Ideapad Yoga?

Since it will be primarily an ultrabook for me I'm trying real hard to wait for the 256 SSD, would like to have before I start traveling for the holidays.

 

When Lenovo released the U300s last year, 4gb RAM was the only option. Everywhere it was listed officially said "no upgradeable memory." BUT, several of us owners opened up the case to pleasantly find one normal slot capable of 8gb as with standard Intel ULV. So, maybe the same for the Yoga. We won't know until someone opens up the case.

@mplsjava, where did you order? Lenovo online? Anyone see more model release detail yet?

I did the online chat with Lenovo sales and they had absolutely no information about the Yoga release, model or shipping info (at least the guy I chatted with said they have no official information).

 

I purchased the IdeaPad Yoga 13 - 59343899 - Silver Gray (i7 1.9 GHz, 128GB SSD, 8GB Ram) from Lenovo Direct.

When I ordered the S2109 from Lenovo Direct it said 4 weeks to ship. I got it in a week, so who knows.

 

You already have it?!!!!

If you have it (I've been curious), how much free space on the C drive of that 128gb out of the box? The one at BB I saw had 5gb free on the C:\ and 20gb on D:\, but BB had totally reconfigured it. '

Third, tell us about that odd power connector. Thank you!

 

I do not have it yet... sorry if it sounded like that. It said 4 weeks to ship for this as well.

 

There is probably a hidden recovery partition as well..usually around 20GB which you can delete if you don't care about restoring to original specs. Only 5 GB free on C would be a major problem anyway. The first time you tried to do an update or even add office you would blow that up. I am guessing somebody created something just to fill it up. Also, since you looked at it that close did you notice what brand SSD they are using?

 

When you ordered, did your order confirmation give any more sensible estimated ship date? My boss is leaning on me to have a proper machine again, and I hate to jump the gun getting something else is it's going to be here in 2 weeks (vs. more than 4 weeks).

 

I just checked out the Lenovo Thinkpad Twist which is on display for pre-sale at Staples. It's pretty cool, thinner than I thought, but way thicker than the Yoga. Smaller screen, dimmer, much less quality than the Yoga. Man, that screen on the Yoga is so awesome.

For anyone that can't decide, the Yoga beats the hell out of the Twist in every way (except price).

 

I stopped by my local BB again today and they have a bunch in stock in the store which I decided bought me another day to make up my mind and still get it on Friday. I mentioned to the salesman that the only thing wrong with it was that it didn't have a backlit KB and he was appalled by that...that reaffirmed I should be on the fence for at least one more day

 

I called Lenovo sales today to try and get more info. The guy really knew nothing, but he did say Lenovo.com would have more model choices for sale online within "two to three weeks." I asked about the BB exclusivity, and he said they made a specific model # that's exclusive to BB but that others "may" sell other models several weeks from now. Could be total bs. Who knows.

I worry about the drivespace on the 128. Especially if the BB version I saw had only 5gb free on C!! That's insane. I know I'll be fine re-partitioning, etc. but the masses will be dissapoint if that's actually the case out of the box.

 

@Don1 ... the 128gb SSD of the Yoga I saw in Bestbuy was a Samsung. (I remember thinking, "sammy makes everything!") I don't remember the model though.

 

That's great! It's too bad Samsung stopped using their own drives in their own laptops.instead of the low-end SanDisk they now use to save a couple of bucks.

 

If you haven't already seen this, check out this awesome and very cheesy 3 minute movie featuring the Yoga:

The Pursuit: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga (Director's Cut) - YouTube

 

I was just at Best Buy and they had the Yoga on display. Very nice panel and the touchscreen is very responsive. It has a touchglass over the screen so you don't have to worry about the screen getting damaged.

I checked all the hardware and it uses a Synaptics touchpad (v8.1) and the IPS screen is bright and sharp. I'll have to get one once prices starts dropping.

I was initially looking at the Vizio variants due to their IPS screens but horrible touchpad and keyboard. The Yoga is the ideal laptop. Incidentally it addresses all the shortcoming of Vizio's ultrabook and the price isn't too far off from as well.

 

The one on display at my local BB had a Cypress touchpad.

Sounds like the Yoga is being manufactured just like the U300s.... some with Synaptics, some with Cypress. There is no pattern or way to tell in advance. They're both good though, despite the original Cypress drivers being crap.

 

As long as they have a Samsung SSD (or Adata) and not a SanDisk I will live with most anything else unless the screens bleed as bad as the Asus UX31s do.

 

The Yoga definitely looks like the one for me. I already have an iPad so tablet mode is not all that important but good to have it. Most of the other convertibles out there won't work well on the lap due to the screen being too weighty/not securely connected to the keyboard - don't even get me started on the Surface! I don't like the fact that that only one of the Taichi's screens is touch enabled and from what I've heard Asus built quality can leave a lot to be desired.

Does anyone know if the SSD is upgradable? If not I guess I could just whack a SD card in it - will it protrude from the slot? If so a low profile memory stick (USB 2.0 only though) might be an option or even a nifty minidrive.

What's the sound like? I'm guessing not great as it's an ultrabook.
Anyone know if BB will have much in store stock soon after launch as I'm not living in the US but I hope I can get my sister to pick one up when she visits Chicago in early November.

 

I see you can't pre-order direct from lenovo any more, wonder how long before 256 GB SSD will be an option.

 

I too have an iPad which is why this should weigh 2.5 pounds instead of 3.4 if you have to carry both.
Nobody will know if Ram or the SSD is upgradable until somebody buys one and opens it up.
Nobody can really tell what the sound is like until they get one home.
My local BB has a ton of them in stock waiting to go.
Oh and I am sure a memory stick will protrude.

 

I did a comparison between the 13" Yoga and the Dell XPS 12 for my own use. At this time I am leaning back toward the Yoga, considering some of the cons to the Dell model highlighted in a recent review.

Obviously some of the chart info is subjective. My notes regarding build quality are based on my own experience with each company. It seems like every Dell I see that's been used a couple years has floppy or broken screen hinges. I've had a Lenovo Thinkpad R61 for 6 years now and the hinges are almost like new. Not one thing has ever broke or quit working (except the battery) on this machine!

...and yes, I have 'lower res screen' as both a pro and con for the Yoga. One review of the Dell (with full HD screen) noted that a higher res screen results in a shrunken Desktop view, and more need to zoom in when browsing web pages. So there may be some advantages to the lower resolution after all!

EDIT: I forgot to add "symmetrical form factor as a tablet" to the Pros for the Yoga. One review pointed out that the Dell is tapered, and hence the screen is often at a slant when trying to use it as a tablet in portrait mode.

 

Windows 8 should handle the small font issue you refer to above much better than windoes 7 did as it was designed to do that.

 

@swenpro, awesome comparison, thank you. I agree with you... I've seen the Yoga in person and it's screen is absolutely brilliant and amazing! I also trust Lenovo's build quality (and I'm a Dell Preferred Partner for business!). Biggest reason though is that the Yoga screen is larger... nearly an inch is a lot imho.

@Don1 and others... I imagine the RAM and SSD will both be upgradeable. If the U300s is any indication, Lenovo will officially say they are not, but users will find that they are standard and upgradeable if you're willing to open the case. Hopefully we'll find the link for the Yoga, but here's one for the U300s that shows teardown and parts replacement: RCW09 IdeaPad U300s Service Training Go to the link and open FRU Videos. Check out the SSD... they call it MSata, but it's certainly not standard msata size. It's definitely not standard 2.5". Maybe other people can correctly name that type of removable SSD?

Oh, and @Dayton, you're right... no more presale on Lenovo.com!! Makes me a little scared that I haven't ordered one yet. Maybe they're holding out until midnight of the 26th for final release??

 

Just received my tracking number from best buy

 

BB definitely has an exclusive at this point.

 

@dan: Thanks! Another thing...

EDIT: I forgot to add "symmetrical form factor as a tablet" to the Pros for the Yoga. One review pointed out that the Dell is tapered, and hence the screen is often at a slant when trying to use it as a tablet in portrait mode.

 

Yes, msata is what Samsung uses in the S9(I meant to say)..it's about the size of your thumb nail. (actually bigger but about as small as you can get in a SSD)

On another note I am increasingly annoyed that Lenovo didn't make the 11.5 version of this with a standard Intel platform and i5 cpu. I don't really want a Taichi as I can't imagine what I would do with two screens but I want something that stays in one piece and can be used as both a tablet and a laptop and still only have a 11.5 inch screen and right now the only alternative I see is the Taichi and I just noticed Amazon as the i5 version back in stock.

 

Drive properties might help.

Granted Best Buy is probably not the best to assess audio quality but there have been some reviews - I just haven't found one that mentions sound.

I was actually wondering about a SD card!

Thanks for that so hopefully I'll get one.

 

I know msata usually has two small gold contact connectors... the ssd in the U300s was long and skinny and had only one connector.

