Lenovo Yoga S940 Laptop Aims For New User Category

The Yoga S940 is a laptop that Lenovo has designed in pursuit of new usage models, that may be underserved even by the current high-end PC laptops offering.

In a world where the lines between life and work are getting completely blurred, thanks to the gig economy, having offices in co-working spaces, or even working remotely from any places, the traditional assumption of “Home” laptop and “Business” laptop is not always true. In fact, Samsung made the same analysis when launching its Notebook 9 Pro yesterday.

That’s why the Yoga S940 has been created: it fits both extremely well. First, it has a stunning CNC-aluminum design that looks extremely sturdy. It is a beautiful looking thin (12.2mm) & light (2.64lbs) computer that looks serious for business, but visually much more attractive than a typical black business computer.

The body is very thin, but it has the minimal amount of ports to make it comfortable to use: 2 x Thunderbolt 3 USB-C, 1 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1, Some laptops no longer have a full-size USB-A port, and that can sting when you want to simply read a USB key.

Its 14” (13.9) display can be equipped with a seemingly superior webcam that includes an IR sensor to unlock the computer using your face. Lenovo says that it is using A.I to filter out ambient noises or even busy background during video calls that need to be business-like, no matter where you are.

The display has a stunning look, with thin “Contour” bezels (L/R: 4.2mm, Top: 5.4mm/6.9mm, Bottom: 8.65mm) and comes in:

• UHD (3840 x 2400) IPS VESA HDR400 500nits
• FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, Dolby Vision, 400nits

We’ve seen several AI sound-filtering demos that do just that while we were at the recent Snapdragon Summit (Dec 2018), so we know that this is a very legitimate use of AI. We’re looking forward to putting the Lenovo Yoga S940’s AI sound recording to the test.

Webcam audio can actually be extremely frustrating in a noisy place. When you don’t speak, the microphone will absolutely focus on ANY sound it can find, including silverware noise, or background conversations at the table near you. That’s all because it is assumed that your webcam calls will be done from a quiet location.

The Yoga S940 webcam is also smart enough to know when you’re no longer near the computer and will lock your Windows automatically until you return.

Priced at $1,499.99+ and available in May 2019, this laptop can be configured with a powerful Intel Core i7 CPU (we assume a 15W TDP one) and 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Storage options include 256GB, 512GB and 1TB of PCIe SSD. It’s not clear what battery capacity this computer has, so we’ll keep an eye on that as more information surfaces.

Overall, the Lenovo Yoga S940 is getting a lot of features (display, webcam, ultra-thin chassis) that we would like to see in more laptops. However, its thinness would currently prevent it from having the sound quality of the Yoga C930 we recently reviewed, just to give you an obvious example. It seems that Lenovo is trying to carve a new market here, probably based on solid market studies.

Key Specs

• Intel 8th Gen Core i7, 8GB/16GB LPDDR3
• 319.3 x 197.4 x 12.2mm
• Front-facing Dolby Atmos Speaker system
• 13.9” Display, IR Camera
  • 13.9” Contour Glass: • UHD (3840 x 2400) IPS, VESA HDR400, 500nits
  • FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, Dolby Vision, 400nits
• 256GB/512GB/1TB PCIe SSD
• Rapid Charge Capable (1 hr = 80% charge)
• 2 x Thunderbolt 3 USB-C, 1 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1

Hubert Nguyen
Categories: Computers
Tags: CES, CES 2019, Laptops, Lenovo, _breaking