Lenovo Yoga Book 9i Review: Dualscreen Experiment Succeeds

When it comes to work, not many of us can survive without multiple screens. Laptops with foldable screens like the ThinkPad X1 Fold are a solution to this problem, although they may be of better quality and the technology is still relatively new.

But a dual screen laptop? It's a form factor that has some potential, and the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is the first device to seriously test it. The Yoga Book 9i features two separate 13.3-inch OLED displays connected by the company's proven single-band hinge and is designed for foldable laptop use. However, it's still a bit clunky, with origami stalls and some unsatisfactory dual-screen styles. But for multitaskers who don't mind tweaking their workflow, the Yoga Book 9i is a well-executed experience.

Specifications and configurations

Lenovo Yoga 9i book
Size:	11.78" x 8.03" x 0.63"
Heavy	£2.95
Curator:	Intel Core i7-1355U Processor
graphic	Intel IrisXe
RAM:	16GB LPDDR5x
offer	2 x 13.3 inch 2.8K OLED (2880 x 1800)
storage	1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
touch	Yes
you bring	3 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4
wireless	WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1
webcams	With a 5MP IR camera compatible with Windows 11 Hello
Operating system	Windows 11 operating system
percussion instrument	80 hours
cost	2000 dollars

There's currently only one Yoga Book 9i configuration, the $2,000 Best Buy version, with a Core i7-1355U, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and dual 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED panels. That's going to be pricey for a premium 13-inch laptop, but you're definitely paying more for the extra screen.

project

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Unboxing the Yoga Book 9i is an amazing experience. I usually take out my laptop and power supply and go. I'll probably get a stylus if it's included in a 2-in-1. However, the Yoga Book 9i's packaging is multi-layered and I had to keep digging to get to all the pieces.

There's an extra box for an external keyboard and an origami stand, both hidden under the laptop. There is another folding piece that magnetically snaps into the triangle and I have no idea what it is for. At first I thought it was for the keyboard, but the angle was too steep. And then, yes, there's also the opening pen, along with the included external mouse.

When closed, the Yoga Book 9i closely resembles the 14-inch Yoga 9i Gen 8, especially on the sides. It has the same rounded edges and overall profile, although it's slightly smaller in width and height thanks to a smaller display. The screen edges are smooth and the soundbar hinge holds the panels together.

Of course, open the Yoga Book 9i and you won't find the standard keyboard, trackpad, and palm rest, but rather a flat glass that mimics the main screen. This is a very attractive and modern laptop when closed and futuristic when opened.

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At 2.95 pounds and 0.63 inches thick, it's also a pretty thin and light laptop when you consider the extra screen. Both are slightly larger than other 13-inch laptops, such as the Dell XPS 13 Plus, which measures 0.60 inches thick and weighs 2.71 pounds. It's a minor difference, but then you have to consider the weight of the keyboard and external stand. When that happens, the Yoga Book 9i becomes a bigger, less compact package. You don't want to forget or misplace any accessories, because your laptop is pretty much useless without them.

The Yoga Book 9i is a rugged laptop with an aluminum body and covers for both screens (including the bottom cover). It feels as sturdy as any other premium laptop, and that's really important here to create confidence that the extra screen is well protected. I didn't get the impression that this laptop is thin, although I have to admit that the placement of the physical keyboard on the screen was awkward at first.

© Provided by Digital Trends Lenovo Yoga Book 9i . Left side view to show ports. © Provided by Digital Trends Lenovo Yoga Book 9i . The view on the right shows the port.

Connectivity is limited to Thunderbolt 4 with three USB-C ports. It lacks a trend-following audio jack which I personally don't like. Advanced wireless connectivity with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1.

The webcam is the 5MP version and provides great HD images for video conferencing, and there's an infrared camera for Windows 11 Hello compatibility. Both fall into the opposite tiers that have become iconic in Lenovo's premium laptops.

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dual screen

So far, I've described the Yoga Book 9i in terms that apply to traditional laptops. But of course there's a lot more thanks to the second screen, which makes it a very different laptop in actual use.

First, let's think of it as a conditional shell. By itself, it stands with two screens, one vertical and one horizontal. The user center application included with the device offers a number of options for using the second screen, including joining the top screen to provide more vertical space. So if you're just browsing the web, you can open a web page and expand it to a second screen and view multiple pages at once. It's also easy to move windows to the second screen.

