Review: The Yoga C740 is an affordable alternative to the pricey Yoga C940
Source: Windows Central
Lenovo’s premium Yoga C940 is one of the finest convertible laptops on the market today, but all the fancy features boost the price up beyond what a lot of people are looking to pay. Enter the Yoga C740, a mid-range convertible available in a well-built 14- or 15-inch chassis. I’ve been using the modestly-priced 14-inch model for a week to see where it has improved over the Yoga 730 and whether or not it’s up to be your next laptop.
14-inch Convertible
Lenovo Yoga C740 14
Pros
- 10th Gen Intel “Comet Lake” CPUs
- Robust audio from top-firing speakers
- Slick aluminum chassis and solid design
- Huge Precision touchpad, comfy keyboard
- Fingerprint reader for Windows Hello
Cons
- No Thunderbolt 3
- Some display glare issues
- Active pen not included
Lenovo Yoga C740 at a glance
Source: Windows Central
My review unit of the Yoga C740 14 has a 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10210U processor (CPU) with four cores, 8GB of DDR4-2666MHz RAM that is soldered and not upgradeable, a 512GB M.2 PCIe solid-state drive (SSD) that can be upgraded after purchase, and integrated Intel UHD Graphics. The touch display uses an IPS panel and has a glossy finish.
Lenovo often has ecoupons available for its laptops that drop the price, but you can generally expect to pay around $750 for an introductory model with similar hardware to the review unit. A high-end unit customized with an Intel Core i7-10510U CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB M.2 PCIe SSD costs closer to about $1,220.
Let’s take a look at the hardware you can expect in the 14-inch Yoga C740.
Category | Spec |
---|---|
Processor | 10th Gen “Comet Lake” Intel Core i5-10210U 1.60GHz Base 4.20GHz Max Four cores |
RAM | 8GB DDR4-2666MHz Soldered |
Graphics | Integrated Intel UHD Graphics |
Storage | 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD |
Display | 14 inches 1920×1080 (FHD) Touch IPS, glossy Dolby Vision |
Ports | Two USB-C 3.1 USB-A 3.1 3.5mm audio |
Audio | Top-firing Dual 2W speakers Dolby Atmos |
Wireless | Intel Wireless AC 9560 802.11ac (2×2) Bluetooth 5.0 |
Camera | Front-facing 720p |
Security | Fingerprint reader Webcam shutter |
Battery | 51Wh 65W AC adapter |
Dimensions | 12.67 x 8.45 x 0.59 – 0.67 inches (321.8mm x 214.6mm x 14.9 – 16.9mm) |
Weight | 3.09 pounds (1.4kg) |
What I love about Lenovo’s Yoga C740
Source: Windows Central
The Yoga C740 is an enticing C940 alternative that’s available at an aggressive price.
The rear edge between hinges houses two thermal vents, and there’s a wide air intake along the bottom. Removing the bottom cover reveals a single fan that does an admirable job of keeping the laptop cool even under sustained load. There’s a bit of noise when hardware heats up, but nothing egregious or really noticeable unless you’re working in a quiet room.
There’s no snazzy soundbar hinge like on the Yoga C940, but speakers have thankfully been moved since the Yoga 730 to sit along the sides of the keyboard. Combined with some help from Dolby Atmos, audio is satisfyingly loud and crisp. There’s a bit of distortion at higher levels, but overall it’s above average for a laptop this size. Using the laptop in a converted mode is a bit of a different story. In stand mode, the speakers are pressed directly against a surface, and in tablet mode, there’s a tendency for your hands to cover them while gripping the device. Still, I’d rather see top-firing audio if we can’t have the soundbar hinge.
There’s no IR camera here, but above the display is a front-facing 720p webcam that has one of the most unobtrusive privacy shutters I’ve seen so far. If you’re worried about your privacy when sitting at the laptop, it’s a welcome addition. Set into the right palm rest is a fingerprint reader for logins through Windows Hello. It works quickly and accurately.
Using PCMark 10’s battery rundown test with constant video playback, the Yoga C740 hit just a couple minutes less than six hours at 60% brightness.
I ran some synthetic benchmarks to see how well the hardware inside the Yoga C740 led by an Intel Core i5-10210U CPU holds up against other laptops we’ve tested.
