Lenovo announced a slew of new products at IFA this year, including its new Flex line of laptops and all-in-ones, five new ThinkPads, and a new ThinkPad Yoga. At the forefront of Lenovos newly-unveiled lineup is the Yoga 2 Pro, a multimode laptop constructed with high-resolution in mind, and thesuccessor to the original 360-degree flip and fold 13.3-inch IdeaPad Yoga.

We applauded the original Yoga for its unique (and sturdy) hinge and multiple modes, overall solid build, beautiful display with wide viewing angles, its responsive touchscreen, and speedy performance. Though we wont know how the Yoga 2 Pro will actually compare in these areas before were able to do a full review, we take a look at how the newest member of Yoga family stacks up against its predecessor when you lay the specs on the line. Check out the comparison table below:

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

(13-inch)

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga Pro 2

(13-inch)

3.06 pounds

As you can see, the most substantial bump comes in the form of the display. The Yoga Pro 2 nearly doubles the native resolution of the previous model, an astonishing increase of282pixels-per-inch, and supposedly holds the crown as the highest resolution currently offered on the market.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga vs. Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2: Spec Showdown

News

By Agam Shah

September 5, 2013 08:08 AM ET

IDG News Service - Lenovo introduced a new wave of Yoga hybrids, shaving off size and weight so the devices are lighter when used as tablets, and faster in laptop mode.

The new Yoga hybrids include the 13.3-in. Yoga 2 Pro and 12.5-in. ThinkPad Yoga, which also have higher resolution touchscreens and faster processors than the first Yoga systems that started shipping in October last year.

Yoga's design lets people turn its screen around almost 360 degrees to turn the laptop into a tablet, different from other hybrids that come with detachable keyboards or swivelling screens.

The Yoga 2 Pro is 15.5 millimeters thick, and weighs 1.36 kilograms, which is 0.22 kilograms lighter than the Yoga 13, an earlier model. But perhaps the biggest improvement is the optional 3200 x 1800-pixel screen, whose resolution is among the highest in laptops.

"We've made it better in almost every way," said Nick Reynolds, executive director, Lenovo Business Group, adding that reducing the weight makes it a more usable Windows 8 tablet.

The Yoga 2 Pro will start at $1,099. Lenovo is estimating anywhere between six to nine hours of battery life. It will come with Intel's fourth-generation Core processors and up to 512GB of solid-state drive storage.

The ThinkPad Yoga, which will start at $949, is designed for professionals who need more storage or docking capabilities. It also has ruggedness and security features found on other ThinkPad laptops. System administrators will be able to remotely control them.

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Lenovo Yoga hybrids strike lighter, sleeker pose

The Yoga 2 Pro is 15.5 millimeters thick, and weighs 1.36 kg, which is 0.22 kilograms lighter than the Yoga 13, an earlier model. However, the biggest improvement is the optional 3200 x 1800-pixel screen, which Lenovo claims is the "world's highest resolution 13.3in display".

The ThinkPad Yoga, which will be available from November priced from 799, is designed for professionals who need more storage or docking capabilities. It features the rugged design and security features found on other ThinkPad laptops, and also has a "lift and lock" system created for tablet mode, which automatically locks the keys on the machines keyboard in place.

Lenovo said the ThinkPad Yoga's battery will last eight hours. The ThinkPad Yoga weighs 1.57 kilograms and is 18.8 millimeters thick, making it heavier and thicker than the Yoga 2 Pro. The hybrid will be available with Intel's fourth-generation Core i3, i5 or i7 processors.

It will come with up to 1TB of hard-drive storage. An optional stylus will be also available. The hybrid can be configured with 1920 x 1080, or 1366 x 768 resolution screens. Other features include two USB 3.0 ports, a mini-HDMI slot and NFC (near-field communication) hardware.

Yogas revolutionary flip and fold design shattered the mold for convertible computing, giving users a new found flexibility and unlimited options in one machine, said Dilip Bhatia, vice president, ThinkPad Product Marketing at Lenovo.

Weve refined that concept for mobile business professionals with ThinkPad Yoga, giving them the business technologies and features they need paired with the all new lift and lock system for a completely adaptable design.

