The second time might be the charm. Lenovo is releasing the second version of the Yoga Book, the C930, starting at $999 in October.
When the first Yoga Book launched back in 2016, it was both innovative and polarizing and it looks like the latest iteration of the Windows 10 convertible is bringing more of the same.
At a passing glance, the C930 looks pretty similar to the first Yoga Book, and it's still remarkably light and thin at 1.7 pounds and 10.3 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches. But look closer and you'll see that Lenovo replaced the original Yoga Book's static Wacom digitizer with a legitimate E Ink screen that can transform depending on the mode.
When using the C930 in laptop mode, the E Ink display acts as a keyboard complete with haptic feedback. In the interest of space, you can minimize the touchpad, allowing room for the Space Bar. As a touch typist, it's still a bit awkward to type on, but I can definitely see myself shooting off an email or two with the hunt-and-peck method.
The E Ink display also has a sketch mode, handy for artists or note takers like myself. Using the Bluetooth Wacom Active Pen to draw a picture of a flower was seamless. I didn't notice any lag as I sketched, and the 4,096 pressure level adjusted accordingly, creating thick or thin pen strokes depending on how hard I pressed.
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The panel can also be used as an e reader for the bookworms out there. Oh, and if you were wondering where the pen goes when you're not using it, you can just stick it on the front of the C930 and its magnetic cover will hold it firmly in place.
Those interested in the C930 will have a couple of configs to choose from. The base model will feature the low-power 7th gen Core m3-7Y30 processor. But if you want more oomph, you can get the convertible with a 7th gen Core i5-7Y54 CPU.
No matter what processor you choose, the system will have 4GB of RAM with up to a 256GB PCIe SSD of storage and an Intel HD Graphics 615 GPU. As far as battery life, Lenovo is estimating that the C930 will last up to 8.6 hours. That's shorter than the original Yoga Book, which lasted 9 hours and 35 minutes on our battery test.
Lenovo outfitted the C930's primary display with a 10.8-inch, 2560 x 1600 LCD, which looked equal parts bright and vivid during my demo. It's a step up from the previous model's 1920 x 1200 panel that we felt was on a bit on the dark side. However, we're going to have to wait until we get the C930 in the lab to get accurate measurements.
When the original Lenovo Yoga Book debuted, I was smitten with the idea of it. The ability to transfer all my fevered scribblings from a notepad to a 10-inch screen was heady stuff. Plus, the haptic keyboard was a first, and I'm a sucker for innovation. But when I actually began to use the Yoga Book, it wasn't the versatile productivity machine that I imagined, mainly because of the typing aspect.
That's not to say the Yoga Book isn't useful, I saw a few people using it in the wild, I'm just saying the last iteration wasn't for me. We'll have to see whether this sequel is a significant step forward.
