Convertible ThinkPad Yoga - History of 360° Hinge Laptops

In the ThinkPad family, the Yoga series is a category of its own: convertible computers - touchscreen laptops that become tablets thanks to a 360° hinge. It is a vision of mobile work that Lenovo has developed consistently for over a decade.

Four modes - the core of Yoga

• Laptop - classic work with a full keyboard
• Tent - screen folded into a tent shape, handy for presenting to a client across the table
• Stand - keyboard folded back, screen like a monitor; comfortable for touch and viewing
• Tablet - screen rotated a full 360°, held like a tablet

The Lift'n'Lock mechanism

This feature sets ThinkPad Yoga apart from many other convertibles.

As you rotate the screen into tablet mode, the frame around the keys rises and locks the keyboard. The keys sink below a flat surface, so you cannot press anything accidentally while holding the device as a tablet.

Clever, but mechanical, so it wears over time.

Pen and touchscreen

Many Yoga models support an active pen with Wacom technology and pressure sensitivity, making handwriting feel close to paper. In some models (e.g. Yoga 260, Yoga 370, X1 Yoga) the pen docks inside the chassis and charges there, so it is always at hand. A real tool for doctors, lawyers, sales people and designers.

Model history - from 2013 to today

Predecessor: the ThinkPad Twist (S230u, 2012), Lenovo's early approach with a screen rotating on a central hinge, before the 360° hinge arrived.

• ThinkPad Yoga (2013) - the first ThinkPad with a 360° hinge, 12.5" screen
• ThinkPad Yoga 11e - a ruggedised version for education (11.6")
• ThinkPad Yoga 12 / 14 / 15 (2015) - size variants; the Yoga 14 optionally had dedicated NVIDIA graphics
• Yoga 260 (2016) and Yoga 370 (2017) - refined models, the most common on the secondhand market today
• X380 Yoga (2018) and X390 Yoga (2019) - convertibles in the business X series
• X13 Yoga (from 2020) - successor to the X390 Yoga, with Thunderbolt

X1 Yoga - the flagship

The ThinkPad X1 Yoga (since 2016) is a 14" convertible ThinkPad with a high-end display (optionally OLED in some generations) and a docked pen. It is the more powerful, premium cousin of the X13 Yoga, for people who sketch and take notes a lot and expect an excellent screen.

P40 Yoga - a convertible workstation

A curiosity: the ThinkPad P40 Yoga (2016) is a 14" convertible with professional NVIDIA Quadro M500M graphics, combining Yoga flexibility with certified graphics for CAD work.

The secondhand market - common issues and repairs

Ex-lease Yoga laptops are an attractive buy, but know their weak points:

• 360° hinges - can loosen over the years (clicking, a "drifting" screen)
• Lift'n'Lock mechanism - plastic parts can crack; often replaced together with the keyboard and palmrest
• Touchscreen / digitizer - sometimes a driver is enough, sometimes the panel needs replacing
• Battery - clearly loses capacity after a few years

A few timely replacements (hinge, battery, pen) and a used Yoga will serve as a full-featured tool for years. See ThinkPad Yoga parts and the overview page ThinkPad Yoga - all models.

Not looking for a Yoga? See how the T, L and E series differ - the most common used ThinkPads.

Need parts for a convertible ThinkPad (hinge, pen, touchscreen, keyboard, battery)? Send us the serial number and we will match the exact component.