The Lenovo Yoga 11S with Intel Core i5-4210Y Haswell

[Frankie Malekian]

Hey everyone, so I went into Best Buy yesterday to buy a Surface Pro 2. When I got there, I saw that they had the Lenovo Yoga 11S on sale for $749.99, and guess what! It had the Intel Core i5-4210Y Haswell instead of the i3 that I've seen it with before. The only places I see that have this version of the laptop is Best Buy and Amazon (except its $879.99 at Amazon). Here are the basic specs:

• 4th Gen Intel? CoreTM i5-4210Y processor (3MB L3 cache and 1.4GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 1.9GHz) / 4GB DDR3L memory / 128GB solid state drive
• 11.6" LED high-definition widescreen 10-point capacitive multitouch-screen display with IPS technology (1366 x 768 resolution) / Intel? HD Graphics 4200 / 360? convertible design / 4-cell lithium-polymer
• Built-in webcam (720p resolution) / 2-in-1 digital media reader / 1 USB 3.0 port and 1 USB 2.0 port / HDMI Port / Optical Drive not included
• Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n) / Bluetooth 4.0 interface / Weighs only 3 lbs. and measures just 0.7" thin

So far its running beautifully, and the battery has been great as well (although I've only had it for a day).

I'm still a little torn though, I went in fully confident to buy a surface pro 2, and came out with this. It was about a hundred cheaper and had the 128gb ssd. Did I make the right choice?

 

[mase123987]

The entire Yoga line has had numerous hinge/display issues, one of which I ran into with the older model of this Yoga. I really like what it can do, but with the few Lenovo items I have bought, quality has been an issue (non-thinkpad devices).

Otherwise, Surface Pro 2 will be better if you primarily use it as a tablet, while Yoga has the advantage if mostly used as a laptop.

 

[Frankie Malekian]

Yeah, I knew about the display issues. And I really saw it on the 13" model. This one actually has a beautiful screen. I really don't see what the issues with this one is. I'm thinking Lenovo fixed it with this model. But I'm surprised that they don't have this version of the laptop on their website.

 

[mase123987]

Yeah, I knew about the display issues. And I really saw it on the 13" model. This one actually has a beautiful screen. I really don't see what the issues with this one is. I'm thinking Lenovo fixed it with this model. But I'm surprised that they don't have this version of the laptop on their website.

The issues aren't just the display, but the display in combination with the hinge. MANY have had problems were the hinge causes the display connection to go bad quickly.

 

[Frankie Malekian]

I just through the other thread as well. It seems though those issues are all problems with the 13" model. But anyway, Best Buy is doing their holiday return policy. I have until January 15th to return it. I'll update this thread if I run into any problems with it. I'll be using it pretty heavily so we should know by then.

 

[mase123987]

I just through the other thread as well. It seems though those issues are all problems with the 13" model. But anyway, Best Buy is doing their holiday return policy. I have until January 15th to return it. I'll update this thread if I run into any problems with it. I'll be using it pretty heavily so we should know by then.

I had the 11in i3 model so it wasn't just 13in. Don't get me wrong, it would be one of the best hybrid devices without the issues. Hopefully the new one isn't plagued with those.

 

[hopmedic]

Two and a half weeks ago, I had shopped around, and decided that the 11S was what I wanted. Best Buy and Lenovo.com were the only places I could find it. I wanted to do better on price, so I added it to my cart on Lenovo.com and tried one of their other coupon codes, but it didn't work. I closed the window. A couple hours later I got an email reminding me of my cart, and giving me a 10% off code. I used it.

Two weeks later, I get my PC (this Monday). Then yesterday, the day after I got my PC, I saw this thread. Ugh. I bought a 3rd gen i3 model, and now the i5 Haswell is out. GRRR. So I set up the return (no restocking fee), and they sent me a shipping label (not even a shipping cost to me :smile. I went to Best Buy (Did I tell you I hate Best Buy? If there were another place...), and applied for the credit card, got 18 months free financing (I'll pay it off as soon as I get the refund from Lenovo), and since I bought a computer at the same time as applying for the card, got a $20 discount applied. All told, the i5 Haswell cost me $10 more than the i3 3rd gen. Oh, and I didn't have to deal with the hard-sell of the extended warranty, because I preempted it with, "I don't need the geek squad because I'm a geek who takes his own laptops apart and fixes them." :grin:

So all that's left to do is go to the UPS store and drop off the i3. :grin:

 

[a7madmotaw3]

IS the 4th Gen Intel? CoreTM i5-4210Y model officially released by lenovo or its customized? if so why is it not present on lenovo website??
i plan to get this model and now it is present on bestbuy only for 800$, is there any news for being on sale soon??

thanks for the help in advance

 

[Frankie Malekian]

I assume its an official release. I didn't think Best Buy sold custom setups. And seeing how it just came out, I think you'd have to wait a few months before seeing any sales on it.