CPU
Geekbench 5.0 Benchmarks (Higher is better)
Device | CPU | Single core | Multi core |
---|---|---|---|
Lenovo Yoga C740 | i5-10210U | 1,094 | 3,767 |
LG gram 17 (2020) | i7-1065G7 | 1,208 | 3,349 |
Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54T) | i7-1065G7 | 1,202 | 3,600 |
Surface Pro 7 | i7-1065G7 | 1,205 | 4,852 |
Surface Laptop 3 13.5 | i5-1035G7 | 1,177 | 4,413 |
Surface Laptop 3 15 | Ryzen 5 | 769 | 2,720 |
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 7390 | i7-1065G7 | 1,209 | 3,571 |
Dell XPS 15 7590 | i9-9980HK | 1,176 | 7,624 |
Dell Inspiron 13 7390 2-in-1 | i7-8565U | 1,111 | 2,965 |
Solid numbers here from the quad-core Core i5-1021U CPU. It’s going to cut through productivity work without much issue. I also ran an OpenCL integrated GPU test on the Intel UHD Graphics and got back a score of 5,888. Even with the Core i7 model, there’s no Iris Plus Graphics; this is a 14nm Comet Lake CPU rather than 10nm Ice Lake.
PCMark
PCMark 10 Express
Device | Score |
---|---|
Lenovo Yoga C740 | 4,941 |
LG gram 17 | 4,157 |
Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54T) | 4,415 |
Surface Pro 7 (i5) | 3,992 |
Surface Laptop 3 15 (AMD) | 4,006 |
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (7390) | 4,427 |
Dell Inspiron 13 7390 2-in-1 | 3,764 |
Dell XPS 15 7590 | 5,521 |
Dell Precision 3541 | 3,906 |
The PCMark 10 Express test measures how well a laptop handles several everyday tasks. Again, a great score from the hardware inside that is reflected in everyday use.
Cinebench
Cinebench (R20) (Higher is better)
Device | CPU | Range |
---|---|---|
Lenovo Yoga C740 | 1,450 to 1,535 | |
LG gram 17 | i7-1065G7 | 1,079 to 1,199 |
Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54T) | Core i7-1065G7 | 1,361 to 1,400 |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53 | Xeon E-2276M | 2,686 to 2,701 |
Surface Laptop 3 13.5 | Core i5-1035G4 | 1,584 to 1,606 |
Surface Laptop 3 15 | Core i7-1065G7 | 1,703 to 1,745 |
Repeatedly running Cinebench R20 can determine how well a laptop stands up to sustained load. Not a significant drop in performance here thanks to a sturdy cooling system.
SSD
CrystalDiskMark (Higher is better)
Device | Read | Write |
---|---|---|
Lenovo Yoga C740 | 3,408 MB/s | 2,982 MB/s |
LG gram 17 (2020) | 3,477 MB/s | 2,900 MB/s |
Surface Laptop 3 15 | 2,028 MB/s | 806 MB/s |
Surface Laptop 3 13.5 | 2,338 MB/s | 1,583 MB/s |
Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54T) | 1,641 MB/s | 1,025 MB/s |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) | 3,416 MB/s | 3,016 MB/s |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53 | 3,567.23 MB/s | 2,813.25 MB/s |
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 | 3,120 MB/s | 1,551.5 MB/s |
Dell XPS 15 7590 | 3,000 MB/s | 2,796 MB/s |
MSI PS63 Modern | 3,300 MB/s | 1,875 MB/s |
The Samsung PM981a M.2 PCIe SSD delivers excellent read and speeds that contribute to the overall snappy performance of the Yoga C740.
What I dislike about Lenovo’s Yoga C740
Source: Windows Central
I primarily worked in a very sunny room while testing the laptop, and had to have the brightness turned up to the maximum at all times. Even then, it was often hard to clearly see the entire screen. Moving to a room with standard electric lighting cuts down on the severity, but keep this in mind if you’re one who likes to work near a window.
The other main gripe I have is port selection. The Yoga 730 featured a Thunderbolt 3 port as well as two USB-A, whereas the Yoga C740 has made the move to dual USB-C and a single USB-A. Having even a single Thunderbolt 3 on the Yoga C740 would be a welcome addition, allowing users to connect a powerful docking station. Add in the fact that the Yoga C740 uses one of the USB-C ports to charge, and you’re essentially down to one USB-C, one USB-A, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
Should you buy Lenovo’s Yoga C740?
Source: Windows Central
It’s a well-built convertible with sleek aluminum chassis, the top-firing speakers are a welcome change, and the keyboard and touchpad are built to promote productivity. A fingerprint reader and webcam shutter help with privacy and security. If 14 inches isn’t large enough, there’s also the 15-inch model to check out. That being said, it might not be quite what you’re looking for despite the great price.
If you’re interested in adding some extra features and don’t mind a higher price, the Yoga C940 might be a better choice. It comes with an optional 4K touch display with HDR400, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, standard Wi-Fi 6, a soundbar hinge, and an optional dedicated GPU in the larger 15-inch model. The pen is also built right into the chassis, meaning you don’t have to shell out extra and keep tabs on it after that.
Goodbye Yoga 730
Lenovo Yoga C740 14
Lots of laptop for the price
It doesn’t have as many premium features as the Yoga C940, but it’s available for far less and is still a solid 14-inch convertible for everyday use.
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