Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14, Gen 9) review – All-Metal Transformer with Long Battery Life and Color-Accurate Display

With the new Intel Meteor Lake chips, the laptop transformers have gotten a speed boost alongside AI functionality. Just like the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14″, Gen 9) that is offered with two Intel Meteor Lake-H and two Meteor Lake-U series CPUs. If your main focus is performance, a 28W processor should be the way to go. On the other hand, if you want the best possible battery life, get an Intel Evo-certified laptop (option) with a 15W processor. This is a portable 2-in-1 machine and that’s why you can rely on the iGPU inside the CPU. In this case, these are the Intel Arc (7-Cores) and Arc (8-Cores) which pack a punch despite being integrated solutions. The memory is soldered and the storage upgradability is limited which is normal since we are talking about a small and light machine.

The display variants are three 16:10 touchscreens. The base one is a 60Hz 1200p IPS panel, and the mid-range model is an OLED unit with the same resolution and refresh rate. The top dog for this Lenovo series is a 120Hz 2.8K OLED panel. The device is a multipurpose machine thanks to the modern hardware and the good amount of features including two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a MicroSD card reader, IR Web camera, Dolby Atmos speakers, and Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.3 for connectivity. The security is complemented by fTPM 2.0, a self-healing BIOS, and an optional fingerprint reader.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-yoga-7i-2-in-1-14-gen-9/

Contents


Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14", Gen 9) - Specs

  • LEN140WUXGA (LEN88AC)
  • Color accuracy  2.5  1.6
  • HDD/SSD
  • up to 1000GB SSD
  • RAM
  • up to 32GB
  • OS
  • Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro
  • Battery
  • 71Wh
  • Body material
  • Aluminum
  • Dimensions
  • 317.72 x 222.13 x 16.64 mm (12.51" x 8.75" x 0.66")
  • Weight
  • 1.49 kg (3.3 lbs)
  • Ports and connectivity
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Sleep and Charge
  • 2x USB Type-C
  • 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
  • HDMI
  • 2.1 (4K@60Hz)
  • Card reader
  • microSD (microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC)
  • Ethernet LAN
  • Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax
  • Bluetooth
  • 5.2
  • Audio jack
  • 3.5mm Combo Jack
  • Features
  • Fingerprint reader
  • optional
  • Web camera
  • FHD IR with privacy shutter, fixed focus
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Microphone
  • Dual Microphone Array
  • Speakers
  • 2x 2W Stereo Speakers, optimized with Dolby Atmos, Smart Amplifier (AMP)
  • Optical drive
  • Security Lock slot

Drivers

All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/yoga-series/yoga-7-2-in-1-14iml9/downloads

What’s in the box?

Inside the package, you’ll find a bit of manuals and a 65W USB Type-C charger. Some devices are also bundled with optional goodies such as Lenovo Digital Pen, Lenovo 600 Bluetooth Silent Mouse, YOGA True Wireless Stereo Earbuds, or Yoga 14-inch Sleeve.


Design and construction

Expectedly, the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14″, Gen 9) looks almost identical to the Yoga Slim 7i (14″, Gen 9). The main difference between the two is the hinge mechanism. Our laptop is in a Tidal teal color (Storm grey is also available). After three days of usage, there is a minimal amount of visible fingerprint smudges on the anodized surface which is good news for all users. The all-aluminum build is very stable. You can slightly press down the area below the keyboard but this isn’t an issue during normal usage. Lenovo claims that this laptop has successfully passed 21 MIL-STD-810H military tests.

You need just one hand to open the lid and that happens pretty smoothly which isn’t something usual for many other transformers. The machine is thin with a 16.64 mm profile thickness. It’s also light, the devices with IPS displays weigh 1.61 kilos but the siblings with OLED panels have a starting weight of just 1.49 kg.

The bezels around the 16:10 display are as narrow as possible.

The protrusion on top eases the lid opening but it also houses a 1080p IR Web camera for Windows Hello. The unit supports noise-cancellation tech and has a privacy shutter.

The notebook can lay fully flat on an even surface. The optional Lenovo Digital Pen works flawlessly, it glides so smoothly on the glass-covered touch display.

Since the gadget has a 360-degree hinge, you can use it in a tent or tablet mode. No matter the shape mode, the machine always feels as solid as a tank.

