding elegance and simplicity from the moment you set eyes on it. Unlike many others in this series, this isn’t a convertible device.

The laptop’s durability stems from its meticulous construction using high-quality metal and composite materials. Our review unit comes in the Tidal Teal colour variant. Both the laptop’s lid and base exhibit impressive sturdiness, resistant to bending. The curved corners enhance the tactile experience, leaving an impression of a premium-grade device.

In terms of dimensions, the device measures 15.6 mm in thickness and weighs 1.49 kg, which, though slightly on the heavier side compared to some rivals, still maintains good portability overall. The hinge connecting the two halves of the laptop is fairly flexible. While it’s possible to open the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 14IRH8 with one hand, it may not always be a breeze. Unlike previous Yoga series laptops that could swivel 360°, this one has a maximum opening angle of 180°.

As an EVO spec-certified laptop, the Yoga 7 Pro has a sturdy shell housing top-tier hardware. Lenovo deserves credit for creating sizable vents to facilitate effective thermal management, a challenge in such a slim and lightweight form factor.

Upon lifting the well-balanced lid, you’re greeted by a 14.5-inch 2.5K IPS LCD panel boasting a 90Hz refresh rate. The bezels around the display may not be the slimmest in its category, but they provide essential space for accommodating the IR camera, webcam, and ToF sensor, all of which are vital components.

Connections

When it comes to connectivity, Lenovo has made some trade-offs. Starting on the left side, you’ll find an HDMI 2 port, accompanied by two Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. Notably, one of these supports Power Delivery 3.0 and can serve as both a display output and a power source, while the other boasts Thunderbolt 4 support.

On the right side, there’s a USB 3.2 Type-A port, a 3.5mm combo jack, a power button featuring a status LED, and an e-shutter switch for the webcam. However, what’s notably absent are an SD card reader and additional USB Type-A slots, something that are pretty much common on professional machines.

Software

The Lenovo Yoga 7 Pro comes pre-installed with Windows 11, and similar to other traditional laptop manufacturers, Lenovo includes some pre-installed utilities. These utilities encompass Lenovo’s Easy Surround software, a system performance tuner, and more. Additionally, customers receive the Microsoft Office 365 suite along with various other productivity applications.

Lenovo further enhances the Yoga 7 Pro’s user experience with a system tuner app, allowing users to fine-tune the laptop according to their specific needs. Moreover, this laptop features Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support, providing an immersive content viewing experience, and it includes a companion app for Dolby functionality.

Keyboard & Touchpad

The keyboard on the Lenovo Yoga 7 Pro boasts a compact design with soft membrane keys. It follows the standard 6-row key arrangement, offering a key travel distance of 1.4 mm for efficient typing. Once you get accustomed to this key layout, you’ll find that the pressure point and resistance are well-balanced, ensuring a comfortable typing experience. Additionally, the keyboard includes three levels of backlighting, a common feature in modern laptops.

As for the touchpad, Lenovo has equipped the Yoga 7 Pro with a spacious and user-friendly touchpad. It incorporates Windows Precision Drivers, enabling users to take advantage of gestures like three-finger swipes for desktop navigation and three-finger taps to access Cortana. While there’s no dedicated fingerprint sensor, the Windows Hello feature helps provide secure login functionality.

Display

As soon as you power on the laptop, your attention is drawn to the impressive display with slim bezels. The Lenovo Yoga 7 Pro 14IRH8 features a 14.5-inch IPS LCD panel boasting a 2.5K resolution and a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. With a 16:10 aspect ratio and a pixel density of 250 ppi, this screen is particularly well-suited for multimedia consumption.

In terms of colour, the display leans towards a cooler tone. It offers ample brightness and performs admirably in various lighting conditions. It covers the entire DCI-P3 colour space and supports Dolby Vision, making it a vibrant and versatile panel. Overall, it’s a luminous screen with excellent viewing angles, providing a delightful workspace. While an OLED display or even MiniLED backlighting would have been welcomed, this LCD panel still impresses.

Performance

Powering the Lenovo Yoga 7 Pro is the 13th Gen Intel Core i7 13700H processor, boasting a configuration of 6 high-performance cores and 8 efficient cores. As an H-series CPU, it sports a higher TDP and supports overclocking through Intel’s tools.

Our unit packs 16GB of RAM, which is an on-board type memory and cannot be further expanded. Additionally, it features Intel Iris Xe graphics, although there’s an SKU available with Nvidia graphics as well. For storage, our machine comes equipped with a 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD from WD, occupying one of the slots. This drive impresses with read speeds exceeding 5,000Mb/s and write speeds surpassing 3,900Mb/s.

In our testing, the CPU showcased robust performance, handling a wide range of tasks with ease. Synthetic benchmarks underscore the power of this new-generation processor, ensuring smooth laptop operation. The Lenovo Yoga 7 Pro achieved a score of 1479 in the single-core and 8163 in the multi-core Geekbench test. It also notched 4159 points in the PCMark 10 benchmark and 1100 points in the Cinebench R23 benchmark.

Overall, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 14IRH8 is well-equipped to tackle demanding tasks, including photo and video editing, and even gaming. Throughout our extended usage, the laptop maintained cool temperatures and avoided thermal throttling, ensuring a consistently high-quality experience.

Battery

To meet the demands of power users, Lenovo has equipped the Yoga 7 Pro with a robust 73Wh 4-cell battery. In our assessments, the battery provided approximately 9 hours of usage with all networking features enabled, which is just 1 hour shy of the claimed 10 hours of battery life on this SKU. When the laptop was in Airplane mode and subjected to a video loop test, it delivered an impressive 12 hours of runtime. Charging the Yoga 7 Pro to full capacity takes less than three hours using the provided charging brick.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 Review – The Verdict

We have a highly favourable view of the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7. This laptop boasts exceptional craftsmanship, a premium design, and a remarkably lightweight form factor, ensuring excellent portability. Notably, it excels in hardware selection, making it a strong choice for creative professionals. Equipped with top-tier components such as the Core i7 processor, DDR5 RAM, and PCIe storage, the Yoga Pro 7 delivers impressive performance.

However, it’s important to acknowledge that the price, at INR 1,39,900 during this review, might appear relatively high in comparison to popular alternatives like the Apple Silicon MacBook or the Dell XPS series. These alternatives are preferred by professionals in the same price bracket.