newthinkpadyoga14

Newer model ThinkPad Yoga 14 / ThinkPad Yoga 460 review

New Model Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14 (also ThinkPad Yoga 460) review: pen included

 

Type of tablet

Laptop Ultrabook (nondetachable keyboard) 2-in-1
Digitizer: Wacom ES with 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity. Pen included.

newthinkpadyoga14

 

See at Amazon

Model no. 20FY0002US

Features

Display 14″ diagonal, 1920 x 1080 IPS
Processor: 6th-gen. Skylake Intel Core i5-6200U
Graphics: dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 940M graphics with 2GB dedicated video memory
Folds 360 degrees, into laptop, stand, tent, tablet modes
8GBDDR3L RAM
256GB SSD
Ports: 4-in 1 media card reader
Three USB 3.0 and two 2.0, though some say they got three 3.0 USB ports. The 3.0 ports are backward-compatible with 2.0 devices, at 2.0 speeds.
HDMI, miniDisplayPort
Weight: 3.85 lbs
backlit keyboard
Touchpad and ThinkPad red TrackPoint button
Dimensions: 13.31″ width x 9.37″ x .75″ (depth)

It is the same as the Lenovo Yoga 460, so you could read this as a Yoga 460 review as well. The 460 actually does have an i7 model. That listing is lacking in further detail.

As of April, 2016: the Yoga 460 now on the Lenovo site does not have the discrete (separate) graphics card, only integrated graphics. That 460 features up to a 6th-gen processor.

Windows 10, comes with Home edition

This Lenovo Yoga 14 has an i5 processor, powerful enough to run Photoshop and all the Adobe programs. The dedicated graphics card offers a speed boost, and the Skylake i5 is the equivalent of an i7 from the previous generation. That being said, it would be nice if there were an i7 model.

The RAM and SSD on this ThinkPad Yoga are both upgradeable, though there is just one RAM slot, so you can take out the 8GB stick and put in a 16.

Thanks to the dedicated graphics, you’ll be able to do moderate gaming and video editing, and get better results in Photoshop operations that use a lot of rendering, such as filters. This is still not a heavy-duty gaming monster machine, but a general overall Ultrabook with wide capabilities.

Screen

While it’s HD, 1920 x 1080p is not that high-res compared to a lot of computers coming out. However, the fact that it’s not 4K makes battery life last longer. The resolution is fine for looking at artwork, reading text, and watching video. The colors are clear and bright. It’s not overly glossy. The IPA screen supplies good viewing angles.

You can add two more displays, such as a monitor or TV to it via the HDMI and miniDisplayPort.

Portability

At 3.85 lbs., it’s not bad to carry around for short periods, but feels heavy holding in one hand or resting on the lap.

Pen

The pen is not miniature or very short, but it’s skinny and not optimal to draw or write with for long periods. You can purchase a  more normal-sized pen (both thicker and longer) if you prefer. This pen needs a battery, but the one included with the tablet PC does not, because it charges from the computer.

Wacom ES has excellent accuracy and pressure sensitivity, second only to Wacom EMR in terms of sensitivity (ES requires a little more force to get a mark). Its accuracy exceeds EMR, with no parallax and no jitter around the edges as Wacom EMR gets. I did notice a little more jitter when drawing slow lines than with traditional EMR. Palm rejection works well. The pressure curve is smooth, no blobs, no little “tails.” You will not be able to use a traditional EMR pen on this.

If you want a thicker pen, you can buy the ThinkPad Pro Pen, a Wacom AES active capacitive pen with 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity that takes an AAAA battery.

thinkpad active capacitive-pen

The thicker pen: ThinkPad Pro Pen, takes an AAAA battery. See it on Amazon

Keyboard

The backlit, chiclet-style keyboard is comfortable and easy to type on. If you type a lot, but also want an art tablet, this is a good choice. The keyboard is Lift and Lock, so when you have it folded into Tablet mode, the frame rises around the keys and the keyboard is disabled. So you won’t be able to reach back for keyboard shortcuts. Instead, you could use an external keyboard, either Bluetooth or USB. The ThinkPad red TrackPoint nub lets you move the cursor long distances with a small finger movement. Its sporelike top with tiny bumps gives your fingertip traction (and a little massage).

Battery life
6-8 hours, depending what you’re doing.

User reviews

Most users have been very happy with this computer, feeling it’s a great value with its many features, bright screen, speed, and build quality. A few got ones with glitches but managed to address them. Aside from irregular complaints, this has been a successful release.  I haven’t seen any complaints about overheating or battery problems, though some wish the battery lasted longer.

