Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro

The most unique thing about the Yoga 3 Pro is its hinge, which #Lenovo says was inspired by the straps of luxury watches. It features visually distinct links which come together in a smooth yet firm mechanism. There's nothing new about a notebook with a lid that can flip over all the way backwards, but the #Yoga 3 Pro's hinge has a totally new and different feel to it.

Aesthetically, this notebook won't be everyone's cup of tea. The Yoga 3 Pro is unremarkably plain from every angle except the rear, and so the blingy segmented hinge feels very out of place. It's safe to say that no other notebook looks quite like this.

At 12.8mm thick and weighing 1.19kg, this is one of the most easily portable notebooks available that still has a large screen and full-sized keyboard. Predictably, physical connectivity is limited: there are only two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port which doubles as the DC charger input, one Micro-HDMI video output, and a SD card reader. You'll also find the power button, a rotation lock button and a volume rocker on the right edge.

Lenovo says the hinge is made of 813 distinct pieces of aluminium and steel. We tried bending and flexing the Yoga 3 Pro's lid and found that it was a lot more stable than most notebooks and 2-in-1s. We could bend it all the way around smoothly and with very little effort. The Yoga 3 Pro's lid was also very stable even at odd angles. It stayed put when propped up like a tent, or bent over backwards like a photo frame.

#Specifications are top-end, and at this price we would not have accepted anything else. The screen is gorgeous, with a WQXGA+ resolution of 3200x1800 pixels (which Lenovo refers to as QHD+ though it is quite a bit higher than even 2560x1440). Text and graphics are ridiculously crisp. For such a thin lid, it's surprising that Lenovo managed to fit in a touchscreen. It will take more detailed inspection to determine how good it is in terms of colour reproduction and performance in various lighting conditions.

As with most modern ultra-thin notebooks, the Yoga 3 Pro is based on Intel's new Core M platform, better known by its codename, Broadwell. Specifically, it's an Intel Core M-5Y71, which has two cores and runs at 1.2GHz but can boost itself up to 2.9GHz in spurts. There's also Intel's HD Graphics 5300 logic integrated into the CPU. Lenovo has gone with 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a Wi-Fi ac module. Don't expect any of these to be swappable or upgradeable.