If you find laptops a bit too chunky and if you enjoy the portability of tablets—and also the fact that they have touchscreens—then why not combine the best of two worlds? Such device exists now and they are dubbed as hybrid laptops or tablets. Hybrid devices can be transformed to various modes depending on the usage; a hybrid laptop can be converted to a tablet with just a few motions.
There are gadgets called ultraportables, which are 11” laptops. Some examples of ultraportables are the MacBook Air 11”, the ony Vaio Pro 11 and the Lenovo IdePad Yoga 11S. The latter device, which is considered as the most anticipated laptops this year after the success of the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13, is the subject of this review.
The pros and cons of the Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 11S in a nutshell
One of the best characteristics of this device is that it does not forget that it is primarily a laptop. It manages to convert into a tablet quickly without sacrificing or compromising your laptop experience.
This device, however, is found wanting when it comes to performance and hardware. For instance, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is fitted with one generation-old Intel processors. The screen specs also need a little boosting. Other hybrid ultraportable devices have already made a head start when it comes performance and other specifications.
The bottom line here, meanwhile, is that this device is a respectable hybrid laptop that offers no-compromise laptop experience.
Moving on to the specifications
You can purchase the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S for as low as $999, which already include a Core i5 CPU coupled with 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD. The other specifications of this device are listed below:
- When it comes to design the IdeaPad Yoga 11S still possesses the strongest selling point of the Yoga 13—a touchscreen that can be bent back. This is better than most hybrid devices’ mode of conversion, which include a rotating center hinge, a totally detachable screen or a screen that can be slid over the keyboard. The Yoga 11S also features a stand mode, where the screen can be folded back 270 degrees.
- When compared with most tablets, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is a bit on the thick side. Yet because it sports a smaller screen than the Yoga 13, it sits comfortably in the category of tablets without compromising its primary nature as a laptop.
- The 11” screen of this device is not something to celebrate, since it sports a paltry resolution of 1366 x 768p. Though this is pardonable considering the fact that it has a smaller screen, this area is something that Lenovo can improve with its succeeding device. Nevertheless, the IPS screen of the Yoga 11S still gives a respectable performance, with a bright display and wide viewing angles.
- The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S comes in various configurations. Standing in the middle ground is the $999 version that comes with Intel Core i5, a 128GB or 256GB SSD, and 8GB of RAM. The $749, meanwhile, includes a Core i3 CPU coupled with a 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM. Lastly, the $1299 model has a Core i7 CPU, a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. The problem with these processors is that they all come from Intel’s previous generation processors.
- When it comes to battery performance, the IdeaPad Yoga 11S almost ties with the Sony Vaio Pro 11 with a rating of 5 hours and 11 minutes on a video playback battery drain test as compared to the latter’s almost 6 hour rating. Still, nothing can beat MacBook Air’s ten-hour performance in the same test.