Off Book: Lenovo Yoga Book 9i

Lenovo's double-screen laptop has some moments of magic, but moments that'll make you moan too

Laptop makers are always trying to find what the next incarnation of the portable computer looks like. Foldable, rollable, lighter than a bag of flour? It's all been tried, but the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i takes a different approach.

If you took the classic 360-degree hybrid laptop design and amped up its hybrid nature a few dozen notches you might end up with the Book 9i. It has a 360-degree hinge, but a second screen sits where the keyboard usually would.

The least appealing way to use the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is as a laptop, really, with the lower screen acting as a virtual iPad-style keyboard; we don't really recommend this style of use.

However, it does include a wireless keyboard accessory that can sit right on the lower screen.

The ideal scenario, though, is with one screen on top of the other; with the folio-style case holding the whole thing up, one of the panels appears to tower over the other, defying gravity.

The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i's actual screens are great. These are two 2880 x 1800 pixel 13.3-inch OLED panels with glass-topped surfaces and touchscreen support. They have ultra-deep colour and black levels, for supremely poppy images that jump off the screen.

We are not fans of using the lower screen as a virtual keyboard and touchpad at all. Virtual keyboards are no replacement for actual keys, because the feedback you get from a little vibration buzz just isn't anywhere near as satisfying as a true keyboard's moving bits.