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IFA 2018 | Watchband no more — Lenovo Yoga C930 convertible is ditching the iconic hinge for more powerful speakers

Watchband no more — Lenovo Yoga C930 convertible is ditching the iconic hinge for more powerful speakers
Watchband no more — Lenovo Yoga C930 convertible is ditching the iconic hinge for more powerful speakers
The intricate and unique watchband hinge of previous Yoga 900 models will be dropped in favor of more powerful Dolby Atmos speakers starting with the Yoga C930. Much of the core hardware and processor features remain identical to the outgoing Yoga 920.

As part of Lenovo's annual refresh of the Yoga 900 series and its revised naming convention, the manufacturer has unveiled the Yoga C930 convertible at IFA 2018 to succeed last year's Yoga 920.

As illustrated by our table below, however, the upcoming C930 will not be bringing any core performance updates or even display changes from the Yoga 920. Users can expect the same Kaby Lake-R Core i5 and i7 options alongside the same 13.9-inch FHD or 4K UHD touchscreen. The new model will even carry identical connectivity features with its USB Type-A and 2x Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Instead, the biggest change for the C930 involves its hinge. Lenovo is "retiring" its iconic watchband hinge that dates back to the original 2015 Yoga 900 for a more traditional-looking bar hinge. Aside from being less expensive to manufacture, the OEM says the new approach introduces more usable volume for engineers whereas the watchband hinge had no secondary functions.

For example, the new stiffer bar hinge has allowed Lenovo to integrate larger and louder Dolby ATMOS-enabled speakers located inside of the hollow hinge. The manufacturer has even found room to include a recessed WACOM stylus whereas the digitizers of the XPS 15 9575, Spectre x360 15, and Surface Pro are all external.

Other than the few changes above, the Yoga C930 is not hugely different from the Yoga 920 and it's even a bit thicker by a fraction of a millimeter. There are still no discrete Nvidia GPU options or a SD card reader and we're hopeful that the display backlight will be brighter this time around for better outdoor visibility.

The Yoga C930 launches this October for a starting price of $1400 USD. The system should not be confused with the Yoga Book C930.

Lenovo Yoga C930Lenovo Yoga 920
CPUCore i7-8550U
Core i5-8250U
Core i7-8550U
Core i5-8250U
GPUUHD Graphics 620UHD Graphics 620
Display13.9-inch FHD IPS Touchscreen
13.9-inch 4K UHD IPS Touchscreen
13.9-inch FHD IPS Touchscreen
13.9-inch 4K UHD IPS Touchscreen
RAM8 GB or up to 16 GB DDR48 GB or up to 16 GB DDR4
Storage256 GB or up to 2 TB PCIe SSD256 GB or up to 1 TB PCIe SSD
BatteryUp to 10 hours70 Wh
ConnectivityUSB 3.1 Type-A, 3.5 mm combo audio, 2x Thunderbolt 3, Fingerprint readerUSB 3.1 Type-A, 3.5 mm combo audio, 2x Thunderbolt 3, Fingerprint reader
Dimensions320.2 x 226.7 x 14.5 mm323 x 223.5 x 14 mm
Weight1.38 kg1.37 kg
Lenovo Yoga C930 (Source: Lenovo)
Lenovo Yoga C930 (Source: Lenovo)
Lenovo Yoga C930. The webcam now has a physical slider - no tape necessary!
Lenovo Yoga C930. The webcam now has a physical slider - no tape necessary!
Webcam is still along the top edge unlike on the XPS 13
Webcam is still along the top edge unlike on the XPS 13
Spring-loaded recess for the WACOM stylus along the rear corner
Spring-loaded recess for the WACOM stylus along the rear corner
Same connectivity features as the Yoga 920
Same connectivity features as the Yoga 920
Watchband hinge is gone in favor of a bar hinge
Watchband hinge is gone in favor of a bar hinge
Smooth matte aluminum surfaces from top to bottom
Smooth matte aluminum surfaces from top to bottom
Rechargeable digitizer ejected from the rear
Rechargeable digitizer ejected from the rear
Note the new speakers inside of the bar hinge
Note the new speakers inside of the bar hinge
No ports along the right edge
No ports along the right edge
Ventilation grilles hidden underneath the hinge
Ventilation grilles hidden underneath the hinge
Digitizer is skinnier than the one for the Surface Pro series
Digitizer is skinnier than the one for the Surface Pro series
Quad speakers for a sub 14-inch convertible notebook
Quad speakers for a sub 14-inch convertible notebook
Same Chiclet keyboard as on the Yoga 920
Same Chiclet keyboard as on the Yoga 920
Dedicated fingerprint reader; no Power button integration yet
Dedicated fingerprint reader; no Power button integration yet

Source(s)

Lenovo

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2018 07 > Watchband no more — Lenovo Yoga C930 convertible is ditching the iconic hinge for more powerful speakers
Allen Ngo, 2018-08-30 (Update: 2018-08-28)