Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12 review

A flexible, business-centric device

Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12 review

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The Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12 is trying to be all things to all people. Normally when this happens there are major compromises that damage the overall integrity of the product. This isn't the case with the Yoga 12 – it competes pretty well against some of the major players in all of the specific categories in which it wants to play.

We liked

The Yoga 12 is a versatile bulldog of a device. You can use it as your work laptop. You can use it for play. It won't be the best pick for either of these tasks, but it won't stray too far from the upper tier either.

At 3.4 pounds and 0.74 inches thick, it's just light and slim enough to claim portability. With more than seven hours of video playback, its battery is good enough to get through a workday, and it's affordably priced starting at just $845.

We disliked

For the very same reason, you may want to avoid this device. If you absolutely need a machine that can edit video, handle multiple spreadsheets, and store a ton of data, then you're better off going with the slightly heavier Dell Precision M3800, which is only 3.8 pounds (1.8 kg) compared to the Yoga 12's 3.4 pounds. Conversely, if you need something that's lightweight and sexy, then you should definitely go with the Yoga 3 Pro or the Surface Pro 3.

Final verdict

If your business is looking for a powerful and versatile convertible laptop that looks good and doesn't break the bank, the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 12 should definitely be on your shortlist. However, don't expect this device to wow in any specific category.

The ThinkPad Yoga 12 isn't the lightest. It isn't the fastest, it isn't the most powerful and it doesn't have the nicest screen, either. What you're getting here is just enough style to be cool, and just enough horsepower to be productive.