Lenovo Yoga 700 Review: A Flexible 14-Inch Ultraportable Convertible

Performance Summary: The Lenovo Yoga 700 isn't the fastest ultraportable on the block, but then again, it was never designed to be. First and foremost, the Yoga 700 is a flexible machine for various use case scenarios, now upgraded with a modern foundation consisting of a 6th Generation Intel Core i5-6200U processor, 8GB of DDR3L 1600MHz memory, and a 256GB solid state drive. That's enough to put some pep in the Yoga 700's step, as we saw it perform near the top of the pack in our web browsing and PCMark 8 benchmarks.

It was only a few short years ago when the idea of folding a laptop's lid all the back on itself might induce a heart attack, along with the need to buy a new notebook. That's still true of many systems today, though not Lenovo's Yoga line, which is the gymnast of the laptop world.

Like the Yoga systems that came before it, the Yoga 700 bends a full 360 degrees, with the keyboard and touchpad automatically turning off at 190 degrees. And because of the sturdy hinge design, the Yoga 700 offers four different use modes—notebook, stand, tent, and tablet. You might not find yourself routinely using all four orientations, but you're likely to frequently take advantage of at least two, if not three. We particularly like using tent mode in the kitchen, whether it's for trying to follow a new recipe we found online or simply to manage our playlist of funky tunes while we whip up a new dish. Both the tent and stand modes can also be useful for trying to tackle a project with the help of YouTube.


These are just a few examples of why Lenovo's flexible design is more function than gimmick. Even without those additional modes, the Yoga 700 is a capable laptop, though not particularly exciting. It has some nice amenities, like an LED-backlit keyboard and IPS display, but lacks USB 3.1 connectivity and battery life wasn't great. Single-channel memory holds back graphics performance a bit as well, though it doesn't have much impact on general purpose computing tasks.

Our gripes with the Yoga 700 are mostly overshadowed by the different ways you can use the system. Combined with the relatively affordable $800 price tag (sale price) for the configuration we received, the Yoga 700 is a compelling option, one that might surprise you in the ways you end up using it.