A students dream come true; Lenovo Yoga 3 11 Review

When you think of Lenovo, the word innovation comes to mind, they did it many years ago with the ThinkPad and then a few years ago when they first started the Yoga brand. A device that mold into another device when you needed it too, and since then they have innovated the category and others have copied. They’ve tried to do similar things with different modes, but truth be told they weren’t the same.

The Yoga lineup today represents some of the best computers and tablets on the market. Today, we are taking a look at and laying out our full thoughts on the Yoga 3 11, what Lenovo calls a ultraportable multimode laptop, as well the best 11-inch 2-in-1 in their lineup. As far as first impressions go, the Yoga 3 in the 11-inch variant is a great one. It is thin, portable, and very comfortable to type on, and I should probably mention the different modes. Using it in a school, work, or even play environment is a breeze and Lenovo didn’t design just to fit into one of these markets, it is an overarching product.

Lenovo is good at making ultraportable computers, I mean take a look there ultrabooks and the Yoga 3 11 is quite thin, but it feels built well. It is not a cheap product and it comes in at just 0.6-inch thicks, this is remarkably thin. You can also hold it with one hand and not get a strain, it weighs in at only 2.6-pounds. It also comes in either black or white, I have been reviewing the black variant of the computer. It looks very sleek with the silver rim around the trackpad and the silver hinges for the multi mode capabilities.

Just because it’s thin doesn’t mean that usefulness and capabilities are removed. The Yoga 3 11 is packed with ports, the right hand side is home to a power button, volume controls, a headphone jack, and a USB 3.0 port. The left hand side features a power port, a USB 2.0 port, a mini HDMI port, and an SD card reader. The bottom of the device has some information your specific model, as well as some small vents, while the top is quite clean with only a smooth silver Lenovo logo gracing it.

While the device is called the Yoga 3 11, truth be told it has a slightly larger screen. It has an 11.6-inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD display with multitouch. The visuals look pretty good, it’s not meant for video editing, but it gets the job done for simpler tasks like making Powerpoint’s and surfing the web. Graphics are powered by an Integrated Intel® HD Graphics 5300, which pairs nicely with the processing unit.

Speaking of which, you can get the Yoga 3 11 with a Intel Core M 5Y10c 0.80GHz 1600MHz 4MB with up to 8GB of RAM. Out of the box the performance is sleek and smooth running Windows 8.1 in a 64-bit format, plus you get Lenovo’s great software features. For starters, you get laptop, stand, tent, and tablet mode all of which run smoothly and transition is very quick. The computer itself will analyze and recommend applications to use in each of these modes as well. For instance if you are on a plane, you might be using stand or tent mode, which is great for watching movies or viewing content. With Yoga Harmony it will give you statistics on how you are using the device and will suggest new applications.

In terms of pre-loaded content, there is not a lot of bloatware and a majority of them can be deleted. You will get Amazon, Dailymotion, Evernote Touch, Kindle, McAfee Central, Nitro Pro 9, Skype, TripAdvisor, Zinio Reader, and a few others. Overall, these applications add some usefulness, especially Evernote. You also get plenty of storage, as you get up to 256GB of storage.

In terms of connectivity, it is a great experience with very fast wireless from the 802.11 a/c WiFi chip, you will also get Bluetooth 4.0. Last but not least, you will get around 6 hours of battery life with normal use. If you push it a little farther the battery will empty out sooner. Luckily, the power cord is not that big and the brick itself is quite light weight.

Overall, the Lenovo Yoga 3 11 is a solid computer and is a students dream come true. It combines a great experience and a ultraportable design. Using the Yoga 3 11 in the classroom would be a dream come true, the ease of typing on the keyboard and solid performance with the operating system, make it a great combination. Plus, you can get a Yoga 3 11 for under $1,000, as they start at just $679. I highly recommend the Lenovo Yoga 3 11 and it is our back to school pick for any student looking for a portable laptop. Click here to check out the Yoga 3 11 on Lenovo’s site! We would like to thank Lenovo for providing us with a “Lenovo Yoga 3 11” to review.