This Lenovo Yoga's stunning OLED display and hinge speakers reeled me in. Here's why I'm hooked.

If you’re looking for a great all-in-one package ultraportable laptop, then the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is here to rock your expectations.

What do you get with the Yoga 9i? Let me rattle it off: a beautiful 14-inch OLED display, bangin’ speakers, crispy keyboard, and long battery life packed into a sleek ultraportable device. The real question is, what don’t you get?

Unfortunately, that would be overall performance. The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor doesn’t pack the same punch as its competitors.

However, the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition’s performance is serviceable for most people, and every other feature feels like a sweet treat you’d get after dinner. There’s no doubt it could land somewhere among the best laptops and best 2-in-1 laptops, but is it right for you? Let’s find out.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Specs and benchmarks

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Price and configurations

There’s only one configuration of the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition available at the time of publication, which you can find for $1,749 at Best Buy. It’s outfitted with an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 14-inch, 2880 x 1800, 120Hz OLED touchscreen display.

At the time of writing, there’s an entry on Lenovo’s site, but all it says is “Available Soon.”

If you’re looking for a laptop that’s a little cheaper, I recommend checking out our best budget laptops page.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Design

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is a looker thanks to its cosmic blue aluminum chassis, which is MIL-SPEC tested, so it can withstand a lot of punishment, including drops and extreme temperatures. The lid is accompanied by built-in hinge speakers and a curvy lip where the webcam is slotted in. There’s also a glossy blue Lenovo logo stamped at the center.

The inside offers more of the same polished look, except now revealing actual polish on its glossy sides all around the laptop. Between the spacing on the keyboard and the size of the touchpad, the deck looks decently organized (there’s even a fingerprint reader on the bottom right of the keyboard. I also appreciate the super thin bezels around the display (minus the camera bump, which does feature a privacy shutter).

Since this is a 2-in-1, you can do a little yoga and flip it around in tent and tablet positions. It felt pretty sturdy when transforming it, and while the hinge applies enough pressure to keep the display in tablet mode, it would’ve been nice if it were magnetized.

At 2.9 pounds and 12.44 x 8.66 x 0.65 inches, the Lenovo Yoga 9i may not be the heaviest among the pack, but it certainly is the thickest. That’s to be expected, however, since the Yoga 9i is a 2-in-1 laptop. And even then, it’s still pretty thin. Here’s how it compares:

• Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4: 2.7 pounds, 12 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches
• Asus Zenbook 14 UX3405: 2.81 pounds, 12.3 x 8.67 x 0.59 inches
• Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro: 3.44 pounds, 14 x 9.93 x 0.5 inches

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Ports

Image 1 of 2

Despite how petite the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is, there are still enough ports to get around.

• 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps, DP, PD)
• 1x USB-A (10Gbps)
• 1x USB-C (20Gbps, full function, PD, DP, USB 4)
• 1x Audio combo jack

Need more ports? Check out our best USB Type-C hubs and best laptop docking stations pages.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Battery life

The last thing you want your super flexible, ultraportable laptop to do is die, so long battery life is key. And the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition delivers.

On the Laptop Mag battery test, which sets the laptop to continuously surf the web over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the Yoga lasted 12 hours and 47 minutes. That’s longer than all of its competitors except the MacBook, which lasted nearly 3 hours longer. Apple still has the secret sauce, but there’s no taking away the Yoga 9i’s impressive longevity.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Display

I will never get tired of OLED, and laptops like the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition are the reason why. With its 14-inch, 2880 x 1800, 120Hz OLED touchscreen display, the Yoga had me drooling over the colors.

I jumped into the latest Lilo & Stitch trailer and felt like I time-traveled back to 2002. Stitch’s blue fur and Lilo’s red flowery shirt exploded with color, matching their unyielding personalities. The panel is also plenty bright, so I didn't miss a beat during the darker scenes like Stitch escaping his ship.

None of Yoga’s rivals could compete in color coverage. Although the MacBook is a bit brighter overall, the Yoga 9i’s OLED display is far superior and even more colorful than most premium laptops overall.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Keyboard and touchpad

Clicky clacky make me happy. My fingers danced across the keyboard with the grace of… someone who knows how to dance. They require decent pressure to actuate, and they’ve got plenty of travel.

