Hardware

Review: The Lenovo Yoga Folds into Any Classroom Role

The Lenovo 300w Yoga Gen 4 laptop transforms to support reading, drawing, typing, writing and presenting.

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John Breeden II is an award-winning reviewer and public speaker with 20 years of experience covering technology.

The Lenovo 300w Yoga Gen 4 is designed to fold into any configuration needed to support the rigors of K–12 classroom learning. The powerful laptop works just fine in a standard configuration that allows students to type on the full-size keyboard while looking at the 11.6-inch LED screen. However, its 360-degree hinge, while providing enough resistance to support the device, allows teachers and students to quickly transform the laptop into a tent configuration, a flat slate tablet or an upright presentation device, with the screen facing toward the audience.

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300w Yoga Gen 4 Allows Damage-Free Writing on the Screen

The Yoga’s screen is also special. In addition to providing a sharp, high-contrast LED display, it’s also an in-plane switching touch screen. Constructed of Gorilla Glass enhanced with a new technology that Lenovo calls “pencil touch,” the screen allows students to use a standard No. 2 pencil on the screen without fear of damaging or scratching the glass.

In my testing, it felt completely natural to interact with the screen that way, and the Yoga showed no signs of damage, even after repeated and prolonged use.

DISCOVER: Essential classroom technology to reduce digital overload.

New Chip Strikes a Balance Between Power and Economy

While all of the extra, classroom-focused features of the Yoga make it uniquely suited for use in K–12 education, it’s important to note that the core of the unit also performs well. Its new Intel N100 chip was just released in 2023 and seems like a good choice for a classroom computer in how well it balances power and economy. Its base speed of 1 gigahertz can be temporarily boosted to 3.4GHz when needed, and it also includes Intel UHD graphics support on the chip, which worked well in testing with various educational, productivity and collaboration software.

With its ability to fold into multiple physical configurations, the Lenovo 300w Yoga Gen 4 can assume the role of several devices. Other features — like having a screen that can be annotated using a standard No. 2 pencil — make it truly unique in education. Finally, its attractive price means many schools can likely afford to provide Yogas for every student.

SPECIFICATIONS

Device Type: Laptop computer
Processor: Intel N100
Screen size: 11.6 inches
RAM: 8GB LPDDR5 SDRAM
Storage: 128GB SSD
Dimensions: 11.3x7.9x0.7 inches
Weight: 2.76 pounds

Lenovo Devises Military-Grade Rugged Standards for Student Devices

For years now, there has been only one standard for measuring a device’s durability, and that is the military specification, or MIL-SPEC. The MIL-STD-810 specification for durability, based on a constantly updated series of test procedures, is basically a torturous series of trials that can gauge how well a product stands up against everything from temperature extremes to high moisture and impact levels. The document even details proper testing procedures for extremely rare occurrences, such as the presence of salt fog.

I have used the MIL-STD-810 testing many times in previous reviews and will continue to do so. However, it’s important to note that the classroom environment, with its potential for device bumps and bruises, is far less challenging than the rigors of the battlefield. As such, the MIL-SPEC testing is sometimes overkill for certain devices.

Because of that, Lenovo is developing its own ruggedization standards for testing devices that might need to survive rough treatment in a classroom, but not, say, an explosion or an influx of cold sea water. Called Lenovo DuraSpec, the standard is surprisingly detailed and includes benchmarks like a resistance to a 30-inch drop onto concrete and up to 360 milliliters of spilled water.

I tested the Lenovo 300w Yoga Gen 4 against the DuraSpec standard, and it easily passed every measure. The Yoga has reinforced ports and a rubber edge, which help it survive accidental tumbles to the floor. After a 3-foot drop, it continued to play the movie it was displaying without even a pause.

The keyboard features skirted keycaps, which provide a safeguard against spills. I dumped a full 360 milliliters (about a cup and a half) onto the keyboard, and it ran off like water on a duck’s back. No moisture got inside the Yoga, and after toweling it off, it continued to work normally.

With such impressive test results for ruggedness, the Lenovo 300w Yoga Gen 4 seems ready for whatever a typical classroom can toss at it.