Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

The Yoga family is one of Lenovo's most well-known PC lines, but the company doesn't want consumers to see it and only think "two-in-ones." Lenovo is transitioning the Yoga line to encompass all things premium, not just those with a hinge that flexes 360 degrees. To usher in the new Yoga era, Lenovo came out with the Yoga C930, a two-in-one with a new hinge style and a hidden stylus enclosure, and the new Yoga S730, a thin-and-light clamshell PC that may tempt some MacBook lovers.

The Yoga C930 embodies "premium" in nearly every way. The all-metal Ultrabook looks much like past Yoga devices but with one immediately noticeable difference: Lenovo didn't carry over its signature watchband hinge to this new convertible. Instead, it created a new hinge that holds the device's Dolby Atmos-ready speakers.

The rotating sound bar moves when the user switches from laptop mode to tent mode and so forth, making sure that clear sound comes through regardless of the device's position. It's a cool concept that will come in handy even when users don't expect it—sound is often obstructed when a convertible flexes into a position that isn't laptop mode, and users only realize when it's too late that they're stuck listening to muffled music and voices.

Lenovo included a hidden stylus in the chassis of the Yoga C930—it lives in a garage at one corner, near the device's hinge. A quick press pops it out of its chamber so you can use it on the Yoga C930's 13.9-inch display, which comes in FHD and 4K panel options. The two-in-one also has a Windows Hello fingerprint reader beneath its keyboard and a webcam with a privacy shutter. Unlike Lenovo's other privacy shutters on ThinkPad devices, the one on the Yoga C930 is more discretely built into the device, allowing the bezel surrounding the webcam to be quite thin.

The Yoga C930 has the specs you'd expect of a premium Ultrabook: 8th-gen Core i5 and i7 processors, Intel HD 620 graphics, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 2TB of PCIe SSD storage, two USB-C ports, one USB 3.1 port, and a headphone/mic jack. Depending on the quality of the screen panel, the device can get between 9 and 14 hours of battery life on a single charge.

With the new positioning of the Yoga brand, its bend-and-flex name doesn't just encompass two-in-ones. The new Yoga S730 is a thin-and-light laptop that's aimed toward Windows users who like the MacBook's style. Weighing 2.6 pounds and measuring 11.9mm at its widest point, the Ultrabook combines an all-metal structure with a keyboard that's akin to those on ThinkPad devices. The 13.3-inch FHD display still has a big bezel chin, but the bezels on the side and top of the display are slim like those on the Yoga C930.

The Yoga S730 will support Intel's latest Whiskey Lake processors, Intel HD 620 graphics, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB PCIe SSD storage. It beats the MacBook on ports as well, including two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one USB-C 3.1 port, and one headphone/mic jack. Users can add an optional fingerprint reader and IR camera to the device to use Windows Hello biometric login as well. The battery in this device isn't as hefty as its counterpart in the C930, and Lenovo estimates it can last about 10 hours on a single charge.

The Yoga C930 will be available in October starting at $1,399, and the Yoga S730 will be available in November starting at $999.

Listing image by Valentina Palladino