The backlit keyboard is surrounded by two tall grills for the front-firing two 2W speakers with Dolby Atmos and Smart Amplifier. Aside from the small “Up” and “Down” Arrow keys, everything else regarding the board is great. The keycaps are big, well-spaced, with long key travel and clicky feedback. Our laptop doesn’t have the optional fingerprint reader, but if it had one, it would have to be placed in the right palm rest zone. The Mylar touchpad lacks a glass surface but the unit packs superb smoothness and accuracy.

The bottom plate houses three rubber feet, and a two-row ventilation grill. The heat is being exhausted through two vents on the back. They aim at the lower bezel of the display if the lid angle of the opening is bigger than 90 degrees. In this case, a bit of heat reaches the panel if the CPU is stressed heavily.

Ports

On the left, you get an HDMI 2.1 for up to 4K@60Hz external displays, two 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 ports with PowerDelivery 3.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 functionality, and an Audio combo jack. On the right, we can spot a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port with an Always On function, a MicroSD card reader, and a Power button.


Display and Sound Quality, Get our Profiles

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14″, Gen 9) is equipped with a touchscreen OLED panel, model number LEN140WUXGA (LEN88AC). It comes with a 60Hz refresh rate, 10-bit color support (10-bit color depth), and support for Lenovo Digital Pen. Its diagonal is 14″ (35.6 cm), and the resolution – 1920 x 1200p. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:10, the pixel density – 162 ppi, and their pitch – 0.16 x 0.16 mm. The screen can be considered Retina when viewed from at least 53 cm (this is based on the pixel density and the typical viewing distance at which individual pixels cannot be distinguished by the human eye).

Viewing angles are good. We offer images at different angles to evaluate the quality.

Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

On a black background, white fill at 10% of the screen area, the maximum measured brightness in HDR On mode is 594 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen, and 576 nits (cd/m2) in a full white screen. The maximum measured brightness in SDR mode is 387 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 384 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of 5%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 6200K.
In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. The illustration below shows how matters are for operational brightness levels (approximately 140 nits). Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work (a maximum tolerance of 2.0 ). The contrast ratio of OLED panels is practically infinite, due to their ability to turn off black pixels entirely.

To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.

Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people on HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.

Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.

The yellow dotted line shows Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14″, Gen 9)’s color gamut coverage.

Its display covers 100% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976, and 100% of DCI-P3, ensuring a super vibrant and attractive picture.

Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.

We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.

Below you can compare the scores of the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14″, Gen 9) with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right) compared to Display P3 color space.

The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light (HDR Off).

The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale, and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.

Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering)

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the display is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14″, Gen 9)’s display pulses with a not-so-high amplitude above 50% of brightness (with a 480 Hz frequency). This makes it relatively comfortable to use in this aspect.

Health Impact: Blue light emissions

Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.

Health Impact: Gloss-level measurement

Glossy-coated displays are sometimes inconvenient in high ambient light conditions. We show the level of reflection on the screen for the respective laptop when the display is turned off and the measurement angle is 60° (in this case, the result is 155 GU).

Sound

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14″, Gen 9)’s Dolby Atmos speakers produce a sound of very good quality. Its low, mid, and high tones are clear of deviations.

Buy our profiles

Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14″, Gen 9) configurations with 14.0″ LEN140WUXGA (LEN88AC) (1920 x 1200) OLED.

*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].

Read more about the profiles HERE.

In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.

Office Work

Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.

Design and Gaming

This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.

Health-Guard

Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.

Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount


Performance: CPU, GPU, Storage

All benchmarks and tests were conducted with the “Best performance” preset applied in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu. Also, the “Performance” preset is selected in the Lenovo Vantage app.

CPU options

This device can be found with Core Ultra 5 125U, Core Ultra 5 125H, Core Ultra 7 155U, or Core Ultra 7 155H.

The laptop that we picked has a Core Ultra 7 155H.

GPU options

Depending on the CPU version, you get the Intel Arc (7-Cores) or Intel Arc (8-Cores) iGPU.

Our notebook has an 8-core integrated graphics card.

Gaming tests

cs-go-benchmarks

CS:GOHD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings)HD 1080p, MAX (Check settings)
Average FPS249 fps205 fps115 fps

DOTA 2HD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Normal (Check settings)HD 1080p, High (Check settings)
Average FPS90 fps84 fps74 fps

Storage performance

Our device has a 1TB Micron MTFDKCD1T0TGE-1BK1AABLA. The temperatures during benchmarking of this Gen 4 NVMe are within reasonable limits – 64°C.


[eBook Guide + Tools] How to MAX OUT Your Laptop

You can make your laptop Faster. LaptopMedia has tested thousands of models in the last 15 years, and we have yet to see a notebook that couldn't be made more powerful through modifications.

