Lenovo Yoga Book 9i review: A flexible dual-screen powerhouse

Price When Reviewed

$2,079.99

Best Prices Today: Lenovo Yoga Book 9i

Lenovo has a long history of bizarre concepts. But unlike many companies that send strange prototypes straight to store shelves, Lenovo often sticks with these oddballs—and the Yoga Book 9i is just the latest example.

The latest version of the company’s dual-screen 2-in-1 isn’t a dramatic departure from prior models. It’s still a portable all-in-one that pairs its dual OLED displays with an included Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and stylus. However, the newest Yoga Book 9i has surprisingly capable CPU performance underneath the hood.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Specs and features

The Yoga Book 9i Gen 10’s basic specifications don’t look amazing on paper. It has just 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid state drive. Most Windows devices sold above $1,000 have 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. However, the Yoga Book 9i’s Intel Core Ultra 7 255H deserves some attention. It has a total of 16 cores, six of which are performance cores—and as the benchmarks will show, it’s a big upgrade over laptops with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V or 258V inside.

• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
• Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc 140V
• NPU: Intel AI Boost up to 13 TOPS
• Display: 2x 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED 120Hz
• Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
• Webcam: 1440p
• Connectivity: 3x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C
• Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
• Biometrics: Facial recognition
• Battery capacity: 88 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 12.4 x 8.25 x 0.63 inches
• Weight: 2.69 pounds without keyboard, 3.45 pounds with keyboard, 4.25 with all accessories included
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Additional features: Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and stylus
• Price: $2,079.99 MSRP

Despite the limited RAM and storage, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i’s $2,079.99 MSRP feels like a good value. After all, this laptop has two OLED displays and ships with a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and stylus. That’s a lot of extra kit most laptops don’t provide.

Interestingly, Lenovo’s website currently lists a Yoga Book 9i with 32GB of memory and a 1TB of storage for $2,099.99. You read that right: you can double the RAM and storage for $20. The catch is that you can’t change or upgrade this variant but, for the vast majority of shoppers, it’s an obvious upgrade.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Design and build quality

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a sleek, futuristic piece of kit. It’s basically two thin slabs of glass connected by a broad, blue-chrome hinge which also contains the 2-in-1’s sound bar. While the top and bottom of the device are finished in a matte blue, the edges are gloss, which adds a touch of luxury.

It’s worth mentioning that the new Yoga Book 9i is slightly different from its predecessors, though you wouldn’t know it at a glance (or even a long, close look). The prior model’s 13.3-inch OLED displays have grown to 14 inches.

That means the laptop is slightly wider and deeper than before, too, though no thicker at 0.63 inches in profile. The weight officially comes in at just 2.69 pounds, but that doesn’t include the accessories. If you bundle in the keyboard, carrying case, and pen, the total weight increases to 3.55 pounds. That’s heavy for a 2-in-1 with a 14-inch display, though perhaps expected given that the Yoga Book 9i has two of them.

Build quality is top-notch. The Yoga Book 9i’s chassis is among the most rigid in the Windows arena. While the upper display will flex if purposely twisted, it doesn’t noticeably flex when in normal use. The lower chassis, meanwhile, seems chiseled from solid stone. I put it under as much tension as I felt comfortable with and saw absolutely zero movement across the device’s lower half.

That’s not to say it’s more durable than other 2-in-1s. There are certain risks to a dual-display laptop, and an increased potential for display damage is one of them. Still, Lenovo has done as much as it can to remove that concern. The result is a 2-in-1 that feels luxurious.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Keyboard, trackpad, mouse, and stylus

IDG / Matthew Smith

Lenovo markets the new Yoga Book 9i as a “portable creative studio.” What does that mean? Well, it’s complex. The dual-display 2-in-1, detachable keyboard, kickstand, mouse, and pen work together to provide many versatile modes.

Let’s start with good old-fashioned clamshell laptop use.