 

[hopmedic]

I can't tell you why it isn't on Lenovo's site, but I can verify that Best Buy does indeed have the Haswell. It kind of stinks, because I hate Best Buy with a passion, but that's where I had to go to get it for that price.

 

[a7madmotaw3]

Just now I found it also on amazon and its for 880$
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FI1FUKG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1386024251&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

Is there a real big difference bet the 3rd and 4th gen. Devices regarding the battery life?

 

[a7madmotaw3]

Another question plz.,what is the best stylus to work with this device?

 

[hopmedic]

I only had the 3rd gen for a day, and never ran it dead. The fourth gen is very good with the battery. IIRC the claim is 5+ hours (I could be wrong), but with the moderate use I'm using, on/off all day today while my wife was in surgery this am, and now while she's in a room at the hospital, I'm down to 51%, and it says 3 hours and 32 minutes remaining. I haven't been doing anything heavy today, just posting updates on her condition on facebook and playing Angry Birds Star Wars, but I'm impressed with it.

As for a stylus, there is no digitizer pad to my knowledge on this PC (Could be wrong - never used one, so didn't bother looking for one), and if that is the case, a stylus will be a capacitive type with it acting just like a finger touch - no palm rejection, AFAIK.

HTH!

 

[a7madmotaw3]

Hi everyone,
this is the best deal for our product http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ideapad-yoga-ultrabook-2-in-1-11-6-touch-screen-laptop-4gb-memory/1835037.p?id=1219065985762&skuId=1835037&st=yoga%2011s&cp=1&lp=5 but unfortunately its on bestbuy which doesn't ship internationally..can anybody help me finding a nice deal like this but on a site that couldship it to Egypt ? as i'll still pay for shipping and taxes so i need the best deal ever

 

[Frankie Malekian]

So a few weeks of having this laptop. I can say that I still love it, its pretty fast, and haven't had any display issues. However, when I have it connected to my TV with HDMI, if the display goes into power saving mode and turns off, the computer crashes upon wake. Happens everytime, and I have to restart it. Although, its not a big enough issue where I want to return it. Especially because restarting this laptop literally only takes a few seconds. I'm assuming an updated display driver in the future will also fix this issue.

 

[Sunrise85]

I bought a similar Yoga 11s with Haswell chip before Thanksgiving from Best Buy (was for $799 though). So far the only inconvenience I see with this one is the fact that it does not have the backlit keyboard. This should not be a problem if you don't travel frequently and have to use it in the airplane after they dim the lights. You may not want to turn your lights on when passengers next to you are sleeping ! It is very convenient though for its light weight, the ability to turn easily into a tablet. So far no problem with the display. The 13.3 inch Pro version comes with a backlit keyboard and much greater screen resolution. But it cost $200 more and not sure if I will exchange it for that one. I feel the 13.3 inch is too large to use as a tablet, and did not get the same reviews as the 11s as far as I recall.

I hope this helps...

 

[hopmedic]

Yeah, I think this size is perfect, but yes, the backlit keyboard would sure be handy.

 

[Grimlock]

I was really impressed with the Yoga 11s, its a really great device and very underrated. The screen is not too big/small and I didn't feel like the keyboard was cramped. Performance is excellent and the only thing I really would have wanted was 8+ hours of battery life (maybe it will improve with a firmware update). The Yoga 2 pro was a bit too large for my taste, but the resolution was impressive.

The yoga 11s can hold its own with the Surface Pro 2, I think its a better laptop whereas the surface is a better tablet (plus wacom).

 

[FutureBSD]

Not sure if I would be satisfied with the resolution of the screen (1366 x 768).
If you compare that with the SP2 (which has the better resolution + the wacom) it stops sounding THAT great to me.
But well, you have to add a few more dollars for the keyboard of course (which has backlit in that case though )

 

[hopmedic]

It all depends on where your priorities are. To match what I got in my $730 Yoga 11S, I'd have to spend $1130, and for the extra I'd have higher resolution and the Wacom. For my needs it's just not worth the $400 difference. I understand that for some it is, but not me.