Pros

solid, durable, well-built
dedicated graphics
nice keyboard
pen is included and fits into a slot in the body
value

Cons

on the heavy side for drawing
single RAM slot (upgradeable, but would be nice if there were two slots)
pen that comes with it is thin
some have reported touchscreen glitches

 

yoga 460 review

The Verdict
This new Lenovo Yoga 14 review is a drawing-hand thumb’s up. It doesn’t have the issues of the last release, which included some that shipped with bad batteries. It’s a solid, portable, and versatile machine.

Weird facts: did you know the ThinkPad’s design was inspired by the Japanese Bento box? This post on Lenovo’s blog explains.

I think the simple design is one of the main appeals of the ThinkPad. The box shape offers protection. The ThinkPad has a utilitarian look. It’s easy to not notice it much at first, but the details show a great deal of thought, and the many poses add new uses. You can also open it flat if you wish to draw using the keyboard shortcuts without a spare keyboard.

The Yogas have more Penabled devices than anyplace else and continue to offer them.

This is a great choice for an art tablet that’s an all-around tablet. It’s not super duper powerful, but powerful enough to run Photoshop and do moderate gaming. You can add more RAM and a faster hard drive. This computer can be your whole office and art studio.

In some ways I prefer the previous ThinkPad Yoga 14, which had a discrete GPU and superior color gamut. This is one is more of a general-use machine that’s suitable for drawing.

Here’s a detailed drawing test by Shogmaster.

https://youtu.be/puFE9-luWzc

end of New Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14 / ThinkPad Yoga 460 review

 

 

Summary
Review Date
Reviewed Item
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14 same as ThinkPad Yoga 460

30 thoughts on “Newer model ThinkPad Yoga 14 / ThinkPad Yoga 460 review

  1. Antonio

    I realize I’m late to this, but, it should be noted that the pen which comes with the 460 does NOT use a battery, it uses a supercapacitor. The pen is quite small, which might be uncomfortable for some users. You can, however, purchase a separate Lenovo active pen, more normally sized, and I believe that pen uses a battery.

    Reply
    1. Vicky Post author

      Thanks, I am correcting it. I was writing about the Pro Pen as a separate purchase, and I think I mixed up some sentences. The thicker Pro Pen has batteries and can work with it for those who want a thicker pen as a separate purchase. I did say ” This pen needs a battery, but the one included with the tablet PC does not, because it charges from the computer,” referring to the one it came with but the way I wrote it was totally garbled. I am correcting it. Thanks for the catch!

      Reply
  2. Mark Dinsdale

    Do not for the love of God get one of these if you draw slowly! I had one and the jitter on these for drawing is appalling even with stabilisation and lazy nezumi on. Thankfully was in the catchment period so could return for full refund. Decent laptop garbage for doing detailed work with.

    Reply
  3. Travis

    I recently picked up a Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14 20FY0002USSKU. I have been loving it, but I decided to finally try the stylus today, and when I pulled it out, there was no tip on it. It seems the tip came off inside the silo. I was finally able to get it out, and the pen works on the screen, but I am not sure the proper method of reattaching the tip to the stylus. I have the nib, the tip, and the stylus.

    I don’t want to force the pieces together, but it doesn’t seem like it just screws on. Is there a trick here that I am missing?

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    1. tablet@tabletsforartists.com Post author

      I’d take the whole thing back to the seller or send it to Lenovo. If you just got it it will be under warranty. That or ask them to give you a replacement pen. That pen is not made to have replacement nibs, so there isn’t a way of doing it. There is one now that has replacement nibs, the GX80K32882.

      Reply
      1. Travis

        I appreciate the information. I contacted Lenovo, and they do not have that stylus available anymore, but they gave me information for their international parts department, so I am going to try and go down that route as well as taking it back to the place I got it to see about a swap-out on the pen. I really hate to have to send the whole unit in, as I have just gotten it all set up with my development environments.

        *sigh*

        Thank you very much for the help!

        Reply
        1. Travis

          Missed the edit window, but I wanted to include the information that I have regarding the original pen.

          This is from my chat with the Lenovo service rep:
          EdgarB: I have checked in our online inventory and we do not have the requested part, I’m sorry for the difficulty, we have a special team that will be able to get the correct item for you, you may contact Lenovo Parts Department at (877) 719-0841 opt 1, since they have different inventory than us, they will be happy to assist you with this.