In this mode, you have the choice between using the bundled detachable keyboard or not. If used, the keyboard sits on top of the lower display and a virtual touchpad can be summoned on the display’s surface (alternatively, you can just use the upper touchscreen). Magnets are used to prevent the keyboard from sliding around while typing.

The keyboard is good but, since it sits on top of the lower display, the keys are raised noticeably above the virtual touchpad surface, which feels awkward. It was fine for long typing sessions but more awkward when I had to frequently use the touchpad, as the virtual touchpad provides no tactile sensation when my fingers are inside (or outside) its boundaries.

Alternatively, you can ditch the physical keyboard and use a virtual keyboard on the lower touchscreen. It’s summoned with an eight-finger tap, and the keyboard appears where you touch, allowing slight adjustment forward, backward, left, or right. That helps for finding a comfortable position. Still, the lack of tactile feedback makes for a flat, wooden experience, and I had difficulty typing at high speed with accuracy. Perhaps a few weeks or months with the device would eventually build my muscle memory, but it still felt tough after a solid week of use.

The Yoga Book 9i gets even more creative when you move beyond clamshell use and into the unique modes only 2-in-1s can offer. It can be used as:

• A portable desktop all-in-one. The keyboard carrying case becomes a stand for the dual displays, which can sit flat side-by-side. The bundled Bluetooth keyboard and mouse can be used just as if the 2-in-1 was a desktop computer.
• Stacked mode. The same as above, but with the displays placed one above the other (vertically) instead of side-by-side.
• A tablet. Fold over the displays and one surface becomes usable as a 14-inch Windows tablet. A stylus is included.
• A desktop drawing and writing tablet. Fold the device flat on a tabletop surface with both displays facing up. Stylus and touch input can be used to draw, and to navigate Windows.
• Tent mode. Fold the upper display back to act as a kickstand for the lower display, which remains usable. This is great for watching YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming content.

The surprise is that most of these modes work well. Tablet mode is the only one that stumbles, and for reasons common to most Windows 2-in-1s; the Yoga Book 9i is too large and too heavy to use as a tablet for more than a few minutes.

I found the portable all-in-one modes particularly convincing. You can post up anywhere you have access to a flat surface and use the Yoga Book 9i like a desktop computer. The dual 14-inch displays even provide a display space that comes close to a 24-inch desktop monitor though, of course, with a split between them.

The real question, of course, is whether you’ll take advantage of that.

The Yoga Book 9i’s design isn’t great if you just want a laptop to use like a laptop. The typing experience is less enjoyable, the virtual touchpad is annoying, and it’s cumbersome to pack both the laptop and the detachable keyboard. But if you’re a business traveler, student, or otherwise need to do a lot of work while also away from your permanent desk setup, the Yoga Book 9i has advantages. It’s a portable desktop in a laptop form factor.

It’s important to note, too, that the Yoga Book 9i’s design marks it as different from the Asus ZenBook Duo (and vice versa). While both are dual-screen laptops, the ZenBook Duo has a Bluetooth keyboard with integrated touchpad that fully covers the bottom display in laptop mode. As a result, the ZenBook Duo feels much more like a traditional laptop. The ZenBook doesn’t ship with a mouse, though, and the larger Bluetooth keyboard with integrated touchpad can feel a bit awkward when you set it to use like an all-in-one.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

Lenovo’s dual-screen design means the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i features two stunning OLED displays. Each provides a resolution of 2880×1800 for an all-in resolution of 2880×3600. Combined, the dual 14-inch OLED displays provide a little less than 180 square inches of display space, which is just barely less than a 21.5-inch 16:9 monitor.

The OLED displays provide all the benefits typical of the breed. They have a wide color gamut, unsurpassed contrast, and excellent sharpness. Movies, games, and photos look wonderfully vibrant and detailed. The displays also provide a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, so motion clarity is excellent. Fast-paced games look crisp and scrolling text is easier to read than on a 60Hz alternative.

It’s not all good news. Like most OLED panels—and particularly touchscreens—the Yoga’s displays have a glossy, mirror-like finish that readily reflects your surroundings. Even modest ambient lighting will cause noticeable and distinct reflections. The panel brightness is impressive with a maximum around 465 nits, but that’s still not enough for comfortable use outdoors or opposite a bright sunlit window.

