Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 2024 Review: The Ultimate 16″ Mini-LED Beast
The #ad Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16″ (2024 Model) in Luna Grey is the kind of laptop that immediately invites second glances. Its sleek metal chassis belies the raw power within, and in a market crowded with premium Windows machines, it manages to stake its claim through a blend of performance, premium materials and thoughtful design touches. After spending a fortnight with this 16-inch powerhouse—equipped with Intel’s 14th Gen Ultra 9 185H processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB NVMe SSD—here’s how it fares in the real world.
Design and Build Quality
At first glance, the Yoga Pro 9i exudes a confident minimalism. The Luna Grey aluminium finish is exceptionally well executed, resisting fingerprints better than most and feeling cool to the touch without ever seeming sterile. The chassis is impressively thin—around 1.7 cm at its thickest point—yet feels robust. Lenovo’s use of CNC-milled metal lends an air of durability; there’s very little flex even when you press down firmly on the deck. Hinges are satisfyingly smooth, offering a reassuringly solid click as you open and close the lid. The device transforms seamlessly between laptop, tent and tablet modes, making good on the Yoga heritage of versatility.
Display: A Feast for the Eyes
Where the Pro 9i truly shines is its 16-inch 3.2K Mini-LED panel. With a native resolution of 3200 × 2000 and a 16 : 10 aspect ratio, it strikes a fine balance between immersive widescreen content and vertical space for productivity. Peak brightness of 1200 nits is not just marketing hyperbole; in HDR-enabled content it bursts forth with dazzling highlights, while everyday use under direct sunlight remains comfortably legible. Contrast is another standout—deep blacks and a wide colour gamut (covering nearly the entire DCI-P3 space) make video playback spectacular. A 165 Hz refresh rate rounds out the package, ensuring that scrolling through web pages, navigating the desktop and, crucially, gaming feel silky smooth. Response times are snappy, although you may not need to push past 120 Hz for everyday tasks.
Performance: Power to Spare
Coupling Intel’s top-tier 14th Gen Ultra 9 185H with 32 GB of LPDDR5x RAM offers headroom for anything you might throw at it. Day-to-day chores—web browsing with a dozen tabs open, high-resolution video editing in Adobe Premiere, compiling code or juggling multiple VMs—are handled with aplomb and without perceptible lag. The 1 TB NVMe drive is blisteringly fast, clocking sequential reads and writes that make application launches and project loads nearly instantaneous. In benchmarks, this configuration sits comfortably among the highest-end ultraportables, and in real-world use the only time you’ll hear the fan is during sustained heavy workloads. Even then, noise is kept within civil levels, and Lenovo’s thermal management does a fine job of distributing heat evenly across the bottom plate.
Graphics and Gaming
The inclusion of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 elevates the Yoga Pro 9i from mere workstation to capable gaming machine. In titles such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider at native resolution, you can expect frame rates in the 60–80 fps range on High settings; stepping down to Medium delivers fluid 100 fps-plus gameplay. Ray tracing experiments yield respectable results, though sustained performance will edge the fans closer to their limits. Gamers will appreciate the Adaptive Sync support, which helps eliminate tearing without inducing stutter. Bear in mind, however, that this is not a desktop replacement GPU—ultra-high settings at 4K are beyond its remit—but for a laptop of this size, the combination of RTX-level effects and 16-inch 165 Hz display is exceptionally welcome.
Keyboard and Trackpad
Lenovo’s keyboards have long been a benchmark for typing comfort, and the Pro 9i continues the tradition. Keys have a firm but forgiving travel of around 1.5 mm, with just the right amount of tactile feedback. The layout is spacious, and full-size arrow keys make navigating spreadsheets or code painless. The backlight is evenly diffused, with two brightness levels to match ambient light. The trackpad deserves praise too—its glass surface offers a luscious glide, and the precision-tuned Windows Precision drivers ensure even the trickiest multi-finger gestures are registered without fail. In tablet mode, the trackpad automatically disables, and the 4096-level pressure-sensitive stylus (included in the box) clicks magnetically into place on the side, ready for quick note-taking or sketching.
Audio and Webcam
Beneath the keyboard sit four JBL speakers—two up-firing and two down-firing—that deliver surprisingly rich, full-bodied audio. There’s enough bass to lend weight to soundtracks, though true bass heads may still want a dedicated subwoofer. Mids and highs are crisp, making podcasts and video calls a pleasure rather than an ordeal. The Dolby Atmos integration provides an effective virtualisation of surround sound when using headphones. On the video-chat front, Lenovo includes a 1080p IR camera with a physical shutter. Image quality is what you’d expect from a premium laptop: sharp and well-lit, even in dim rooms. Windows Hello support is fast and reliable, unlocking the machine in an instant.
Battery Life: An Honest Appraisal
Powering this beast is an 80 Wh battery, which in practice delivers around 8–9 hours of mixed-use (web browsing, document editing, occasional video streaming) at 150 nits of brightness and balanced power mode. Dial down the display to 100 nits and you might eke out a 10-hour day. Push into performance mode with connected peripherals, and battery life plunges to around 4 hours—a trade-off that’s inevitable with high-refresh-rate panels and discrete GPUs. Charging is a highlight: Lenovo’s bundled 140 W USB-C adapter refuels the machine to 50% in roughly 30 minutes, and a full charge takes about 90 minutes. USB-C Power Delivery support means you can top up from other PD chargers, albeit more slowly.
Connectivity and Expandability
For a chassis this slim, the Yoga Pro 9i offers a commendable port selection. On the left you’ll find two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports (supporting DisplayPort, Power Delivery and up to PCIe 4.0 speeds), plus a full-size HDMI 2.1 output. Over on the right is a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, a combined audio jack, and a microSD card reader (albeit a push-to-eject style rather than spring-loaded). The Wi-Fi 7 radio ensures lightning-fast wireless connectivity—ideal for large file transfers on capable networks. Bluetooth 5.3 rounds things off. Internally, the soldered RAM precludes post-purchase upgrades, but the SSD is accessible should you wish to swap it out in future.
Software Experience
Out of the box, Windows 11 Pro runs smoothly, and Lenovo’s suite of preinstalled utilities is relatively unobtrusive. Vantage is the one you’ll turn to most often: it’s where you can tweak performance modes, monitor thermals, update firmware and calibrate colour. Lenovo’s quick-launch keys for toggling the webcam privacy shutter, adjusting audio modes or summoning Cortana feel genuinely useful. Aside from a handful of trial-ware titles—most of which can be uninstalled in a couple of clicks—there’s little bloat to speak of.
Verdict
The #ad Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16″ (2024) is a rare bird: a svelte, premium convertible that doesn’t compromise on power. Whether you’re a content creator juggling 4K video timelines, a gamer seeking reasonable frame rates on the move or simply someone who values a top-tier display and robust build, this machine hits almost every note. Battery life isn’t ground-breaking, but it’s honest for the hardware on offer, and rapid charging eases the pain. The keyboard and trackpad stand among the best in class, and convertible flexibility adds genuine value beyond the usual laptop form factor.
It’s not cheap—pricing reflects its ambitions—but in its segment, the Yoga Pro 9i feels like one of the most well-rounded choices. Should you require discreet power, premium materials and a killer display in a package that doubles as a tablet, few rivals match its combination of performance, polish and portability. Highly recommended for discerning professionals, creative power users and anyone who refuses to sacrifice style for substance.
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