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MagyarLenovo Yoga 3 Pro 13 80HE004LGE Convertible Review
For the original German review, see here.
The Yoga 3 Pro is a 13.3-inch convertible. Thanks to its 360 degree hinges, the device provides different operating modes. This is not our first time with this convertible; we have actually reviewed a Yoga 3 Pro model before. Competitors are devices like the Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 700, Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S W700N, and Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Notebooks like the Apple MacBook Air 13, Asus Zenbook UX303 and Asus Zenbook UX305 can be considered as rivals as well.
Both Yoga 3 Pro review units share the same construction, so we do not cover the sections Case, Connectivity, Input Devices, Speakers, and the Display in this article. The corresponding information is available in the previous Yoga 3 Pro review.
Case & Connectivity
The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is shipped with a preloaded version of Windows 8.1 (64-bit). We performed the upgrade to Windows 10 and then tested the device. The upgrade process did not cause any problems.
Display
The Yoga 3 Pro is equipped with the display from our previous review model, but the measurement results differ a bit. This is normal though because even two panels from the same series will never be completely identical. The luminance is acceptable on mains, but it is lower on battery power. The contrast is also too low. We expect more when you consider the price of the convertible. We can detect PWM flickering at a frequency of 1330 Hz for brightness levels of 60% and lower. The value is pretty high, so even sensitive users should have no problems with the eyes or headaches.
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Brightness Distribution: 83 %
Center on Battery: 250 cd/m²
Contrast: 551:1 (Black: 0.57 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.18 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 2.45 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
89% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
58% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
65.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
89.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.39
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 1330 Hz | ≤ 60 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 1330 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 60 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 1330 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18961 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 28 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 11 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 65 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.1 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 36 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 15 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 21 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 41 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (34.9 ms). | ||
Performance
Lenovo’s Yoga 3 Pro is a 13.3-inch convertible. It provides sufficient performance for office and web applications. Our review unit retails for around 1,000 Euros ($1112), but other configurations start at 900 Euros ($1001).
Processor
At the heart of the Yoga 3 Pro is an Intel Core M-5Y70 (Broadwell) dual-core processor. It is a very frugal chip with a TDP of 4.5 watts. The CPU has a specified nominal clock of 1.1 GHz, which can be raised up to 2.6 GHz. We can only see this value at the start of our single-thread tests before the clock will drop to less than 2 GHz. Multi-core tests are executed with 1.4-1.5 GHz, but the device only manages these values after a cold start and the clocks will drop further in the second test run. Cinebench R15 Multi, for example, determines a steady score of 140 points after the second run, so the performance is reduced under sustained loads. We would have expected more since the processor is actively cooled.
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The system runs well and without hiccups. The PCMark scores are on the expected level for this processor. Similar to the CPU benchmarks, repeated runs of the PCMarks will result in lower scores. In other words: The Yoga 3 Pro is not the right device if you stress your device for prolonged periods. It is not possible to increase the system performance any further.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 2307 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 3040 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 3121 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Devices
The system drive is a Solid State Disk from Samsung. It is an M.2 drive (2280) with a total capacity of 512 GB. Around 430 GB are free for the user; the rest is occupied by the recovery partition and the Windows installation. The transfer rates of the SSD are good.
GPU Performance
Graphics are handled by the Intel HD Graphics 5300 GPU. It supports DirectX 11.2 and runs with a core clock of up to 850 MHz. The 3DMark scores are pretty normal for this GPU, even though this is once again only the case for the first run. The second attempt of 3DMark 11 only results in 650 points, which is steady when you repeat the benchmark a couple of times.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 817 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 31492 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 2576 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 346 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
The SoC can handle smooth gameplay in some titles that are not very demanding in terms of hardware. You will find a lot of these casual games in the Window Store.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 30.8 | 14.8 | 10.8 | 3.3 |
| Metal Gear Solid V (2015) | 20.6 | 12.4 | ||
| Anno 2205 (2015) | 10.6 | 6.1 | ||
| Star Wars Battlefront (2015) | 13.8 | 7.4 | ||
| Just Cause 3 (2015) | 9.9 | 7.7 | ||
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | 6.6 | 3.9 | ||
| XCOM 2 (2016) | 5.7 | 2.4 | ||
| Far Cry Primal (2016) | 8 | 3 | ||
| The Division (2016) | 10.8 | 7.3 | ||
| Hitman 2016 (2016) | 4.7 | 2.1 | ||
| Need for Speed 2016 (2016) | 9.1 | 7.7 | ||
| Mirror's Edge Catalyst (2016) | 12.2 | 6.9 |
Emissions & Energy
System Noise
The fan is sometimes deactivated while idling, and the device is silent in these scenarios. Most of the time, however, it is active at a low speed. We are a bit surprised about the fact that it does not get much louder under load, where we can only measure up to 32.3 dB(A).
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 31.2 / 31.4 / 31.8 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 32.3 / 32 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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min:  , med:  , max:  Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 31.2 dB(A) | ||
Temperature
The Yoga 3 Pro executes our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark for at least one hour) similarly on mains and battery power. Both the CPU and GPU can only manage high clocks in the first couple of seconds, and then we can see heavy throttling to 700-800 MHz (CPU) and 350 MHz (GPU), respectively. The values will drop even further over the course of the test. The device does not get really warm; we can only measure more than 40 °C (104 °F) at one spot.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 35.3 °C / 96 F, ranging from 19.6 to 55.7 °C for the class Convertible.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34.8 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.9 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 30.2 °C / 86 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 26.6 °C / 79.9 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.2 °C / 82.8 F (+1.6 °C / 2.9 F).
Power Consumption
Our measurements show an idle consumption of up to 11.8 watts, which is a bit high for a device like the Yoga 3 Pro. This is a result of the high-resolution screen. We can even measure up to 19.7 watts during the stress test, but this value will drop when the SoC starts to throttle. The power adapter is rated at 40 watts.
| Off / Standby | 0.3 / 0.45 Watt |
| Idle | 4.8 / 10.7 / 11.8 Watt |
| Load |
18.3 / 19.7 Watt |
   
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Battery Runtimes
Our practical WLAN test simulates the load when you browse the web. The power profile "Balanced" is active, the power saving features are deactivated and the display brightness is adjusted to around 150 nits. The Yoga 3 Pro manages a runtime of 4:23 hours – not a good result. It clearly falls behind the previously reviewed sibling (6:19 hours). The reason: We changed our WLAN test in the meantime, so the results cannot be compared directly.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Lenovo's Yoga 3 Pro is a 13.3-inch convertible. The processor is powerful enough for office and web applications, but it cannot maintain its performance for long periods – despite the active cooling. The system is always quiet and does not really get warm. A fast SSD ensures a responsive system and the input devices are decent. This is, however, not the case for the battery runtime, where we expect more.
The Yoga 3 Pro does have some drawbacks, despite a price of almost 1,000 Euros ($1112).
Lenovo offers a thin and attractive chassis, but the stability is not convincing. Both the base unit and the display can be heavily twisted. This should not be the case when you buy a device for 1,000 Euros. A convertible like the Yoga 3 Pro is usually not only used on your desk at home, so the mainboard might be damaged over time. The display does not really meet the expectations of the pricing, either. The luminance on battery power is reduced, but it should surpass 300 cd/m² since it is a mobile device, which can be used in many places. Another drawback is the low contrast ratio.
Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro 13 80HE004LGE
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06/16/2016 v5.1(old)
Sascha Mölck
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