Lenovo Yoga 520 review: Versatile laptop for its price tag

Lenovo Yoga 520 series starts at under Rs 70,000 and here’s our review of the laptop.

Lenovo’s Yoga series is available in India at various price points and with unique features. For instance, the Yoga 900 series are 2-in-1 laptops with a 360-degree hinge, and can transition into a tablet or laptop depending on preference. Of course, the price tag for some of the ‘extra’ features is a bit on the higher side.

However, the Lenovo Yoga 520 series starts at a more affordable pricing of under Rs 70,000 considering the kind of specifications and features it sports. The Yoga 520 also has a flexible 360-degree hinge, option for unlocking the laptop via a fingerprint scanner as well as support for Lenovo’s Active Pen Stylus. The series is also powered by the Intel 7th generation core i5 processor, though Lenovo’s website lists support up to 8th gen i7 processor. But for the online sales that SKU is not yet listed in India.

Here’s our review of the Lenovo Yoga 520 with 4GB RAM and 1TB HDD powered by the Intel core 7th gen i5 processor.

Lenovo Yoga 520 specifications: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS touchscreen | Intel Core i5-7200 clocked at 2.50 Ghz | 4GB/8GB RAM | Up to 512GB PCIe SSD or 1TB SATA | Lenovo Active Pen support | Windows 10 Home | Ports: 2 x USB 3.0, USB Type-C, 4-in-1 card reader, HDMI, Audio jack Connectivity: 802.11 a/c WiFi, Bluetooth | Battery: Up to 10 hours | Dimensions: 330 x 235 x 19.9mm, Weight: 1.74kg |

Lenovo Yoga 520 price in India: Rs 64,135 for 4GB RAM, Rs 69,150 for 8GB RAM

Lenovo Yoga 520 Display, Design review

The ‘Onxy Black’ colour version of the 14-inch laptop looks stylish, and overall the laptop is compact considering the display size. Those who don’t want a big 15-inch screen can perhaps look at this option considering this is around 14-inches and the display size is ample for video consumption.

Lenovo says this one has reduced bezels as well, though I would not call this is a bezel-less display. If you want that on your laptop, prepare to pay a lot more. The full HD screen is bright, and works quite well for those for most of the content on this laptop. I didn’t have to keep the brightness at full on the laptop either to get an optimal experience while watching video content.

Lenovo Yoga 520 has a 14-inch FHD display.

What I don’t like about this laptop from a design point of view is that it is bulky at 1.74 kg. I prefer lighter laptops, because I can’t carry such heavy ones around without suffering from back pain. But in the Windows world a lighter ultrabook with more power is still an expensive proposition. Given this can also function as a tablet, I’d say this is a bit too heavy from a portability point of view. It certainly doesn’t make an ideal tablet in my opinion, but for those want that option, Lenovo Yoga 520 has that included.

Lenovo Yoga 520 Performance review

The 4GB RAM version is what I got for review, and at times this was not enough. Chrome would occasionally freeze on this computer, especially when I was watching YouTube videos. Also the laptop took its time booting up when I would wake it up from sleep mode, which could be a little frustrating.

Lenovo has placed the power button on the side, instead of incorporating it into the keyboard as you might seen on some bigger laptops from company. Often I found myself constantly pressing the button to get the screen back to life. However, if your use is limited to just typing documents, running a few tabs on Chrome this might be good enough. Still I’d say that Windows 10 with 4GB RAM is not a very satisfying experience, and you’d do better to go for the higher end version.

Lenovo’s Active Pen will let you write out actual notes on the desktop screen itself.

Overall, from a performance perspective the higher RAM capacity, especially for the heavy duty work is a better bet. Also Lenovo has the 8GB RAM version priced at Rs 69,000, which is just Rs 5000 more than this one.

Microsoft Office comes pre-loaded with this PC. It works quite smoothly so for Windows buffs who are used to typing on Word, this laptop is a good option to consider. There’s also Lenovo’s Active Pen which will let you write out actual notes on the desktop screen itself. The Pen does a good job of accurately capturing your handwriting. Still it’s not a feature I would use a lot and I’m not a fan of writing out notes with a pen on a giant screen.

Lenovo Yoga 520 has a 360-degree hinge and you can use this as a tablet also.

This a Touchscreen enabled laptop with a 360-degree hinge and you can always switch to the tablet mode. I still find typing in the Windows tablet mode a frustrating experience, especially on a bigger 14-inch display. I would stick to using the keyboard, which though a little more compact than what I’m used to, works well.

Yes, I could do with some more travel on the keys, and I did find myself making a lot more errors. But once I got used to the keyboard size, I found myself typing a lot faster and accurately. The keys are responsive, and the touchpad is not bad either. There’s also the option of using the fingerprint scanner to log into the PC, which works accurately.

Lenovo Yoga 520 has Type-C USB 3.0 ports.

Lenovo Yoga 520 Battery Review

Lenovo is claiming 10 hours of battery life, though with intense usage you can get up to 8 hours, which is not bad. I had the screen’s brightness levels at half when I was using the laptop for regular work. My usage of the laptop included typing out articles, working on Chrome which does tend to consume battery, etc, and would put this at a little over seven hours. For the price, the Lenovo Yoga 520’s battery life should be enough for most users and last the work day.

Lenovo Yoga 520 keyboard style is similar to what we’ve seen on other Yoga series laptops.

Lenovo Yoga 520 Verdict

If you want a touchscreen laptop that can be used as a tablet as well with Stylus support, then the Lenovo Yoga 520 is certainly an option, given it is not as expensive as some of the others in the market. I would still recommend getting more RAM, since 4GB Ris too less to get an optimal experience on this laptop. The highlight here is that Lenovo is offering the 7th gen processor, touchscreen display for under Rs 70,000.

However, those who don’t need the touchscreen or even the extra power can look at cheaper, slightly outdated alternatives in the market. The Apple MacBook Air is still an option considering it is retailing for less than Rs 50,000 now, if you count in cashback and what not. But, remember you’ll be compromising on storage space out there. Those who still wish to stay on Windows 10, Lenovo itself has bulkier 15-inch laptops with 8GB RAM for under Rs 45,000. Again you won’t get some of the fancy features for lower pricing.