lenovo yoga S940 Review

     WORLD FIRST CONTOURED GLASS AND NO BEZELS IN LENOVO S940

HIGHS

• Very small, thin, and light design
• Solid build quality
• Bright and colorful 4K display with good HDR support
• Useful auto-lock and unlock feature
• Lovely aesthetic

LOWS

• Thin chassis limits performance
• 4K display takes a toll on battery life
• No touch display

As an iPad user, it is hard to get me interested in anything because of just form factor. But when the new Lenovo Yoga S940 came for review, I initially thought they had forgotten to pack the laptop in the box. Then, when I pulled the box out, it was thinner than the one in which the iPad ships. Anyway, to cut a long story short, the Lenovo Yoga S940 is one of the thinnest laptops I have seen in a while, certainly since the size zero wars ended a few years ago.

The Lenovo Yoga S940 is also a very different form factor. The device has a rectangle shape, which means the screen is wide. It has almost the same thickness throughout at about 12.2 cm and is more tapered towards the end. There are three USB-C ports and a 3.5mm jack on the side. You can easily lift up the laptop with a few fingers as it weighs just 1.4.

The device I got


for review has a Full HD display, while there is also a 4K display for those who want that. If you ask me, 4K is pointless in smaller screens. The bezels are thin, but not non-existent. The glass on the side blends into the edges and gives the device a good feel overall. The display is pretty good, though a bit reflective on the sides where the glass curves out. The device comes with Dolby Atmos speakers and you can enjoy the moving sound even without headphones.

Lenovo Yoga S940 quick review: The Lenovo Yoga S940 packs a full-size keyboard that does not compromise with space. (Express Photo: Nandagopal Rajan)

Despite the sleek 14-inch form factor, the Lenovo Yoga S940 packs a full-size keyboard that does not compromise with space. However, the trackpad is a bit smaller than usual. The keys are well spaced out and offer the right amount of travel. In fact, I enjoyed the little bit of typing I did on the device. The keyboard is also backlit and is switched on using the Fn and space bar, which is a combo I have not seen    

The front camera was a bit of a disappointment. At times when smartphones can do a decent front camera, I can’t understand why laptops still have to struggle.

With an Intel Core i7 processor, the performance of the device was what you expected it to be. However, I did not use it enough to give a conclusive decision as I had to wrap up the review in three days. Anyway, regular usage was perfectly fine and the device did not heat up or stall.

Lenovo Yoga S940 quick review: Regular usage was perfectly fine and the device did not heat up or stall. (Express Photo: Nandagopal Rajan)

The only issue I faced was when a USB-C charger was plugged in — not the one from Lenovo — the device sort of froze. I would expect one of the advantages of USB-C is the ability to use any charger I want.

Lenovo claims the device can give 15 hours of life on a full charge. I guess this would be in the battery saver mode. But I am not sure if this is right as I could not get more than 10 hours even with battery saver on.

For those willing to pay a premium for portability — and there are a lot of such people including me — this is a good alternative from Lenovo. The form factor is not just thin, but also stylish. There is enough power to complete daily tasks without any issues.ide?