Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4 Laptop Review: Bend Like a Business

Lenovo has been a pioneer in the 2-in-1 space for the better part of a decade, and its Yoga design still has a lot of appeal. Quickly prop your keyboard out of the way without the hassle of magnetic attachments or kickstands. It’s more of a laptop than a tablet, but when it comes to getting work done, the ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4 isn’t bad. This new 2-in-1 combines ThinkPad design and ergonomics with a flippy design. yoga screen.

It’s not the most sophisticated model available (the X1 Yoga line holds that title), but what you get here is a generous selection of ports, storage options for the included active stylus, and a Slightly lower price with a higher keyboard. If I’m buying a pro-grade laptop that I can use for handwritten annotations and drawings, should I look at this, or is it too buttoned up to be useful outside of the office? Maybe.

Looking for more options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available today.

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4: Specifications

Our review unit had an Intel Core i7-1355U CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD storage. For more information, please check the complete spec list below.

• CPU:Intel Core i7-1355U (10 cores, 12 threads, 2 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores)
• memory: 16GB LPDDR5 6400MHz (not upgradable)
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
• screen: 13.3 inch 1920×1200 IPS LCD, 300 nits peak brightness
• storage: 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
• webcam: 1080p IR camera with physical cover
• Connectivity: 1x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (1x always charging), 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm headset jack
• networking: Intel AX201 (with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and optional 4G LTE cellular modem)
• biometric authentication: Fingerprint scanner and IR camera for Windows Hello
• battery capacity:61Wh
• size: 11.66 W x 8.52 L x 0.46 H inches.
• weight: 2.92 lbs, 3.6 lbs with AC adapter
• Review price: $1,359.99

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4: Designed and built for quality

Lenovo’s business-oriented ThinkPad laptops have a lot in common, making it easy to tell them apart from the competition. The downside is that most of them are plate-like, gray and serious-looking, making it difficult to tell them apart from each other. The L13 Yoga features a 360-degree rotating hinge that sets it apart from other ThinkPads. The good thing is that it’s not as difficult to use as other tablet Windows laptops with magnetic covers. In every way, Yoga’s design allows you to fold the hinge in the way that works best for you, and when you’re done with it, the L13 Gen 4 becomes just another laptop.

Although it doesn’t feel as solid as a regular laptop, the L13 Yoga uses a mixture of metal and plastic to strengthen the two halves. Due to its sturdy hinges and high-quality materials, some users may not realize that this computer can be propped up in a variety of convenient ways. There’s also a handy port to stash an active pen for sketching and note-taking, but other computers might make it optional or omit it entirely. Over a decade of building Yoga-style machines clearly culminates in the quality engineering of the Yoga L13.

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4: Connectivity

IDG / Brendan Nestett

Lenovo has managed to keep the Yoga L13 slim while still retaining plenty of useful ports. Featuring two USB-C ports (one compatible with Thunderbolt 4 speeds), you can charge and connect high-speed peripherals on either side of the computer. There’s also a full USB-A port on each side, which is useful if you’re still using a lot of older accessories without modern connectors.

Finally, there’s a full-size HDMI on the right that can be used with a conference room projector or TV without an adapter. There’s also a wired headset jack for 3.5mm devices. On paper, this port combination may not look all that impressive, but it’s a useful combination for desk jockeys and people who travel a lot.

As for wireless, the ThinkPad Yoga L13 is equipped with Intel’s slightly older AX201 chip for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. It would have been nice if this machine had used his faster 6E grade adapter, but given that many networks still use older protocols, this laptop is a boon for corporate users. There is no benefit, much less for his remote workers at home.

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4: Keyboard and trackpad

IDG / Brendan Nestett

This is almost a cliché in technical documentation, but it’s worth mentioning again. The ThinkPad brand makes some of the most satisfying keyboards. The Yoga L13 Gen 4’s keyboard is a godsend for anyone who writes or types out emails, a long-range keyboard with crisp actuation points that let you know when you’ve pressed a key correctly. Not too crunchy, not too sticky, just right. Above the keyboard is the Yoga L13’s standard fingerprint pad, which is also a power switch, allowing you to log into Windows 11 with just a touch of your finger.

The spacious touchpad also does a great job, offering a nice, responsive physical click when pressed. I found the placement to be awkward, not too large, and the palm rejection to be pretty good. If you don’t like that, there’s the old-school cult classic TrackPoint Nubbin in the center of the keyboard, and below the spacebar there are three buttons. It takes some getting used to, but touch typists can quickly switch between typing and mousing without moving their hands to the bottom of the Yoga’s top deck.

