- [Michael] The Lenovo Yoga Book looks more like
a prop from a science fiction film
than a legitimate piece of technology,
but it's equally a product of the past.
We've seen dual screen tablets before,
and totally flat keyboards, too,
and they never seem to stick around for very long.
Will the Yoga Book fare any better?
I'm Michael Fisher, and I spent seven days finding out.
This is the Lenovo Yoga Book review.
(upbeat futuristic music)
There are two principle versions of the Yoga Book
running Windows 10 Home and Android,
and this is the latter.
You're justified in calling this model a tablet.
That's what the software thinks it is,
and in terms of specs, that's
pretty much what we're dealing with.
If you chafe at me occasionally calling it something else,
like a convertible or a notebook, I get it,
but it just feels like a lot more.
Lenovo calls the Yoga Book a 2-in-1,
with the two halves permanently joined
by the distinctive watch band hinge.
This gives it impressive flexibility.
I love being able to use it as a notebook,
as an e-reader, as a tablet,
as a personal Netflix machine.
While you can do this with a lot of laptops nowadays,
the Yoga Book is so tiny and so slim
that it delivers a much more comfortable experience
both in the office and on the road.
I'm trying out a new SCOTTeVEST jacket with laptop pockets,
and the Yoga Book is the only 2-in-1 I've used
that's comfortable to carry in it.
Now, despite the aluminum-magnesium frame,
it does give a bit if you try to flex it,
and the screen does a little bobbing
when you tap on it in laptop mode,
but neither of these is a surprise on a device so thin,
and neither is a deal breaker either.
Lenovo achieved that miniaturization by
eliminating physical keys in favor of the Halo keyboard,
and this right here is what's gonna make or break
the Yoga Book for a lot of folks.
On the downside, it's an absolutely flat pane of glass,
so aside from the haptics,
there's nothing in the way of physical feedback.
You can't rest your fingers on the keys, ever,
and I found the predictive autocorrect
so cumbersome that I disabled it.
The Yoga Book isn't gonna be anyone's first choice
for a long essay or marathon email session,
and let's not even talk about the track pad.
That being said, Lenovo has made
typing on glass about as enjoyable as possible.
The keys are big, there's an almost
rubbery coating that gives
your fingertips a little traction,
and the software supposedly learns your
typing technique so it gets more accurate over time.
I don't know about that, but I
certainly have gotten used to it.
I'm much more accurate after a week,
and I wrote this script for this review
entirely on the Yoga Book.
An original idea, I know.
Just be aware that after a very short time,
the device is gonna look like this.
A little window cleaner takes care of it
with a quickness, but yish.
And then there's another huge reason this keyboard is flat,
when you don't want a keyboard anymore.
Push a button up in the corner,
and suddenly you've got a Wacom digitizer
with over 2,000 levels of pressure sensitivity
that you can use to sketch, doodle,
design, or take hand written notes.
We've seen that elsewhere,
but Lenovo takes it up a notch by
reintroducing pen and ink, and paper too.
Slap the memo pad down on the Yoga Book and start notating,
and you get an electronic copy of
your handwritten work as the Yoga Book follows along.
I don't think this is something
that's gonna see widespread adoption,
but there's definitely a niche audience
that will appreciate it.
Oh, I should mention that you
can use any paper you want, too.
There's nothing special about the included notepad
other than the magnet that keeps it fast to the tablet.
The pad, the pen, and three extra pen tips
are included in the purchase price,
which is nice if you're tired of
manufacturers cheaping out on the in-box accessories.
The software that runs all this
isn't just your typical outdated Android build.
It's running a custom interface
that's equal parts good and bad.
The good, a taskbar at the bottom
of the screen showing your running apps,
the ability to run multiple apps
in their own individual windows,
a Dolby audio suite for enhanced sound,
and useful keyboard shortcuts for common system functions.
The bad, not all apps support window view,
some apps force you into portrait mode at unexpected times,
and others have formatting problems in full screen.
Also, the software's just buggy in general,
with lots of app crashes and memory management issues.
Now, I used the Yoga Book before release,
so hopefully these bugs will be
ironed out in the launched version,
but, frankly, the skin just feels pretty half baked.
Lenovo isn't necessarily known
for its speedy Android updates.
The company did mention a forthcoming update
to Android N when we first saw
the Yoga Book at IFA in September.
Here's hoping that arrives sooner rather than later.
A few details before we wrap it up.
There's microSD support for added storage,
and some models will include a
SIM slot for cellular connectivity as well.
The speakers are fine, no more than that,
but what do you expect on hardware this thin,
and the display is fine, too.
I wish it was AMOLED instead of IPS,
but I don't blame Lenovo for sticking with
full HD instead of packing in more pixels.
That probably plays a role in the
Yoga Book's endurance, which is quite good.
Even at the end of a 13 hour day
with moderate to heavy usage,
I still had 30% battery left.
The Yoga Book is available in three colors,
and it retails for $499.
That's a lot of money for an Android tablet,
but, again, this is much more than a tablet.
It's a weird, funky, futuristic take on the 2-in-1,
and despite its flaws, I really like it,
and mainly thanks to its portability.
I have to admit, it's kind of a confused product,
a flashy gadget straight out of the future,
but with one of its biggest features
aimed at the pen and ink crowd.
So, maybe it could be a little cheaper,
and, certainly, its software should be a bit better,
but that's the price you so often have to pay
to use the technology of the future today.
So, I say buy it if it moves you,
with the important caveat that
that recommendation won't stand
for any sequels if Lenovo's update game proves weak.
If you want to know how the
Yoga Book does with Microsoft software,
check out the Windows Central review,
and subscribe to MrMobile on YouTube,
so you don't miss more mobile tech videos
just like this one.
Until next time, thanks for watching,
and stay mobile, my friends.