Actual ports and NVIDIA GPUs make this laptop the practical Dell XPS and MacBook Pro alternative

Professionals like designers, engineers, and creators around the world need powerful 16-inch laptops that can keep up with their work, even when they’re on the go. While options like the Dell XPS 16 (now called the Dell 16 Premium), the Apple MacBook Pro 16, and the Razer Blade 16 are all popular choices, there’s a new, equally impressive alternative available.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 (Gen 10) Aura Edition is a powerful and versatile laptop with a sleek, functional design. Despite its lengthy name, it handles almost any task with ease thanks to its strong performance and wide range of features.

Compared to similar laptops, this one offers great value, making it a strong recommendation. Unlike many other laptops that prioritize style over substance, the Yoga Pro 9i doesn’t compromise on features or include fewer ports.

We received a review unit from Lenovo for this evaluation. However, Lenovo did not influence the review in any way and hadn’t seen it before it was published.

My Yoga Pro 9i 16 (Gen 10) review

Design ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Unlike the recently reviewed Dell 16 Premium (2025), which has a striking but divisive modern look, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i focuses on practicality and usability above all else.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i has a classic Lenovo look – a curved base and flat lid – and is made entirely of aluminum. While it’s not the most polished or sleekest high-end laptop available, it definitely has a high-quality look and feel.

The Yoga Pro 9i clearly feels like a high-end laptop, though its design isn’t overly cutting-edge.

While some 16-inch workstations are larger and heavier, the Yoga Pro 9i-at 17.9mm thick and 1.93kg-appears a bit bulkier than its dimensions suggest.

This laptop offers a generous selection of ports. You’ll find a 170W DC power port, an HDMI 2.1 port, two versatile Thunderbolt 4 ports that support power delivery and display output, a 3.5mm audio jack, two USB Type-A ports (5GBps), a power button on the side, a webcam privacy shutter, and a full-sized SD card slot. It’s missing only an Ethernet port-adding one would have significantly increased the laptop’s thickness-and a Kensington Nano Security Slot, which some professional users might find inconvenient.

Display ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i comes with a choice of two stunning OLED touchscreen displays, both featuring a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. They deliver incredibly accurate colors, support both Dolby Vision HDR and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1000, and are certified to reduce eye strain with features like low blue light, flicker-free technology, and Eyesafe certification.

If you’re willing to spend an additional $150, you can get a superior OLED screen. This upgraded display boasts a sharper 3.2K resolution (compared to the standard 2.8K), more accurate colors (particularly with AdobeRGB), and a much brighter picture – up to 1,000 nits, double the brightness of the standard 500 nits, even without HDR. It’s also more energy-efficient. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive this upgraded model for testing, so I can’t personally confirm how much of an improvement it offers.

The standard screen is still excellent. It’s bright, colorful, and reacts quickly, making it great for everything from work and photo editing to gaming and watching videos. If the upgraded Tandem OLED display is as good as it sounds, it could be the best laptop screen available.

Performance ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

As an analyst, I’ve been testing the Yoga Pro 9i, and it’s really powerful. It runs on an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor – a 16-core CPU that delivers excellent performance while still being efficient. While it can be configured with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, Lenovo sent me the base model with an RTX 5050, and honestly, I was very impressed with its capabilities.

This laptop consistently delivers solid performance, and is Intel Evo certified, meaning it’s highly responsive. It also stays cool and quiet, even when working hard, without slowing down due to overheating.

I expected the Yoga Pro 9i to perform well, and it actually exceeded my expectations.

What really stood out was the RTX 5050. Lenovo lets you overclock the GPU, and when I did, the Yoga Pro 9i’s performance was surprisingly strong – almost matching the much pricier Dell 16 Premium with its RTX 5070, all without overheating.

Forza Horizon 5 ran flawlessly for me on the highest settings, consistently staying above 60 frames per second.

