Two screens better than one
Dual-screen laptop a stop-gap solution?
Slowly but surely, foldable phones are gaining traction among consumers. Google’s Pixel Fold will be announced this week, joining other foldable devices from Samsung, Oppo, Huawei, and others. But despite attempts by Lenovo and Asus, foldable laptops aren’t anywhere close to mainstream acceptance.
Perhaps that explains the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. Instead of a single bendable display, the Book has two OLED touchscreens secured with a 360-degree hinge. It opens and folds like a standard 2-in-1 Windows convertible. You’ll get the usual tablet, clamshell, and tent use modes, as well as several new ones (Book and Scroll modes). For instance, you can use it like a mini dual-monitor desktop PC — with the included Bluetooth keyboard, stylus, and folio stand.
Mr Gregory Beh, Lenovo’s Asia Pacific Category Manager, says the tech used in the Yoga Book is more mature, and less costly than a foldable laptop. Windows 11 and your apps also know how to handle multiple displays, so you’re less likely to face issues related to splitting and showing content properly. Of course, Lenovo is still refining the foldable laptop. Its second-gen ThinkPad X1 Fold appears to have addressed some of the complaints from the original model. Is the Yoga Book a stop-gap solution till the foldable laptop is perfected, or will it be its own beast with unique selling points? Stay tuned for the review!
This week, we tested an affordable notebook from MSI, an Asus mesh router, and a car dash cam from 70mai.
If you’re a student or office work looking for an affordable mainstream laptop, consider the MSI Modern 14. While it may not have the newest processor, its performance is good enough for most (non-gaming) computing tasks. The build quality is surprisingly decent, while its 180-degree hinge can be useful for presentations at work.
One of the more affordable mesh router systems in the market, the Asus ZenWiFi XD5 offers slightly better performance than its predecessor. But it compares well against its rivals in this price segment, especially with a responsive app, and a bundled security suite.
With the 70mai Omni X200, you can now tell your dash cam to shoot a vlog, or take a selfie. Besides such voice commands, it also adds driver assistance features such as lane detection to make your ride safer. If that’s not enough, get the 4G hardwire kit for more features, such as motion and collision detection when parked.