Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i, Worth to Buy?

While Lenovo Slim Pro 9i stood out for its impressive display, sleek form factor, minimalist design, and remarkable gaming performance in a thin and light design. As we step into 2024, Lenovo has undergone a bit of a rebranding, aligning its global and North American laptop series under the unified Yoga series, eliminating the confusion from the previous generation.

Introducing the brand new Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i, unveiled at CES this year, the laptop has undergone significant hardware enhancements while retaining the elements we loved in the previous generation Slim Pro 9i. We've partnered with Lenovo to provide a comprehensive overview of what this new laptop brings to the table.

At a high level, the Yoga Pro 9i boasts Intel's latest Meteor Lake Core Ultra CPUs, with increased power allocated to the RTX 40 series graphics cards. Lenovo has upgraded the cooling system beneath the chassis to enhance thermal performance for both the CPU and GPU. Unlike the previous year, they now offer only a single 16-inch model, removing the 14-inch variant. Additionally, the laptop incorporates AI capabilities, aligning with the trend expected in many laptops in 2024.

Among the notable changes this year is the option to configure the Yoga Pro 9i with an RTX 470, capable of running up to 100 watts. Remarkably, Lenovo has maintained the same form factor, retaining its 0.71-inch thickness and weighing less than 5 lbs. To accommodate this performance, Lenovo has upgraded the fans, added a fan outlet directing cool air towards the PCB, and integrated new airflow guides for efficient cooling.

In addition to hardware enhancements, Lenovo has introduced an AI chip that works behind the scenes, tuning the CPU and GPU based on the workload, without any cloud-based involvement. This, coupled with the cooling improvements, reflects positively in real-world usage, as demonstrated in comparisons with the previous generation Slim Pro 9i.

Gaming performance sees a notable improvement, with a 5% to 18% boost over its predecessor, offering a more consistent and enjoyable gaming experience, especially in titles like CS:GO and Doom Eternal. The introduction of Intel's new Core Ultra 9 CPUs brings significant improvements, particularly in rendering applications like Blender and Houdini.

A surprising revelation in the Yoga Pro 9i is the enhancement in battery life. Lenovo not only improved the cooling system but also increased the battery size from 75 Wh to 84 Wh. Paired with the efficiency gains from Intel's Core Ultra processors, this results in impressive battery life, exceeding 9 hours even with the power-hungry RTX 470.

Externally, the Yoga Pro 9i maintains the clean, minimalist design of its predecessor, featuring a recycled aluminum and post-consumer recycled plastic chassis. The Comfort Edge feature enhances everyday handling, and the laptop continues to offer a premium build quality. Port availability sees an increase, with an extra USB Type-C and USB Type-A port, along with a full-size SD card slot.

The interior space features a full-size keyboard with 1.8mm key travel, similar to the previous model, and a massive Precision Glass trackpad. Front-facing speakers deliver excellent audio quality. The laptop includes a physical webcam kill switch for added privacy.

The standout feature of the Yoga Pro 9i remains its display. Lenovo continues to push display technology boundaries, offering options ranging from Quad HD Plus to a top-tier 3.2k Mini LED display with a 165Hz refresh rate and touch support.

In terms of specs and pricing, the Yoga Pro 9i starts with a Core Ultra 5 CPU but can be configured with a Core Ultra 9 processor, 16GB of dual-channel memory, and a 1TB SSD. Graphics options include Intel Arc or RTX 4050, 4060, or 4070. The starting price is $1699, inclusive of a two-month Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.