Lenovo Yoga S740 hands-on review: Luxurious but affordable 14in notebook NOW available to buy in the UK
Offering premium features at an affordable price, the new Yoga S740 could become one of Lenovo’s bestsellers
It’s true that Lenovo makes some of the most desirable laptops on the market. Take the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon or Lenovo Yoga C930, two wonderful laptops I’ve reviewed from Lenovo in the past year. The nicest products aren’t always the ones most people will buy, though. That’s where laptops like the new Yoga S740 come in.
Freshly unveiled at Lenovo’s IFA 2019 TechLife conference in Berlin, the Lenovo Yoga S740 offers premium features, luxurious build quality and high-powered internals at a price that’s more realistic for the average laptop lover. Check out my early verdict on the S740 below, along with all the specs details and pricing information we know so far.
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Lenovo Yoga S740 review: Key specifications, price and release date
- Up to 10th-gen Intel Core i7 (14in) or 9th-gen Intel Core i9 (15.6in) CPU
- Up to Nvidia GeForce MX250 (14in) or Nvidia GeForce GTX1650 (15.6in) GPU
- Up to 16GB RAM
- Up to 1TB storage
- 14in IPS display up to 3,840 x 2,160 or 15.6in IPS display up to 3,840 x 2,160
- Dolby Atmos speaker system
- 62Whr battery
- 322 x 212 x 18mm (14in) or 357 x 243 x 19.9mm (15.6in)
- From 1.4kg (14in) or 1.9kg (15.6in)
- Windows 10 Home
- UK price: from £850
- UK release: 30 September 2019
Lenovo Yoga S740 review: Design, key features and first impressions
There are two sizes of the Yoga S740, a 14in variant and a 15.6in model that offers some additional features over its smaller sibling. For now, it looks as though the 15.6in Yoga S740 will not be sold in the UK so I’ll mostly be focusing on the 14in version here. I’ve been lucky enough to get some early hands-on time with the laptop here at IFA 2019 in Berlin and, so far, I’m impressed.
It’s a nice, lightweight and portable machine with an all-metal chassis that comes in an understated Iron Grey finish and, at first glance, strongly resembles the Lenovo Yoga C930 from a few months back. Unlike the Yoga devices you may be used to, the S740 does not have a 360-degree rotating hinge. As one Lenovo spokesperson told me, “Yoga is no longer a function, it’s a premium brand”. The hinge is still just as well-engineered as other Yoga devices, and I was able to smoothly open the laptop with a single finger.
Recent Yoga 9 Series laptops from Lenovo have included Dolby Atmos speakers, and these have trickled down to the 7 Series; the S740 has a user-facing Dolby Atmos sound system that will apparently give users a “theatre-like” audio experience. If they’re anywhere near as good as the superb Dolby Atmos soundbar built into the Yoga C930, they’ll get a thumbs up from me.
Connectivity on the 14in model could be better, as it has just one USB Type-C (DisplayPort, Thunderbolt) port, two USB Type-A ports, a 3.5mm audio jack and a power input. The 15.6in S740 has a wider range that includes a microSD card reader.
The 14in IPS display looks lovely from what I’ve seen so far, with vibrant colours and plenty of brightness, although it’s a little on the reflective side, which I don’t like as much. There are going to be two display resolutions to choose from, 4K (3,840 x 2,160) and FHD (1,920 x 1,080) – that applies to the 15.6in S740 too. I’m a big fan of the super-slim bezels surrounding the display on the S740, although it’s a shame there’s no privacy shutter on the webcam of the 14in model.
As for the internal specifications, consumers are spoiled for choice. The 14in Yoga S740 comes equipped with either a 10th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, and either 8GB or 16GB RAM. Storage space ranges from 256GB all the way up to 1TB and there’s even the option to add in dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics. A top-end Yoga S740 configuration will be a force to be reckoned with and should be capable of handling photo and video editing, multitasking and even a light spot of gaming. It’ll have staying power too, apparently, as Lenovo reckons that the 14in model can last up to 15hrs on a single charge.
Lenovo Yoga S740 review: Early verdict
Like the Lenovo IdeaPad S340, the Yoga S740 brings something different to the market. It’s an affordable laptop that shares the DNA of more high-end Lenovo machines. Crucially, it also gives the customer plenty of choices, from display size to storage and graphics options. If you want, you can deck it out to the nines. Or, if you’re working to a budget, you can get a less expensive variant and still revel in the luxurious build quality.
The Lenovo Yoga S740 14in is now available to buy in the UK from £850 on Lenovo’s webstore – cheaper configurations will be available for buyers in mainland Europe. Remember that, as far as we’ve been told, the 15.6in model won’t be making its way over to the UK. Still, after the small taste I’ve had in Berlin, I’ll be more than happy to put the 14in Yoga S740 to the test once it comes out.
