Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Review: A Creator’s Powerhouse
▼ Summary
– The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Aura Edition is a high-performance laptop praised for its gorgeous 16-inch OLED display and powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU with discrete Nvidia RTX graphics.
– It excels as a machine for creators and productivity, offering strong performance that also makes it a capable gaming laptop, all while running quietly and staying cool under load.
– The design is durable and sleek but unremarkable, with a premium keyboard and a very large glass touchpad that can cause awkward wrist placement.
– Notable drawbacks include underwhelming speaker quality and the imminent release of a next-generation model, which may lead to discounts on this Gen 10 version.
– CNET considers it an excellent value and Editors’ Choice, offering top-tier performance and features in a relatively portable design for under $2,000.
For creative professionals seeking a high-performance laptop that balances power with a premium display, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Aura Edition presents a compelling option. This machine packs potent hardware into a relatively slim chassis, offering a gorgeous 16-inch, 2.8K OLED display that serves as the centerpiece of the experience. While it carries the “Aura Edition” moniker, which denotes Lenovo’s focus on AI features and performance tuning, the laptop’s true strengths lie in its traditional computing prowess and stunning visual output.
The model reviewed here represents the outgoing tenth generation, which means potential buyers may soon find it at a discount. Lenovo has already announced its successor, the Gen 11 model, set to arrive in the spring. The current configuration, priced at $1,950, features an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor paired with 32GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 GPU. This combination delivers impressive performance for both demanding creative workloads and respectable gaming. In benchmark comparisons, it consistently outperformed other premium productivity laptops and held its own against dedicated gaming machines.
Performance is a clear highlight, with the laptop managing to stay remarkably cool and quiet even under sustained heavy loads. This is aided by a thoughtful chassis design that elevates the rear for improved airflow through a large vent. The fans, when they do spin up, remain subdued. For creators, this means the machine can handle rendering and encoding tasks without becoming a noisy distraction.
Where the design falters somewhat is in its aesthetic appeal. The “Aura” branding suggests something dazzling, but the reality is a conservative, gray laptop that is inoffensive yet unremarkable. The build quality feels premium with rounded edges and a convenient webcam bump that acts as a handle, but it won’t turn heads. The interior is more impressive, featuring a large glass touchpad that feels excellent to use. However, its generous size forces the keyboard slightly higher on the deck, leading to an awkward wrist placement for some users. The keyboard itself is comfortable with snappy, backlit keys.
Despite its powerful internals, the laptop maintains a profile of just 0.75 inches thick. It is, however, a bit hefty at 4.52 pounds, so it leans more toward portable workstation than ultraportable. The trade-off is worth it for the spectacular screen. The OLED panel achieved perfect sRGB color coverage and near-perfect Adobe RGB results in testing. With deep blacks, vibrant colors, and a brightness nearing 500 nits, it is a joy for photo and video editing.
The main disappointment comes from the audio. A six-speaker array promises robust sound, but the output has a hollow, slightly tinny quality. For serious media consumption, using the included 3.5mm audio jack with a good pair of headphones is recommended. Port selection is otherwise generous, including two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI, and a full-size SD card reader. The 5-megapixel webcam is sharp and includes a physical privacy shutter.
In summary, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Aura Edition is a powerful and well-rounded machine for creators. It excels in performance, thermals, and display quality, making it an excellent value for under $2,000. Its few quirks, like the awkward keyboard placement and mediocre speakers, are minor trade-offs for a laptop that so capably handles demanding tasks in a sleek, quiet package. Even with a new model on the horizon, this generation remains a top-tier choice.
(Source: CNET)
