So there’s still no word on a full release of the Yoga C630 WOS from Lenovo. The Best Buy page (as discussed in my last article) still shows it as available. At least a couple people have bought them and left reviews. Since I’m still on hold for the next few days (crossing my fingers for an Unlocked or GSM version) let’s take a look at the 2 reviews out there and analyze them.
As with any on-line marketplace review we need to take these with a grain of salt. Ah yes, an all-caps review, this should be intellectual and informative, right? The first issue contained in the review is “The device gets very hot during use”. This is most likely due to the fanless design. More heat is trapped since there’s only passive cooling methods, making the device feel that much warmer. Look at modern smartphones, load up a game, play for an hour or so, and you’ll know what I’m talking about. This user then goes on to state “… while being connected to 4G the screen starts to turn yellow around the edges due to the overheating…” This is much more worrying, and could actually be a problem. If the heat is causing the screen to shift colors it’s far, far too warm for a sustainable life span. This could be a defect on this particular unit, or something to do with the particular use case, it could also be an issue with the design (only time will tell us for sure). I could see a device running too hot if it’s pegged out at 100% CPU for too long. The CPU should throttle down to decrease thermal load. Emulation could be part of the problem with this, since it would be very CPU intensive to run legacy applications, especially if they’re run concurrently. The reviewer then goes on to complain about lack of expandable storage, “missing” USB, poor manufacturing quality, and bad speakers. This is mostly a “bad on them” situation, since the item description does state the listed ports, connections, and a notable lack of expandable storage options. As far as the speakers, it is a thin and light laptop, it’s not exactly going to sound fantastic. I’d love to see more information on the quality, does it flex, does it creak? What about the build quality makes it “poorly made”? Same with the speakers, are they loud, do they distort at high volume levels, are they tinny? What specifically makes them a bad speaker? I like that the Lenovo product expert said to “unplug the device immediately and bring the device to your local Best Buy..” that makes me feel like the heat issues are specific to that machine, rather than a widespread problem. His answer about the USB-C ports, and speakers are spot on. It’ll be interesting to get my hands on the device so I can revisit this review in my review. Let’s look at the next review on Best Buy:
Well at least this user didn’t follow suit with the all-caps format, props for that at least. The first noted complaint is “… this thing is way overpriced and complete junk.” Hmm, well it is kind of pricy given that it’s a smartphone processor, but then again look at how much Android phones with the Snapdragon 845 are going for… then add in a large screen, Windows license, and the laptop chassis; it’s about bang-on price wise. Granted, laptop prices for the most part have gone down, and for this price range you can get some really nice kit; it’s not going to have this level of battery life, or instant on, or an always on internet connection. This is the second generation of this technology so it will cost more than traditional tech. We should see prices drop as the technology hits more iterations. “Kept it for four days before I returned it.” well… honestly that’s not a lot of time to get to know a new piece of technology. “It started off alright but immediately slowed down on the fourth day.” A lot of initial slow down is system updates, and whatever you’ve installed on a device. It comes with “Internet Security” pre-installed, judging from the image it looks like Trend Micro. Let’s be honest though, anti-virus software can hobble even the beefiest of systems while scans are being run. Anymore I’ve begun to recommend to most users that they stick with the built-in Windows Defender software. It’s more lightweight, and in recent tests scored well against stand-alone software. With a Windows on ARM machine this is especially important since more than likely the third-party Anti-Virus software would be running in an emulation layer. This user then states their continued dissatisfaction at price (which we covered already), poor build quality and bad speakers. Without knowing the user’s history of computers saying that their the worst speakers they’ve ever heard is less than helpful. Same with the build quality issues. As with the first reviewer it would be helpful for everyone if they were more descriptive of what exactly the problem is. From what I’ve seen from hands-0n impressions during IFA most everyone was happy with the build quality, and speakers. Granted those were cherry picked units, but from my experience with Lenovo, build quality is usually pretty good. The Lenovo Product Expert only partly hit this review correctly. I like that they put “… be sure any software installed is compatible with Windows 10…” but that’s not exactly as clear as it could have been. This is running an ARM processor. With the device looking how it looks (like a normal 2-in-1 device), and marketed how it is (no mention of potential complications due to architecture) the average person won’t know what to expect.
I think the biggest take away from this is that the two reviewers may not have fully understood what they were getting into. I’d be honestly interested in why and or how they came across this device and bought it. The marketing on Best Buy’s site describes the Snapdragon 850 as “(a) chip (that) provides speedy processing power”. They even tout the 8GB of RAM as “let(ting) you multitask smoothly between programs.” Here’s the issue though, this makes it seem like something that will have all the power you’ll need. It’s a systemic problem of marketing, and our own expectations. Everything has to be marketed to sell, I get that, but the listing on Best Buy almost seems intentionally thin on information. It’s up to the buyer to do the legwork, research, and temper their expectations. Cheers!
