Ultrabook-transformer Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro: Intel Core M in a good environment

    When the first ultrabooks appeared, the companies seemed to compete with each other - who would rather copy the MacBook Air and not run into a lawsuit from Apple. Copy was subjected not only to the exterior, but also to the filling. Putting motherboards side by side, they could be confused if it weren’t for the characteristic color of the PCB in the “MacBooks”. But, despite the obvious similarities, Apple stoically remained silent. Which hinted rather thickly at the agreements with Intel, which released a special version of Core 2 for the first generation MacBook Air, and invested a lot of money in creating an energy-efficient ultra-mobile platform. By all indications, Apple agreed that part of the work will be available to other manufacturers in exchange for a two-year right of the first night.



    Some manufacturers are still inspired by Air lines, but most still go their own way. Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is an example of an original solution combining an unusual and complex form factor for mass production with good consumer qualities in a traditional laptop mode. Plus, at the time of the announcement in October 2014, it was the first serial product on the Intel Core M platform. I waited a long time until the Yoga 3 Pro will officially go on sale in Russia, but so far only small online stores carry it. Therefore, this text was prepared according to a sample from the very, very first batch, with an American plug and the lack of Cyrillic on the keyboard. Looking ahead, I’ll say that no serious flaws were found in it, although minor improvements could be made to the design during production.



    The main intrigue of this model is the Intel Core M 5Y70 processor with a base frequency of 1.1 GHz and the ability to accelerate under load to 2.6 GHz. And all this in the framework of the thermal package (TDP) 4.5 watts. For comparison, ultra-mobile versions of the Core i5 Haswell family have a TDP of at least 15 watts. It would be a miracle if, with these parameters, the Core M processor would have similar or even higher performance, but no. In the vast majority of tasks, Core M is 15-20% slower than the Core i5 of the Haswell family, and only in some games it is on par with it, thanks to an improved graphics core.



    But do not get upset. The performance margin is sufficient for most non-gaming tasks. And even if you’re used to opening a lot of tabs in your browser and keeping several “heavy” applications open, the processor can handle it. At least I didn’t have a feeling of slow operation compared to even an ultrabook on Core i7. But on the other hand, the most up-to-date production technology (14 nm) and a compact thermal package should, according to Intel's promises, provide impressive battery life.



    Is it really? Yes and no. If you compare Yoga 3 Pro and Yoga 2 Pro (Intel Core M 5Y70 and Core i5-4200U, respectively), then both of them will work approximately the same - about 5 hours (we are talking, of course, about full use, and not just standing with the screen on) . But the Yoga 3 Pro has a much less capacious battery (44 Wh versus 54 Wh for the old "yoga"). So, if the batteries were the same capacity, the Yoga 3 Pro would last about an hour longer. And even a half. Let us leave the desire to make the ultrabook as thin as possible on the conscience of Lenovo engineers and marketers. Weight 1.2 kg, thickness 12.8 mm - this, of course, is impressive. But while maintaining the weight of Yoga 2 Pro (1.4 kg), it was possible to ensure autonomy in the region of 8-9 hours, and the risk of tearing the back would remain very low for the user ... In short, normal if yes. Judging by perseverance with which the design of the technology is reduced to the thickness of the razor blade, most of us are still willing to pay for these experiments. And if there is demand, there will be supply. By the way, if you take Yoga 3 Pro at one of the corners, the rest of the body will noticeably sag. No, this does not affect the strength of the structure and its durability, but the sight is funny.



    One of the main features of Core M was called the ability to work without active cooling. But in Yoga 3 Pro there is a cooler. Small and so quiet that at first I did not hear him, but - there is. It works for about 70% of the time, shutting up at a very low load. Probably, if the case was a little thicker, it would be possible to limit itself to a medium-sized radiator, but the latter simply did not fit into the elegant "Yoga".

    The 13.3-inch matrix with a resolution of 3200x1800 seems to have migrated to the ultrabook from the previous model. Indeed, why improve the good? It uses an IPS screen with honest color reproduction and a solid margin of brightness. You can only find fault with uneven illumination, noticeable on a dark background, but this may well be a feature of a particular instance. Yes, and do not notice during everyday use. From a purely technical point of view, there is no reason to complex it against the backdrop of “MacBooks” with Retina screens, but you need to understand that a lot depends on application developers. If they care about supporting 3200x1800, everything will be beautiful and clear. If not, then in the best case, the image will be slightly blurry, and in the worst, it will not completely fit in its window. In Windows 8.1 and especially Windows 10, the scaling mechanisms have improved significantly,

    I’ll clarify, just in case, that the touch screen works out up to 10 clicks at a time. So taking into account the diagonal from the ultrabook, you get a large full-fledged tablet on Windows 8. How much, of course, can be a full-fledged tablet on Windows 8. The



    top and bottom of the ultrabook are made of aluminum, and it pleasantly (or not really, depends on the weather) cools bare legs . Hinges are also made of aluminum, on which the lid with the screen can open 180 degrees, turning the ultrabook into a large tablet. Between the loops themselves, wicker steel elements are found that resemble metal watch bracelets. The composition looks good, but the decorative details thunder noticeably, causing associations not with expensive watch brands, but with the grandfather's “Rocket”. However, I have nothing against Rocket. And against the "Glory", too.







