The Yoga Duet 7i is one of the latest 2-in-1 convertible from Lenovo. While it still packs in Intel’s 10th Generation Comet Lake CPUs, there are still a lot to look forward to like its gorgeous display, thin chassis, and minimal weight. But does it sacrifice anything to achieve its flexible design and slim for factor?
Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i
| CPU | Up to Intel Core i7-10510U |
| GPU | Intel UHD 620 |
| OS | Windows 10 Home |
| RAM | 16GB 2667MHz DDR4 |
| Display | 13.0-inch IPS, 2160 x 1350, Touch Screen |
| Storage | 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD |
| I/O Ports | 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C (PD 3.0 and DisplayPort), 1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C, 3.5mm combo jack, HDMI, SD Card Reader, |
| Connection | 2×2 WiFi 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Battery | 42Whr |
| Audio | 2x Dolby Audio Speakers, Smart Amp, Dual-Array Microphone |
| Others | IR Camera with Windows Hello Support |
| Dimensions | 297.4 x 205.5 x 9.19mm |
| Weight | Starts at 798.8g (tablet only) |
| Colors | Orchid, Slate Grey |
Display and Design
The Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i comes with a 13.0-inch 16:10 216 x 1350 IPS display. Its screen also supports touch input, the included Lenovo E-Color Pen, and Digital Pen. Its bezels are just a smidge larger from the usual near-bezelless designs we are seeing nowadays.
Colors produced by the Duet 7i’s screen are detailed and well saturated. There is no backlight bleed noticeable to the naked-eye. That’s all well and good for the display but Lenovo has not applied any anti-glare coating on the screen to keep everything crisp and accurate. A significant amount of reflection can be seen but the display can power through them thanks to its high brightness.
The Duet 7i’s chassis is made out of aluminum with a matte finish and feels premium to the touch. Since its keyboard is complete separate from the device itself, the lower half of the rear portion becomes a kickstand that can offer a wide range of angles. You can push down the screen to see the display on a shallower angle but retracting it back to its original position needs a manual touch by tucking it back in.
Both the front and rear come with 5MP cameras, which are fine for video calls and taking photos of documents on the fly but we would not expect smartphone-quality photos or videos to come out of them.
The convertible weighs in at around 800 grams. It is fairly lightweight given that it is a 2-in-1 PC. It is relatively heavier and a bit chunkier compared to dedicated Android or iOS tablets in the market. It’s chassis also offer minimal flex while in use and the hinges on its kickstand feel durable. Overall, the Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i feels like a quality product just by touch and looks alone.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Since the Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i has a touchscreen and is compatible with digital pens, using the keyboard and mouse are optional but important to the entire experience. Bundled with the tablet is a detachable backlit Bluetooth keyboard with a touch pad.
The dock is magnetic allowing for easy and automatic installation. There is no hinge so if you lift the keyboard or the tablet separately, the other half will just flow around. You may want to ensure that your holding the entire device when lifting to avoid any kind of accidents, especially with the tablet.
The keyboard itself is bog-standard 70% chiclet-style keyboard that offer a surprising amount of tactility and travel distance despite its thin chassis. All the function keys are automatically set to use their secondary functions like true Lenovo tradition. Those who would like to use the keyboard wireless can do so by toggling its functionality via a switch at the right-hand side.
Just below the keyboard is its touchpad. Gestures are supported and the pad itself is even and smooth allowing for seamless tracking. The left and right buttons are crisp to the touch and avoid being mushy in the long run.
Input and Output Ports
Like most of its peers, the Duet 7i is using USB Type-C for all of its USB ports. At the left-hand side are its 3.5mm audio jack and two USB 3.1 Gen1 ports that support PowerDelivery 3.0 and DisplayPort functionalities.
At the right-hand side, meanwhile, is another USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C port, its volume rocker, and power button. It also has a quick release SD Card reader for creatives with cameras.
The notebook have a forward-looking set of ports standard for the kind of device it is but we would have liked to have seen at least a single USB Type-C port. It’s also a missed a crucial opportunity to include Thunderbolt for additional functionalities like external GPUs.
Software
Not much has changed in the software department on the Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i. It comes with Windows 10 Home with the usual pre-installed apps like McAfee, Lenovo Utility, and Lenovo Vantage.
As we discussed in previous Lenovo notebooks, Lenovo Vantage lets you control software updates and features on the notebook. Security patches and BIOS updates are seamlessly handled via the app leaving minimal input from the user aside from the odd click to continue dialog box.
Users can also check other vital information about the notebook through Vantage like battery life, hardware and software deals, and warranty information.
Performance and Benchmarks
Powering the Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i is an Intel Core i7-10510U CPU with an integrated Intel UHD 620 GPU. The system we got from Lenovo runs 16GB of RAM running at 2667MHz. As part of the U series CPUs from Intel, the CPU found on the notebook focuses more on low power and battery life rather than sheer processing performance.
Storage found on the convertible is a 1TB OEM model from Toshiba with the model code KBG40ZNT102. Running a 4GiB load on CrystalDiskMark reveals a relatively standard NVMe performance with sequential read and write speeds capped at 2309MB/s and 1801MB/s, respectively. Multi-queue random 4KiB read and write speeds are decent as well.
As usual, we will be running a suite of benchmarks both synthetic and real world to see what kind of performance the Duet 7i can bring into the convertible space.
Synthetic Benchmarks
CPU-Z Benchmark 17.01.64
7-Zip 16.04
wPrime v2.10
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R20
Blender
As mentioned, the Intel Core i7-10510U residing in the Lenovo Yoga 7i prioritizes longevity and portability over speed. As such, it is expected that the notebook will be slightly hindered in the performance department. While it does place rather low in the charts, actual usage of the device remains swift and immediate in shorter rendering workloads like Photoshop.
Gaming Benchmarks
3DMark Fire Strike
Rainbow Six Siege
We already know that the notebook isn’t supposed to be a performance powerhouse but this is more apparent in gaming performance. It pretty much places last in synthetics and performance in Rainbow Six Siege at its lowest settings and in 720p produced abysmal numbers.
This would have been mitigated if the device had Thunderbolt 3 to allow gaming enthusiasts to plug their own external GPUs. But alas, it seems that it will be stuck on the Intel UHD 620 GPU for its lifetime.
Temperature and Battery Life
Aside from its portability and upscale design, the Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i also shines in the temperature and battery department. Temperature is incredibly low for the CPU peaking only at 61°c while rendering the BMW test image in Blender despite the thin chassis. This is thanks to the low 15W TDP of its Core i7-10510U processor.
Powering the 2-in-1 is a 42Whr battery. Thanks to the humble power requirements of its components, users can expect at around 9 hours of usage at battery saving mode at low to medium brightness throughout the day. Charging is done through a 45W USB Type-C power adapter. It takes around 2 and a half hours to fill up the battery from 0 to full.
Conclusion
Lenovo sticks to the design language we have seen with the Yoga lineup with the Duet 7i: battery life and portability. There are, however, some caveats native to the platform that the notebook uses.
While it’s no slouch in any way, shape, or form, the performance brought by its U series CPU pales in comparison to similarly priced dedicated notebooks. Keep in mind, however, that this device has been made with portability and adaptability in mind.
At PhP 89,995 for the Core i7-1510U variant, the longevity and the sleek design of the Yoga Duet 7i more than makes up for its downsides. It might not equal the sheer speed other notebooks, but professionals and workers who require a flexible and thin notebook may want to consider the Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i.
