I tested Lenovo’s dual-screen laptop and it revitalized my workflow in the best way

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For example, if I’m writing a review (like this one) and referencing a reviewer’s guide or product specs, it’s great to have the displays in book mode so I can see each document fully without having to scroll. When the displays are stacked, I enjoy watching a podcast on one while I get work done on the other.

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You can also prop the top display up like a normal laptop and leave the lower display on your desk. Then, place the keyboard on top of the lower display and you’ve got yourself a more traditional-looking laptop, virtual trackpad and all. Bring the keyboard down a bit and an array of widgets will appear between the top display and the Function row. You can see everything from the weather to the latest news, although I must admit that I didn’t use this feature all that often.

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There’s a lot that the dual-screen design of the Yoga Book 9i enables, and the versatility of it all is simply unmatched by more conventional laptops. It’s like a blank canvas made of OLED screens – you can literally do whatever you want with them, orient them the way you want, and it can all be packed up and taken on the go.

Switching back to my single-screen MacBook Pro was, to put it lightly, tough. I missed having all the extra screen real estate and the ability to have two full documents open side-by-side while writing. I felt limited in a way that I wasn’t expecting, which says a lot about how effective Lenovo’s dual-screen design is.

How does it perform?

The twin 13.3-inch OLED displays look exceptional with deep black levels, vibrant colors, and 400 nits of brightness (a.k.a. enough for most lighting situations). They each sport 2.8K resolutions, so everything looks crisp, and Lenovo even includes 16:10 aspect ratios so you get a bit extra vertical room. They’re also Dolby Vision certified. I have zero complaints about these screens, besides the fact they only have 60Hz refresh rates.

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The only physical difference you’ll spot between the old and new Yoga Book 9i models is on the keyboard, which now includes a Microsoft Copilot key, making it easier to fire a command at the Windows’ AI chatbot.

Under the hood, you’ll find one of the only upgrades for the 2024 edition of the Yoga Book 9i: a new processor. Lenovo includes Intel’s Core Ultra series chipsets, with a Core Ultra 7 that’s optimized for AI tasks. It’s paired with Intel’s Iris Xe graphics (which means you won’t be doing a lot of gaming on this laptop), 16GB of RAM (upgradable to 32GB at checkout), and 1TB of storage.

The verdict? It’s a speedy machine. The Core Ultra processor feels snappier than the 13th-generation Core i7 chip that was in last year’s model, and I can easily breeze through my daily tasks of writing articles in Google Docs, managing my inbox and calendar, cycling through the latest country music on Spotify, and editing photos in Lightroom. (Side note: If you care about audio quality, get the Yoga Book 9i — it has some of the best speakers I’ve ever heard on a laptop.)

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To power the Yoga Book 9i, Lenovo includes an 80W battery that’s rated for about seven to eight hours of usage on a full charge. In my testing, I was able to get to about seven hours of usage before it conked out, which is perfectly fine since 1.) this laptop has two screens and 2.) some pricier laptops like the Surface Laptop Studio 2 can’t get anywhere near that.

Charging the laptop is as straightforward as it comes. There’s a Rapid Charge adapter in the box that gives you about two hours of runtime with just 15 minutes of charging. I found this mostly to be true, although you have to shut the lid if you want charging speeds to really pick up.

Evaluating Lenovo’s dual-screen software

With such unique hardware, Lenovo had to build unique software for Windows 11 so that it behaves properly and gives you extra functionality.

For the most part, the software features work well. All the gestures I’ve tried have worked reliably, from swiping full-screen apps across displays to pulling up the virtual keyboard. There’s a new app called User Center that gives you a rundown of all the gestures you can use, and I appreciate the ability to adjust the brightness of each individual screen. Plus, there’s a neat pop-up feature at the top of the displays that lets you snap your windows to an area of the screen without having to drag it far.

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Of course, all that glitters isn’t always gold. The last time I used the Yoga Book 9i, some of Lenovo’s custom software work had enough bugs that I didn’t want to use it. With this year’s model, I feel similarly about one particular aspect: Laptop mode.

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This is when you prop the Yoga Book 9i up like a laptop and set the keyboard on top of the upper section of the lower display to turn it into a “normal” laptop. It looks like a genius idea at first, but the lower display never turns off since it has to give you a trackpad below the keyboard, and since the display doesn’t turn off, apps and pop-ups will appear underneath your keyboard for no reason.

It’s weird; I’ve had apps like Chrome and Spotify show up on the lower display while I’m using the physical keyboard for no reason. They just… wind up there. You then have to pick the keyboard up and move the windows around, which isn’t ideal.

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I’ll give Lenovo credit, the new Yoga Book 9i feels smoother than the old one did. I don’t notice as much scruff or weird glitches with the software, and the bundled Bluetooth keyboard doesn’t produce nearly as many double-key entries as before. Still, it’s not a perfect experience, which is something to keep in mind if you’re going to spend $2,000 on a laptop.

One thing to keep in mind

Having a laptop with two screens means you’ll have to lug around a separate keyboard, mouse, and kickstand, all three of which (plus a stylus) come in the box. It’s a lot of separate things you have to remember to bring, and I’m going to be honest with you, it can be inconvenient.

When I’m working on my MacBook or — quite frankly — any other laptop in my arsenal, all I have to do is close the lid and load it into my backpack when I’m finished. With the Yoga Book 9i, I have to close the laptop > collapse the kickstand > place the keyboard inside the collapsed kickstand > stack the keyboard/kickstand combo, mouse, and stylus on top of the laptop > shove it all in my bag and pray I can find it later when it’s time to go back to work.

Of course, you’ll eventually get used to it, but it’ll never be as convenient as shutting your laptop lid and moving on with your day.

ZDNET’s buying advice

I really dig the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i<!–>. I love how futuristic the dual-screen design is, and I appreciate the upgrades Lenovo has made to performance and software stability.

That being said, the Yoga Book 9i starts at $2,000, which is a lot of money. For the same price, you can get a lot of “boring” laptops with single displays that offer better performance, battery life, and portability. Dell’s XPS 14–>, Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro<!–>, and Lenovo’s own Yoga 9i–> are just some examples., so you have to ask yourself whether you need two separate screens or if you can get by with one and take advantage of better performance and battery life. 

If none of that matters to you and you’re cool with living with the Yoga Book 9i’s quirky design, I say go for it. It’s an immensely helpful tool to have in your arsenal, and it pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a laptop just enough that it doesn’t lose touch with its functionality.

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