Lenovo Yoga Book 9i 2-in-1 13.3" 2.8K Dual Screen 2023 Review

The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a showstopper that makes every other laptop look boring. The dual-screen design is genuinely cool and surprisingly useful, but it's not for everyone. The one thing to know is this: you're paying a massive premium for that second screen, and you're making some serious performance compromises to get it.

The Intel 155U CPU lands in the 38th percentile, which is the real story here. For a $2200 machine, that's rough. It's fine for web browsing, office work, and media consumption, but you'll feel it chug if you try to do anything intensive. The integrated Intel Graphics are predictably weak, scoring a 10.3/100 for gaming. It's a dual-screen entertainment hub, not a workhorse.

At $2200, the value proposition is tough. You are not buying raw power. You are buying a unique, futuristic form factor. If the dual screens are a must-have for your workflow or entertainment, it might be justifiable. For everyone else, it's a hard sell.

The most direct competitor is the ASUS Zenbook Duo. It offers a similar dual-screen concept but often with better processor options, making it a more balanced choice. If you don't need two screens, the 14-inch MacBook Pro runs circles around the Yoga Book in performance and battery life for a similar price. And if you just want a great traditional 2-in-1, a Lenovo Yoga 9i or HP Spectre gives you most of the premium feel without the gimmick or performance hit.

I can only recommend the Yoga Book 9i to a very specific person: someone who is completely captivated by the dual-screen lifestyle and has money to burn on a novelty. For creatives who live in split-screen apps or travelers who want a portable entertainment command center, it's magical. For anyone who needs reliable power, good battery life, or just a good value, look elsewhere. It's a brilliant experiment, but not a practical daily driver for most.