Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i gen 9: a must-have for creative professionals

Our Verdict

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i gen 9 is one of the best MacBook Pro alternatives on the market right now. This 16” laptop combines powerful performance with a striking design to appeal to creative professionals, gamers or casual users who crave spectacular visuals. The stunning 3.2K mini LED screen is a joy to work on and the dedicated AI processing chip should excite anyone interested in harnessing the power of AI. The disappointing battery life is the only thing that holds this laptop back from a five-star review.

For

• 3.2K Mini Led Display
• Powerful sound system
• RTX 40-series GPU great for gamers and creatives
• Lightweight for its size

Against

• Poor battery life
• Proprietary charger

When it comes to the best laptops for creators, Apple has dominated the market. But the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) gen 9 may have just changed that.

This laptop brings together a sleek design with a powerful performance making it a must-have for not only work but play too. The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) gen 9 has built upon the success of the previous model and made some impressive changes including increased RAM, an enhanced display and the latest Intel Core processor making it worthy of a spot on our best laptops for photo editing or best laptop for video editing guides.

This Lenovo is proof that we really could be living in a golden age of Windows laptop PCs. Aside from the great specs, it also embraces AI technology with a dedicated AI processing chip that uses machine learning to accelerate your creative processes.

While this laptop does have a couple of faults, mainly its dismal battery life, the pros far outweigh the cons. However, this isn’t a laptop for anyone on a budget because that sleek design and powerful performance come at a price that we’re used to seeing associated with MacBook Pros.

I tried this laptop out for a couple of weeks, using it exclusively to carry out productivity tasks (including writing this review), web browsing, watching content and creative tasks including photo and video editing. So keep reading to find out why I think this Lenovo could actually steal the MacBook’s crown as one of the best laptops for creative professionals.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) gen 9: Key Specs

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Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) gen 9: Design & Build

Let’s face it, one of the main reasons creative professionals buy a MacBook is because they look good. Lenovo has done well with this machine, making it sleek, stylish, and available in two colour options.

The 16" screen makes it a relatively large laptop, but its thin profile and lightweight design make it more portable than you might expect. Once you open it up and see the stunning 3.2K display, there's no going back. Despite the large display, the thin bezels create the impression of a nearly 100% screen.

The chassis is made entirely of aluminium, giving it a strong and durable feel. This extends to the hinge, which is tight enough to hold the screen stable while adjusting angles, but still smooth enough to open with one hand.

On the right side of the laptop, you'll find the power inlet, HDMI 2.1, USB-C Full Function, USB-C Intel Thunderbolt 4.0, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the left side, there’s an E-Shutter switch, a full-sized SD card reader, two USB-A 3.2 ports, and the power button.

The top bezel, with a subtle reversed-notch design, houses the webcam and microphone. While there’s no physical camera cover, the e-shutter switch next to the ports electronically disables the camera when not in use.

The keyboard is comfortable, with plenty of space so you don’t feel cramped, even after long work sessions. The trackpad is responsive and smooth, though its position is slightly too far to the left, which means my left palm sometimes grazed the edge. The speakers, positioned on each side of the keyboard and underneath the laptop, support Dolby Atmos for impressive sound quality.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) gen 9: Features

Of course, the standout feature of this laptop is the screen. The 16” PureSight Pro display boasts a resolution of 3,200 by 2,000 and a brightness of 400 nits. With up to 1600 Mini-LED dimming zones, the vibrant colours and crisp HDR details are sure to impress. The depth of colours makes this an excellent machine for long hours of creative work. The display also supports a refresh rate of up to 165Hz, making it great for gaming, though the default setting is 60Hz—so you’ll need to adjust that in the settings if you want to increase it.

Additionally, the laptop comes with a range of AI features, including Lenovo’s AI Engine+, a dedicated AI processing chip. This chip optimises performance by learning how you use creative apps and adjusting processing power, battery life, and cooling efficiency accordingly.

Lenovo also includes exclusive software called Creator Zone, which uses generative AI to create images from text and even learns your visual style through advanced image training.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) gen 9: Benchmarks

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Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) gen 9: Performance

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i offers impressive performance whether you’re a creative professional, gamer, or simply looking for a good laptop for content consumption and productivity tasks. It’s equipped with a powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 2.30GHz, making light work of intense workloads and multitasking.

With an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Series graphics card, 64GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage space, whether you’re gaming or tackling power-hungry tasks like photo editing, video editing, or 3D rendering, the performance is responsive with absolutely no lag or sluggishness.

However, the battery life is where this machine falls short. When I unplugged it to play Cities Skylines II (I’m not cut out for anything too fast-paced), the battery didn’t even last two hours. I tested it again by streaming a TV show at 50% brightness, and the battery fared slightly better, managing just under eight hours.

Unfortunately, we still live in the age of Zoom, so a decent webcam is essential. The 5MP webcam on this Lenovo is pretty good as long as you have decent lighting. There’s no physical webcam cover, but there’s a switch on the side to digitally disable the camera. What really impressed me, though, was the built-in sensor that turns the camera off if you walk away, potentially saving you from embarrassing moments. Windows Hello also worked well, even in poor lighting.

The sound is equally impressive. This laptop has six speakers, and whether I was listening to music or speech, the audio was punchy and crystal clear. I never felt the need to reach for headphones while watching content.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) gen 9: Price

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) gen 9 starts at £1,635. For the model I tested which has an Intel Core Ultra 2.30ghz processor, 64GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage it costs £2,480 but at the time of writing, there is a 10% sale so you can get it for £2,232.

This isn’t a cheap laptop but you are getting a powerful machine that will handle any task you throw at it. You also get a one-year warranty included with this machine.

Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16IMH9) gen 9: Who's it for?

This laptop is specifically designed for creative professionals who need a high-end machine capable of handling a variety of creative tasks. It also has potential for gamers, as the specs can easily manage intensive gaming.

It’s lightweight and slim, but with a 16” screen, it is naturally on the larger side. While it’s slender enough for commuting, it’s probably not a laptop you'd want to carry around extensively when travelling. However, the large screen will benefit remote workers who prefer not to use an external monitor but still need a spacious workspace.

Buy if...

• You want a large screen
• You’re ready to embrace AI features
• You’re a creative professional who needs a powerful machine

Don't buy if...

• You need a long-lasting battery
• You’re on a budget

The Verdict

Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i gen 9 is one of the best MacBook Pro alternatives on the market right now. This 16” laptop combines powerful performance with a striking design to appeal to creative professionals, gamers or casual users who crave spectacular visuals. The stunning 3.2K mini LED screen is a joy to work on and the dedicated AI processing chip should excite anyone interested in harnessing the power of AI. The disappointing battery life is the only thing that holds this laptop back from a five-star review.