That's why we decided to bundle everything we know about how to achieve this in an Easy-to-Follow, Step-by-Step, and Laboratory-Tested, all in one project.

Read more about it here:
[eBook Guide + Tools] How to MAX OUT Your Laptop

[eBook Guide] How to MAX OUT your Laptop

🛠️ GPU Modifications: vBIOS, Overclocking, Undervolting
⚙️ Building Fast/Reliable RAID configuration
💻 Hardware upgrade tips for best results
🖼 Display enhancing
💾 OS Optimization for best performance


Temperatures and comfort, Battery Life

Max CPU load

In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.

Average P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; Average LP E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power

Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (28W Base Power)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 min
Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14″, Gen 9)2.85 GHz @ 2.31 GHz @ 1.68 GHz @ 70°C @ 53W2.73 GHz @ 2.25 GHz @ 1.62 GHz @ 90°C @ 53W1.14 GHz @ 0.99 GHz @ 0.93 GHz @ 63°C @ 22W
MSI Summit E13 AI Evo A1M2.24 GHz @ 1.80 GHz @ 1.32 GHz @ 73°C @ 40W2.15 GHz @ 1.79 GHz @ 1.29 GHz @ 83°C @ 40W1.74 GHz @ 1.00 GHz @ 1.00 GHz @ 77°C @ 28W
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i (14″, Gen 9)2.41 GHz @ 2.07 GHz @ 1.40 GHz @ 70°C @ 47W2.34 GHz @ 2.02 GHz @ 1.40 GHz @ 83°C @ 47W2.00 GHz @ 1.59 GHz @ 1.10 GHz @ 78°C @ 35W
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 76403.50 GHz @ 2.70 GHz @ 1.90 GHz @ 80°C @ 80W2.82 GHz @ 2.65 GHz @ 2.42 GHz @ 99°C @ 77W2.74 GHz @ 2.28 GHz @ 1.69 GHz @ 90°C @ 55W
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 74403.22 GHz @ 2.62 GHz @ 1.74 GHz @ 89°C @ 80W2.64 GHz @ 2.61 GHz @ 2.49 GHz @ 100°C @ 73W2.50 GHz @ 1.99 GHz @ 1.40 GHz @ 83°C @ 45W
HP OMEN Transcend 14 (14-fb0000)3.38 GHz @ 2.65 GHz @ 2.29 GHz @ 65°C @ 85W3.22 GHz @ 2.67 GHz @ 2.43 GHz @ 73°C @ 80W2.87 GHz @ 2.45 GHz @ 1.68 GHz @ 76°C @ 61W
Dell XPS 16 96403.58 GHz @ 2.72 GHz @ 2.27 GHz @ 86°C @ 97W3.39 GHz @ 2.73 GHz @ 1.92 GHz @ 90°C @ 80W3.02 GHz @ 2.37 GHz @ 1.70 GHz @ 84°C @ 60W
Dell XPS 14 94403.01 GHz @ 2.55 GHz @ 1.81 GHz @ 88°C @ 64W1.96 GHz @ 2.53 GHz @ 2.22 GHz @ 96°C @ 58W2.17 GHz @ 1.88 GHz @ 1.33 GHz @ 83°C @ 38W
Dell XPS 13 93402.26 GHz @ 2.43 GHz @ 2.19 GHz @ 100°C @ 59W1.21 GHz @ 1.34 GHz @ 2.48 GHz @ 96°C @ 38W1.52 GHz @ 1.25 GHz @ 1.67 GHz @ 96°C @ 32W
HP Spectre x360 16 (16-aa0000)3.02 GHz @ 2.41 GHz @ 1.70 GHz @ 72°C @ 64W2.93 GHz @ 2.41 GHz @ 1.93 GHz @ 85°C @ 64W2.39 GHz @ 1.98 GHz @ 1.40 GHz @ 80°C @ 45W
Lenovo Yoga 9i (14, Gen 9)2.95 GHz @ 2.46 GHz @ 1.63 GHz @ 61°C @ 68W2.59 GHz @ 2.23 GHz @ 1.47 GHz @ 83°C @ 52W2.31 GHz @ 1.98 GHz @ 1.32 GHz @ 75°C @ 37W
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405)2.91 GHz @ 2.40 GHz @ 1.60 GHz @ 86°C @ 64W2.20 GHz @ 2.00 GHz @ 1.69 GHz @ 102°C @ 60W1.12 GHz @ 1.52 GHz @ 0.84 GHz @ 78°C @ 28W

Here, the clocks of the Core Ultra 7 155H (which is the most powerful CPU for this Lenovo series) are pleasantly high in short and medium loads. On the flip side, in longer stress, the P-core frequency and the power limit of the chip are below the official Intel base values. However, this leads to lower CPU temperatures and tamed fan speed which is important for comfort.

