Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 AMD Laptop Review: Quiet Ryzen convertible for students

If there is an area in the Lenovo ThinkPad lineup where AMD CPUs are still not widely used, it is in convertibles. Most ThinkPad convertibles are still Intel based. The only exception is the ThinkPad L13.

Lenovo introduced the AMD option with the ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 2 . Our review device, the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4, is accordingly the third generation of the AMD Yoga. The positioning of this model has not changed since the L13 Yoga G2: It still is the most affordable ThinkPad convertible, a budget- and entry-level model among the flexible hybrids.

Compared with the ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 2 , Lenovo has introduced a new chassis design, which was already used in last years L13 Yoga G3. On the surface many things are unchanged, but there are quite a few changes in actuality. The chassis color shifted from the normal black to the more dark-grey “Thunder Black”.

The aspect ration of the ThinkPad laptop has changed, as the newer ThinkPad L13 adopted 16:10 screens instead of the previous 16:9 displays. This changes leads to smaller screen bezels, especially beneath the panel. Not changed are the materials.

Lenovo still makes the display-cover out of anodized black aluminum, while the lower part of the chassis completely consists of matte-coated GFRP plastic. The screen front is protected by a glass-cover. The chassis is not balanced in terms of stability.

The screen portion is rather stiff, but the base unit is one of the weakest designs among ThinkPads. The GFRP lacks an internal metal-frame, making the chassis easily bendable. At least the keyboard does not flex easily, and the craftsmanship of the chassis is flawless.

A common problem for ThinkPads on the other hand is the fact that they smudge easily. For the ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4, this is especially true for the aluminum lid. New are the hinges, which are still fitted with silver metal caps, allowing for the transformation into a tablet.

Their design in the laptop mode is similar to normal drop down hinges, as they are located behind the base. This makes the L13 Yoga G4 look like a regular clamshell laptop. Starting at an opening angle of 90 degrees, the screen touches the surface of the desk beneath it.

Stability is not negatively impacted by the new design, as the screen barely wobbles. It can not be opened with one hand. The weight has not changed since the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G2 , the new model is just a millimeter thinner and a little bit less wide.

The more expensive ThinkPad X13 Yoga G3 is much more lightweight. The status as a budget series is signified by the ports, as Lenovo does not include Thunderbolt or USB4 ports in this ThinkPad model. Otherwise, the port selection pretty much matches the newer business standard.

Noteworthy is that the ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 is one of the few ThinkPad laptops with USB C ports on both sides – enabling the user to choose the side he wants to use to charge the laptop from. Different from the Intel variants or more expensive AMD models, Lenovo uses a WiFi 6E solution made by MediaTek in the L13 Yoga G4 AMD. Its performance is OK and very high when it comes to sending data, but much lower when receiving them.

WWAN is not present in our review unit and not user-upgradable either. Other model variants of the L13 Yoga G4 AMD do have 4G LTE. Even for its budget models, Lenovo is now using 1080p webcams.

The progress compared to older 720p webcams is undeniable, though the absolute quality is still rather low and only good for video conferencing with a good lighting conditions. Aside from the normal webcam, the ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 also has a 5 megapixel camera above the keyboard, which is usable in tablet mode. The quality of this camera is only slightly better than the 1080p webcam and not comparable with recent smartphones.

Either the fingerprint reader or the IR webcam can be used for a biometric log-in. A smartcard reader is an option feature for the L13 Yoga G4, our model does not have it. Other included security features like the Kensington lock slot, a dedicated TPM chip or the mechanical camera shutter for the webcam are always part of this product.

In addition to the 65 W USB C charger, there is only one accessory included: The integrated Digitizer pen, which is always included with the ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4. Easy maintenance is not normal for compact ultrabooks. Luckily, this is not true for the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4, as it is rather easy to open up.

Eight screws and a few clips hold the bottom cover in place. When it is removed, all innards lay bare. The RAM is soldered down, as is the WiFi module, but the M.

2 2242 SSD is upgradable. Also, the fan can be cleaned and the internal screwed-in battery replaced. The keyboard is repairable too, unusual for newer laptops.

To change the keyboard, two internal screws have to be removed. Afterwards, the keyboard slides back and it can be lifted out of the laptop after the ribbon connectors are unplugged. Usually, Lenovo sells the ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 AMD with a one year warranty.