The company is also offering the new Flex 14.1-inch and 15.6-inch laptops, which the company is positioning as a lower-end versions of the Yoga.

The screen of the Flex laptops cannot fold all the way around to become a tablet, but it can be used in what Lenovo calls "tent" mode, which folds the laptop enough so it is easier to place on a table.

The laptops will be available from October priced from 499 with fourth-generation Core i3 processors. They will feature six hours of battery life, and have up to 1TB of storage.

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Lenovo unveils Yoga 2 Pro at IFA 2013

@HOME WITH HILARIA BALDWIN: FIT MOMMY-TO-BE PRENATAL YOGA Debuts on DVD October 1, 2013 from Acacia

Features bonus partner stretches with her husband, actor Alec Baldwin

SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Having recently given birth to her first child with husband Alec Baldwin, popular New York City yoga instructor and EXTRA Lifestyle Correspondent Hilaria Baldwin debuts three safe and effective workouts for all stages of one's pregnancy. @Home with Hilaria Baldwin: Fit Mommy-to-Be Prenatal Yoga arrives on DVD on October 1, 2013 from Acacia, an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. brand. Designed by Hilaria to address the specific needs of pregnancy, the DVD features modifications for each trimester, so you can continue with the practice as your pregnancy advances. Hilaria filmed Fit Mommy-to-Be Prenatal Yoga when she was seven months pregnant with her first child, Carmen Baldwin, who was born in August 2013. The DVD also comes with bonus partner stretches with Hilaria's husband, actor Alec Baldwin ($16.99; 59 minutes; AcaciaLifestyle.com and pre-order on Amazon.com).

Doctors say that the more you stretch and keep active during your pregnancy, the easier your delivery and recovery will be. Join Hilaria for some fun mommy-to-be fitness for a healthy pregnancy. The first workout relieves pregnancy-related back pain and tones the muscles needed for good posture and alignment. The second opens your hips to alleviate growing pains and prepare your body for childbirth. The last segment helps you de-stress quickly, releasing tension from your body as you regain your focus and connect with your baby.

Hilaria says, "This yoga practice that I've designed has kept me fit and feeling great throughout my pregnancy."

Hilaria is a certified yoga instructor and the co-founder of Yoga Vida, a New York City yoga studio with locations in Union Square and Noho. She is the Lifestyle correspondent for EXTRA, where she covers fitness, fashion, celebrities, and news. Hilaria has been teaching fitness and dance for more than ten years, and she began teaching yoga in 2005. Hilaria has also been featured as a fitness authority on TODAY, E! News, Rachael Ray, Good Afternoon America, and Plum TV's "Yoga with a View."

BONUS: Partner stretches featuring Hilaria's husband, Emmy(R)-winning actor Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

An RLJ Entertainment, Inc. brand, Acacia is a leading producer of original and award-winning yoga, fitness, and wellness DVD programming. Acacia's workouts are from TV star and bestselling author Bethenny Frankel, the number one diet and fitness website SparkPeople, exhale spa's bestselling Core Fusion series, Leah Sarago's popular Ballet Body(TM) series, top healthy living brand Canyon Ranch, yoga superstar Shiva Rea, master kettlebell instructor Paul Katami, reality TV star Kenya Moore, Desiree Rumbaugh's Yoga to the Rescue series, as well as Arthritis Rx with best-selling author Dr. Vijay Vad and Andrea Metcalf's Quick Fit, featuring 30 five-minute workouts. Acacia DVDs are available from select retailers, catalog companies, Amazon.com, and direct from Acacia at (800) 944-0474 or AcaciaLifestyle.com

ABOUT RLJ ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

RLJ Entertainment, Inc.(RLJE) is a premier independent licensee and distributor of entertainment content and programming in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia with over 5,300 exclusive titles. RLJE is a leader in numerous genres via its owned and distributed brands such as Acorn (British TV), Image (feature films, stand-up comedy), One Village (urban), Acacia (fitness), Slingshot (faith), Athena (documentaries), Criterion (art films) and Madacy (gift sets). These titles are distributed in multiple formats including DVD, Blu-Ray, digital download, digital streaming, broadcast television (including satellite and cable), theatrical and non-theatrical.

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New Mom and Celebrity Yoga Instructor Hilaria Baldwin Debuts Her First Workout; Offering Simple, Effective Workouts ...

