Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
There are some great machines in the15 - column inch laptopcategory , which has recently been stretched to admit the more common 16 - in laptop computer . The best among them is the Apple MacBook Pro 16 , which offers fast execution for project likevideo editingand the longest battery life .
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 is aim not only at other 16 - column inch window laptops but also at the MacBook Pro 16 . It offers many of the same benefit but at a lower price . Can it take a place at the top ?
Specs and configurations
Lenovo ’s pricing changes often , as do its form . When I first survey the Yoga Pro 9i 16 , it started at $ 1,482 for an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU , and a 16.0 - inch 3.2 K IPS exhibit . That monetary value has since gone up to $ 1,971 , which as we ’ll see is less than the MacBook Pro 16 ’s starting price but not quite so outstanding . When configured with a Core Ultra 9 185H , 32 GB of RAM , a 1 TB SSD , an RTX 4060 , and a 16.0 - in 3.2 K mini - LED presentation , it costs $ 2,783 . When I reviewed it , that contour was $ 2,105 .
The MacBook Pro 16 ’s prices are rock - solid and consistent , at least when purchase from the Apple Store . It set out at $ 2,499 for a 12 - marrow CPU/18 - core GPU M3 Pro chipset , 18 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 16.0 - in mini - LED display . When configured likewise to my Yoga Pro 9i 16 critical review unit ( the gamy - end fashion model ) , the MacBook is $ 3,099 for the same M3 Pro , 36 GB of RAM , and a 1 TB SSD . The most you may spend on a MacBook Pro 16 is $ 7,199 for a 16 - core CPU/40 - core GPU M3 Max , 128 GB of RAM , and an 8 TB SSD .
At current prices and when looking at likely the most lineal comparability in terms of carrying into action , the Yoga Pro 9i 16 is about $ 300 less than the MacBook Pro 16 . As we ’ll see , that ’s not quite so cometitive as when I review the Lenovo .
Design
The MacBook Pro 16 is one of the best - contrive bombastic laptops made today . It ’s constructed from a clod of aluminum that ’s solid as a rock . Its aesthetic conforms to Apple ’s late , with a rounded boxlike appearance that ’s downplay yet attractive , in both Silver and Space Black color scheme . The flexible joint open up smoothly and holds the display firmly in place . Overall , the MacBook feel like uttermost quality .
The Yoga Pro 9i is also very well - built , with an all - Al chassis and lid that also fend bending , flexing , and twisting . It does n’t have quite the same flavor , but you wo n’t think of it as a less laptop . Its Luna Grey color scheme is more traditional while also being minimalist , and its rounded edges are arguably more well-fixed than the MacBook ’s sometimes sharper edges . The reverse notch at the top of the video display that domiciliate the webcam and other electronics is a better resolution than the MacBook ’s display snick that some citizenry find troubled . The hinge is also smooth and useable .
Thanks to a somewhat thin but ponderous bod , the MacBook Pro 16 feels denser than the Yoga Pro 9i 16 . That contributes to that feeling of solidity . Overall , the MacBook is slightly smaller despite have a more or less larger display , and that ’s because of thinner display bezels .
Keyboard and touchpad
Both laptops have excellent keyboards . The Yoga Pro 9i 16 has Lenovo ’s standard version with sculpted keycaps and pile of key spacing , even with the somewhat anachronistic numeric keypad . That ’s because the MacBook Pro 16 ’s even more expansive keyboard is constrained on each side by larger speaker grills . The MacBook ’s Magic Keyboard switches are shallower but more dapper and precise , at least for me . The Yoga Pro 9i 16 has substitution that are deep and slightly stiffer and thus slightly more fatiguing .
The Yoga ’s touchpad is a mechanical version , and a good example with gentle , quiet clit clicks . It ’s a little off center because of the numerical keypad , and that might bother some hoi polloi . The MacBook has Apple ’s first-class Force Touch haptic touchpad . It ’s not only more exact and functional , but it ’s even quieter and put up the Force Click lineament where a stronger snap afford up a menu of extra functionality . More Windows laptops are including haptic touchpads , and I ’m hope to see them become a criterion at these price .
you may select a pinch exhibit as an option with the Yoga Pro 9i 16 . That ’s something no MacBook can offer .
