Lenovo Yoga 730 13" Laptop Review

I've been a fan of the Lenovo Yoga laptop for years, having reviewed the Ideapad Yoga 11S, Yoga Tablet 8, Yoga 2 Pro, and Yoga Tablet 2 in the past. So I just had to test out the Lenovo Yoga 730 13" laptop, especially since I haven't had a Lenovo product in my possession for a few years now. 

My favorite features of this laptop are definitely its versatility to change from laptop to tablet mode, touch screen capability, and a screen with picture perfect high-definition. It also has 360° sound, which you really experience when you put your headphones on. 

Since I'm always on my laptop if I'm home, that also means I don't have a laptop to watch Netflix on or catch up on favorite shows online. This is why I love having the Lenovo Yoga 730 around. It's great for binge watching shows (I binge watched the Syfy 12 Monkeys series all over again and caught up on Grey's Anatomy episodes). 

With the amazing audio and screen clarity, I find it hard to want to watch shows or movies on any other laptop. I love this laptop for the same reasons I always have, but these features seem more enhanced. 

The Lenovo Yoga 730 also has a fast start up, long lasting battery and charges up pretty quickly. Another feature that is new to me since I've used a Lenovo Yoga laptop is Cortana as a voice-activated digital assistant to help you work faster by opening apps, setting reminders or answering your questions. 

Along with the versatility of the 360° design of the four different modes - laptop, stand, tablet, and tent, I love the sleek design of the laptop itself, and the fact that it's thin, lightweight (2.74 lbs) and easy to travel with. I took it to San Francisco a few weeks ago and also brought it out with me locally to the park and my favorite cafe. The Iron Grey color is just my style, as I've always preferred my tech products in Silver or Grey.

If I could put one product on my wishlist this holiday season, the Lenovo Yoga 730 13" laptop would be at the top of my list!

I'm also excited about my new Vionic Shoes! The Whitney Ankle Boot is made of suede and neoprene for a comfortable fit and has a 3.1" heel height so it's not too high. It's perfect to wear out and about on the weekends or a full day at the office. I have several pairs of ankle booties in brown and black, and what I really needed was a pair in grey and I love this charcoal shade!

Sweater: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Jeans: American Eagle

Shoes: Vionic Shoes

Sunglasses: Quay Australia

Necklace: Deepa Gurnani

Review: Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro

Having previously reviewed the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S, I already knew I was going to love the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro. One of my favorite features is the unique 360-Degree Flip-and-Fold Design, easily changing between the four different modes - Laptop, Stand, Tablet and Tent. The 13.3" QHD+ 3200 x1800 (versus 11.6 HD, 1366 x 768 on the IdeaPad Yoga 11S) IPS widescreen with 10-point multi-touch has the best display I've ever seen on an ultrabook. Whether I am catching up on the latest episode of The Vampire Diaries, editing video footage or pictures, the images are incredibly crisp and sharp. 

This ultrabook also has great portability - 1.39 kg, 15.5 mm thin with a 9 hour battery life to get you through the whole day, versus the 1.4 kg, 17.2 mm thin, 6 hour battery on the IdeaPad Yoga 11S. Like the IdeaPad Yoga 11S, there are two USB ports and a 2-in-1 card reader.It also has up to 4th gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor with integrated Intel graphics,  up to 8GB DDR3L memory, up to 512 GB SDD storage and stereo speakers with Dolby® Home Theatre® for immersive sound. 

Lenovo motion control allows you to browse and select files with simple hand gestures. This is perfect for navigating through recipes hands-free. With voice control technology, you can just speak to open programs and websites. The Yoga Picks custom software detects and recommends the most suitable apps for any given mode. Some of the preloaded apps include Phone Companion, Camera Man, Photo Touch, and Yoga Chef. Yoga Chef has some easy-to-follow recipes I definitely want to try, with vivid photos that make me instantly hungry.

All these enhancements and features are user-friendly and interesting to explore, but for the most part I've been using the Yoga 2 Pro for watching tv shows, blogging and editing photos and videos. My main laptop is currently a MacBook Air but I despise editing videos with iMovie. I still prefer Windows Movie Maker, so I feel like I'll always need a Windows-friendly ultrabook just for that reason. During February and March, the Yoga 2 Pro came in handy specifically for editing fashion week videos, uploading them to YouTube and downloading photos from my Nokia 1020 (which is incompatible with my MacBook). Since I do a lot of blogging late night, the backlit keyboard really helps. This function can be turned on and off by pressing the Fn key and space bar. The touch screen capability comes in handy as well. It's so much easier to swipe through pictures when deciding which ones to use and edit. Every now and then I'm reminded of how my MacBook isn't touchscreen when I tap the screen out of habit. 

The Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro is available at lenovo.com with a list price starting at $1199.00.

 

- Kim Weling

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S

Over the past few weeks, I've quickly adapted to the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S Ultrabook convertible. This 11.6-inch ultrabook has a unique 360-degree flip and fold design, with the ability to use in tent, stand, tablet or laptop mode. I have mainly been using the Yoga 11S as a laptop but love watching movies or catching up on my favorite tv shows in tent mode with the convertible's rich Dolby Home Theatre Audio. Since I just got through the Spring 2014 season of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week here in New York, this ultrabook has been perfect for scrolling through fashion show images and watching videos in tent mode. I love being able to just swipe through each look via touch-screen instead of having to click through each image.

As a laptop, I mainly use it for email, blogging, social media, cropping photos, video editing, and indulging in my Candy Crush addiction. It was easy for me to open PDF files in Nitro Pro 8 and download Paint.NET and Windows Live Movie Maker. This was also my first time using Windows 8. I love the multi-touch screen features, which makes it easy to  review photos and access SkyDrive files. There are two USB ports, which is a must-have for me to charge my phone and access flash drive files. The 2-in-1 card reader is also an important feature for me, so I can easily access images I take with my DSLR camera. 

The Yoga 11S is just as fashionable as it is functionable, with a soft-touch exterior and Clementine Orange color (also available in Silver Grey but I prefer it in Clementine Orange). Although I love the texture of the soft exterior, it can be more prone to scratches or dents, so be sure to keep it in a sleeve or case if you plan on using it on-the-go. It's stylish and slim, and easy to travel with. The keyboard is easy and comfortable to type on. The Yoga 11S weighs in at 3.1 lbs at 0.68" thick, with 6 hours of battery life. It has Intel® HD Graphics 4000 (integrated), up to 3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor, up to 8GB DDR3 memory and up to 256GB SSD storage.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is available at lenovo.com and bestbuy.com with a list price starting at $799.99.

- Kim Weling