Lenovo is going after different segments of the laptop-buying public with its new Yoga convertible laptops and Flex laptops with 360 and 300-degree hinges so they can be used in less traditional orientations than simply as a clamshell laptop. The new systems leverage their HD touch screens and innovative chassis design to help Windows 8 users find new uses for their PCs.

Following last year's Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13, the Yoga 2 Pro is an evolution of the Yoga concept with a sharper QHD+ 3,200-by-1,800 resolution screen, blowing away the previous model's 1,600-by-900 resolution display. The new Yoga 2 Pro's IPS screen features a 178-degree wide viewing angle and is rated at 350-nits of brightness. The Yoga 2 Pro is also smaller than the previous model, with an 0.61-inch thick chassis, and chip options go up to a fourth-generation Intel Core i7 processor.

The Yoga 2 Pro includes new functions, like voice control, built-in WiDi, and the new Yoga Picks utility, which detects the orientation of the screen and consequently suggests apps that will work best in that mode. For example, if you put the system in stand mode, it will ask if you want to use one of the system's pre-loaded video apps. The Yoga 2 Pro can be equipped with a 128-512GB SSD for speedy app loading and boot up times. The laptop also has a backlit keyboard and is available in grey or a new Clementine Orange color. The Yoga 2 Pro will be available in October, and will start at $1,099.99.

The second new Yoga product is the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga, which brings the Yoga form factor to the SMB market. The ThinkPad Yoga has all the same modes as the other Yoga laptops, with a 360-degree hinge that allows laptop, tent, stand, and tablet modes so the user can view the screen from many different angles. The ThinkPad Yoga has a 12.5-inch HD or full HD IPS screen, with optional digitizer and pen available for the full HD screen option.

The laptop comes with Windows 8.1, dual pointing devices, and a 10-point touch screen. A backlit keyboard is available, and NFC (Near Field Communication) is an option. The ThinkPad Yoga works with Lenovo's OneLink dock, which can pass USB and HDMI signals through to peripherals that stay at your desk.

One ThinkPad Yoga innovation addresses one touchy-feely issue that users had with the original Yoga: The keyboard deck features a lift and lock system while in tablet mode, which makes the keyboard a relatively flat surface. When in tablet mode, keys are locked flush with the keyboard deck, so it will feel like a flat surface to users, with the added benefit of protecting the keys from snagging on clothing or surfaces while the system is in tablet mode. The ThinkPad Yoga is available with up to a 1TB hard drive or 512GB SSD. It will be made available in November starting at $949.

Lenovo's dual-mode Flex 14 and Flex 15 also flip open like the Yoga laptops, but they are limited to 300 degrees of lid rotation. This makes manufacturing and use models a little simpler; the system can work in laptop or stand mode primarily. The Flex 14 (14.1-inch) and Flex 15 (15.6-inch) systems can be equipped with 1,366-by-768 HD screens or optional 1,920-by-1,080 Full HD screens. Both have 10-point touch, and both come with fourth-generation Core processors from Core i3 up to Core i7 ULT.

The Flex 14 and Flex 15 are equipped with up to 1TB of hard drive space, SSD, or a combination of a hard drive with Flash storage to meet ultrabook specs. The Flex series laptops can be equipped with Nvidia GeForce GT 740M discrete graphics or use the Intel HD Graphics built into the Intel Core processor. The Flex series laptops also feature voice controls and comes primarily in black with a silver or Clementine Orange accents on the lid. Boasting up to nine hours of battery life, the Lenovo Flex 14 and 15 will be available in late September starting at $629.99

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Lenovo Improves Yoga, Intros Flex Laptops

Lenovo makes more noise at IFA today, announcing two new ThinkPad Yoga models, the Flex thin-and-light series, and the Flex 20 portable all-in-one PC. Each of the four new PCs will feature a fourth-generation Intel Core (aka Haswell) processor, but the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro is the most interesting, thanks to a 13-inch display that delivers an eye-popping resolution of 3200 by 1800 pixels.

The Yoga 2 Pro features the now-familiar dual-hinge design that allows the display to be oriented into four modes: Tent, stand, tablet, and laptop. But unlike previous models, this one will boast a 13-inch multi-touch display with native resolution of 3200 by 1800 pixels. The new chassis is also thinner and lighter than that of previous models, measuring 0.61 inch thick and weighing 3.06 pounds.

