The Lenovo Yoga 700-Series is a platform for Lenovo to bring some of the innovations introduced with the 900-Series ($1200+) to a more affordable price point ($880+). The Lenovo Yoga 730 comes in two display sizes: 13” and 15” and has a design inspired from the more expensive Yoga 920, but cannot match the extreme compactness and manufacturing quality of it.
The internal specifications of the Yoga 730 are comparable to higher-end models: it is possible to use a Core i7 (Gen8) processor and 16GB of RAM. Both models can be ordered with a 4K UHD IPS LCD display. The 15-inch Yoga 730 can even have a discrete entry-level graphics processor (GeForce GTX 1050 GPU) which is faster than the integrated Intel graphics unit. That makes the 15-inch Yoga 730 gaming-capable and much more performant for Creatives who do video editing and graphic design.
Without more details about the actual model numbers for CPU, RAM, and SSD, it’s difficult to estimate the performance precisely, and only a review (or very detailed specifications) would provide more insights at this point. The general idea is that these computers can bring a very good computing experience at a much lower price point as their high-end counterparts, partially because of the industrial design choices.
Those 13” and 15” computers address two different usage models. 15-inch laptops tend to serve as desktop replacements and stay at a desk, while the 13-inch version is a traditional mobile computer that moves around with the user.
As a result, you can see large differences in weight (2.46 lbs and 4.16 lbs respectively) for what is essentially a very similar computing power (if you put the NVIDIA graphics option aside). The 13-inch model gets better input/output options thanks to two Type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, while the 15-inch has “only” two USB 3.0.
The lack of Thunderbolt 3.0 in the 15” version is probably driven by the assumption that the 13” might need to be connected to a monitor from time to time, while the 15” probably won’t. Type-C Thunderbolt 3 can normally connect a laptop with two 4K monitors, and even external GPUs, although you might want to do a bit of research because the external GPU compatibility isn’t always established.
We had some hands-on time with the two laptops, and the build quality caught our attention. They are a bit thicker than high-end models, but the materials and surface treatment were nice and felt premium. Designs like this make the Premium Laptop segment interesting, and we should start reviewing some this year.
Filed in . Read more about Laptops, Lenovo, MWC and MWC 2018.