[Update] Lenovo Yoga S740 (Fourteen-Inch) Review: Pure Laptop Perfection

The Lenovo Yoga S740 is a near-perfect laptop if what yous want is a figurer, non a lifestyle accessory. Its keyboard is keen. It looks smart. Build lineament is excellent. And the cost is correct.

For many this is best lower-price Windows option to a MacBook Pro thirteen. The entry-grade Lenovo Yoga S740 costs £799, inward improver to gets yous lot lot the same heart (amidst a newer CPU) every flake a £1500 MacBook.

We're reviewing the pace-upward £999 spec, which has a 512GB SSD in add together-on to peak-tier Intel Core i7 CPU. The only existent stumbling block is that piece Lenovo calls this a "Yoga" laptop, it actually isn't one.

Design

• Ports: 1x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), 2x USB-H5N1 three.0, 1x 3.5mm jack
• Dimensions: 322.3mm ten 212 ten xviii.1mm
• Finish: Iron Grey aluminium
• Weight: 1.4kg

Why non? Yoga laptops were together alongside too and so named for their flexible hybrid way, amidst 360-degree hinges too touchscreens. The Lenovo Yoga S740 does non take either.

Its hinge open upwardly to 180 degrees, merely every flake at that abode's no touchscreen here, the entirely existent role is to let a whole crowd of people run into a YouTube video. And how ofttimes make you lot really take to brand that?

The Lenovo Yoga S740 design isn't the material of paid-upwards mummy Instagram influencers, using their Yoga laptop to bake cookies piece living their best lives. But it is otherwise a pretty fantastic laptop.

Evidence item no.1 : make. The Lenovo Yoga S740 is an aluminium laptop with some of the stiffest panels we've seen inward a sub-£1 K model from the final span of years. Its keyboard doesn't flex, the embrace is stiff, also every bit in that place'sec a existent heavy-duty feel to this affair all-circular.

All the metallic is tastefully anodised. And slice the expect is manifestly, the S740 seems minimal, non a mode vacuum. Lenovo'minute cutely curved keyboard keys aid hither.

Like well-well-nigh recent laptops, the S740 as well has fairly cut covert borders. There'minute no existent magic to this. It doesn't impact how adept a laptop feels to office, exclusively does hateful its footprint isn't all that much larger than the cover itself.

Lenovo has clearly not focused on supreme portability anywhere virtually every bit much equally Acer did amid the sub-1kg Swift 5, though. The  Lenovo Yoga S740 weighs i.437kg according to our scales. That'moment above average in this category, together with yous lot brand experience the extra span of hundred grams when y'all choice the affair up. However, by allowing for or so extra weight Lenovo could (we presume) function thicker aluminium panels, inward add-on to check inwards a larger battery.

Real portability addition a become-friendly 14-inch display are a skilful combo. The Lenovo Yoga S740 feels much tougher, much more expensive, than a competitor Acer Swift 5. Low weight or a laptop that feels well-nigh bulleproot? Take your selection.

Its connections are proficient in a higher place average, likewise, because yous lot go a Thunderbolt 3 port. This looks like apparently sometime USB-C three.0 connector used inward almost phones besides sensibly-priced laptops, but provides far greater speed reserves. That is of import if y'all desire to plug inward, for instance, 2 4K screens.

The Lenovo Yoga S740 likewise has ii USB-Influenza Influenza Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 virus subtype A virus subtype H5N1 iii.0 ports likewise as a headphone jack. There'second no retention nib of fare slot, no infinite for a SIM bill of fare (banking concern banking concern cheque out the Yoga C640 for that) together alongside no HDMI, merely what you lot make go covers a lot of bases.

Screen

• fourteen-inch LCD, 1920 ten 1080 resolution
• Max 11.8mm bezel
• Dolby Vision

The display is ultra-house too. H5N1 flat pane of glass covers the screen, no raised borders needed, also as it is a proficient size: xiv-inches is big plenty for become, nonetheless child plenty to brand the laptop late to bear well-nigh.

Its top brighness of 367 nits is potent plenty for outdoors role, too, although the glossy consummate volition brand reflections more than than obvious likewise equally distracting. Lenovo likewise uses an strange brightness curve, where the backlight stays fairly dim until you attain well-nigh eighty per cent of the slider.

Colour saturation is at to the lowest degree inwards-chore alongside the contest at the cost. The Lenovo Yoga S740 does non have super-deep colour coverage, which you lot alone go far OLED or high-fire LCD screens, simply is easily skillful enough to make games too as movies await rich in add-on to punchy.

It covers 92.six per cent of the sRGB mensurate: not perfect, but skillful enough to avoid the willowy expect of an undersaturated encompass.

Display resolution is, like near all proficient sub-£M Windows laptops, Full difficult disk (1080p). You tin can run into the pixels inward minor fonts, simply this cover looks practiced regardless.

It besides supports Dolby Vision, an HDR measure (that'minute high dynamic attain). However, this isn't an HDR display also every fleck such does non support YouTube HDR. To become that y'all postulate to buy the 4K version of the S740. You tin can tin can go this straight from Lenovo, non well-virtually retailers.

Neither version, 1080p or 4K, has a fingerprint scanner. But you lot tin tin login with the camera using Windows ten's confront ID, called Windows Hello. This seems quick as well reliable, more than than and then than the average laptop fingerpad. The webcam nevertheless sucks, though: it'moment a 720p photographic camera, alone the image is soft, murky too undersaturated.

Keyboard & Trackpad

• Backlit keyboard
• Textured drinking glass trackpad

The Lenovo Yoga S740 is all good-most providing nitty-gritty among no attending-seeking nonsense. Its keyboard besides equally trackpad are dandy examples of this.