    The surface around the keyboard is covered with plastic pretending to be rubber. On the new device it looks and feels great, but during intensive use it can wipe slightly, I have observed this more than once. I can’t say anything bad about the keyboard itself. Fingers lay down, as it should, typing is convenient. There is also a backlight. True, it does not have gradations of brightness, only “burns - does not burn”, but the level is set correctly, it is enough under any light conditions.



    In a slim body lives a surprisingly loud sound branded by JBL Audio. The speakers themselves look quite usual for this class of devices, but they were not excessively economized on them, and they provided bulk with the help of software algorithms. Of course, all this does not pull on the Hi-Fi system, however the sound stands out against the background of the brothers. Various effects in films are especially effectively heard, the stereo base is really impressive.



    I was also pleased that Lenovo did not release an ultrabook version with 4 gigabytes of memory and 128 GB SSD. There is no sense anyway from such weakness. The minimum configuration is 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD. The latter can be taken more capacious, up to 512 GB. Plus, it is installed in a standard connector, so if after some time inexpensive terabyte models are on sale, you can also put it. Although, of course, in the context of bends of the ruble exchange rate, an “inexpensive SSD” sounds like a mockery. But the memory is soldered on the board and can not be upgraded. Involuntarily, you will remember the first Lenovo Yoga, where there was a regular memory slot, and two more (!) Sockets for SSDs. Unfortunately, now such a luxury is found only in very expensive business models.



    When you look inside the case, it seems that all the space in it is occupied by the battery. It is really huge in area, but it is “compensated” by a thickness of several millimeters. Electronics every year is more and more similar to analogues in smartphones and tablets. It takes up very little space, but, unfortunately, is less and less subject to repair. Only replacement with large units. You can replace the SSD and Wi-Fi adapter, and the latter, produced by Broadcom, is just very good. It connects to my router at a speed of 866 Mbps and keeps communication flawlessly. I hope that a model with support for 802.11ac, and not outdated 802.11n, will come to Russia.





    Given the thickness of the Yoga 3 Pro, there is simply no room for a large number of connectors. However, we have two USB 3.0 ports (one can charge other devices when the ultrabook is turned off), one USB 2.0, artfully combined with a charging connector, a card reader, micro-HDMI and a headphone jack.




    There was also a place for two microphones, which provides high-quality voice communications even in noisy environments. In smartphones, you won’t surprise anyone for a long time (in expensive Lumia, three are built in), but for an ultrabook it’s not bad.

    And very pleased with the charge. Firstly, the cool combination of USB and power ports - I've never seen anything like this before. Good saving space on board. Secondly, the charger itself looks pretty decent and does not look like a standard elda, in which you need to insert a thick cable that came to us from the distant computer past. I really became afraid that Apple has some kind of patent for normal-looking chargers. But no.

    Total

    When I first picked up the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro in my hands, it seemed somehow flimsy. I'm used to more brutal mobile computers - Lenovo ThinkPad, Acer TravelMate, MacBook Pro, finally. And then something thin, light ... Not serious.
    But when he arranged the system and began to use it at home for work and watching movies, the attitude changed. Yes, the device is light and thin (easily lost among the papers and books on the table), but it is quite durable. Details do not fall off, scratches do not appear from nowhere. At the same time, despite the benchmarks, the responsiveness of the system is higher than that of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon on the 4th generation Core i5. Perhaps it affects a larger cache (4 MB instead of 3).



    Balanced machine. Everything in it is somehow in the mind, within reason. Personally, I would like from him only battery life for at least ten hours, so that, as in the case of the "MacBook", do not pay attention to the level of charge during the day. But given the compact and powerful charger, you can put up with a guaranteed five hours.

    By the way, the ultrabook is also not very expensive. In the States, it costs $ 1,300 for the basic configuration (8/256 GB), while the top-end one, with Windows 8.1 Pro and 512 GB SSD, costs only $ 80 more. To these figures we must add a sales tax (about a hundred dollars), but still, against the background of brothers with similar characteristics, it turns out humanely.

    In November last year, when Yoga 3 Pro was announced in Russia, they talked about the price "from 50 thousand rubles." The device has not yet reached large networks, and the lowest price for a grayish copy in the online store is 83 thousand rubles. In one place they drew a price tag of 110 thousand. Apparently, to be safe for sure.

    I assure you, employees of the Russian branches of IT companies mourn with you over skyrocketing prices, but there are no miracles. And even if someone starts selling equipment at a loss, they will immediately begin to come and fly from neighboring countries, and the holiday will quickly end. It’s just that now we’ll have to take our purchases more seriously, wondering what it will be like with them, not even in a year, but in two or three.



    By the way, Yoga 3 Pro with a more powerful Core M-5Y71 processor that can accelerate itself to a frequency of 2.9 GHz with a slightly accelerated graphics core will most likely get to the official retail. Plus, he, unlike 5Y70, has more flexible energy settings. At least in the States, all offers are already on it, and on the Intel 5Y70 website it is listed as withdrawn from sale.

    I sincerely wish that your financial capabilities coincide with your needs, even in our amazing time.

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