Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S Review

Lenovo looks to combine the strengths of the Yoga 11 and 13 in the Yoga 11S. Can what started as an average Windows RT tablet be made better with Windows 8?

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Nice review, it's just too bad we don't see a Haswell CPU with IRIS graphics on it then it might be worth the $1000.

 

I played around with one at Best Buy and thought it was a really good device. It's a strange decision for Lenovo to go with a ULT processor for this device, but I would imagine a Haswell ULV processor plus a backlit keyboard would make this system much more appealing at the same price point. This is also one of the few remaining 11.6" Ultrabooks on the market that offers a SO-DIMM and a mSATA slot if you need to upgrade.

 

I see the comment that it's overpriced at $1000 in a lot of the reviews and comments, but frankly I don't understand.
The $1000 model has a 3rd gen i5, *8 GB RAM*, and **256 GB SSD.**

Show me one other ~3 lb. ultrabook with a 256 GB SSD and 8 GB RAM for $1000. Anyone?

MBA 11", 4th gen i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 SSD: $1300 (similar screen res., no touch)
Sony Viao Pro 11": 4th gen i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 SSD: close to $1500 (much better screen res., if you care)

If we're honest, there's almost no difference in the day-to-day performance between 3rd and 4th gen Haswell. The difference is battery life. Really, the only legit complaints I've seen are these two:

(1) Low screen res. for the price. One could/should expect 1080 p for $100, but having seen the screen in person, I think it looks great. It's bright and the viewing angles are fantastic. I glad Lenovo gave us a cheap 256 GB SSD (only $200 upgrade for RAM and 256 SSD is cheaper than everyone else in town) over some huge screen res. that would have added to the cost and eaten more battery life.

(2) Battery life. 5-6 hours is a little bit of a let down in face of the Haswell 11" laptops getting 7~9 hours (barring extra batteries like on the Sony Vaio & Acer Aspire), though the fast charge helps ease the pain a bit.

The $1000 is not that expensive for this laptop.

I think the reason for the poor'ish reviews is Lenovo was late in letting these on to the market. If these were released in March, the reviewers would giving it high marks all around.

 

So it has 8 gb of memory and 256 gb [edit]ssd[/edit]. So what? For most people who are satisfied with a 1366x768 screen and such a slow processor, a lower price point would be more desirable than the higher memory and bigger SSD. At least make them optional.

When I first heard of the 11S, I heard it would have a price point of $699 or $799. I think with 4 gb memory and a 128 gb SSD it'd sell well at this price point. At $1000, the resolution is unacceptable for most buyers regardless of the storage and memory.

 

8 gb of memory and 256 gb of ram ?? what is 256gb ram on board ?

 

Show me a similar spec'ed laptop for <$1000 ~3 pounds, 11" touch screen, 8 gb RAM, 256 SSD, and an i5 with good build quality.

Put link here: ______________________________________________________

 

You missed my point. Most buyers of lower-spec machines (and 1366x768 is definitely low-spec nowadays) don't want to pay extra for the 8 gb of ram and 256 gb SSD. Lenovo is making a mistake by not making those features OPTIONS and selling a lower-priced base model.

It's what's known as a "typo." It has a 256 gb ssd.

 

They are options. You can buy the 128 SSD, 4 RAM, i3 for $750 or i5 for $799.

I think it's a mistake to shop specs and not real life performance. Go to best buy and look at the screen. The res is more than enough, the colors are vibrant, and it's bright, even in the store lights. Looks better than some of those dim, high res screens. The system is responsive and snappy. Certainly doesn't feel over priced to me.

 

I agree at 1000 dollars with 256 SSD and 8 GB of ram it is competitively priced. Unfortunately, the battery life makes this device DOA. IMO, the new MB air 11" is a better value with double the battery life even with its TN panel. Its the best TN panel on the market and the insane battery life truly makes it portable versus the lenovo where you are hunting for an outlet. Why do oems even bother with ivy bridge at this point in time? Obviously Intel has some horrible capacity issues with delivery on the new Haswell. It also shows that Apple has some real pull with Intel these days. They no doubt are getting most of the production capacity with Haswell.

The PC side should really be worried with Apple's new offerings. In the past, macs were significantly higher priced for what you got spec wise. But that gap has narrowed to the point where I see Apple offers more spec wise and has better price points in many cases considering BQ for what you are getting. When you take a already popular mac air and give it a competitive price point you can move folks from the PC side to OSX. I personally know a few who have already picked up the air 13 who have never bought Apple anything. I'm already considering this myself. Even with the airs TN the battery life and performance is just too insane to overlook at this moment in time. And I'm still not sure W8 is something I want to move forward to. I don't see touching the screen as a positive feature on a traditional form factor. Although I realize the Lenovo Yoga 11s is far from that. The other thing to consider is what do you think a used 11" air will be worth a year from now versus a used Yoga 11s? I think we all know the answer to that.

 

I had somehow gotten the impression that the $1000 model with 8gb and 256 gb was the base model. $749 for an i3 model with 4 gb and 128 gb sounds good.

My Duo 11's 1080p IPS touchscreen is responsive and is certainly not dim. I had paid $1100 for mine and was expecting the Yoga 11S to be significantly cheaper due to difference in build quality and resolution. Glad to hear they have a base model that's a third cheaper instead of just $100 cheaper.

 

I really like the basic design of this laptop, except the screen bezel which is hideous. If they could trim it down and make the screen almost edge to edge, update to Haswell ULV, and add a Thunderbolt port, then I think it would be a perfect laptop.

 

The Haswell refresh is going to have a positive effect on battery life, possibly 5.5 to 6 hours? If so, colour me interested. I'm OK with the screen resolution, as long as it's a nice IPS display.

 

Ever tried to hold a full-size tablet without a bezel? It doesn't work well. No place to hook your thumb on the top surface of the device. Bezels serve an important purpose on any convertible tablet.

 

Hi there,
today bestbuy added some notebooks to it's list and there is a haswell version of 11s also for 799!
cheers!

 

A Haswell 11S for $799...this is the best-value convertible by far for people who are skeptical of Bay Trail (next-gen Atom). Even setting aside the convertible hinge, when's the last time a PC laptop with an IPS display sold for $800?

 

Acer v5 122p at $300-450 says "Say hello to my little friend"