Keyboard answer is nifty. Each keystroke is both crisp besides meaty, effectively a lighter take on the form-leading deep dish keyboard of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 reach. We'd have a few tenths of a millimetres of depth if they were on offer entirely, notwithstanding, we write for a living as well detect this keyboard comfy enough. 

The keys have a 2-stage backlight for low-lite typing, as well every bit the kickoff-class instance rigidity is entirely going to assistance the central experience.

The Lenovo Yoga S740 is far from the only laptop at the cost amid a decent keyboard, merely it'minute relatively rare inward pairing a skilful keyboard alongside a smashing trackpad.

This is a drinking drinking glass pad, where well-nigh alternatives that showtime at most £799 part plastic to relieve cash. Textured drinking glass gives a smoother finger glide. There'second also about no pad cause before you accomplish the clicker, as well every bit as well as then the Lenovo Yoga S740 trackpad feels every fleck house also as confident every scrap the best out at that place.

It'moment i of the best trackpads available inward this form. No complaints.

Performance

• Up to 16GB LPDDR4X RAM
• Up to Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU
• Up to 512GB K.two SSD (1TB directly from Lenovo)

Given the Lenovo Yoga S740 is such a hitting inwards cost of character points per perish, we want Lenovo had sent us the entry-grade version. To many the jump from £800 to £one,000 is a huge. But nosotros take the upgraded model amid a Core i7 CPU instead of an i5, together alongside a 512GB SSD in abode of a 256GB one. Both versions yous'll observe sold widely online accept 8GB RAM. Our spec costs £999, although every scrap nosotros write this you lot tin notice it for £899 online. That'moment a corking bargain.

This review spec makes the Lenovo Yoga S740 capable of entirely skillful-nearly anything y'all can enquire of a laptop. Windows x runs like a dream, its productivity potential is off the charts together with fifty-fifty the SSD is unusually quick. Its 3350MB/second reads too 2940MB/s writes were non long agone the sort of speeds you lot'd solitary come across inwards MacBooks inward improver to select pricey Windows laptops.

Video editors also others among similarly laptop-crushing jobs might desire 16GB RAM. But y'all can can tin become such a Yoga S740 if you buy straight from Lenovo. Don't become as well excited, listen: this Intel CPU generation does not offering major CPU ability improvements over laptops alongside the 7th in add-on to eighth generation Intel processors.

But allow'second go real. This is a laptop for people who want character at a sensible toll. It'sec not for those who upgrade their laptop every year. 

Our Core i7 Lenovo Yoga S740 does accept much meliorate gaming chops than previous-gen i7 laptops, though. Intel direct uses Iris GPUs in its higher-finish processors to get y'all lot lot functioning a lilliputian closer to that of a depression-cease dedicated bill of fare. But what does it become you?

Skyrim runs at near 38-50fps at 1080p, on medium settings. Or it hovers nigh 25fps at the high graphics preset. Compared to an older-generation laptop at this grade, yous lot lot tin bump upward the detail setting or the resolution to a league too as fifty-fifty and so come across relatively smooth frame-rates.

The best compromise we found for pretty underrated survival game Subnautica was 900p resolution at medium graphics. While it solely plays at about 25fps, yous lot don't accept to lose all the game'infinitesimal charming atmospheric visual effects. 

We are however dealing amidst an underpowered gaming motorcar here, but Intel'minute latest processors are nevertheless a large footstep upwards inwards the Earth of integrated graphics (from Intel, equally AMD'moment are faster). The Iris Plus GPU is good-almost 50 per cent more than than than powerful than older, basic baked-in Intel hard disk 620.

The Lenovo Yoga S740 is as well nonetheless when doing calorie-free function. And piece the familiar hum of a tiny jet plane does fire down up when yous lot get-go playing a game, it only normally becomes distractingly loud if you lot lot block the oestrus vents on the underside. Air catamenia could live improve though.

While we don't beloved the cooling organisation hither, the Lenovo Yoga S740 is still a pleasure to part for our daily go when used on a desk.

Battery Life & Speakers

• 62Wh battery with cylindrical charge socket
• Stereo Speakers, Dolby Atmos

We too meet the Lenovo Yoga S740 one of the best well-virtually for roving workers, even if it isn't the slimmest or lightest laptop. It has a 62Wh battery, larger than that of the latest Dell XPS 13 (52Wh) or the challenger Acer Swift 5.

Lenovo says it lasts for upwardly to xiv hours between charges only, every bit is then often the example amongst these figures, that number is not based on the nigh taxing of tests. It uses MobileMark 2014, which is outdated at this signal.

We ready the laptop to current video from YouTube at a fiddling over l per cent brightness, and then nosotros could sentinel it comfortably indoors. It lasted 16 hours 45 minutes, an good-virtually shockingly long fourth dimension.

Lenovo does "cheat" a fiddling scrap hither, by making the brighness bend of the backlight likewise equally so skewed the screen is solitary genuinely vivid when y'all lot hitting the superlative fifteen per cent of the dial. But this is clearly a expert laptop for all-day working.

We likewise kept an middle on the Lenovo Yoga S740 spell using it for work - a mix of writing inwards add together-on to web browsing - as well as the cover make to about 85 per cent. It lasts nearly x hours used like this.

While inward that location has been a lot of beloved for Lenovo inwards this review, a laptop made to a careful budget tin can tin't become everything correct. And the Lenovo Yoga S740 speakers are exclusively OK. They use Dolby Atmos EQ processing to beef upward the audio, simply every bit they fire downwards upwards their stereo picture is not that wide also the mids are quite boxy. We're not only most MacBook Pro league sound hither, together alongside so plug inward some headphones if y'all desire to make more than than lookout man roughly YouTube.

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