Lenovo Yoga 900S review

An impressively light and long-lived hybrid laptop

Lenovo Yoga 900S review

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With the Yoga 900, we saw Lenovo master the 2-in-1 laptop and now, with the Yoga 900S, we're getting a refined version that's thinner and lighter. I'm personally not crazy about the short keyboard travel or the undersized trackpad, but a stunning screen and stellar battery life make this 12.5-inch hybrid a solid choice.

We liked

The Lenovo Yoga 900S is easily one of the lightest, and thereby most comfortable, 2-in-1 laptops I've ever used. It's lighter than a MacBook while featuring stronger specs for a lower price – that includes a sharper screen and faster processor.

More than seven hours of battery life on a laptop this thin is baffling. The Yoga 900S will never leave you in a lurch, and it performs well even with some strenuous tasks, like gaming and Photoshop. Plus, the inclusion of full-sized USB 3.0 ports means you can leave that USB-C adapter at home – unlike all the other ultrathin laptops in fashion these days.

We disliked

If you're looking for the best performing machine, this probably isn't it. The 2-in-1 scored worse in every benchmark test save for battery life in its category. While I didn't feel like the Yoga 900S was ever power-deficient, you'll likely run into bottlenecks sooner with this machine than other Core m5-powered systems.

The keyboard and touchpad also aren't the most comfortable inputs ever seen on a notebook. Whether you want larger keys or a larger pointing device, there's definitely some room – and available space – for Lenovo to work with here.

Lenovo Yoga 900S review

Final verdict

The Lenovo Yoga 900S isn't anywhere near perfect, but the sum of its strengths outweigh its flaws. It's a genuinely beautiful laptop that's been assembled with the closest attention to detail. Weighing in at just over 2 pounds, it's also one of the lightest hybrid laptops – and it's actually usable as a tablet.

Despite not putting out the best scores on our benchmark tests, this laptop performs well with everyday tasks and even some of the most demanding applications. What's more, this 2-in-1 machine is easily one of the longest-lasting Windows 10 systems I've seen. With all of that mind, it's easy to appreciate the Yoga 900S despite its blemishes.

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee was a former computing reporter at TechRadar. Kevin is now the SEO Updates Editor at IGN based in New York. He handles all of the best of tech buying guides while also dipping his hand in the entertainment and games evergreen content. Kevin has over eight years of experience in the tech and games publications with previous bylines at Polygon, PC World, and more. Outside of work, Kevin is major movie buff of cult and bad films. He also regularly plays flight & space sim and racing games. IRL he's a fan of archery, axe throwing, and board games.