Audio performance is a perk the latest Yoga Book 9i carries over from its predecessors. The speakers are nestled in the hinge, which acts as a soundbar and delivers strong, clear, enjoyable, and direct sound. This design also has the benefit of making the audio useful in most of the Yoga Book 9i’s many modes, since the speaker remains pointed at the user in most situations. Tablet mode is the exception, as your hands are likely to partially obstruct the speaker.

Compared to the alternatives, the Yoga Book 9i’s audio is among the best in its class. While it’s been a few months since I last heard the MacBook Pro 14’s excellent speakers, my memory suggests the Yoga Book 9i can match it.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

A camera hump above the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i’s top display provides room for a 1440p webcam and dual-array microphone. Both are solid. The webcam is sharp, detailed, and provides good color saturation, while the microphone picked up my voice clearly even when I spoke softly. You won’t find a physical privacy shutter, but Lenovo provides an electronic privacy switch which, strangely, is all alone on the laptop’s forward right flank.

Biometric login is available through Windows Hello facial recognition. It works well, though no better or worse than with the hundreds of other Windows laptops that offer the feature. A fingerprint reader is not available.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Connectivity

The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i goes all-in on modern connectivity. It has just three physical ports, all of which are Thunderbolt / USB-C ports that support 40Gbps of data, DisplayPort, and Power Delivery. All the ports can charge the laptop or connect to an external display.

With that said, the lack of USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, or even a 3.5mm audio jack presents obvious limitations. You’ll need an adapter or dock to connect a wired keyboard and mouse, use an older monitor, or even to use wired headphones. Whether that works for you will depend on the peripherals you use day-to-day, but I suspect most people will still have at least one device that requires one of these ports.

At least Lenovo doesn’t skimp on wireless connectivity. The laptop supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, the latest version of each wireless standard. Remember, too, that the Yoga Book 9i ships with a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and stylus in the box. While the lack of USB-A is a bummer, it helps that the 2-in-1 ships with everything you need to type, point, and draw wirelessly.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Performance

The latest Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 10, for those counting) is available with just one processor: the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H. And it’s worth your attention.

It’d be easy to confuse the Core Ultra 7 255H with something like the Core Ultra 7 256V. After all, they have very similar names; the 256V might even seem more premium. Yet the opposite is true. The 255H has more cores than the 256V (16 vs. eight), and more of those cores are performance cores (six vs four). The 255H also has a higher Turbo clock speed, twice as much cache, and is rated to use significantly more power.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Our first benchmark is PCMark 10, a holistic system benchmark. Here the Yoga Book 9i scores a respectable 7,520. That’s a mid-pack result among the competitors chosen, but they are rather stiff competition—the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 in particular ranks among the most powerful 14-inch Windows laptops without discrete graphics. The Yoga Book 9i also scored a small win over the Asus ZenBook Duo, despite the Asus having a chip that ranks higher in Intel’s line-up.

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i truly blazed away in Handbrake, where it transcoded a feature length film in just under 14 minutes. As the graph shows, this is an exceptionally quick result in this test, and it’s the one benchmark where the Yoga Book 9i takes an edge even over the HP OmniBook Ultra 14.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Cinebench R23, a heavily multi-threaded CPU benchmark, speaks favorably of the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. It reaches a score of 14,836 which, as the graph shows, is defeated only by the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 in the HP OmniBook Ultra 14. The Yoga Book 9i notches another win over the Asus ZenBook Duo, as well.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Clearly, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i performs well in CPU tests. But what about GPU benchmarks?

The Yoga Book 9i does well here, too, though it doesn’t stand out from the pack. Intel’s 140V is a strong integrated graphics option that can generally go toe-to-toe with AMD’s Radeon 890M in similar laptops and 2-in-1s, and the Book 9i is no exception. The Yoga Book 9i posted scores that were a hair behind some other Intel-powered laptops PC World recently tested, but the differences are rather small.