As our model is a special edition for the education market, it has a three year warranty. This package only includes bring-in warranty, but it can be upgraded to on-site service – for a price. Same is true for an optional warranty extension, a maximum of five years is possible.

The warranty does not only apply here in Germany, but also internationally, though internationally, it is only good for 12 months. Compared with the preceding design of the ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 2 , there have only been a few changes to the keyboard. The older model already had a 1.

5 mm key travel keyboard, but the key-caps are now reduced in height and thinner. The layout it identical, it is a 95 percent keyboard. This means that all keys are 95 percent as big as on a regular keyboard.

Compared with bigger models, the dedicated Insert key is missing. The typing feel of the backlit keyboard with smooth keys is very good, though not as good as the bigger ThinkPads and far worse than some of the older models. With a width of 11.

5 centimeters, the touchpad has grown horizontally. The surface is made up of rather smooth Mylar plastic, which is not as smooth as the Mylar plastic used in the more expensive T/X models. The click mechanism is good, it produces a soft click sound that is not very loud.

All in all, this is a good touchpad, but not a very good one. Aside from the touchpad, there is the red TrackPoint, as always on ThinkPads. The three dedicated, flat button beneath the keyboard and above the touchpad are the corresponding dedicated TrackPoint buttons.

The TrackPoint works exactly as great as ever and enables a precise manipulation of the mouse cursor, without forcing the user to remove their hands from the keyboard. It is still an excellent alternative to the touchpad and far better suited for some tasks, like drag and drop. The touchscreen of the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4 recognizes ten fingers at the same time and works flawlessly.

The same is true for the Wacom AES digitizer pen with pressure sensitivity, which is integrated into the chassis and automatically charged there – making a battery change unnecessary. The pen is rather thin and thus not very comfortable to hold for a long time. Also, the integrated buttons are too flat, making them hard to use.

For taking quick notes, the stylus works well enough. As so often with ThinkPad laptops, there are multiple screen options. There is a choice between two different 13.

3 inch IPS displays with touch: With an average of 320 cd/m². the display is brighter than the advertised 300 cd/m². In comparison with the Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 , the L13 Yoga G4 has the brighter display, but it pales compared with the more expensive ThinkPad X13 Yoga G3 .

The display is a bit grainy for a glossy screen, which is probably due to the anti-glare coating. We measured a deltaE score of 2. 8 with Calman and the X-Rite i1Pro 2 Colorimeter.

With a calibration via the X-Rite i1Profiler, this was cut in half to the deltaE of 1. 4. This means that this screen is pretty color accurate, but there are large inaccuracies when it comes to the color blue.

The ICC profile we created is available to download for free, as always. The color gamut of the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 is good for a budget laptop. The almost complete sRGB coverage is good enough for simple photo editing.

In outdoor usage, the ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 is middling. The semi-glossy surface combined with a so-so brightness makes using the screen hard. Lenovo gives customers the choice between three different CPUs: The AMD Ryzen 3 7330U , the AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 7530U and the AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 7730U .

Dedicated GPUs are no option, though three different iGPUs are available: the Radeon RX Vega 6, RX Vega 7 or RX Vega 8. In terms of RAM, 8, 16 or 32 GB DDR4-3200 memory are available, which is soldered. In terms of the mass storage, there is a single M.

2 2242 SSD. The Windows energy management is utilized by Lenovo on all their ThinkPad laptops. The energy profiles and therefore processor settings are thus managed via the Windows settings: The power limit 1 describes the energy consumption of the processor under sustained load, the power limit 2 the short term boost performance.

The AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 7530U is a recent Barcelo Refresh processor, based on the old Ryzen 5000/Zen 4 series and thus only nominally new. The six cores work with a maximum of 4. 5 GHz and a base clock of 2 GHz.

The typical consumption of this processor sits at 15 W, it has twelve threads thanks to the virtual cores. Our CPU list can be used for deep dive comparisons with other CPUs. Basically, this processor of the ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 is exactly the same chip as the CPU of the ThinkPad L13 Yoga G2 .

Interestingly, the older model turns out to be slightly faster than the newer model – even if that is only a small difference. In any case, the ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 AMD is no performance champion, the other devices are faster – except for the more expensive Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 3 , which performs worse under sustained load. CPU performance is not limited in battery mode.

