Lenovo Yoga 720-13IKB

In the past few years 13-inch devices have become more and more popular, gone are the days of debating performance over size, With Lenovo recently debuting the Lenovo Yoga 720-13IKB. To begin with, the Yoga 720 features Intel’s latest Kaby Lake Core i5-7200U, Notebooks of this class usually feature a U series processor which denotes low power without compromising performance, it also comes with 8 GB of memory. As per the Yoga lineup this notebook features two 360-degree hinge design which allows the notebook to convert between a tablet and notebook mode. The chassis construction is mostly made up of aluminium which gives it a very premium classy feel and look. Because of its almost all metal construction it is quite rigid and sturdy with no flex at all which is equally impressive, it most certainly can take a beating although it isn’t advised. Weighing in at only 1.3 kg it is quite light compared to some of its competitors. Although this means due to its lightweightedness opening with one hand is ill-advised. One nice feature of the Yoga 720 is it supports 2 USB type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports with one being able to charge the device which adds to versatility of the Thunderbolt standard. Although the Yoga lineup isn’t strictly marketed as a business notebook it does feature a fingerprint reader and a TPM 2.0 chip which is a plus.

Along with the notebook itself Lenovo also includes an active stylus pen for users who just want to take notes with their notebooks. Other standard user input include the chiclet keyboard which is comfortably large and provides decent feedback, albeit a slightly mushier feeling. Although for heavy typists out there the keyboard might flex under pressure, but still isn’t a problem. The keyboard is also backlit with 2 levels of brightness. For a 13-inch notebook the Yoga 720 has a reasonably large touchpad which is centered below the spacebar away from the usual position. However this shouldn’t be an issue while typing. The touchscreen display is a FHD IPS panel which is very responsive, with inputs from both fingers and active stylus being fast and accurate. However, despite being an IPS panel sRGB ratings were at 84% and AdobeRGB ratings were at 55%, which means professional editing is not suited for this display. That said, Lenovo does offer a 4K panel option, should the user wish to choose. Jumping to the audio department of this device are 2 speakers made by JBL. Depending on the mode sounds are noticeably muted and muffled, but for a convertible overall sound quality is average due to a lack of volume, nonetheless highs and mids are pronounced with a hint of bass. Although the user can try to tune the audio with the included Dolby Atmos software. In terms of battery-life the Yoga 720 scores quite well and even tops the manufacturer’s rating at 8 hours 25 minutes. Ultimately despite the Yoga 720 somewhat trying to emulate Apple’s less is more approach it still does deliver in terms of cost to performance.

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam