Lenovo’s Yoga 9i Gen 7 is a 2-in-1 statement piece

Specifications at a glance: Lenovo Yoga 9i (14″)
	Worst	Best	As rated
Screen	14-inch 1920×1200 IPS touchscreen	14-inch 3840×2400 90Hz OLED IPS touchscreen	14-inch 2800×1800 90Hz OLED IPS touchscreen
operating system	Windows 11 Home
Processor	Intel Core i7-1260P
RAM	8GB LPDDR5-5200	16GB LPDDR5-5200
Storage	256GB PCIe 4.0 SSD	1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD	512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD
GPU	Intel Iris Xe (integrated)
Networking	802.11ax (2×2), Bluetooth 5.2
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1x 3.5mm jack
Mate	12.52 x 9.06 x 0.6 in (318 x 230 x 15.25mm)
Weight	Starts at 3.26 lbs (1,480 g)
Battery	75 Whr
Guarantee	1 year
Price (list price)	$1,080 at Lenovo	$1,930	$1,730

If a laptop wants to make a statement, it has to have more than just the latest components: it has to have style. Lenovo’s Yoga 9i is poised to compete in today’s market with its Intel 12th Gen P-series CPUs, but it shows that it’s more than just a thin and light convertible with luxurious details.

You can immediately tell that the Yoga 9i is designed to grab your attention with its glossy, polished finishes. But it’s the conveniences, such as a high-resolution webcam with background blur, an optional high-speed OLED touchscreen and abnormally loud speakers, that tell the real story.

(Note: The OLED versions of the Yoga 9i aren’t available for purchase, but Lenovo told us they should be available at Best Buy within the next two weeks.)

Slim and Shiny

The Yoga 9i proves that a laptop doesn’t have to be a MacBook or even a MacBook imitator to offer a striking design. The aluminum chassis on my test unit is silver, but the laptop also comes in a gold “oatmeal” shade and a darker gray. I loved the subtle glitters on the matte lid, deck and keyboard of the silver version. Instead of begging for attention by living in the center of the laptop’s lid, the sculpted Lenovo and Yoga logos play it cool and wait for you to notice them on the edges of the lid.

You could call the design of this laptop “edgy” – not because it’s rebellious, but because of the striking, glossy edges of the deck. Reflective and polished, they offer a rounded alternative to the sharp, pointed laptop edges we often see. Lenovo says the edges make the machine more comfortable to hold in tablet mode, but I found they added unnecessary slickness.

More cumbersome is the slim, flat power button on the right side of the deck; I repeatedly accidentally hit it when moving the laptop, even after using the machine for a few weeks. The Yoga 9i’s polished edges are nice, but I’d rather have dull, non-reflective, sharp edges if it meant I’d have a better grip and less accidental pressing of the power button.

If you rarely hold your laptop by the left and right sides, you probably won’t be bothered by that. There is, of course, no power button on the back.

There is also a sound bar. The holes covering the 360-degree hinge and the two tweeters are the final details that make the laptop a statement. Still, I’m concerned about the longevity of the speakers, especially considering that the holes are visible even with the laptop closed.

Finally, don’t let the Yoga 9i’s slimness ruin port selection. On the left, it has two Thunderbolt 4 ports and even a USB-A port (3.2 Gen 2 at 10 Gbps). The right side has a 3.5mm jack and another USB-C port (3.2 Gen 2).

There’s no HDMI or DisplayPort, but between the Thunderbolt 4 options for a USB-C monitor and the OLED display, you can hopefully make it.