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Lenovo has been busy over the past couple of weeks. We uncovered a new lineup of Educations devices featuring Intel’s Gemini Lake processors. The expedition that led to that discovery was spurred by an email from George E. informing me that their flagship Yoga Chromebook line was about to be whittled down significantly.
The 4K UHD version of the Yoga Chromebook has been available for barely more than a month and it would appear that Lenovo has already made some some major cuts to the Yoga line but it wasn’t where we would have ever expected.
We’ve reviewed both the 1080P and 4K versions of the Yoga and even though the UHD display may be overkill for a 15.6″ device, it is hands-down the better device. It isn’t simply the resolution, it’s just a better display. Better color accuracy and brightness make the 4K Yoga a delight to work from.
Here’s a closer look:
Long story short, the upgraded Yoga boasts some significant improvements in the display department and you get that backlit keyboard which is a major selling point for a lot of users.
The drawback of the 4K, as Robby mentioned, is a decrease in battery life as well as some noticeable “jank” when multitasking multiple windows. A small price to pay for the benefits gained by the UHD Yoga but it also comes with a hefty price tag.
The MSRP of the premium Yoga is $899 and while you still get a lot of Chromebook for the money, that’s a tough pill to swallow when you can catch the 1080P version on sale for as little as $599 on a good day.
Alas, Lenovo has thrown a curve ball and nixed all versions except for the 4K UHD Yoga Chromebook on their site. When you look for the lesser models, this is what you’ll find.
The product you are looking for is no longer available, here is a suggested alternative.
Thankfully, Amazon and Best Buy still offer the Core i5, FHD models and you can pick one up from the former for as little as $625.
Lenovo Yoga Chromebook On AmazonSo, why would Lenovo do away with what I would think is the more popular model of their latest flagship? Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps they met their sales goals for the 1080P models. Maybe the 4K Yoga is selling better than they could have expected and they’re content selling the other variants via third-party channels. Who knows?
According to Lenovo’s product spec site, the FHD models are slated to be removed fully from the US market but it isn’t clear if that is just in the Lenovo store or entirely. Until then, you can still pick one up if this Chromebook has been on your wish list.
I have reached out to Lenovo for some clarity on the decision and will report back if and when I get any word on the matter. If the 4K model is still appealing to you, Lenovo has it discounted to $791 which is a bit more palatable than the original sticker price.
4K Lenovo Yoga Chromebook from Lenovo
