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Lenovo Yoga C940 Review: Remote Working Ready

Is there still a place for convertible or 2-in-1 notebooks in this day and age? We’re not just talking about the new normal of remote working, but rather the need for a notebook that is capable of morphing into a few different form factors. This is the question that the Lenovo Yoga C940 posed for us over the course of the last two weeks while we had it in for review.

This beautifully crafted Windows 10-supporting notebook seems to tick all the boxes you’re wanting from a premium device, but is the ability to shift into a tablet something that consumers are still craving?

That’s something we aimed to uncover, and here’s what we’ve been able to discern from one of Lenovo’s latest Yoga notebooks.

Well crafted

There’s no getting around the fact that Lenovo has created a great looking device here in the C940. We’ve always been partial to the Yoga series in general, but this iteration seems to cut from a different cloth. The metal chassis on offer is certainly premium feeling, which one would expect given the device retails in the region of R38 000.

As such when you’re spending MacBook money on a Windows 10 notebook, you want to rest assured that it is as premium as it gets. In this regard, the C940 does not disappoint.

A 14″ notebook, the C940 also should not be confused with some of the uber-thin ultrabooks that some many be associated with the Yoga series. To that end body measures 15.7mm at its thickest point (the body has a slight wedge-shaped design) and tips the scale at a hefty 13.5kg.

This weight is also solidly distributed between the lid and base of the notebook, which means there are no concerns when the C920 is propped up into a tent or display mode that it will topple over.

That weight does come at a price though, with it being tad unwieldy in the tablet mode. We like the addition of the touchscreen and stylus built into the chassis, but at that size, the C940 can prove difficult to operate if you plan to do some extensive scribing or annotating.

This is perhaps more an issue of convertible notebooks in general, with the transition from notebook to tablet modes being a little more cumbersome than they are on a tablet-hybrid device like the Surface Pro offerings for example.

As such, we won’t be using the C940 in tablet mode very often, if at all.

The display and tent modes are quite handy though, especially if you’re wanting to showcase something on your screen, or simply want to make the most of the crisp visuals on offer.

It should also be noted that Lenovo has two screen options available locally, with a solid FullHD 1920×1080 (our review model) and UHD 3840×2160 flavours available. If you’re using this device strictly for work, then the higher resolution is not necessary, but if you plan to consume a lot of entertainment, it is worth considering.

Rapid response

Now that we’ve spoken about the design and functionality of the Lenovo Yoga C940, both good and bad, let’s shift to the performance, and here Lenovo has not held back.

To that end an Intel 10th Gen i7 processor is present. This is paired with 16GB LPDDR4X RAM and an Intel Iris Plus graphics card. The former two elements result in an expectedly solid all-round performance.

Web browsing is a breeze with plenty of tabs open, as is switching between apps and running intensive applications. This is supported by the UserBenchmark results the C940 registered, with it scoring 84 percent as far as the desktop performance goes.

On the gaming side of things, UserBenchmark was less impressed, with a score of 20 percent. That being said very light gaming and well-optimised esports titles should be possible, just don’t expect it to go toe-to-toe with Lenovo’s Legion offerings, which are purpose built gaming machines.

To be fair though, that’s not what the C940 is built for.

Instead, this device is designed for those users who want a nine to five machine that will not flinch in the face of multitasking, all while having plenty of processing power to handle workloads thrown at it. In that regard then, it delivers.

Looking at some of the other elements on the C940, such as the keyboard and trackpad performance. Here things were a little mixed. The Yoga C940 provided a good typing experience, with inputs being responsive.

The only thing we would have preferred was a snappier keyboard feedback, with the keys on this notebook being a tad “mushy”, but this is more of a personal preference than a mark against the device.

Where we did find fault though, was the trackpad and a slight delay in responsiveness. Added to this was a surprisingly limited amount of cursor travel despite having a rather large trackpad on offer. As such, you may find yourself favouring a standalone mouse if the trackpad proves too worrisome.

The last aspect to touch on is battery life. Lenovo claims that the FullHD model offers up to 18 hours of battery life. This is of course based on “normal usage” (whatever that is), but we got closer to half the 18 hours advised.

This means the C940 will definitely get you throw a busy day at the office, or through a spell of loadshedding, but if you’re hoping to go into day two without a visit to a charging port, chances are slim.

Final verdict

At R38 000 (depending on the model and retailer), the Lenovo Yoga C940 does not come cheap. For your money you get a well constructed, premium looking and feeling device that it expertly specced for those working remotely.

Where it fails to distinguish itself from other convertible notebooks is the fact that its weight and size and suited to all of the different modes on offer, and the tablet mode in particular. If you’re wanting a transforming device, it may be best to look elsewhere, but if you’re wanting a well appointed device for the office, the C940 well worth considering.

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