I knocked out 84 words per minute on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, climbing above my usual 81-wpm. There’s a wide spacing between the keys, so I always feel like I know where to click. This may be the greatest example of Lenovo’s famous laptop keyboards.

The Yoga 9i’s 5.3 x 3.1-inch touchpad is pretty smooth, but does offer a bit of resistance to those with clammy hands (me). The clicker is a bit shallow, but it’s sharp enough that it’s satisfying.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Audio

Oh heck yeah — I absolutely love the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition’s hinge speakers. I honestly found it hard to stop singing and actually write this section.

If you’ve ever listened to “Dangerous” from Epic: The Musical, then you’d know how hard I was bobbing my head. The vocals, crisp and present; the guitar, bright and impactful; the percussion, bassy. There’s also a strong balance between the instruments so none of them gets muddied together.

You can adjust the audio settings in the Dolby Access app, which offers presets for Music, Game, Movie, Voice, and even a Dynamic setting that automatically adjusts the profile based on what you’re listening to.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Performance and heat

I didn't expect the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition’s Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor to be this much of a detriment to the performance. Even with 32GB of RAM, the Yoga 9i is the worst-performing laptop amongst its competitors.

Now, depending on how you use your laptop, this may not be a problem for you. The laptop was perfectly fine while juggling a couple dozen Chrome tabs and a handful of YouTube videos. But if you plan on using it for more intensive tasks, like video editing, then you probably want something more powerful.

It clocked the lowest scores in the Geekbench 6 overall performance test and our HandBrake benchmark, which sets it to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. That’s squaring up against the MacBook Air’s M4, Zenbook 14’s Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, and Galaxy Book’s Intel Core Ultra 7 256V.

However, it did feature the fastest SSD. Now, its SSD transfer rate wasn't breaking records, but it's still faster than the competition.

One critical feature is heat management. The Yoga 9i handles heat like my AC handles a hot summer day. The hottest it got was 88.3 degrees Fahrenheit, located at the center of the keyboard between the G and H keys. For context, our comfort threshold is 95 degrees, so you can sit this baby comfortably in your lap (which is less common than you'd think for a device called a laptop).

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Gaming and graphics

While you shouldn’t expect to play AAA games at max settings, the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition’s Intel Arc 140V iGPU did a pretty nice job with some light gaming.

In Sid Meier's Civ VI: Gathering Storm (Medium, 1080p), the Yoga 9i pumped out an average of 69 frames per second. It surpassed the MacBook Air’s M4, Zenbook 14’s Intel Arc 140T, and Galaxy Book’s Intel Arc 140V.

You can definitely get away with playing some AAA games at the lowest settings.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: AI features

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition’s Intel Core Ultra 7 258V features the Intel AI Boost NPU with a Peak of 47 TOPS (Trillion Operations Per Second). Since this is a Copilot+ PC, the Yoga 9i supports a suite of AI tools powered by Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant.

There aren’t any big Lenovo-branded AI features, but you do get Windows Studio Effects, Cocreator, and Live Captions.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Webcam

While I like how the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition’s 1440p webcam is situated on the device, it didn’t change how terrible it was.

My green shirt turned into RGB static, the window beyond me was overexposed, and my facial features were overall hazy. If you are frequently on cam, I recommend checking out the best webcams.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition: Software and warranty

Apart from the usual suite of Windows 11 apps, the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition ships with the Lenovo Vantage app, which you can use to see product details, warranty length, change device settings, modify online security, scan hardware, and update preferences.

The Lenovo Yoga 9i features a one-year limited warranty.

Bottom line

Unless you need more than an ultraportable laptop, there isn’t much reason why you shouldn’t get the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition. Between its battery life and punchy keyboard, and its OLED display and strong speakers, this thing is sure to be one of the best laptops I review this year. However, technically, the performance ain’t it, chief.

If you’re looking for a high performer with longer battery life for a similar or cheaper price, I recommend the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4. But if you're a Windows user, you need to be willing to make the switch to a MacBook.

Otherwise, if you’re not juggling an intensive workload, the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is a great fit for any user.