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In a market saturated with incremental upgrades, Lenovo's Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition (16-inch) makes a bold statement with its tandem OLED display, setting a new visual benchmark for Windows laptops. As tested by ZDNET's Kyle Kucharski, this machine isn't just about aesthetics—it packs an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 or 5060 GPU, targeting professionals who demand both creativity and power in a portable form. Priced from $1,949, it challenges conventions but forces users to navigate clear trade-offs.

The Display: Where Innovation Meets Immersion

The star of the show is undeniably the 3.2K tandem OLED screen, capable of 1,000 nits brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR 1000 True Black certification. This technology uses dual-stacked OLED panels to achieve deeper blacks and higher peak brightness without compromising efficiency. Kucharski notes it's "crisp, exceptional... smooth as silk," though his review unit featured a still-impressive 2.8K OLED variant. Either option covers 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, making it ideal for photo/video editing—but this brilliance comes at a cost: significant power consumption that strains battery longevity.

Performance & Design: Power in a Portable Package

Under the hood, the Yoga Pro 9i doesn't hold back:
- Intel Core Ultra 9 285H (Arrow Lake): 16 cores handle intensive tasks like DaVinci Resolve and CapCut with ease.
- 32GB LPDDR5X RAM & 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD: Ensures smooth multitasking and fast storage.
- Nvidia RTX GPU: Enables solid gaming and AI-accelerated creative workflows.

Despite this horsepower, Lenovo maintains a surprisingly sleek profile: just 0.76 inches thick and 4.4 pounds. The aluminum chassis resists fingerprints, though its "corporate gray" aesthetic plays it safe. The keyboard offers 1.5mm key travel and a responsive feel, but Kucharski laments the absence of a haptic trackpad—a missed opportunity at this price. Ports are plentiful, including Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, USB-A, and an SD card reader, though the power button's placement risks accidental presses.

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The Compromises: Battery Life and Thermal Management

Performance has its penalties. During testing, battery life averaged ~6 hours under normal use, dipping further with the tandem OLED or demanding tasks. The included 170W charger struggles under heavy GPU/CPU loads; some users report needing a 230W upgrade. Fans activate frequently, even during moderate use like file transfers or multi-tab browsing. Kucharski observed they're "loud enough to hear from the other room" at full tilt, though the chassis stays cool—suggesting thermal design prioritizes component protection over acoustics.

Who Should Buy This Laptop?

For creatives and hybrid users, the Yoga Pro 9i is a revelation. It outperforms gaming-focused alternatives like Lenovo's Legion Pro 7i in display quality and portability while costing less. Gamers get capable hardware but may prefer laptops optimized for sustained performance. If battery endurance is critical, the non-tandem OLED model is wiser, but display enthusiasts should embrace the tandem variant’s visual splendor. As Kucharski concludes: "It’s a fantastic laptop for work, with the large, crisp OLED display... and it makes a fantastic machine for creatives."

Source: ZDNET, reviewed by Kyle Kucharski.