Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16" 2024 Review (8/31/24)

A review of the new laptop I got myself in debt for. Also includes a lengthy rant on the Dell Latitude E6520.

Back in July, I got myself a new laptop... an upgrade I believe was long over-due. You see, I was living off of a Dell Latitude e6520 (2011). It was a great machine... back in the 2010's, probably. I recieved it as a gift in 2022 when my HP 255 G5 seemed to be on it's own last legs. However, if my HP 255 G5 was on it's last legs... I fear the Dell Latitude was on it's last breaths.

My old laptop

First off, I don't mean to sound like a damn snob, but the wifi chip was quite slow compared to what I had access to on my Steam Deck, the HP 255 G5, and my desktop's backmarket USB wifi card. It's a given since it was from 2011, but still. OpenGL and everything that required it wasn't supported on Windows for it due to the drivers being out of date, so I had no choice but to use Linux on it if I wanted decent drivers. I also didn't have bluetooth, and the thing was as heavy as a bag of bricks.

Even doing basic tasks on Linux, it's fans were crying. Crying to be put out of their misery. To finally be put to rest — some guy must've had his hayday with it a decade ago, so it's money's worth had already been milked dry. I was starting college in a few months — I couldn't imagine lugging that heavy piece of e-waste around with me to class.

I wanted to love it, though. I wanted to love it like an Arch user loves his Lenovo Thinkpad, although without the cult-like devotion. However, trying to love this laptop was starting to feel more like a toxic relationship, given the many times I fought with it to try to make it all work.

So, I threw in the towel. I cut my losses, realizing that I had been dancing around one of my biggest problems — I needed a new laptop. I had hoped my Steam Deck would fill that role, but that thing isn't a comfortable laptop replacement — unless you're gaslighting yourself. However, I dealt with the problem in the most impulsive way possible. Sure, I did my research, but I bought a laptop that was thousands of dollars because I foolishly thought I needed something like that for my use-case. I couldn't afford it, so I bought it on 18-month financing... oh, Byte. What the hell have you done.

My new laptop

Anyways, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16" 2024 in my hands now, and what can I say — I love it. It's processor is overkill for my use-case, I have enough graphical horsepower to play any game I wanted to, I experience little-to-no hiccups with it... to be expected with a $1.4k laptop, I suppose. The actual review portion of this article isn't gonna be from a review channel that somehow has enough money to buy every laptop that's ever existed for content. It's gonna be from me, Byte, random college nerd that games, draws and codes.

The Review

The keyboard is a joy to type on. It's got several backlight options, a ton of function keys, a number pad... yes, I use the numberpad! There's one major flaw with the keyboard however, and it's the god-forsaken co-pilot key.
That damn thing is such an eye-sore to even glance at from time to time. It replaces the Right Control key; so if you use that, go screw yourself I 'spose. One of the first things I did when I got the laptop was disable all Co-Pilot integration... so now, it's even more useless! I might find some way to use it later, but... it's a dead space on the board for now.

The touchpad is, surpisingly, nice. Every touchpad I had used on a computer before this one had been a dread to use. I mean, two-finger scrolling? Enough space for my fingers to rest comfortably? Edge scrolling? It's all new to me.

And the 16" OLED display? Hoo-wee, is it the most comfortable display I've ever glanced at? I can finally utilize those fabled pure-black dark modes that I used to loathe with a new-found appreciation! I can play Lethal Company at 3.2k resolution at 60fps, or draw comfortably at 165hz — I appreciate the new-found glory of that.

However, with it being a newer laptop, it has it's flaws that I don't like.

For one, alongside the co-pilot key... the processor was specifically made for utilizing AI. More specifically, generative AI. I loathe generative AI, especially as a creative person. I also care about the planet and think it's an ethical nightmare. That's all I willl say on the matter, however.

There is also no concievable way for me to open up this machine. It seems like it's all soldered together, which means I can't even dream of opening it myself in the case I wish to repair it. I paid $400 extra for a warranty, just in case... also on the credit card. I don't want to talk about it.

Lastly, there's no CD/DVD drive. I know they're considered obsolete technology, but they could never make me ditch it entirely. Sure, argue it's worse for the environment, but realize that considering them obsolete makes more waste than putting them to use.

Surely, my wallet is crying at this purchase because I thought I needed some gaming horse-power to play Cookie Run: Ovenbreak on Bluestacks. Despite the debt I put myself into, however, I can say I'm happy with my purchase... but do not do what I did if you need a new laptop. EVER.

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