While I do love a laptop that can provide me with a solid amount of performance power without sacrificing too much battery life, the IdeaPad Pro 5i 16 I recently reviewed was more than a little disappointing when it came to, well, everything else.
Sure, you need solid performance and good battery life to make a laptop worth buying, but if the rest of the laptop disappoints you won't have a great time. Unfortunately, with the IdeaPad Pro, you're saddled with a soft, mushy keyboard, grainy webcam, tinny audio that lacks power, and an uninspired design that leaves you wanting more.
While the IdeaPad Pro starts at just $1,172, that only nets you an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H processor, Nvidia RTX 3050, 16GB of memory, 512GB of storage, and a 16-inch WQXGA IPS display. But if you want more power than that, you'll be looking at either the $1,499 Intel Core Ultra 7 155H model or the $1,699 Intel Core Ultra 9 185H model. And if you want a more modern Nvidia GPU, then the $1,699 model is the only one available with an RTX 4050.
At that price point, you may as well opt for a slightly more expensive but ultimately more satisfying laptop. You don't even need to look far, as we'd recommend a different Lenovo laptop instead.
Buy the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 instead
We reviewed the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 earlier this summer, and while it costs a bit more at the $1,784 list price, you're getting the same Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and a 16-inch display. Granted, the IdeaPad Pro has an OLED display panel, but the glossy 165Hz IPS display on the Yoga Pro 9i covers over 105 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, leaving you with similarly stunning visuals.
You can also opt for a Mini-LED panel on the Yoga Pro 9i for an additional cost, offering an even brighter and more precise display than the IdeaPad's OLED panel.
Plus, the Yoga comes with a bouncy keyboard, similarly decent battery life, and a minimalist design that feels chic instead of bland thanks to the glossy Yoga logo and oval lip detailing. The Yoga Pro 9i also has an additional Thunderbolt 4 port, plus the same HDMI 2.1 port, SD Card reader, 3.5mm audio jack, and two USB Type-A ports as the IdeaPad Pro.
The Yoga Pro 9i's 1400p webcam may lack some contrast, but it is an improvement over the grainy FHD option offered on the IdeaPad. Unfortunately, the audio on the Yoga Pro 9i's bottom-firing speakers is also distorted compared to the IdeaPad but, they are perhaps louder.
So overall you're getting a similar quality of performance and battery life, with better overall features in the ports, keyboard, webcam, and a design that is "as premium as a gray laptop could look."
And right now, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 is available for just $1,699 at Best Buy, so you don't even need to pay more.