Comfort during full load

In “Performance” mode, the single fan is almost quiet, even when the CPU is pounded with heavy tasks for a long time. The keyboard feels just a bit warm to the touch which leads to very good comfort under full system stress.

Battery

Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Best Power Efficiency setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 140 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. The 71Wh battery pack lasts for around 20 hours of Web browsing or 13 hours of video playback. To achieve that, you have to apply the “Best Power Efficiency” preset in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu and select the “Battery Saver” mode in the Lenovo Vantage app.  The “Panel Self Refresh” option is turned on in the Intel Graphics Command Center.

In order to simulate real-life conditions, we used our own script for automatic web browsing through over 70 websites.


Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance

To open this laptop, you have to undo seven Torx-head screws. Lift the top two corners with a thin plastic tool to open a gap and pry the sides. Now you can pry the front. Don’t pop the back, lift the front of the panel and slide it forward.

Here’s how the bottom panel looks on the inside.

This device has a 71Wh battery. To take it out, unplug the connector from the motherboard and undo the 3 Phillips-head screws that fix the unit to the chassis. The capacity is enough for around 20 hours of Web browsing or 13 hours of video playback.

The RAM here is soldered. However, you get up to 32 GB of LPDDR5x-7467 MHz memory that works in dual-channel mode. The metal cap above the chips can be popped with a lever tool and we can have a look at the soldered modules.

For storage, there is just one M.2 slot for 2242 Gen 4 SSDs. We found a thermal pad below the NVMe drive.

The cooling has one large fan, a pair of long heat pipes, one heat sink, and a heat spreader.


Verdict

The Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14″, Gen 9) is a solid transformer with a great all-metal build. Thanks to the smooth 360-degree hinge, you can use the laptop as a normal clamshell machine, in a tent mode for presentations in the office, or in a tablet mode when you want to draw something on the screen (or just browse the Web when you are laying in your cozy bed). The comfort under load is great even when the CPU is pushed to its limits – the keyboard feels just a little warm and the fan is almost quiet. This reminds us that the clocks of the optional Core Ultra 7 155H are decently high, or at least in short and medium loads which should be the main playground of such a machine. In longer stress, the frequencies are lower as well as the chip temperature.

The optional 1200p OLED display LEN140WUXGA (LEN88AC) impresses us with its full DCI-P3 coverage and good color accuracy that can be achieved with the aid of our “Design and Gaming” profile. The panel offers 594 cd/m2 max brightness in HDR mode and 387 cd/m2 when viewing SDR content. The main downside is the typical OLED flicker. Still, the pulsation frequency is pretty high (480 Hz) which should be comfortable for work for most people and perhaps only the most sensitive users can feel the PWM usage.

The device is light and thin and it has a modern port selection with 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports and a MicroSD card reader. Still, the upgradability is limited, you can replace the SSD with a bigger one or change the Wi-Fi card if you want. Despite the 28W H-series CPU, the battery life of our laptop is great – 20 hours of Web browsing on a single charge!

The Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 is a solid metal transformer with a very long battery life, color-accurate PWM display, and comfortable input devices.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-yoga-7i-2-in-1-14-gen-9/

Pros

  • Solid aluminum build
  • The fan remains almost quiet during full CPU loads in “Performance” mode
  • 100% sRGB and DCI-P3 coverage (LEN88AC)
  • High max brightness in SDR (387 nits) and HDR mode (594 nits) (LEN88AC)
  • Infinite contrast ratio + 16:10 aspect ratio (LEN88AC)
  • Good audio quality
  • Type-C charging
  • 1080p IR camera with an E-shutter
  • Modern I/O with two Thunderbolt 4 ports and MicroSD card reader
  • The CPU can sustain good clocks and power limits in short and medium loads (~2.8 GHz / 2.30GHz for the P and E cores + 53W)
  • Comfortable backlit keyboard plus smooth touchpad
  • Optional fingerprint reader and Intel Evo certification
  • Smooth 360-degree hinge that supports laptop, tent, stand, and tablet modes
  • Optional Lenovo Pen


Cons

  • Soldered memory and just one M.2 slot
  • Low CPU P-core clocks and power limit in longer loads (1.14 GHz / 22W)
  • PWM usage (LEN88AC)

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