          This is what I was able to track down on the part that originally shipped with the Yoga 14:

          Lenovo ThinkPad Pen Pro for Yoga 460/P40
          PART # 4X80K32537

          With 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity, the Lenovo ThinkPad Pen Pro for Yoga 460/P40 it is an ideal input solution for precise content input and creation. Users will also enjoy easy access to right and left click buttons built into the shaft of the pen that provide additional tools for data interaction. This pen is unique to the ThinkPad Yoga 460 and P40 in that it can be stored in the system pen slot made specifically for that pen. While being stored, the pen will recharge and allow the user up to 130 minutes (active use) of battery life off of a single charge.

          Features
          Diameter: 6.5mm
          Pressure sensitive: 2048 levels
          Battery: rechargeable battery in side for fast charge
          Could be stored and charged in ThinkPad system

          Reply
          1. tablet@tabletsforartists.com Post author

            It’s OK, it will take other Wacom AES pens. That other one is thicker and really better for drawing than the skinny one that comes with it. So you are not in the US? I don’t have much info for non-US, and US may charge more shipping, but this pen should work, and here is the link on the Lenvov US site. You can also use the Wacom Bamboo Smart (though it seems hard to find), this Dell pen, or the model I mentioned below with the replaceable nibs, also the Toshiba TruPen. But do try the Lenovo Parts Dept.

      2. Anonymous

        To follow-up on this thread, good luck getting a replacement pen like the original that fits into the silo in the casing. I am just going to bite the bullet and order another pen that I can keep in a case and be done with it.

        On another note, the tip of the stylus threads backwards, and you can get it back on, but the wiring used to connect the capacitor to the charging pads on the other end of the pen is very thin. I think the best bet is just to get another pen and write that one off as junk.

        Thanks again for the help here.

        adios

        Reply
  4. Scott

    I ordered the Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 460 to use for digital art but have decided to return it because I think there are two significant drawbacks for digital art which I wanted to share with others. The display has seriously limited colour representation with colours looking pale and washed out even after calibration. Only 67% of sRGB colour gamut is an important issue for any artist working with colour as there are shades of colour that you just can’t see on this display. My five year old Acer Aspire laptop LCD display has better colour representation. Secondly, the Wacom AES digitiser definitely has significant jitter issues when shading in the diagonal. If you are shading an area diagonally, the lines actually curve in such a way that the underlying vertical lines of the digitiser actually appear in the shading area! This doesn’t occur in the vertical and horizontal so you can get around it by rotating the canvas when you want to shade diagonally but this is too much hassle for me and would disturb my workflow.

    Reply
    1. tablet@tabletsforartists.com Post author

      Thanks for your comment. I have been trying to get info from Lenovo about the color gamut in the different models (the new 14, and the higher and lower res 460s) but gave up after many efforts. The previous ThinkPad Yoga 14 had near-full sRGB coverage. Were you using the 460 with the higher-res screen, or the lower?
      For professional use you want at least 90% sRGB. The 260 also has 67%, I suppose it’s a cost-cutting measure. For comparison, the 2013 MacBook Air has 67%, as do a lot of mobile screens–but most laptop screens are higher nowadays.
      All AES and N-trig pens have some jitter in diagonal when you draw slowly, it’s just the way they work, with the computer interpolating your line. N-trig has more jitter. Wacom EMR and the Apple Pencil have less. You can try using Lazy Nezumi, an app that smoothes lines.

      Reply
      1. Scott

        Thanks for the reply. I had the 460 with the FHD (1920 x 1080) display which is 67% sRGB. I’m not able to upgrade the screen for the 460 in the UK to the higher-res WQHD (2560 x 1440) which has a much better colour gamut (very frustrating!). The X1 Yoga can be configured with the WQHD screen but is twice the price and well over my price limit.
        It was the consistent patterning in the jitter which appeared when I shaded using Wacom AES that was a real problem on the 460 for me. I have a Ugee-2150 graphics monitor which has jitter but not patterned in the same way so is better. However, the Ugee drivers interacted badly with the Wacom drivers and so make them incompatible to use on the same pc.
        I agree that EMR and Apple Pencil have less jitter and better digitiser technologies but EMR no longer seems to be available on current Windows pcs and the Apple pencil can’t be used with desktop art software unless you can connect the Ipad Pro up with an Apple laptop which I don’t have sadly.
        I may have to try the Surface Pro 4 next in the hope that the N-Trig drivers don’t conflict with the Ugee drivers on my graphics monitor or I might just wait until the digitiser technology improves!

