The Lenovo Yoga 720 is the 15-inch GTX 1050 convertible you didn't know you wanted
Lenovo is going big with the Yoga 720. Real big.

Lenovo Yoga 720
Convertible laptops have by-and-large settled into the 10-to-13-inch range, with a few 14-inchers scattered about. Much larger than that and it becomes awkward to use as a tablet. But don't tell that to Lenovo and their new Yoga 720. Coming in 13-inch and 15.6-inch sizes, the updated convertibles pack the latest chipsets and all of the little features we've come to love and expect.
We're talking a processor specced up to an 7th-gen Kaby Lake Intel Core i7, up to 16GB of RAM, and varying SSD and HDD storage options depending on the model. They're also packing Windows Hello-compatible fingerprint readers (no IR facial recognition cameras, though) and a USB-C + Thunderbolt 3 port. The nicest bit is in the 15-inch version: an NVIDIA GTX 1050 GPU — the best graphics card you'll find in a convertible laptop. Gaming on a convertible? Now you can. If the 13-inch Yoga 720 is more your style, then you'll have to settle for the still-decent Intel HD Graphics 620 GPU.



Both are equipped with 10-point touchscreens with support for Lenovo's Wacom-based Active Pen 2 (but not their Any Pen "whatever stylus you want even a knife will do" tech), as well as Precision touchpads. Lenovo has also listened to the ongoing complaints about their shifting and non-standard keyboard layouts and equipped both sizes with keyboards that have properly-sized and positioned keys across the board. Color us happy.
Category | Yoga 720-13 | Yoga 720-15 |
---|---|---|
Screen Size | 13-inch | 15.6-inch |
Resolution | 1920x1080 or 3840x2160 | 1920x1080 or 3840x2160 |
CPU | up to Intel 7th-gen Core i7 | up to Intel 7th-gen Core i7 |
GPU | Intel HD Graphics 620 | NVIDIA GTX 1050 |
RAM | up to 16GB | up to 16GB |
Storage | up to 1TB SSD | up to 1TB HDD or 512GB SSD |
Windows Hello | Fingerprint reader | Fingerprint reader |
Camera | 720p | 720p |
Battery | up to 8 hours (FHD)up to 7 hours (4k) | up to 9 hours (FHD)up to 8 hours (4k) |
Ports | 2x USB-C (1 Thunderbolt 3)1x USB-A 3.03.5mm headphone/mic combo | 1x USB-C/Thunderbolt 32x USB-A 3.03.5mm headphone/mic combo |
Size | 12.2 x 8.38 x 0.56 inches(210 x 213 x 14.3mm) | 14.33 x 9.5 x 0.74 inches(364 x 242 x 19mm) |
Weight | 2.86 lbs (1.3kg) | 4.4 lbs (2.0 kg) |
Both are nice, solid laptops with narrow bezels on the top and sides of the displays and metal bodies. But the GTX 1050's power and thermal management needs had a profound and unfortunate side effect with the 720-15: it's heavy and it's thick. Closed, the Yoga 720-15 measures a beefy 0.74 inches from top to bottom. While that's not bad for a GTX 1050-equipped 15-inch laptop, keep in mind that this is a convertible — the screen flips around a full 360 degrees and is meant to be held and used like a tablet. Three quarters of an inch is mighty thick for that. And to power that GTX 1050 and get the advertised 9 hours of battery life you need to fill that thick tablet with lithium ion battery cells, so the Yoga 720-15 also weighs in at 4.4 pounds. Not heavy for a 15-inch GTX 1050 laptop, but exceptionally heavy for a tablet.
That said, I still really want to spend more time with this laptops. 15-inch convertibles are a rare breed — the only real competition here is the HP Spectre x360 15-inch, which despite its thorough refresh just two months ago at CES 2017 had a year-old GTX 940M GPU. HP's convertible sits in the same size and weight classes, just a bit thinner and barely lighter.
The Lenovo Yoga 720 is launching in April; the 13-inch version will start at $859.99, while the Yoga 720-15 will start at $1099.99.
Lenovo Yoga 520
The 500-series Yoga line has also received an update, bringing the latest 7th-gen Intel Core i7 processors, GTX 940MX graphics, and an assortment of storage options to the 14-inch convertible.
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
Lenovo has slimmed down the 14-inch convertible from the 510's chassis, mostly trimming in the bezels around the full HD display. Aside from the addition of the fingerprint sensor and USB-C port (alas, no Thunderbolt 3 here).



Category | Lenovo Yoga 520 |
---|---|
Screen Size | 14-inch |
Resolution | up to 1920x1080 |
CPU | up to Intel 7th-gen Core i7 |
GPU | NVIDIA GTX 940MX |
RAM | up to 16GB |
Storage | up to 1TB HDD or up to 512GB SSD or 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD |
Windows Hello | Fingerprint reader |
Camera | 720p |
Battery | up to 10 hours |
Ports | 2x USB-C2x USB-A 3.03.5mm headphone/mic comboHDMISD card slot |
Size | 12.99 x 9.25 x 0.78 inches (330 x 235 x 19.9mm) |
Weight | 3.85 lbs (1.75kg) |
The Yoga 520 is further down the chain from the 700-series (which is itself lesser than the flagship 900-series Yoga convertibles). As such, it's no surprise that it's a bulky and heavy thing, even if it's still reasonably capable. It's just not fancy. If it feels like your thing, you'll be able to grab one starting in May for $799.99 (in the U.S. it'll be known as the Lenovo Flex 5).
Lenovo Miix 320
A small, cheap, Windows 10 tablet with a detachable keyboard. That's the Lenovo Miix in a nutshell. This $200 2-in-1 has a 10.1-inch FHD display and runs on an Intel Atom X5 processor. If you're expecting that it's not a barn-stormer or head-turner, then you would be correct. But it's also not that bad — especially for the price.




Category | Lenovo Miix 320 |
---|---|
Screen Size | 10.1-inch |
Resolution | 1920x1080 |
CPU | Intel Atom X5 |
GPU | Intel HD Graphics |
RAM | up to 4GB |
Storage | up to 128GB eMMC |
Battery | up to 10 hours |
Ports | 2x USB-C2x USB-A 3.03.5mm headphone/mic comboHDMISD card slot |
Thickness | Tablet: 9mm (0.35 inches)With base: 0.68 inches (17.5mm) |
Weight | 2.24 lbs (1.02kg) |
The Miix 320 attaches magnetically to a solid hinged base, transforming the tablet into something that's more of a laptop. The magnetic attachment is relatively strong, taking not inconsiderable force to remove the tablet from the base. With a starting price of $199.99, this clearly isn't a premium tablet, and the design reflects that. It's a chunky body with spacious bezels and underwhelming specs. But for $200 I wouldn't expect much more. Interested customers will be able to buy one in April 2017, or in July if they want one with Lenovo Active Pen support.

Derek Kessler is a Former Special Projects Manager for Mobile Nations. He's been writing about tech since 2009, has far more phones than is considered humane, still carries a torch for Palm, and got a Tesla because it was the biggest gadget he could find. You can follow him on Twitter at @derekakessler.