Amateur Tech Review of the Lenovo Yoga 730

I wasn’t going to buy a computer until at least after Christmas, but Husband decided to be an absolute dear and buy one as a surprise for my birthday (which is technically next week). After a bit of trial and error (we do NOT recommend the very buggy Dell Inspiron series as we took back two separate identical units for running poorly), we landed on a Lenovo machine that has proven so far (I’ve only had it a few days) to be both capable and compact. 🙂

I ideally wanted (though never thought I would have) a machine that was both a 2 in 1 and sufficiently powerful enough to run the occasional foray into the Sims 4. I also needed it not to overheat (as it seems I’ve had bad luck in that arena), have a sturdy build, and, purely for aesthetic reasons, I didn’t want it to look like a “gamer’s PC” (think red backlit buttons and a build that looks like it came from Halo). I also couldn’t pay an arm and a leg. Though Husband’s surprise cost more than I would have spent on myself, I think the machine that I ended up with is a great value for how well it performs and all the features it includes.

My Lenovo Yoga 730 15.6 inch Platinum includes the following specs and is only available via order directly from the manufacturer. The “Platinum” moniker differentiates between the same PC with a dedicated graphics card vs its usual integrated card. Husband and I got specs that would definitely meet my needs, but different options are available for an additional cost.

• 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-8250U Processor (1.60GHz, up to 3.40GHz with Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
• 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS multi-touch display
• 8 GB DDR4 2400MHz (Onboard)
• 256GB Solid State Drive PCIe
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB
• 3 cell Li-Polymer 51.5Wh battery
• Bluetooth® 4.1
• 720p HD camera
• Fingerprint Reader
• Backlit keyboard – US English

This 2 in 1 laptop acts as a tablet as you may have guessed, and the drawing capabilities (at least for someone like me who isn’t an expert) are fantastic! The screen and pen (I’m using a Lenovo pen made by Wacom) work together to pick up varying degrees of pressure sensitivity, and drawing on it doesn’t produce lag, for the most part. There are times, however, when the screen will very~ briefly freeze. Luckily, the undo button exists for a reason. (You might make a mark thinking it’s frozen only to find it’s working again.)

I mean, not a bad Tamaki sketch for a blogger’s first time, right? I probably should have put some sparkles in that background. Using this 2 in 1 is so much easier than using the Wacom screen-less tablet Husband had for work…

There, that’s better.

I predict lots of fun using the drawing feature, and the touch screen is convenient even in laptop mode. However, the pen really isn’t intended for much more than drawing or writing. I’d still use the trackpad or a mouse for your general needs. While it takes some time to get used to, it seems to work well. 🙂

In addition, the keyboard keys also take a bit of getting used to because the spacing feels just a tad off of typical. When I first tried using it, I seemed to mistype ever third word, which is unusual for me. However, after an afternoon of use, I’ve already gotten much more used to the layout. I don’t think it will prove to be a lingering issue.

The screen is lovely and it has smooth picture quality. Relatedly, the sound is FANTASTICALLY CRISP, so the whole package really enhances a person’s media viewing experience, especially for someone like me who, while not deaf, definitely lives on captions. I mean, 60% volume was almost TOO loud for me, though I tend to like my sounds on the softer side. I have no complaints using the device as a means to watch anime, that’s for sure. (*^^*)b

Screen capture; did you know that Youtube would alter its layout to optimize this small of a window size? I sure didn’t.

The SSD, while small, makes it start up and run very quickly! Also, the little I’ve played the Sims indicates that it should operate swimmingly. I’ve only been running it for a short time, but the downsides to this unit seem to thus far be minimal. I will of course update this post should anything extraordinary negative come up.

Physically, the laptop seems sturdy. The size makes it manageable when flipping between modes, and the hinges feel strong and reliable. It’s a thin model without much bend, thank goodness. Also, aside from the “YOGA” printed on the casing’s corner, it’s free from branding.

 

And the packaging? Whoo. Very fancy. I’m too lazy to include a picture, but I was most surprised.

All in all, I would recommend this laptop to anyone. That’s the very abrupt end of my amateur tech review! 😀

 

~Shoujo

 

 

 

 

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