Battery life ⭐⭐⭐½

The Yoga Pro 9i packs a large 84Whr battery, but surprisingly, it doesn’t last all day. In my tests, I got about 5 hours of use out of it – a little better than the Dell 16 Premium, which has a bigger 99Whr battery, but not a standout performance.

Okay, so if you’re desperate for power, you can definitely get by with a USB-C charger that delivers up to 100W. Now, when you’re not plugged in, the device does dial back performance a bit, but honestly, it *still* feels incredibly powerful – I’d say it’s right up there with other top-of-the-line devices, especially when it comes to graphics. It’s seriously impressive!

This laptop’s battery life isn’t amazing, but it’s comparable to most others on the market.

Keyboard & touchpad ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’ve always loved Lenovo’s keyboards, and the Yoga Pro 9i continues that tradition. The keys are well-spaced, have a satisfying feel when you type, and are consistently good across the board. It also includes a compact number pad, which some users will appreciate, while others might find it unnecessary.

In my review of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i (Gen 9) Aura Edition, I mentioned that I’m not a fan of the new coating on the keyboard keys. The keyboard itself is good, but the keys feel a little too slippery to the touch.

The touchpad is large and works well thanks to Microsoft Precision drivers, which is great. However, I’d really like to see Lenovo add haptic feedback to the touchpads on their higher-end laptops.

Software & AI ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i comes with Windows 11 and runs it smoothly. The drivers are reliable, and Lenovo thankfully hasn’t overloaded the laptop with unnecessary pre-installed software.

Lenovo didn’t try to cram every possible feature into the Yoga Pro 9i. Instead, they concentrated on making a solid, well-built laptop that simply works well.

Lenovo’s special “Aura Edition” adds convenient features like syncing photos and files across devices, automatically adjusting performance based on what you’re doing, and an AI assistant. However, because the Yoga Pro 9i’s processor doesn’t have a powerful enough AI chip, it’s not a Copilot+ PC, meaning it misses out on some of the newest AI capabilities in Windows.

Most people won’t notice, but this laptop’s software isn’t the very latest available.

Everything else ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Beyond its stunning screen, the Yoga Pro 9i delivers impressive entertainment thanks to its powerful six-speaker sound system – featuring two tweeters and four woofers – and Dolby Atmos technology.

While I wouldn’t call them the absolute best laptop speakers ever, the Yoga Pro 9i delivers impressively full, loud, and clear sound. It also features a four-microphone setup alongside a fantastic 5MP webcam, and supports Windows Hello login with facial recognition thanks to an included IR sensor.

The Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connections worked perfectly for me. While the Yoga Pro 9i doesn’t have extra features like automatic screen activation when you’re nearby, light sensors that adjust the display, or a fingerprint reader, it includes all the essential features and they function reliably.

Yoga Pro 9i (Gen 10) review: My final thoughts

✅You should buy this if …

You need a powerful, feature-packed 16-inch laptop for work and creation.
You also want that laptop to be good for PC gaming, too.
You want a laptop with a top-notch OLED display and speaker system.

❌You should not buy this if …

You actually care about Windows 11’s Copilot+ PC-exclusive features.
You need a laptop with consistent, easy all-day battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 (Gen 10) Aura Edition has a bit of a long name, but it’s easily one of the best high-end, powerful 16-inch laptops you can buy.

Apple and Dell are known for sleek, simple designs, but Lenovo offers a laptop that’s just as powerful and includes a wider range of features and connections – all at a lower price. It’s surprisingly well-rounded and great for work, creative projects, entertainment, and even gaming.

Although I wish the battery lasted all day with heavy use, this is still one of the best Windows laptops I’ve tested this year. You can customize a Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 (Gen 10) Aura Edition starting at $1,869.99 on Lenovo.com, or choose the configuration I recommend-with a stunning Tandem OLED display and a faster RTX 5060 graphics card-for $2,149.99 on Lenovo.com.

2025-09-28 22:12