Ports, webcam, and security
The Yoga Pro 9i 16 has a wider set of ports , with more bequest funding , while the MacBook Pro 16 has more Thunderbolt 4 porthole . They both have full - sizing Mount Rushmore State card readers , which is great for Godhead . Both have tantamount wireless connectivity that ’s current enough but not bleeding - boundary .
Lenovo conform to in a higher - resolution webcam , and it digest some of the AI - enhanced functionality in Windows such as Microsoft ’s Studio Effects software . But that ’s somewhat much the only real benefit from the Meteor Lake chipset ’s Neural Processing Unit ( NPU ) . Both laptops have beneficial image quality for videoconferencing .
The Yoga has an infrared camera for Windows 11 Hello facial recognition , while the MacBook has Apple ’s Touch ID fingerprint reader . Both are secure enough , and Windows Hello is a bit more convenient .
Performance
The MacBook Pro 16 utilize Apple ’s M3 chipset in either the Pro or Max desegregation . We benchmarked the 16 - core CPU/40 - burden GPU version , which is the fastest and the most expensive . The Pro version that ’s significantly less expensive will , naturally , be deadening than the results posted here .
The Yoga Pro 9i 16 uses either the 28 - James Watt Core Ultra 7 155H chipset with 16 cores and 22 threads or the 45 - watt Core Ultra 9 185 with the same core and thread count but with more power at 45 W . We examine with the latter , and while it was free-enterprise with similar Windows laptops , it ca n’t keep up with the MacBook Pro 16 . As name , the delta would be less with the MacBook when configured with the M3 Pro .
For demand productivity user and creators , both laptops are very degraded . The MacBook Pro 16 is a good option for video editors thanks to various optimizations built into the M3 chipset . Other applications will have unlike proportional level of execution , with the Yoga Pro 9i 16 being a much better gaming laptop thanks primarily to the relative lack of modern titles on macOS .
Display
The Yoga Pro 9i 16 offers a choice between a 16.0 - inch 16:10 3.2 K ( 3200 by 2000 ) IPS showing and a mini - LED video display at the same result . Both run at up to 165Hz , and the latter is touch - enabled . The MacBook Pro 16 has one display option , a 16.2 - inch 16:10 mini - LED gore at 3456 by 2234 and up to 120Hz .
We reviewed with the Yoga ’s mini - LED exhibit , and saw some differences even though the display shared the underlying engineering science . Both were exceedingly bright and had alike color widths , and the Yoga ’s colour were more precise . The big remainder was in the contrast proportion , where the MacBook Pro ’s display was much high . That was with the Lenovo in Windows ’ standard dynamic reach ( SDR ) modality . When switch over to in high spirits dynamical range ( HDR ) mode , the Lenovo ’s contrast ratio was as high but color and brightness fall of significantly .
Out of the box , then , the MacBook Pro 16 has deep blacks , and its HDR performance is the adept on a laptop today . The Yoga Pro 9i 16 has an excellent show , as well — just not quite as in force .
Portability
Both laptops are large and close enough in size and weight unit that they ’ll feel the same in a backpack . Both will press you down .
Where the MacBook Pro 16 rightfully glow is in its battery living , thanks to the insane efficiency of Apple Silicon chipsets . The Yoga Pro 9i 16 endure six 60 minutes in our web surf test and 9.5 hours in our video iteration test . By comparison , the MacBook Pro 16 lasted for 19 hr and 27 hours , severally . That ’s up to three times as long .
Neither laptop will last that long when doing demanding work like delete picture , but the MacBook Pro 16 might last a full day , while the Yoga will give out after a couple of hours . That ’s a monumental difference .
If you have the money, the MacBook Pro 16 is better
The Yoga Pro 9i 16 is a great laptop computer with excellent execution and a somewhat attractive damage . It ’s well - built and has a very good mini - LED display . equate to many other 16 - inch Windows laptops , it ’s a extremely competitory automobile .
The MacBook Pro 16 , though , is a distinct cut above . It ’s perhaps even better build , with the best keyboard and touchpad , a superscript display , and even faster performance in many tasks . And it has the longest battery life by a considerable border . It ’s hard to outfox , but you ’ll have to compensate for all of that good .
