In the race for powerful computing, Lenovo’s refreshed convertible lineup announced at Mobile World Congress this year is giving its rivals a run for their money. The star of the show is Lenovo’s mid-range Yoga 720, a laptop with a 360-degree hinge that can be used in a variety of different modes, including as a tablet.
While the Yoga 720 may seem more like a stale mid-range laptop—it’s numbering convention places it behind of Lenovo’s flagship Yoga 910 that we recently reviewed—don’t let the device full you. Although the 720 makes due with a more generic hinge mechanism than Lenovo’s overly engineered watchband hinge on the flagship Yoga 900 series, the 720 packs in plenty of power. On paper, it looks like the Yoga 720 can outperform the venerable Yoga 910 and beloved competitors like HP’s Spectre x360 in both 13-inch and 15-inch configurations.
The Yoga 720, like the Spectre that it goes up against, is available in either 13-inch or 15-inch configurations and comes with Intel’s latest 7th generation Core i7 processor. The smaller model is just 0.56-inch thick and comes in at 2.86 pounds, while the larger version is 0.74 inches thick and weighs a heftier 4.40 pounds. Both models can be equipped with up to a high resolution 4K UHD screen.
Lenovo even addressed our complaint when reviewing the Yoga 910, and both configurations of the Yoga 720 come with Thunderbolt support on the USB Type-C port, making it even more versatile when it comes to data transfer speeds. While the smaller 13-inch 720 comes with integrated Intel HD Graphics 620, the 15-inch is VR-ready with a capable Nvidia GTX 1050 discrete GPU. On paper, the Yoga 720 bests the recently released HP Spectre x360 15-inch in the graphics department and matches the performance of Dell’s laptop-only XPS 15 configuration. The Yoga 720 is more versatile than the Dell with its 360-degree hinge.
Add to that Dolby and JBL speaker and audio tuning, support for an optional active stylus and up to nine hours of battery life on the FHD configuration or eight hours with the higher resolution UHD panel, and the Yoga 720 sounds like it could be a winner. Also, unlike the Dell, even though the Yoga 720 comes with a huge chin, the webcam is placed at a more appropriate top-mounted location for more flattering video chats. The design makes use of slim side and top bezels, giving the device a nearly bezel-less effect.
The 13-inch model starts at $859, while the 15-inch starts at $1,099 when the devices go on sale in April. Expect to pay more if you want upgrades, like more SSD storage, a UHD panel and the discrete GPU option. The 15-inch Yoga 720, despite its heftier weight, looks like it could be the convertible to beat if you need power, performance and an attractive convertible design.
If you want to save a bit of money, Lenovo is offering 0.78-inch Yoga 520 with a full HD 14-inch display that retails for $799 in May. At that price, you’ll get the same Intel’s 7th Generation Core i7 processor that’s on the Yoga 910 and Yoga 720, along with Nvidia’s GeForce 940MX discrete GPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM and either a 512GB SSD or 1TB HDD. The Yoga 520 comes with USB Type-C support, but not Thunderbolt 3.