Lenovo released its dual-display Yoga Book 9i last year and has now updated it with Core Ultra processors at CES 2024. It still features two 13-inch, 2.8K OLED displays and comes equipped with a detachable Bluetooth keyboard, a pen, a mouse and an origami stand that lets you set up the displays either side by side or one on top of the other. We previewed the first version last year and appreciated the overall design, but felt it was more useful as a portable all-in-one than a day-to-day laptop.
The updated Yoga Book 9i will feature Intel Core processors, up to 32GB of RAM and up to a 1TB SSD. A big, 80-watt-hour battery is on board to power both displays. The new models are expected to be out in April 2024 starting at $2,000.
Watch this: Lenovo Yoga Book 9i Is Like A Mini All-In-One PC With Double Displays 06:21
New flagship Yoga gets the mini-LED treatment
Another update from Lenovo that caught my eye is the new top-end Yoga two-in-one. The 16-inch Yoga Pro 9i Gen 9 features a 3.2K (3200 x 2000) mini-LED display powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor and RTX 4070 GPU. Media creators are sure to appreciate the roomy, mini-LED display and powerful CPU/GPU combo, and media consumers will also enjoy the big, bright (up to 1,200 nits) display and six-speaker array.
The Yoga Pro 9i Gen 9 is expected to ship in April starting at $1,700.
Among Lenovo’s many laptop announcements at CES is one that stands out from the rest, although you wouldn’t know it at first glance. The unassuming-looking ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is a detachable two-in-one that can act as both a tablet and laptop, but it’s also a two-in-one on the software side, too. Instead of the usual two-in-one that runs Windows in both hardware modes, it runs Android when you detach the display to use it as a tablet and switches back to Windows when you reconnect it to the keyboard/base.
With its small icons and variety of right-click menus, I’ve always felt that Windows is much easier to navigate with a touchpad or mouse rather than tapping on a touchscreen, so I like the idea of marrying a fully functioning Android tablet and Windows 11 laptop. Both sides can be used independently; the display/tablet features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU, 12GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The keyboard/base features an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The hybrid system shares what looks to be a good display: a 14-inch, 2.8K OLED panel.
I’ll be curious to see how you can share files across the dual-OS divide but will need to wait a few months to check it out, although my colleague Lisa Eadicicco got to spend some time with this curious hybrid at CES.
The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is expected in Q2 with a starting price of $1,999.