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Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro: One step forward, two steps back

By Kenny Yeo - 16 Dec 2014

Conclusion

An inconclusive 'successor'

With a huge 48% market share of the convertibles market, it is clear that Lenovo knows a thing or two about what users want when it comes to making such devices. In light of this, the Yoga 3 Pro is a curious device because it improves on its predecessors in many areas but it is also outclassed in some others.

To begin, performance was somewhat disappointing, though not entirely unexpected. As we mentioned at the start of the review, the new Core M processor from Intel is not the beefiest and certainly not in the same class as the ultra low power Core i5 and Core i7 processors typically seen in comparable Ultrabook and convertible devices. And this is not just a case of benchmarks, in real world usage scenarios, we could feel that Yoga 3 Pro is less snappy than, say, the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 - arguably its closest competitor. Of course, that is not to say that the Yoga 3 Pro is woefully slow, but anyone who has been used to the power of a Core i5 and Core i7 notebook machine is going to be able to notice the loss in performance. Clearly, the new Core M processor is a step up from the Atom Z series, but not quite up to scratch to compete with the mid-range Core i3 and Core i5 processors.

The Yoga 3 Pro is a most curious successor. It improves in some areas, but does poorer in some others. Most notably, performance has suffered quite substantially because of the decision to go with Intel's new Core M processor.

We talked about display resolutions before, such as in our Surface Pro 3 review, but perhaps the Yoga 3 Pro would have benefited from a lower resolution screen. Yes, a high resolution display like the Yoga 3 Pro’s looks awesome, but it does affect performance and considering the already lackluster CPU and GPU performance of the Core M processor in the Yoga 3 Pro, we felt that perhaps a compromise could be reached by reducing the resolution a tad.

Performance aside, there are also some worrying aspects about the Yoga 3 Pro’s build quality. The screen flexes too easily in tablet mode and this could be a problem for ham-fisted and brutish users. The placement of the power button could also be improved, and having 800 components in the hinge sounds a bit like a recipe for disaster. Isn’t having less components usually better as it reduces the possibility of something going wrong?

However, there is also quite a lot to like about the Yoga 3 Pro. For one, unlike the Surface Pro 3 which does not have a full rigid keyboard (the Touch Cover keyboard is good, but we would take a proper keyboard over it anytime), the Yoga 3 Pro has a proper notebook keyboard with backlighting. And as our Portability Index shows, the Yoga 3 Pro is actually the more portable device when compared to a Surface Pro 3 with an attached Touch Cover keyboard. This is pretty impressive. Furthermore, its display boasts of a higher resolution (with a slightly larger screen at 13.3 inches) and it has more USB ports than the Surface Pro 3 - the Surface Pro 3 only has a single USB 3.0 port, which is extremely restrictive.

Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Prices
Processor Memory Storage Graphics Price
Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro: Core M-5Y70 (1.1GHz, 4MB L3 cache) 8GB 256GB Intel HD Graphics 5300 S$2,299
Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro: Core M-5Y70 (1.1GHz, 4MB L3 cache) 8GB 512GB Intel HD Graphics 5300 S$2,599
Microsoft Surface Pro 3: Core i5-4300U (1.9GHz, 3MB L3 cache) 8GB 256GB Intel HD Graphics 4400 S$1,728
Microsoft Surface Pro 3: Core i7-4650U (1.7GHz, 4MB L3 cache) 8GB 256GB Intel HD Graphics 5000 S$2,138
Microsoft Surface Pro 3: Core i7-4650U (1.7GHz, 4MB L3 cache) 8GB 512GB Intel HD Graphics 5000 S$2,698

The Yoga 2 Pro was positioned as a premium convertible and its successor is no different. The Yoga 3 Pro will be offered with either a 256GB SSD or 512GB SSD and prices for both devices are S$2,299 and $2,599 respectively. If we were to look at the prices of the Surface Pro 3, we can see easily that it is really priced to compete. But bear in mind that while the Surface Pro 3 offers far more powerful processors, the Type Cover is an optional accessory that costs an additional S$183. However, if you catch the right promotions, you can either get the Type Cover free and/or enjoy Microsoft Office 365 subscription for a year. Another thing to note is that the Yoga 3 Pro costs much more than its predecessor. At launch, the Yoga 2 Pro with a comparable 256GB SSD was just $2,099.

All things considered, the Yoga 3 Pro is a curious successor that improves in some areas, but is worse in some others. We liked that its super slim and portable, but we are also disappointed at its loss of performance. In the past, we would have heartily recommended the Yoga 2 Pro to anyone who is looking for an ultraportable notebook, but we cannot do the same for the Yoga 3 Pro since there are competent alternatives elsewhere. Nevertheless, users who are in the market for an ultraportable notebook should definitely still include the Yoga 3 Pro as a candidate for consideration.

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7.5
  • Design 8.5
  • Features 8.5
  • Performance 7
  • Value 7
  • Mobility 9.5
The Good
Super slim, lightweight design
Sharp, high resolution display
Well constructed hinge
Good keyboard and trackpad
Lower power consumption
The Bad
Display flexes when held in certain positions
Lackluster performance
Display a little dim
Glossy, reflective display
Placement of power button could be better
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