Lenovo Yoga 7i 16: Large, Long-Lasting 2-in-1 to Flip For

7.7/ 10
SCORE

Lenovo Yoga 7i 82YN-16IRL8

$1,000 at Best Buy

Pros

• Roomy 16-inch 16:10 display
• All-metal enclosure
• Peppy performance for the price
• Outstanding battery life

Cons

• Awkward in tablet mode
• Fuzzy text on 1,920x1,200-resolution panel
• Clacky touchpad

The Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 serves up ample screen real estate and two-in-one versatility along with strong performance and a lengthy runtime -- and does so for a reasonable price of $1,000. Lenovo's largest convertible features a roomy 16-inch, 16:10 display that makes it a good fit as a home or work laptop where you aren't connected to an external monitor. And despite its large display, the Yoga 7i 16 offers outstanding battery life. 

As a tablet, however, this 16-inch, 4.5-pound feels a bit unwieldy in your hands and is best used on a lap or desk. If you are in search of a 16-inch two-in-one and envision a near 50/50 split between laptop and tablet modes, I'd steer you toward the LG Gram 16 2-in-1 because it offers a big display and long battery life in a package that's more than a pound lighter than the Yoga 7i 16. Our Yoga 7i 16 test model is more affordable than a comparable LG Gram 16 2-in-1 configuration, however. This Lenovo's component lineup is strong for the price, but the real value of the Yoga 7i 16 is its large display and long battery life. It's a good pick for convertible shoppers who will use the system more as a laptop than a tablet.

The Yoga 7i 16 line starts at $885 (regularly discounted to less than $800 at Lenovo) for a model with a Core i5-1335U CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 16-inch touch display with a 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution and 300-nit brightness rating. Our $1,000 test system is available at Best Buy and bumps you up to a Core i7-1355U CPU and 16GB of RAM while supplying the same display. A display upgrade to a 2.5K-resolution (2,560x1,600), 400-nit panel is available on models starting at $1,140 (but, again, currently discounted to $885). We would strongly urge you to opt for the higher-resolution display. The Yoga 7i 16 starts at £759 in the UK. Pricing isn't available yet in Australia, where the Yoga 7i 16 is listed as available soon.

The Yoga 7i 16 supplies a 13th-gen Core i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM; many models at this price make you squeak by with a Core i5 chip and 8GB of RAM. The system's efficient 13th-gen Core i7 U-series processor sits in the sweet spot of providing great application performance while also delivering impressive battery life. Compared with similarly sized laptops and convertibles, the Yoga 7i 16 finished at or near the top of every test. It was particularly strong on our PCMark 10 and Geekbench 5 tests, indicating a well-rounded machine ready to tackle office tasks and engage in multitasking without a hiccup. Most impressive was its showing on our battery life test, where it lasted for 13 hours, 40 minutes. That's an outstanding runtime for any Windows laptop and particularly so for a system with a 16-inch display.

Thin yet sturdy

There's nothing particularly interesting to the look of the Yoga 7i 16. Like so many other laptops these days, it features a rather dull, dark gray chassis Lenovo calls Storm Grey. But for the price, it's a solid enclosure. For one, it's an all-aluminum case at a price where many models slap a metal lid behind the display and hope you don't notice the plastic keyboard deck. It feels rigid, with only a hint of flex in the lid and keyboard deck. For another, it has passed MIL-STD 810H tests, which means it offers military-grade protection against drops, vibration, shock, dust, altitude and extreme temperatures.

The military ruggedness doesn't come at the expense of portability. The Yoga 7i 16 features thin display bezels and measures a trim 14.3 by 9.8 by 0.7 inches. It's quite thin for a 16-inch laptop, particularly a two-in-one since touchscreens require extra display layers. While it's thin for a 16-inch laptop, it's of average heft, weighing in at 4.5 pounds (the extra display layers also add to the weight). That's the same weight as the HP Spectre x360 16 and an ounce or two lighter than the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus laptop. The LG Gram 16 2-in-1 is the exception to the rule among 16-inch models; it weighs a scant 3.3 pounds.

I'd describe both the keyboard and touchpad as below average. The keys offer shallow travel and yet feel a bit soft and loose. I prefer a snappier, firmer feel. You do get a number pad, an item for which most 16-inch laptops find room. And the keyboard offers two-level backlighting, which is always helpful when typing in a dark room or red-eye flight. The touchpad is generously proportioned and has a matte finish for smooth gliding, but its click response offers a bit too much travel and feels clacky.

The best part of the display is its size. The 16-inch panel with a tall 16:10 provides ample space on which to work or play. If you are going to lug around a 4.5-pound laptop, at least make it one with such a display. The 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution suffices for watching shows and movies, but if you're planning on using the Yoga 7i 16 for school or work and will be spending long stretches reading on its screen, then I'd encourage you to choose a model with the upgraded 2.5K (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) panel. Text looks fuzzy when seated close up on the 1,920x1,200 display and lacks the inky black sharpness you get from a finer resolution. The display upgrade is also rated for 400 nits of brightness, which is appreciably more than the 300-nit rating of our test system.

The webcam checks off all three boxes we like to see checked: 1,080p resolution [check]; IR capability for using facial recognition for easy, secure logins [check]; and a physical shutter to cover the lens to protect your privacy when it's not in use [check]. The camera's images looked crisp and well-balanced, with only a fraction of the graininess that besets that of 720p webcams.

The Yoga 7i 16 features a basic pair of integrated stereo speakers, and they produce average laptop audio. Many larger laptops squeeze in four speakers for fuller sound, but you get only two here. You might not mind them for watching shows and movies, but music playback is less than enjoyable with the distinct lack of a bass response.

The port selection is solid, with a pair of USB Type-C ports and a pair of USB-Type A ports in addition to an HDMI out. Both USB-C connections support Thunderbolt 4, and you also get a microSD card slot.

Budget two-in-one shoppers will find much to like in the Yoga 7i 16, from its sturdy, all-metal chassis and roomy display to its peppy performance and long-lasting battery. We suggest choosing a model with a higher-resolution display, however, since it's a small price to pay for crisp text. We'd also recommend the impressively lightweight LG Gram 16 2-in-1 for anyone looking for a big-screen convertible. It's a little more money, but you get a better display and battery life that's just under 13 hours.