Lenovo Announces New Windows 10-Powered ThinkPad Yoga Convertibles

Lenovo Announces New Windows 10-Powered ThinkPad Yoga Convertibles

What do you get when you combine the versatility of the Yoga lineup of convertible laptops with the legendary quality and durability of ThinkPad? You get ThinkPad Yoga, of course. And the latest lineup of these devices will bring the power of Windows 10 to road warriors and other power users.

“The latest innovations in ThinkPad Yoga further demonstrate Lenovo’s ability and commitment in staying ahead of the curve and transforming the way an emerging workforce will maintain a competitive edge,” Lenovo senior vice president Tom Shell says. “A new generation of decision makers is emerging seeking cutting edge technology.”

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As with the Lenovo Miix 700 I wrote about earlier today, I was able to spend some time with the new ThinkPad Yoga convertibles yesterday and speak with the folks who designed and make the devices. Here’s what I found out.

ThinkPad Yoga 260 in stand mode
ThinkPad Yoga 260 in stand mode

Two models. There are two ThinkPad Yoga convertibles coming this fall, a ThinkPad Yoga 260 with a 12.5-inch display and a ThinkPad Yoga 460 with a 14-inch display. Both are available in traditional ThinkPad black or in silver. And both of course offer the standard Yoga 360 degree hinge with laptop, stand, tent and tablet usage modes.

ThinkPad Yoga 460 in silver
ThinkPad Yoga 460 in silver

Processors. No compromises here: both models come with a variety of Intel Core processor choices. With the 260, you run the gamut from a base Core i3 version all the way up to Core i7-6600U. The 460 comes with a variety of 6th-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors.

RAM. The 260 can be configured with up to 8 GB of RAM, while the 460 can be had with up to 16 GB of RAM.

Storage. The 260 is SSD-only, with options up to 512 GB. The 460, intriguingly, can be configured with up to a 1 TB traditional HDD or 256 GB SSD.

Graphics. While Intel HD graphics are standard on both, the 460 offers an optional NVIDIA GeForce 940M with 2 GB of dedicated RAM as well.

Screen. The 12.5-inch 260 can be had with in 1366 x 768 HD or 1920 x 1080 Full HD displays, while the 14-inch 460 three options: Full HD IPS with anti-glare, Full HD IPS glossy, or WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS glossy.

ThinkPad Yoga 460 keyboard in laptop mode
ThinkPad Yoga 460 keyboard in laptop mode

Keyboard. Here, I see some real innovation, as one of the big issues with convertibles is that the keyboard is touching the table when the device is used in certain modes. So both of these new ThinkPad Yoga solve this problem with tiny nubs that lift the device off the table a bit when used upside down and, more impressive, a retracting keyboard (actually, the area around the keys lifts) that further separates the keys from the table. Very impressive.

ThinkPad Yoga 260 with keyboard retracted while in tablet mode
ThinkPad Yoga 260 with keyboard retracted while in tablet mode

Connectivity. Both include Wi-Fi combo (AC/WLAN/WWA) and WiGig. The 260 ships with Bluetooth 4.1, while the 460 has Bluetooth 4.0. The 260 also offers SCR and LTE-A capabilities.

Expansion. The 260 has two USB 3.0 ports, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, microSD, and Lenovo’s upgraded OneLink+ docking port. The 460 has three USB 3.0 ports, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, a 4-in-1 media card reader, and the OneLink+ docking port.

Pen. Both of these ThinkPad Yoga models come with an integrated and rechargeable ThinkPad Pen Pro. This Pen docks inside the device and—seriously, this is so obvious—quick-charge when docking. I believe the figure I heard was 10 minutes of charging for 3 hours of usage.

Weight. While both of these are light devices for their respective classes, Lenovo is billing the ThinkPad Yoga 260 as the world’s lightest 12.5-inch convertible notebook, which apparently it is at just 2.9 pounds. The bigger 460 weighs 3.9 pounds. Both weights are achieved by the use of carbon fiber which is both durable and lightweight.

Security. Both devices can be outfitted with optional Windows Hello-compatible fingerprint security. The 460 gets the traditional swipe-based ThinkPad fingerprint reader, but with the 260 you can get a brand-new touch-based fingerprint reader I’m eager to try.

The ThinkPad Yoga 260's new fingerprint reader
The ThinkPad Yoga 260’s new fingerprint reader

Battery life. Lenovo rates both ThinkPad Yogas at up to 10 hours of battery.

Crapware. Lenovo really seems to have learned its crapware lesson, though to be fair ThinkPads have never been offensive this way. Both devices come with one year of Office 365 Personal (excellent), 30 days of McAfee (boo), and a very small set of Lenovo utilities like Settings 3.0, Companion, REACHit, SHAREit and WRITEit.

I’ll definitely be reviewing at least one of these new devices and could see the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 460 as a potential future personal-use laptop.

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