If Lenovo has anything to do about it, bendable laptops aren't going anywhere. The Chinese firm is bolstering its Yoga line of consumer and ThinkPad laptops in 2015, with two new(ish) designs for a 2015 refresh.
Coming hot off the heels of its Yoga 3 Pro launch, Lenovo is making that device more accessible (i.e. affordable) by dropping the "Pro" in introducing 11-inch and 14-inch Lenovo Yoga 3 models. These Yoga notebooks will start at $799 (about £521, AU$987) and $979 (around £638, AU$1,210) respectively - much easier to swallow than 1,300 bucks.
If it ain't broke...
You know the rest. That said, there isn't much different about the Yoga 3 models of this year from the Yoga 2 models of last, save for the standard "faster", "thinner" and "lighter" improvements. Most notable are Intel's latest mobile chips: the new Core M and the fresh, fifth generation Core i5 (Broadwell) for the 11-inch and 14-inch models, respectively.
Both laptops come with 1080p touchscreens, but only the 14-inch model offers IPS technology. Rounding out the spec sheet for both models are up to 8GB of RAM, 128GB solid-state drives (up to 256GB or 500GB hard drive with 8GB SSD cache), 802.11ac Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 4.0 and optional Nvidia graphics for the 14-incher.
And finally, both Yoga units sport two USB 3.0 ports, power ports with USB 2.0 function, 4-in-1 card readers, micro HDMI out and audio combo jacks. You can score a new Yoga starting this March in Clementine Orange, Platinum Silver, Chalk White or Ebony Black at Best Buy or on Lenovo's website.
Yoga gets serious for business
Lenovo tested the waters last year with the ThinkPad Yoga, and seems to have enjoyed success with it, considering the company has revised the line and introduced a new 15-inch variety. All three of these models - the original being 12.5 inches - feature the firm's nifty Lift n' Lock keyboard that retracts when being used in tablet modes.
Again, this is a similar story to the aforementioned Yoga laptops: news insides, same shell. All three models start with an Intel Core i5 (Broadwell) chip, 4GB of RAM and either a 500GB hard drive or a 128GB SSD behind 1080p IPS touchscreens. Aside from the smallest ThinkPad's 1,366 x 768 panel, these are some serious starting specs.
Each model comes packing two USB 3.0 ports, a 4-in-1 card reader and a 720p webcam. Larger models offer more room, and therefore an extra USB 2.0 port and full HDMI rather than the 12-incher's micro HDMI. This also goes for the optional Nvidia graphics solution, which isn't on offer for the smallest model.
If you're down for a mix of work and play, the 12-inch and 15-inch Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga models will be available starting this February through Lenovo's website for $999 (about £651, AU$1,234) and $1,199 (around £782, AU$1,482), respectively. For a ThinkPad Yoga somewhere in the middle, the 14-inch model will hit Best Buy shelves and Lenovo's website in May starting at $1,199 as well.
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