Processor choices will range up to a Core i7 with integrated graphics, coupled with up to 8GB of DDR3 memory. Storage options consist of 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drives (SSDs), and I/O ports include one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, Micro HDMI, and an SD/MMC card reader.

The Yoga 2 Pro will be available in October, with prices starting at $1100.

Many corporate IT departments eschew Lenovos consumer-oriented IdeaPad product line, a policy that left a lot of suits disappointed that they couldnt pack the earlier IdeaPad Yoga 11Sor Yoga 13 in their briefcases.

That prohibition should disappear with the ThinkPad Yoga, a rugged convertible featuring a magnesium-alloy shell, a 12.5-inch Gorilla Glass touchscreen, and a lift-and-lock keyboard that automatically retracts the keyboard to present a flush surface when the notebook is placed in tablet mode.

The ThinkPad Yoga will be available with Intel Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 CPUs and up to 8GB of DDR3/1600 memory. In spite of its 0.74-inch thickness, the machine will be outfitted with a 1TB hard drive as standard equipment, with a 256GB SSD as an option. The ThinkPad version of the Yoga will be limited to 1920 by 1080 resolution, but it will be available with an optional Wacom pen digitizer. It will also get a better collection of I/O ports, including two USB 3.0 ports and a four-in-one card reader in addition to Mini HDMI.

The ThinkPad Yoga will be available in November, with prices starting at $949.

Its easy to mistake the Lenovo Flex, available in 14- and 15-inch configurations, for the Yoga series, but theres a key difference: The display on the Flex series pivots only 300 degrees. You can position it to face forward to watch a movie or make it easier to use the touchscreen, but you cant pivot it into tablet mode.

The Flex 15s display delivers full 1920 by 1080 resolution, but the 14-inch model is limited to 1366 by 768 pixels. Discrete Nvidia mobile graphics will be offered as options. Both models will be available with up to Intel Core i7 CPUs and up to 8GB of memory. Storage comes in the form of mechanical hard drives (up to 500GB for the Flex 14, and up to 1TB for the Flex 15), with 16GB SSD cache drives available asoptions. The Flex line will also be thicker and heavier than the Yoga series, with the 15-inch model measuring 0.87 inches thick and weighing 5.07 pounds.

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Lenovo's new Yoga hybrids strike a lighter, sleeker pose

Lenovo is standing by its convertible Yoga model, which folds into various positions, and is bringing that kind of flexible design to a new line of laptops. The company is adding to the Yoga lineup, with the Yoga 2 Pro. And Lenovo's new Flex 14 and Flex 15 laptops can fold into both "laptop" and "stand" positions (the Yoga can fold into those but also "tent" and "tablet" positions).

Lenovo says the Flex models use a hinge similar to that on the Yoga, but it folds only 300 degrees compared to the 360-degree movement of the Yoga. The laptops come with up to a fourth-generation Core i7 processor. They have touch screens, weigh 4 pounds, and measure just under an inch. Starting price is $630.

Find the best computer for your needs and budget with our buying guide and Ratings.

The 13-inch Yoga 2 Pro has a very high-resolution, 3200x1800 display. The Yoga 2 Pro folds into the same four positions as the previous Yoga, has a backlit keyboard when in laptop mode, and includes voice and motion control. A new feature called Yoga Picks lets you know which software works best when you enter a given mode, and Lenovo also developed new software specific to each mode.

The company says the Yoga 2 Pro is thinner than the original Yoga at 0.61 inch. It weighs just under 3.5 pounds and can be equipped with up to a fourth-generation Core i7 processor. It starts at $1,100.

Also expect a smaller version of the "tabletop" Lenovo Horizon desktop, launched earlier this year. The new Flex 20 has a 19.5-inch display that folds flat onto a table like its larger counterpart. It uses the same Aura interface when you lay it flat, and offers the same optional joystick, strikers, and dice. Prices start at $900.

The Flex products will be available late this month; the Yoga 2 Pro arrives in October.

Donna Tapellini

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New Lenovo Yoga and Flex laptops adapt to your needs