Lenovo Yoga Creator 7i Review

Nobody would spend 1800 euros for a laptop with a light heart, even more so if you take into account the fact that a quick search is enough to discover that there are many that cost half or less. Computers that cost half the price of the Lenovo Yoga Creator 7i have nothing to do with this notebook, unless you are one of the ones who stick to the spec list, which would be a gross misjudgment.

This is in fact a notebook designed for content creators, that is to say for those who have to do video editing above all, and need a computer that they can rely on and that is pleasant to use when working. From this point of view, Lenovo has hit the target in full.

Design

The Lenovo creator 7i is all metal, and is a splendid notebook. It only takes a couple of seconds to understand that you have a premium product in your hands, with a very high level finish. Running your fingers over the surface is a truly enjoyable experience, and you feel as much attention to detail as the solidity of the Lenovo Yoga Creator 7i.

There are also a few small imperfections, to be honest: for example, on the right side, the lid and the body are not perfectly aligned, at least in our example, and a very slight overhang can be seen when passing the finger. Not that it's a thing to lose your head about, but it's a very small flaw we found in our sample.

The metal design gives this computer great solidity, as well as great elegance. Each element, from the palm rest to the lid, passing through the base, seems to have the best a notebook can offer in terms of resistance - at least without bringing up the rugged category.

A detail, that of solidity, which also gives a few more points to the excellent keyboard, thanks to a particularly stable base.

The screen is surrounded by an extremely thin bezel, less than a centimeter along the short sides, and just over 1.5 cm along the long sides. They are not the almost invisible bezels of an XPS but the aesthetic impact is still remarkable, thanks to the full glass cover.

The screen then opens to 180 degrees, which makes the notebook very versatile and usable on your legs in every situation, from the sofa at home to the uncomfortable seat of a low-cost flight. Although on those seats, to be honest, it would be difficult to use a 15-inch regardless of the quality of the notebook. The screen is perfectly stable in any position and, as with the MacBook Pros, it can be opened using just one hand. If the latter seems like a minor detail, you're right, but once you try it it's hard to go back.

As for ports and connections, Lenovo has opted for a proprietary charging port instead of the USB-C charging. We find it on the left, next to a USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3.0, a full-size HDMI output and the audio jack. On the left we find instead two USB Type-A (USB 3.2), the memory card reader and the power button.

The latter is only for special cases, because the Yoga Creator 7i turns on, even if is completely off, simply by opening the lid. Using the button therefore becomes a completely superfluous gesture for a computer that minimizes interruptions.

Speaking of switching on, above the screen there is also room for an IR camera, which allows you to use the Windows Hello facial recognition. If you step away from the computer, it automatically goes to lock. The Creator 7i then unlocks when you return in front of the screen, in less than a second and automatically. A fingerprint sensor is missing, but just because the facial recognition works flawlessly, you won't miss it.

The gestures to enter and exit Windows are therefore almost entirely eliminated, which is a good one. news for those who are a little intolerant of all those small gestures that we have to dedicate to the work tool rather than the work itself.

Screen

The Lenovo Yoga Creator 7i has a 15 '' screen , 6 ”with 1080p resolution and IPS LCD technology. The resolution is a bit low for a notebook in this category, but it remains perfectly usable. Perhaps for some, getting to 4K would have been overkill, but we believe that for a creator-oriented notebook that is an important feature. At the same time, we would certainly have preferred a higher resolution panel.

The glossy finish could be a problem in brightly lit environments but we didn't get to try it next to a window on a sunny day, simply because the sole did not show up for the days we had this computer available. In environments with artificial lighting we have never had any problems with readability, and it seems to us that Lenovo has done an excellent job from this point of view.

A result possible thanks to the very high brightness; indeed, most of the time we kept it low, often below 50%. And when it gets dark we were able to work with the brightness almost at minimum without problems of fatigue - not something that happens often, even with the best notebooks around.

Very high brightness is on the other hand part of a necessary element, given that we are talking about an HDR screen with Dolby Vision compatibility. Not that you have to buy a 1800 euro computer to watch Netflix, but since it is a notebook aimed at content creators, it is a very important detail. If you plan to produce HDR images and videos, you will be able to see them on this screen in a rather faithful and realistic way - even if it is not a professional category panel, and surely someone might want to do an extra calibration before using it for "serious" productions.

The contrast level and depth of black are also admirable, among the best we've ever seen on a notebook.

Overall, the Lenovo Creator 7i is an excellent, truly fantastic screen for a product that, however it may be, does not fall into the categories of professional products and workstations.

