General Usage
One of the big changes from the 2022 version to the 2023 version of the Yoga 9i is the screen. This year we have a 16:10 OLED screen. The screen in our unit has the 2.8K (2880 x 1800) 90 Hz option, but you can also get the laptop with the 4K (3840 x 2400) 60 Hz option. Being that the screen is 16:10 you have more vertical space which is great for having different windows side-by-side. I used the touchscreen with just my finger as well as the included Precision Pen 2 and I didn’t run into any issues. If you are someone that prefers to take written notes you’ll really like how the Precision Pen 2 feels compared to typing your notes.
One of my favorite things about Lenovo Yoga laptops is that you can position them in different ways. So you can use the Yoga 9i like a normal laptop, lay it flat, set it up like a tent, and even flip the screen completely around and make it a tablet. For those who are wondering when you flip the screen around the keyboard turns off so you aren’t accidently pressing buttons. This versatility is great and definitely appreciated on a flight where you have limited space. The hinge is very sturdy and no matter how I had the screen positioned it did not wobble or anything like that.
Lenovo is one of the best when it comes to laptop keyboards and the keyboard on the Yoga 9i is no exception. It is extremely comfortable and responsive to type on. I did like the addition of the extra keys on the right side, but I wish you could fully reprogram them to other things. If you are working in the dark you do get a white backlight on the keys with two different brightness levels. You can manually turn the lighting on or off (FN + Spacebar) or you can set it to auto which will turn on the backlighting based on your environment.
One of my favorite things about the 2022 Yoga 9i was the audio. It is the same here on the 2023 version. Again the whole idea of turning the hinge into a soundbar is brilliant! It is the best sound that I’ve ever heard from a laptop! If you are watching movies or just listening to music the audio experience is going to be awesome!
When it comes to the built-in camera on the laptop it will shoot video at 1920 x 1080 at 30 FPS and take photos at 2.1 MP (1920 x 1080). The camera will get the job done for simple Zoom and Skype calls. Here is a photo I took with the camera.
I also made a recording using the Windows recording tool to give you an idea of the type of audio quality you would get if you planned on using the built-in microphone array on the laptop.
