Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 Review

The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 is almost everything we want in a hybrid ultrabook. As an ultrabook, the Yoga 13 offers an uncompromised computing experience, while wedding Windows 8 with the touch screen it deserves, and delivering performance that will keep you satisfied at work and play. As a dual function device, it transitions elegantly and intuitively, standing out from the rest with the best hinge mechanism we've seen on a hybrid. But as a tablet, it falters. It's too big, and for a device that offers convenience and mobility, that's a significant drawback. That said, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 is an excellent ultrabook, a great touch-enabled Windows 8 PC, and a passable tablet, and it's the most affordable hybrid ultrabook we've reviewed, to date.

Design
Thanks to Lenovo's "multi-mode" hinge, the Yoga 13 opens like a regular clamshell laptop, but can then open further, folding back around to close behind the screen for a mobile tablet that can be used on the go. The 13-inch capacitive touch display offers 10-finger tracking and HD resolution (1,600 by 900). The smaller hybrids we've reviewed offer 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, but the Yoga 13's display still looks good.