Lenovo’s first laptop with a hybrid case design featuring a combination of metal, “soft touch materials” and fabric. The Lenovo Yoga 6 is a 13.3 inch convertible notebook with a 360-degree hinge, support for up to an AMD Ryzen 7 4700U processor, and a lid covered in a denim-like blue fabric.
Lenovo isn’t the first company to include materials other than plastic or metal in a laptop case. Microsoft has been using fabric for some of its Surface devices for years, and a few years ago HP launched a tablet with a built-in leather cover.
Aside from the unusual choice of materials, the Yoga 6 looks like a device with decent specs:
Display | 13.3 inch 1920 x 1080 pixel 300-nits 72% NTSC color gamut 360-degree hinge |
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 4500U or AMD Ryzen 7 4700U |
RAM | DDR4 8GB or 16GB |
Storage | M.2 PCIe 256GB/512GB/1TB |
Ports | 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C (full function) 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C (DisplayPort and USB, but no charging) 2 x USB 3.1 TYpe-A 1 x 3.5mm audio |
Wireless | 2×2 WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.0 |
Battery | 60 Wh |
Security | Fingerprint reader Webcam privacy shutter |
Other | Backlit keyboard Lenovo Digital Pen (optional) |
Dimensions | 12.1″ x 8.1″ x 0.6″ 308mm x 206.4mm x 18.1mm |
Weight | 2.9 pounds 1.32 kg |
The Lenovo Yoga 6 will be available in Europe in October for $700 and up in the US, or €899 and up in Europe (including VAT).
Not liking the fabric on electronics thing. I got a Surface Go LTE and I don’t like the fabric or whatever it is on the Type Cover/keyboard. I wish MS had provided a non-fabric model.
The fabric MS uses on the Surface Keypads is a very different type of material. And I agree, it’s atrocious, and ages like milk. Kind of like those over-priced cars with Alacantara Soft-Leather, those steering wheels and interior deteriorate very badly.
This fabric looks like Denim, kind of like what you see on those Bluetooth Speakers/Home Assistants. And this feels good on the fingers and doesn’t deteriorate like the others. The negative part of this, is it’s quite insulating. So putting it behind the screen is fine, as that’s not a component that generates much heat.
But this design philosophy is interesting.
Denim on the back of screen. Glass on the front of screen. Polycarbonate on the top of the keyboard. Metal on the back of the laptop. It’s actually a great idea.
I like it. I’m confused about European pricing, but I like alternative materials like this.
I’m reminded of the ThinkPad Reserve Edition (basically a leather-wrapped X61): https://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?subtype=ca&infotype=an&appname=iSource&supplier=897&letternum=ENUS107-727