However, many times you'll want to enter text, and there are two ways to do this. You can use the virtual keyboard available on the bottom screen by tapping with eight fingers. By default, the keyboard opens at the top with the virtual trackpad below. The screen has haptic feedback, which works fine, but it's not perfect. default clicks are pronounced just enough to provide feedback on keypresses, but if you type too fast, your taps feel sluggish.

I also struggle to type quickly due to the lack of physical feedback in key position. I have to look at the keyboard and it slows me down. It's sufficient for typing short texts, but it's no substitute for a physical keyboard.

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The virtual touchpad is very useful, and the virtual buttons also provide tactile feedback. There are however instances where the touchpad loses cursor control, such as when an administrative dialog box appears and I have to use the touchscreen to press a button on the screen to return control to the touchpad. Note that you can swipe down on the keyboard, detach the trackpad and open the set of tools at the top of the screen. The included external mouse will come in handy in this setup.

Of course, Lenovo includes a physical magnetic keyboard in the box, and you can use it in two ways. You can place it in front of your laptop and leave the second screen fully accessible. Or you can place it on the display where it attaches magnetically. The physical keyboard works like a virtual keyboard. When placed at the top, a virtual touchpad appears, and widgets at the bottom.

© Provided by Digital Trends Lenovo Yoga Book 9i . © Provided by Digital Trends Lenovo Yoga Book 9i . The physical keyboard is shown above.

The keyboard itself is great, with Lenovo's usual sculpted keys and lots of space between the keys. The keys are light and flexible and I can maintain my normal typing speed. Again, the virtual touchpad worked fine with only a few glitches. However, I don't like using the keyboard externally, as it's very uncomfortable when I'm lying on my desk.

Note that you can also use the Yoga Book 9i as a tablet as it is a 360 degree convertible 2-in-1 device. You'll have a slightly annoying experience holding the glass sideways, but other than that it works like any convertible in tablet mode. This is probably where you use the stylus the most, although typing on the bottom screen is also useful.

Next, let's see how to use your laptop with an origami stand. The stand itself was simple enough to install, or so my wife's did. After a few minutes of trying to figure out how to fold it properly, he took it out of my hands and was done in seconds. So it's actually quite simple if you don't make it too complicated from scratch like me. The stand is also stable once installed, keeping the laptop in place despite being very light.

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You can place the Yoga Book 9i horizontally on the stand, giving you two vertical screens with the speakers in between, or you can place it vertically with two stacked horizontal panels. The keyboard attaches magnetically to the base of the base, providing just enough millimeter angle to make typing more comfortable. If the stand has a weak point, it means that the angle cannot be adjusted. Luckily, Lenovo opted for a comfortable angle in both directions.

© Provided by Digital Trends Lenovo Yoga Book 9i with dual display in landscape orientation. © Digital Trends Lenovo Yoga Book 9i double header review

Two ways to use your laptop give you a lot of flexibility. As a writer, I prefer the landscape layout as it provides one side for writing and another for web browsing, both of which benefit from the taller portrait orientation. I find the portrait layout useful when I want to watch a movie or TV show on the top screen while working on the bottom panel. Either way, the setup works surprisingly well, though you'll definitely want to ditch the external mouse.

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The Yoga Book 9i uses an Intel Core i7-1355U processor, which is a low-power processor that runs at 15W. It's a 10-core chip (two running at 5.0GHz and eight running at 3.7GHz). and light notebook and productivity users. We've only reviewed a few laptops with this processor, and both offer similar performance, though the Lenovo falls short of the Asus ZenBook S 13's OLED in performance mode.

As we can see from our benchmarks, the Yoga Book 9i offers enough performance for productivity users, but won't satisfy creative folks. Integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics deliver average performance, so it's not a gaming machine. But in my tests, it ran on dual monitors without issue, and most users will find the performance more than adequate.

