Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro: 8 Reasons it's a Macbook Air Killer

| Updated: Wednesday, February 25, 2015, 12:59 [IST]

Laptop or tablet? Which one would you like to buy? That's the question a good number of people will likely be asking themselves this holiday season while they sit at their old computers or stand in the electronics aisles of the nearest big-box stores.

If you're a Windows 8 fan, Lenovo's Yoga 3 Pro lets you split the difference. A laptop-tablet hybrid, the Yoga 3 Pro has a screen that rotates 360 degrees, from laptop mode to tablet mode, in one quick motion. The Yoga's slim size might even sway some MacBook Air lovers. Check out these specs and fall in love with the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro.

Apple Macbook Air In Pictures

Display

Both the laptops flaunts a 13.3-inch screen, the Yoga 3 Pro has a much higher pixel density at 3200 x 1800 versus the MacBook's 1440 x 900 native resolution.

Hardware/Performance

The Lenovo laptop features a 1.1GHz Intel Core M-70 processor with 256 GB of solid state storage memory. The Apple laptop comes with a 1.4GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core processor and 256 GB of flash memory for storage. Both laptops can top out at 8 GB of RAM, although that size is standard with the Yoga 3 Pro.

Portability

Numbers-wise, the MacBook is 12.8 inches wide, 8.94 inches deep, 0.68 inches thick (when closed) and weighs only 2.96 lbs. The Yoga 3 Pro calls itself the "World's Thinnest Convertible Laptop" with a thickness of 0.50 inches and a weight of only 2.62 lbs, which is much thinner and lighter than the Yoga 2.

Unique Features

The Lenovo computer, the hinge is the main focus, it is a full watchband material that's constructed of 800 individual pieces of steel and aluminum, making it not only ultra flexible, but also ultra durable. The hinge can fold the display back 360 degrees and lock into place in any configuration, allowing it to act as a display stand, screen protector, or it can fold. The MacBook Air, its greatest strengths come in its battery life, quality touchpad, and its ability to stay cooler than most laptops. Design-wise, the MacBook Air hasn't redefined the traditional MacBook look and feel.

Battery Life

This is one area where the differences are much more noticably in Apple's favor. While the screen resolution on the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is much more impressive than the MacBook Air, battery life is where the sacrifice is made. The MacBook Air is said to last over 12 hours with light use, the Yoga 3 Pro only lasts for around 8 hours. Many experts agree that this is almost entirely caused by the power drain from that extra resolution.

Price

Price is another one in Apple's favor as the MacBook Air retails for $999 with the listed features while the Lenovo computer starts out at $1299 similarly equipped.

Keyboard

Lenovo's keyboards are among the best in the industry, especially on its ThinkPad laptops. And while the Yoga 3 Pro's backlit keyboard is decent enough, it's not at the level of Lenovo's best. Sure the keys are nicely sized and positioned, but they feel oddly shallow when depressed. The MacBook Air, on the other hand, provides much longer, more satisfying keystrokes, making it far more comfortable to type on for hours at a time.

Modes

Lenovo says the Yoga has four use modes: laptop, tablet, tent, and stand. Tablet mode sees you fold the Yoga's display backward until it touches the back of the keyboard. Tent mode is basically when you fold the Yoga into a V and place it upside-down so that the screen is facing you. Stand mode basically reverses the standard Laptop mode and has you resting the Yoga on its keyboard.