Keyboard and touchpad

Lenovo proposes the keyboard design we have been used to for years, that is with a rounded key design. These are large and easy to spot with no errors - we were able to hit just above 70 wpm, which is a lot for a keyboard you're not used to.

As always on Lenovo, the keys are a a little closer together than other notebooks, but we didn't notice any issues with that design choice. The Enter key is a bit smaller than usual but you can use it easily.

By default, the F keys are set to the secondary function (volume, brightness, etc); a choice that not everyone will appreciate, but it is also very easy to return to the traditional setting by pressing Fn + Esc.

Overall, it's a fantastic keyboard, with nothing to complain about. In fact, Lenovo has also found ways to add extra buttons for multimedia playback. However, they only work with local applications and not with streaming sites (Disney +, Netflix, YouTube, etc), so they are not particularly useful.

Just like the keyboard, the touchpad has no defects. Large, precise and fast, it allows you to comfortably use all the multi-finger gestures that can be used in Windows 10. We used it to scroll web pages, to select and drag items, without ever encountering difficulties due to the touchpad itself. A few years ago we would have celebrated this touchpad for its qualities, but the truth is that on a laptop of this type we expect a perfect touchpad. The unusual thing would be to find something negative, however small.

We assume that those who want to edit video will probably prefer to do it with a real mouse, but there are many who use the touchpad as their main interface.

Performance and audio

Inside the Creator 7i is an Intel Core i7-10750H processor, paired with 16GB of RAM. Graphics processing is entrusted to a powerful (but not too much) Nvidia GeForce 16050 Ti. Then there is a 1TB NVMe SSD, which offers speed and space for multimedia projects.

You can guess that we are talking about a powerful PC, and in fact it is also capable of running many games without problems. But it's primarily designed to run productivity applications, especially video imaging, editing, and rendering. You can also use it to edit in 4K, which isn't exactly obvious on a laptop.

The power is there and you can take full advantage of it when you need it. Under load, predictably, the cooling system makes itself felt, as does the temperature. But this is a notebook that generally stays pretty cool and quiet.

Cool enough to keep it on your lap for a couple of hours without any problems. Which is really saying something considering the hardware that is inside. Unless you're doing a rendering, but that's not something you often do with the notebook on your lap.

Precisely because the hardware is so powerful, on the other hand, it doesn't often happen that you squeeze it to the maximum and therefore the laptop remains quiet and cool.

The point is that if you happen to have to edit and render a 4K video on the go, with this computer you can. Provided that the battery is charged enough, of course.

The built-in speakers are average: they generate a clean sound, even when turned up to the maximum, and allow you to understand the sound of a film as much as that of a call . As on all notebooks, the bass is almost absent and the highs are muffled, which avoids distortion but also makes the soundstage relatively flat. Those looking for audio quality, as always with laptops, would do better to get a pair of headphones.

Battery

Like all modern notebooks, the Lenovo Yoga Creator 7i also has no battery. removable. The notebook is locked with torx screws, in any case any opening should not be too complex.

The battery allows you to work peacefully for 3-4 hours, and in case of light activities you can get there without too much fatigue at 5.5-6 hours. The latter result is only possible on "light" days, when there is only to reply to emails or write documents. Those looking for an office laptop will find in this model a reliable work companion that can last many hours, but the powerful hardware stands out and if you want the best possible autonomy this is not the notebook to choose.

The power supply included in the package is 135 watts, which could be even excessive for a laptop of this type. Maybe it is, but on the other hand you will have a very fast recharge. According to Lenovo in just 15 minutes you get up to 2 hours of battery life, with light use. This is probably an optimistic estimate, but if you have to work with the screen set to low brightness, and maybe do only light things, maybe you will get there.

The battery charges completely in just over an hour, which is a really nice advantage if you remember to load it only at the last moment.

Conclusion

Considering its qualities the Lenovo Yoga Creator 7i is one of the best 15 notebooks, 6 ”in circulation today, and certainly one of the best for value for money.

It ranks quite well among notebooks for video editing, even if the screen resolution could be a difficult limit to accept. Certainly there are more expensive competitors, such as the Dell XPS 15 (2020) or the MacBook Pro 16, which make this Lenovo Creator 7i look like a more than attractive offer.

Indeed, the Lenovo Yoga Creator 7i has all the credentials to be a competitor of the MacBook Pro 16, with comparable features in terms of design, materials and performance. The Lenovo only has a 1080p resolution screen, which for some may be an unforgivable flaw, but it is excellent in every other respect, and is available for € 1,799. A price at which you cannot get neither the MacBook Pro 16 nor the Dell XPS15, which are the only credible competitors for this Lenovo.