LAS VEGAS -- When it comes to laptops, there’s a lot of people asking how thin is too thin? Well it seems Lenovo is on a quest to find the answer, because its new $1,099 Yoga 900S (available in March) is now the thinnest convertible in the world.
That’s not to say it’s the outright thinnest 2-in-1, as detachable hybrids such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 (which measures just 0.33-inches without its removable Type Cover) still claim the overall lead in space savings. But when it comes to hinged hybrids, at just 0.5-inches thick and weighing 2.2-pounds, the Yoga 900s now reigns supreme.
To get there, Lenovo took the winning formula from its fantastic Yoga 900, and shrunk everything down - including the screen size, which now sits at 12.5-inches across. Users even have the option to go with a high-res 2560 x 1440 QHD touchscreen. On the inside, you can max out the 900S with up to an Intel Core m7 CPU, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage.
MORE: Why Your Next Laptop Should Be a 2-in-1
When I got chance to check out Lenovo’s new pinnacle of thinness for myself at CES 2016, I jumped at the opportunity. The first thing that strikes you when seeing the 900S is its sleek balanced look, which has been enhanced by an alluring new black-and-gold color scheme. The 900S has also been upgraded with a carbon chassis, which helps maintain the rigidity you need in such a svelte system, and offers weight savings versus the magnesium construction on larger Yoga 900.
When I got a little closer, I noticed that key height on the 900S seems to have been reduced further to fit within the half-inch thick body. Key travel felt even shorter than the 1.1mm distance found on the regular Yoga 900, but there was still a fair bit a resistance, which helps prevent you from bottoming out too hard.
Impressively, Lenovo still managed to fit three USB ports on the Yoga 900S’s diminutive frame, including one of the USB Type-C variety, which can be used for charging as well as outputting video and sending and receiving data. However, the SD card slot found on the 13.3-inch Yoga 900 has been cut on the 900S to save space.
A new addition on the 900S is Active Pen Support, which was a feature missing on the original Yoga 900, and makes the 900S a much better machine for sketching and notetaking while on-the-go.
Finally, holding the 900 s together is Lenovo's signature watchband hinge, which even gets a color-matched paint so it fits right in with the rest of the system,
While Lenovo made a couple of trade-offs, including a missing SD card slot and no Intel Core i CPUs, the 900S preserves the qualities that earned the regular Yoga 900 an Editors’ Choice award and the top spot on our Best 2-in-1s list. And if the 900S can meet or exceed the 8-hour battery life we got on its big brother, Lenovo could have another winner on its hands.