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4: Display, speakers, and webcam

IDG / Brendan Nestett

The standard display has rich colors and a sharp enough resolution to be quite suitable for everyday use. The only slight downside is that if you’re in a bright open office, the maximum brightness of around 300 nits makes it difficult to cut down on glare. Being a 2-in-1 design, the display has a glass touch layer that you can use with your fingers, as well as active pen support for the included stylus.

The speakers aren’t that impressive here, which is a shame. The L13 Gen 4 is not suitable for playing intense songs, as the somewhat harsh audio makes human voices sound more faint and thin than necessary. It’s probably also a good idea to use headphones while on a call with a coworker to hear what they’re saying as clearly as possible.

The standard 1080P webcam on the Yoga L13 Gen 4 is pretty good, and kept my face clearly visible even in a brightly lit cafe. If you’re in a dark room, you’ll notice that adding noise reduction makes it look softer, but otherwise this is a perfectly capable camera. It’s great that Lenovo includes a physical shutter that covers the camera with a red dot. This is a must-have feature for workplaces with high security requirements. Finally, the L13 has infrared so you can log in with Windows Hello facial recognition.

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4: Performance

Powered by the 13th Generation Intel Core i7-1355U, the Lenovo Yoga L13 Gen 4 delivers very capable performance for most tasks. Obviously, it’s not the best for gaming, but if you need it, this chip can spin up to 5 GHz and speed up intensive tasks with 10 cores and 12 threads. Thankfully, the Yoga L13 makes little noise when doing light work, and the battery lasts for hours.

IDG / Brendan Nestett

We benchmark every laptop we review with PCMark 10. This software thoroughly uses daily tasks to provide you with a realistic baseline. We measured fairly moderate performance for the L13 Gen 4. As seen here in the Acer Swift Go, it’s clear that cutting-edge Intel Core Ultra chips are a huge improvement in thin laptops (that’s what you want).

IDG / Brendan Nestett

This test uses Cinebench R20 to evaluate the laptop’s rendering performance by evaluating how multiple processor cores work together. In our testing, the ThinkPad Yoga L13 Gen 4 had mediocre performance among thin and light models, but there are plenty of laptops with more cores and stronger performance in similar packages.

IDG / Brendan Nestett

Modern PCs require 3D capabilities beyond just gaming, so we test all of our laptops with 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark. In this test, the ThinkPad Yoga L13 Gen 4 performed decently for a machine with Intel’s integrated Xe graphics, but fell short of what AMD offers. It also beat Intel’s latest and greatest Arc graphics, as seen on the Acer Swift Go. If graphics are important to you, check out a new machine called Intel Ultra.

IDG / Brendan Nestett

We test all laptops by re-encoding high-resolution Blu-ray rips into smaller files for tablets. Unfortunately, the Yoga L13 Gen 4 was the slowest system we’ve ever seen, but it’s also clearly not a computer for creative professionals. You should choose a model with a P-class or H-class Intel chip, or better yet, an AMD processor with superior performance, which outperformed the ThinkPad in this test.

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4: Battery life

IDG / Brendan Nestett

Intel’s 13th generation U-class chips are designed to balance performance and efficiency. The Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga L13 Gen 4 also offers quite a long battery life and good performance. In our Loop Video battery test, this 2-in-1 lasted almost 9.5 hours on a single charge. If you’re careful with the screen brightness, you can use the device for almost a day before needing to charge it.

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4: Conclusion

The flexibility of a 2-in-1 laptop can be very useful, and the ThinkPad Yoga L13 Gen 4 proves you don’t need to fuss with a detachable keyboard to get tablet-like convenience. doing.

Even if you rarely fold the screen back into the tent or flatten it into tablet mode, you’ll have a great Ultrabook with plenty of power and a great keyboard. The only real weakness of this computer is that the screen is so-so and not bright enough. Also, because of ThinkPad’s pedigree, it has a high MSRP and is not often chosen by value-conscious shoppers. Because of these issues, this model is best left in the business world.

Corporate IT personnel who would like to provide their company with the Yoga L13 Gen 4, one model that can meet many needs, even if they are otherwise independent professionals who tend to scribbling on documents. Even so, the Yoga L13 is worth a look. Fits the bill very well.