Anyway, I made it back over to BB today and took a picture of the drive properties (no admin access, so I couldn't get into disk mgmnt):


It's the SSD Product Catalogue | Samsung Semiconductor Global Website and retails for over $400 from CDW!! Samsung PM830 MZMPC128HBFU - solid state drive - 128 GB - SATA-600 - MZMPC128HBFU-000 - Solid State Drives - CDW.com

 

The 11.6" yoga is an ARM CPU. I doubt that there will be an IB CPU. You might check out the 11.6" hydus. Lenovo ThinkPad Helix 11.6" tablet with keyboard dock coming soon? - Liliputing

 

Samsung makes good drives..only a couple are faster and the 830 series is their best. The fact that it is standard sata 6 would make me think it might be upgradable.

Interesting that half that drive is hidden..only 58 of the 118 or 120 or whatever it ends up being is accounted for in that pic.

 

Yes and I read an article today where they will have exclusives on 45 different windows 8 laptops and desktops over the next two years.

 

My thoughts exactly. No way Lenovo needs 50gb for restore partitions. I'm hoping it's just the BB display model issue, I would like to hear if others have seen the same thing at other BBs.

My u300s (which uses the same one key restore partitioning tech) has a 256gb drive, 39gb is unaccounted for. In my shot of the yoga, 62gb are unaccounted for. If that's true out of the box, we're going to have to wipe that restore partition.

 

I'm sure it is.

 

Anyone leaning towards Twist?

 

Anyone that has ordered already... what's the update on your shipping status?

Per Lenovo: "Ships in more than 4 weeks** **Ship date: An estimated ship date will be posted on our order status site after your order is placed. "

 

I bit the bullet and ordered the i5 8gb 128ssd version from Lenovo.com. Used the $50 off coupon mentioned in this thread earlier (page7 I think), double the ram and better processor for only $50 more than the BB unit. Let's just hope it doesn't take forever to arrive! Still says est 4 weeks.

 

My shipping date just updated to 12/10. When I purchased an S2109 tablet when it first released they gave me a shipping date of two months out, I ended up getting it in a week. I really hope that is the case with the Yoga as well.

 

OMG that sounds terrible... not sure I can wait that long. I kindof ordered it thinking if another better deal comes around, I could cancel this order before it ships. We'll see.

I did talk to a manager at BestBuy, he was super nice and check the inventory and computer system. He told me they had six in stock of the $999 version, more to arrive later. But no listing or future expectations of other models. So, that's why I jumped on the Lenovo site ordering.

 

I think if one wants a Yoga on the quick, BB is the way to go which is a nice advantage for them. But for those wanting 8GB/256GB all we can do is wait. I was hoping to have such a Yoga before Thanksgiving but it looks highly unlikely.

 

there's also the possibility that tonight at midnight when Windows 8 is actually official that more sites will open up or something else happens.

 

Just ordered the core-i5 8 GB version from lenovo.com for $934 before tax. Yay company discount!

 

The ram is doubled, but the processor is the same

 

What's different about the processor? Both are 3317Us.

 

None, my mistake. As the one at BestBuy is $999, I thought it was the same model as the $999 version on Lenovo.com which has the core i3. But the BB model has an i5, so it is a better deal than the $999 Lenovo.com version.

 

Ah..ok...I worry that the BB version may also go up to $1099. I saw that somewhere else as what their price would be. My store has 5. I will probably get one tomorrow and I ordered the Taichi from Amazon as well. Since both are really good about returns I will put them thru side by side tests and keep the one I like best. I really wish Lenovo made the 11.5 yoga with an i5.

 

Haha..my company's site has the same price $934.15 and it seems that version has the biggest discount of the three models they now offer.

 

Do you guys know how long it take for lenovo laptops to end up on the lenovo outlet? I recently was given a 35% off coupon from lenovo because of an order mishap. Fortunately the order doesn't expire, but it is only good for the outet. I just got the X220 with IPS screen so I don't "really" need another laptop immediately, and the yoga would go nicely with the coupon

 

It doesn't take that long. It will take a few months after the Toga ships probably. You'll see the redistributed models first and then the refurbished ones. Finally, near the end of the model's run, some new ones find their way onto the site.

 

They start going on the outlet as soon as they start getting returns..they can't re-sell them as new so they go there as refurbished, scratched or dented, or "returned unopened".

 

Based on the SSD specs shown a few pages ago, and based on the Crucial.com website, it looks like the Crucial M4 mSata 256GB SSD is compatible with the Yoga. I think I'm going to go ahead and order one and upgrade the SSD myself rather than wait for Lenovo to release a model with 256GB. Does anyone have any reason to believe I won't be able to access the drive to swap it? Has anyone had experience swapping out the drive in other IdeaPad ultrabooks? Here is the link part number for the drive: CT256M4SSD3