Better than the raw CPU power is the system performance. In PCMark10, the L13 Yoga G4 AMD takes the pole position in the comparison. In everyday use, the performance does not disappoint either.

When working with audio and video content, DPC latency problems can occur with the ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4 AMD, including some dropped frame in our Youtube test. The reason seems to be the GPU driver. This problem can be fixed by the manufacturer via driver updates at any time.

A single sided M. 2 2242 SSD is used in the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4. It was made by Kioxia and could run with NVMe PCIe 4.

0 speeds, but is limited to PCIe 3. 0, as the AMD platform of this Lenovo laptop has that limitation. Despite this, it is not a slow SSD.

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 is an outdated iGPU based on the Vega architecture. It is the same integrated GPU that was used in the two year old ThinkPad L13 Yoga G2 AMD . Not surprisingly, the performance is basically identical and far behind dedicated GPUs.

Even the Intel Iris Xe GPUs, which are not really new them self, are faster. This iGPU is sufficient for basic tasks and old games, but nothing more. The Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4 AMD is well suited even for sensitive ears, as far as the active cooling is concerned.

In the normal surf- and office-usage, the fan is barely on. Even under sustained load, the fan only runs with a maximum of 30. 1 dB(a).

We could not detect any coil-whine with this laptop. On the flip side of the low fan noise of the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4, the chassis temperatures are rather high. Even while idling, a slightly increase in chassis temperature was detectable.

Under load, we measured a peak temperature of 46. 5 degrees Celsius on the bottom of the laptop. The palmrest on the other hand stays cool, even under load.

When the CPU and GPU are under maximum load in the stress test, the CPU can consume 15 W after one hour. We did not detect and throttling of the CPU beneath its base clock speeds. The volume of the bottom-facing speakers of the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 is average.

A lack of base and depth characterizes the emitted sound. Compared with the more expensive Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G3 , the L13 Yoga G4 AMD consumes less energy, though with a lower resolution screen. The power consumption is pretty much the same as the older ThinkPad L13 Yoga G2, which makes sense at is similar hardware.

The 65 W charger has no issue supplying enough energy to the ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4, even under max load. The laptop only consumes up to 49 W in the stress test. The battery life of the Lenovo laptop is only average.

With 46 Wh, the battery is not particularly large. This results in only seven hours and 43 minutes of battery runtime in our WiFi test. It should be noted that the more expensive ThinkPad X13 Yoga G3 barely outcompetes the L13 here – only the bigger Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 manages to deliver a much longer battery life.

As the only AMD ThinkPad convertible, the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 4 is a singular model. At the same time, it is still a ThinkPad L series, a budget series for institutional customers – no high end model. This combination leaves its mark on this review.

Advantage AMD: The Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 is barely audible in terms of fan noise, yet it still delivers a good level of performance. In this instance, the technically obsolete Ryzen 7030U series shows how efficient it still can be. At the same time, the notebook has good input devices as typical for a ThinkPad as well as a good port selection.

The repairability is better than many more expensive laptops, thanks to the user-replaceable keyboard. The cost savings that are part and parcel with the lower price also have negative consequences. For one, the base unit of the L13 Yoga G4 is much less stiff and stable compared to other ThinkPad; not ideal for a mobile convertible model.

USB4 and PCIe 4. 0 are not supported by the Ryzen 7030 platform. More expensive competitors have those features.

Also, the battery life is rather limited, thanks to the smallish battery. The affordable convertible with AMD: The Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 AMD is a great fit for the education market, thanks to its integrated stylus. Overall, the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 AMD just managed to reach a “very good” rating, thanks to the high fan-noise (or lack thereof) sub-rating.

Buyers should suffer no illusions though: The L13 does not reach the level of quality of more expensive convertibles models like the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 3 , especially in terms of build quality. For customers who want to save some money, this model still is an interesting choice, especially if it mostly sits on a table. For students who need a device for digital note-taking, the L13 also seems like a great buy, thanks to the integrated Wacom stylus.

Intel alternatives for a similar price, like the Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 , do offer Thunderbolt 4, unlike the ThinkPad, but they also tend to have much louder cooling fans. The reviewed model of the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 costs roughly €840 as a special education model from Campuspoint. .