Lenovo’s Yoga 11S strikes a compelling pose

COMING JUST A few months after the Windows RT–based IdeaPad Yoga 11, the $999 Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S (go.pcworld.com/ yoga11s) introduces a few compromises of its own.

The convertible machine chugged through our graphics tests, and the 1.5GHz Intel Core i5-3339Y Ivy Bridge processor kept the Yoga 11S in the middle of the pack (at best) in the rest of PCWorld’s benchmarks.
On the plus side, the Yoga 11S’s solid-state drive delivers lickety-split boot and wake times.

Ivy Bridge wasn’t designed with superthin hybrid systems in mind. The underside of the Yoga 11S becomes noticeably warm when you’re doing anything but basic Web browsing. The machine is whispersilent;
a heftier fan may have been a smart compromise. Also, like virtually all Ivy Bridge laptops with touchscreens, the Yoga 11S struggles to stay alive for an extended period, giving up the ghost after4 hours, 33 minutes in our battery test.

The Yoga 11S is a winner in the design department. Like its predecessor, it sports a hinge that lets you flip the display 360 degrees. Aside from the tablet and laptop configurations, this sturdy machine can work in tent mode and in stand mode (in which the form resembles a 90-degree clamshell, but with the keys facing down).

The 11.6-inch IPS display impresses with vivid colors and deep blacks. The 1366 by 768 resolution is a bummer in tablet mode, but it holds up well during laptop usage on account of the small screen.

Weighing 2.7 pounds and measuring 0.67 inch at its thickest part, this hybrid device falls firmly in the “notebook first” class, but using it as a tablet doesn’t feel awkward—except when your fingers bump the keyboard,
which sits bare at the bottom of the portable when you put it in tablet mode.

Speaking of the nonbacklit island-style keyboard, it provides good spacing, a solid tactile feel, and a decent amount of key travel. My only real qualm is that the keys sit a little too shallow and close to the deck. The buttonless clickpad and the ten-point touchscreen both support Windows 8 gesture controls and are wonderfully responsive.

No hybrid has ever come so close to marrying a laptop’s ergonomics and performance with a reasonably portable 11-inch design. If Lenovo ever decides to update the IdeaPad Yoga 11S with one of Intel’s power-sipping fourth-generation Core processors, the result could be convertible perfection.



Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S

PROS:
• Excellent all-around design
and ergonomics
• Vivid IPS display
• Full version of Windows 8

CONS:
• Mediocre battery life
• Middling performance
• Bulkier than a standard tablet

BOTTOM LINE:
Offers a major improvement over the
original ARM-powered Windows RT Yoga,
but falls short of being the ultimate hybrid.

PRICE:
$999