Lenovo is setting its aim at more segments of the laptop market with the introduction of the new Yoga 2 Pro and ThinkPad Yoga. Both offer 360-degree hinges to open up more uses besides the common clamshell laptop form.
The Yoga 2 Pro is the direct sequel to last year’s Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13. What used to be a 1600×900 display is now a QHD+ (3200×1800), 13.3-inch screen, with in-plane switching (IPS) technology to provide a wide viewing angle. Despite the larger screen, Lenovo still has managed to trim down the Yoga 2’s overall size and weight. A 4th-gen Intel Core i7 processor runs under the hood.
New features in the Yoga 2 Pro consist of voice control, integrated wireless display (Wi-Di), and more. The new Yoga Picks tool senses if the screen is in either portrait or landscape mode and subsequently recommend apps for the current screen orientation. Storage options start from 128GB to 512GB SSD. Slated for an October release with a starting price at $1099.99, the Yoga 2 Pro comes in either grey or the new Clementine Orange color.
Lenovo’s other product is still a Yoga but comes with the ThinkPad brand. Aptly named as the ThinkPad Yoga, it’s an Ultrabook that’s meant for small and medium enterprise markets. It still features the same flexible modes—laptop, stand, tent, and tablet—made possible by the 360-degree hinge. Display options can be either a 12.5-inch HD or full HD screen with IPS technology. The latter also has an optional digitizer and pen.
The most notable feature found in the ThinkPad Yoga is its lift and lock system. When the original Lenovo Yoga launched, one common complaint was the cumbersome position of the keyboard in tablet mode. Even though the keys don’t work when pressed, they’re still pressable nonetheless. It creates an awkward feeling that users don’t experience in real tablets. The new mechanism, however, causes a platform to rise and level with the keys, all of which lock and can’t be pressed, thereby creating something close to a flat surface.
The ThinkPad Yoga will be available in November starting at $949.