Geekbench5: (single / multiple)	handbrake (second)	cinema seats R23 (single / multiple)	Computer rating 10 finish
Lenovo Yoga 9i book (Core i7-1355U)	Friends: 1,797/6,926 yield: 1.804/7.815	friends: 181 Annuity: 118	Friends: 1,681/6,303 yield: 1.758/7.576	5514
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED 2023 (Core i7-1355U)	Friends: 1,829/6,893 yield: 1.836/6.908	friends: 157 Annuity: 135	Friends: 1629/6005 yield: 1,827/6,962	5423
Lenovo Yoga9i Gen8 (Core i7-1360P)	Friends: 1,843/8,814 yield: 1.835/10.008	friends: 122 Annuity: 101	Friends: 1,846/8,779 result: 1906/9849	6102
Dell XPS13 9315 (Core i5-1230U)	Friends: 1393/4459 result: 1477/5350	friends: 333 results: 192	Friends: 1379/3457 Result: N/A	4023
Dell XPS 13plus (Core i7-1280P)	Friends: 1.316/8.207 Result: N/A	friends: 127 result: 94	Friends: 1.311/6.308 Performance: 1650/7530	4309
Lenovo Slim Pro 7 (Ryzen77735HS)	Friends: 1493/9021 Performance: 1498/9210	95 friends: result: 84	Friends: 1.551/12536 yield: 1.553/13.107	6828
Apple MacBook Air M2 (M2)	Friends: 1925/8973 Result: N/A	friends: 151 Result: N/A	Friends: 1600/7938 result: N/A	Not available

The Yoga Book 9i has an 80Wh battery, which is sufficient for a 13-inch laptop. And that means a lot when you only have one screen to turn on. But with two power-hungry OLED panels connected, the laptop will use all the power it can get.

In our series of battery tests, this laptop delivered below average performance and fell short of the Zenbook S 13 OLED. The second screen is clearly blacked out. Once you translate that into real-world use, you may need a charger to get you going for a full day.

Browse the Internet	videos	PCMark 10 application
Lenovo Yoga 9i book (Core i7-1355U)	8 hours 53 minutes	9 hours 53 minutes	11 hours 20 minutes
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED 2023 (Core i7-1355U)	9 hours 47 minutes	15 hours 14 minutes	12 hours 50 minutes
Lenovo Yoga9i Gen8 (Core i7-1360P)	7 hours 41 minutes	13 hours 25 minutes	9 hours 40 minutes
Dell XPS13 9315 (Core i5-1230U)	13 hours 18 minutes	Not available	Not available
Dell XPS 13 Plus (Core i7-1280P)	8 hours, 0 minutes	9 hours 20 minutes	6 hours 52 minutes
Lenovo Slim Pro 7 (AMDRyzen77735HS)	9 hours 40 minutes	11 hours 41 minutes	10 hours 34 minutes
Apple MacBook Air M2 (block M2)	17 hours 59 minutes	21 hours 9 minutes	Not available

display quality

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If you plan to put two OLED screens in one laptop, both will work better. And indeed, out of the box both look great, achieving decent brightness and great colors and the usual OLED blacks. Both displays are sharp at 2.8K (2880 x 1800) resolution, and both work at just 60Hz.

According to my colorimeter, the screens are nearly identical in their target performance. They are typical examples of OLED class devices. No matter what screen you use, you'll get the same premium experience. Both screens are touch screens and both support the Lenovo Active Pen with scrolling support.

twinkle (lice)	interview	RGB series	AdobeRGB series	Delta E accuracy (a little bit more)
Lenovo Yoga Book 9i 1 screen (OLEDs)	385	26.740:1	100%	98%	0.83
Lenovo Yoga Book 9i 2 screen (OLEDs)	381	25.450:1	100%	97%	0.81
Lenovo Yoga9i Gen8 (OLEDs)	395	27.510:1	100%	96%	0.79
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED 2023 (OLEDs)	380	Not available	100%	97%	0.78
Lenovo Slim Pro 7 2023 (IPS)	375	1290:1	100%	80%	1.73:
Dell XPS13 9315 (IPS)	444:	1390:1	96%	75%	01:33
Apple MacBook Air M2 (IPS)	486	1.310:1	100%	90%	01:08

Laptops with two screens (mostly)

To get the most out of the Yoga Book 9i, you'll need a few extra components. But that's okay, because they work well, and this is a laptop that can work both in traditional mode and in dual monitor mode. There are lots of different tools for getting the most out of your screen, and most of them work well. Just a few bugs that spoil the experience.

Of course, they are expensive, as many trial designs tend to be. So if you're seriously considering buying this unique laptop, you'll have to decide if advanced multitasking is really worth the extra money. Having one-of-a-kind technology is fun at first, but when the shine wears off, dual-screen multitasking is this laptop's strongest asset.

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