Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition Review: Ultimate Creator Laptop with Tandem OLED Brilliance

At the start of the year, I had been eagerly waiting to try out the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition. According to Lenovo, this machine is the ultimate creator laptop. That’s a big statement, but after finally using it, I can see why they’re confident. With a dedicated NVIDIA GPU, this machine handles creative applications effortlessly—and even allows for some casual gaming. At just 1.93 kg, it’s also impressively portable for its power class.

But what truly sets this laptop apart is a feature that most others haven’t even come close to implementing. It’s one of those rare things that, once you’ve experienced it, you won’t want to go back.

Refined Design with Smart Engineering

Right away, the design feels premium. It features a minimalist metal chassis with smooth, rounded edges that feel comfortable in your hands. There’s nothing flashy here—just a clean Lenovo logo centered on the lid. It includes a reverse notch at the top that allows you to open the lid with one hand, something small but incredibly convenient.

The port selection is excellent and will likely make you forget about needing dongles. On the left, you’ll find:

• Two Thunderbolt 4 ports

• A 170W proprietary power connector

• HDMI 2.1

• A combo audio jack

On the right side:

• Power button

• Two USB-A ports

• A full-sized SD card slot

• A physical webcam kill switch

While some may prefer the power button on the keyboard deck, having it on the side actually makes sense—especially if you’re using this in a docked setup with an external monitor. You can turn it on without ever opening the lid.

Built to Work Flat and Fast

The build quality is solid, with minimal flex. The display opens flat to 180 degrees, which is useful if you want to use it underneath a monitor. The keyboard is particularly satisfying to use. Lenovo increased the key travel from 1.3mm to 1.5mm, and you can feel that difference. The U-shaped keys include a 0.1mm concave dip, giving your fingers a comfortable place to land. There’s also an anti-oil coating on the keycaps.

Being a 16-inch laptop, it includes a numeric keypad—great for users who work with numbers regularly. The white backlighting is adjustable using the Function + Spacebar combo.

The touchpad is large, smooth, mechanical, and responsive. It’s made of glass and feels great to use. If there’s one feature missing, it’s a haptic touchpad—which would’ve made this setup nearly perfect.

Audio and Display That Go Beyond Expectations

This laptop delivers exceptional audio performance, with a six-speaker setup—two tweeters and four woofers. The difference is night and day when compared to machines with just two speakers. Sound is rich, balanced, and fills the room.

Then comes the display, which is nothing short of breathtaking. The base model features a 16-inch 120Hz panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 500 nits brightness in SDR mode. But if you choose the Tandem OLED variant, that’s where the magic happens.

This Tandem OLED display reaches 1600 nits of peak brightness and delivers stunning HDR visuals. Watching HDR content side-by-side with a standard OLED screen makes the difference obvious. The Tandem OLED looks richer, brighter, and more alive. If you work outside or in bright environments, this panel is a game-changer.

Camera, Security, and Smart Software Features

The 1080p webcam performs well, even in natural and diffused light. Audio captured by the microphones is clear. For login security, the device includes Windows Hello facial recognition via an IR scanner—no need to type passwords anymore.

Lenovo’s built-in Vantage software is actually helpful, unlike many preinstalled tools. It offers:

• Shield Mode for privacy in public places

• Collaboration Mode for enhancing voice and blocking background noise

• Attention Mode to mute distracting notifications

• Wellness Mode that reminds you to take breaks and improve posture

It’s clear this laptop is designed not just for performance, but for better day-to-day use.

Peak Performance for Creative Work

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition is built with power in mind:

• Intel Core Ultra 7 255H CPU

• NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPU (100W TGP)

• Up to 64GB RAM

• OLED display

• High-speed SSD storage

In testing, it handled video editing, heavy multitasking, and graphics work without any hiccups. Timeline scrubbing in video projects was incredibly smooth, and NVIDIA’s 9th and 6th-gen encoders enable fast rendering with 4:2:2 H.265 encoding.

Photo editing in Photoshop was quick, even with complex files. Compiling projects like Firefox ran fast, and modern web applications performed great as shown by Speedometer test results.

Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 also enables AI features like:

• Background blur in video calls

• Auto-reframing

• Noise suppression

All processed by a dedicated MPU, meaning better battery life and quieter operation.

With Lenovo X Power turned on (their performance boost utility), the CPU maintained consistent speeds above 3000MHz, proving it’s capable of extended high-performance workloads.

Yes, It Can Game Too

Thanks to the RTX 4070 GPU, gaming is very doable on this machine. While native resolution is 2880×1800, you’ll get better frame rates by dropping it to 1920×1200, and you still enjoy that 120Hz refresh rate.

Thermals are well-managed:

• Peak CPU temperatures hit around 85°C, but quickly stabilize in the mid-80s

• Power draw jumps to 120W, then levels off at around 80W

• Internally, dual copper heat pipes and dual fans keep everything cool

Upgrades and Battery Life

Opening the chassis is straightforward. Inside, you’ll find:

• Soldered RAM

• Two SSD slots: one 2240 (shorter) and one 2280

• Wi-Fi 7 card, also soldered

• A large 84Wh battery

Battery life was respectable, offering just over 5 hours in the PCMark Modern Office test. Given the power and the bright OLED screen, this is an acceptable trade-off.

Final Verdict: A Creator’s Dream, Refined

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition is an incredible machine for creatives, content producers, and power users. Here’s what it delivers:

• Premium build and design

• Thoughtful port layout

• Excellent keyboard and speakers

• Fantastic OLED performance

• Top-tier hardware with Intel and NVIDIA support

The only features missing are a haptic touchpad and an RTX 4070 Ti option, which might have required a thicker chassis or more cooling.

But the Tandem OLED panel alone makes this one of the most visually impressive laptops available today. If you get the regular OLED version, you’ll still be satisfied—it just won’t get as bright.

If you’re looking for a powerful, well-designed, and display-forward laptop that handles both creativity and productivity with ease, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition is a top contender.