        Reply
  5. Burke

    Does anyone have a link to this “thicker” pen the review eludes to? And does anyone know of any compatible aes pens out there?

    Reply
    1. tablet@tabletsforartists.com Post author

      The thicker pen is the one in the photo that’s down a bit in the post–the ThinkPad Pro Pen, clicking on the photo takes you to the Amazon page. I’ve added some text under it to clarify. You can also use the Dell Active Stylus 750-AAIZ pen, though that one’s kind of stubby. That’s the one in this post under the heading New Dell Active Stylus for New Venue 10 Pro–I tested that one on the Lenovo (the 14, not the 460 but it should be the same) and it worked. And you should be able to use the Wacom Bamboo Smart Stylus universal AES since Wacom has tested it on the same Dells.

      Reply
      1. Burke

        That is cool. I was really hoping for something with the girth of the cintiq or intuous pens. I currently have the one pictures, but I believe it to be broken (at first I thought the digitizer may be bad but I had similar results with another’s tpyoga14). I’ll be on the lookout for a new pen then!

        Reply
        1. tablet@tabletsforartists.com Post author

          Oh. Maybe there’s a pen holder or something.
          Check to see if the digitizer is set for the correct hand (right or left). It won’t work correctly if not set for the correct hand. Or maybe it’s just broken but I would at least try that fix.

          Reply
  6. Scott

    Hi, thanks for the excellent art focussed review of the Thinkpad 460. Other reviews highlight that the display only shows 67% sRGB which is a poor colour gamut for a modern display. How are you finding the display for representing colours when digitial painting? Good, average or poor? Thanks

    Reply
  7. Nick

    Any ideas as to why on lenovo’s website it says the laptop is no longer available?

    http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/yoga-series/yoga-14/

    I see this review is from this month, so I can’t imagine it would already be discontinued. I did notice that the top of the page lists Intel 5th gen processor and windows 10, but the body of the page says Intel 4th Gen and Windows 8.1, maybe their page incorrect and is trying to say that the previous Yoga 14 model is no longer available?

    Reply
    1. tablet@tabletsforartists.com Post author

      Hi, Lenovo is out of stock of the 14. They are now selling only the 460. Sometimes companies will sell something for a little while, then keep selling it via other stores. Best Buy is still selling the 14 (link). As for the info saying 4th gen. and Windows 8.1, yes, it just looks like they haven’t updated the page.

      Reply
      1. LVUER

        It’s the other way around here… I can’t find 460 on Lenovo website (my country’s Lenovo though… IDK for other countries). But I can easily find Thinkpad Yoga Pro 12 and 14… Both are the new generation I think, since they are equipped with i5 and i7 processor… still Windows 8.1 though… if I’m going to buy this expensive laptop, I definitely want Windows 10…

        Reply
  8. Phil C.

    I found this website (consumeraffairs.com/computer/lenovo) that has quite a few negative comments
    about Lenovo customer service. Maybe your readers would like to know about it. Making me think
    about whether to buy a new Yoga 14.

    Reply
    1. tablet@tabletsforartists.com Post author

      I can understand that making you nervous. But remember that’s a site to write complaints, so complaints are what you’ll find there. I typed in about 10 computer and tech cos. and all had one star or under two, including Apple, Dell, Adobe, etc. Customer service is often up and down and includes first-level things like phone or chat. Recently my Apple login suddenly stopped working and it was a two-hour phone ordeal to fix it. With computers I get a warranty that allows me to take it to a local repair shop rather than mailing to the manufacturer. Lenovo has a warranty where the technician will come to your house to fix hardware, it costs more, but not ridiculously more. If it can’t be fixed that way, they bring a replacement. I’ve used this and found them to come very quickly and to be helpful. Microsoft has a warranty you can buy Windows computers regardless of brand, even after the computer’s initial warranty has run out. It’s about $100 per year for up to three computers and you bring the them to a Microsoft store for repair. I do think it’s best to avoid having to mail a computer, to avoid layers of bureaucracy. Lenovo is a huge company and could certainly improve, but people do report negative experiences more often than positive ones. It has an A- Better Business Bureau rating (though that doesn’t help when you’re having a bad experience). Computers are the one thing I think it’s worth getting an extended warranty for. But yeah that site is pretty much all negative because that’s what it’s there for.

      Reply

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