In any case, the Yoga Book 9i can be expected to play many games from the prior console generation at 1080p and medium to high detail, with a framerate of 30 to 60 FPS. Older and less demanding games—whether it’s an indie action-RPG like Grim Dawn or the best-selling classic Minecraft (without ray-traced eye candy on)—can exceed 60 FPS.

The Yoga Book 9i is an extremely strong performer overall. While the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 with AMD Ryzen AI 9 395HX was quicker in multi-threaded CPU performance, the Yoga Book 9i otherwise scored victories in many tests. Notably, it matched or beat the Asus ZenBook Duo. The ZenBook Duo is less expensive with an as-tested MSRP of $1,699, but ships with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H. That proves, once again, that a device’s spec sheet can’t tell the full story about its performance.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Battery life and portability

There’s a lot to like about the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. It’s versatile, attractive, and performs well in benchmarks. However, the laptop has one major weakness. Battery life.

IDG / Matthew Smith

I measured just seven hours and nine minutes in PC World’s standard battery test, which loops a 4K trailer of the short film Tears of Steel. This test was conducted in laptop mode, though my testing suggests that the mode used doesn’t have an impact on battery life.

This result both did—and didn’t—surprise me.

Lenovo ships the Yoga Book 9i with an 88-watt-hour battery, which is massive for a 14-inch Windows 2-in-1. That alone would seem to suggest excellent endurance.

However, that battery must support two screens, both of which are OLED (in general, OLED tends to be more power-hungry than LCD-IPS). And the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is a beefy Intel chip. While that bodes well for the Yoga Book 9i’s performance, it also means higher power consumption.

It’s worth mention that the new Yoga Book 9i doesn’t last as long as past models. The version I tested in 2023 endured the PC World battery test for 10 hours and 23 minutes. On the flip side, though, the new Yoga Book 9i is much quicker than that predecessor, delivering 50 percent to over 100 percent greater performance in benchmarks. The older model might be worth a look if you prefer battery life, but the new model takes a huge lead in performance.

The Asus ZenBook Duo also deserves mention, as it’s also a dual-screen laptop, and lasted a bit longer on battery in dual-screen mode. On top of that, the Duo can last up to 15 hours and 40 minutes in laptop mode, as only a single screen is used in that mode.

That’s possible because the Duo’s Bluetooth keyboard includes a touchpad and fully covers the lower display in laptop mode, allowing Asus to disable the lower display in that mode. Lenovo’s reliance on a virtual touchpad in laptop mode means the lower display remains on in laptop mode, which negatively affects battery life. It’s technically possible to use Windows’ settings to force the Yoga Book 9i’s lower display off when in laptop mode, which presumably could increase battery life. However, doing this means the laptop lacks a touchpad, which is hardly ideal. 

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i: Conclusion

The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a laptop that’s also a 2-in-1, and an all-in-one, also a tablet. It ships with not only the laptop itself but also with a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and stylus. This versatility makes it a unique offering, and while the Yoga Book 9i’s $2,079.99 MSRP is hardly inexpensive, it feels like good value considering everything the Yoga Book 9i delivers.

Yet the Yoga Book 9i isn’t without compromise. Lenovo’s decision to use a Bluetooth keyboard that lacks a touchpad—instead of a keyboard and touchpad combination, as found with the Asus ZenBook Duo—is consequential. It’s arguably better when using the Yoga Book 9i as an all-in-one, but inarguably worse when using the Yoga Book 9i as a laptop. The Yoga Book 9i also struggles with disappointing battery life that reduces its portability.

The Yoga Book 9i is worth buying, but only for a very specific and unique shopper. It’s unique in providing a great portable all-in-one experience alongside a decent, though compromised laptop mode. That makes it a good choice if you often move between offices or desks and can post up with a connection to a power outlet. But if you mostly want to use your device as a laptop, and will only occasionally use the all-in-one mode, the Asus ZenBook Duo is the better choice.