Lenovo's new circular Yoga Mini Gen 11 offers a compact design and unique features like Adaptive Lighting, though its performance is tailored for everyday productivity rather than heavy workloads.
Key facts
- •The Yoga Mini Gen 11 weighs 1.32 pounds and features an aluminum exterior for heat management.
- •Connectivity includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one HDMI 2.1 output, and an Ethernet port.
- •The device features an LED ring for Adaptive Lighting and a top-mounted touchpad for system controls.
- •The review unit achieved a multi-core score of 11,371 in Geekbench 7 testing.
- •The base model is currently priced at $750 at Best Buy, with a higher-spec version available for $1,490.
Lenovo has introduced the Yoga Mini Gen 11, a compact, circular PC designed for mainstream, everyday use. Featuring an aluminum exterior for heat dissipation, the device weighs 1.32 pounds and is intended for cramped workspaces. While it is not a high-performance powerhouse, it distinguishes itself in the market through a combination of unique hardware and software features.
By the numbers
Design and Connectivity
The Yoga Mini Gen 11 is notable for its round form factor, which is comparable in size to a pair of folded Soundcore Space One Pro headphones. It includes a variety of ports, such as two Thunderbolt 4-supported USB-C inputs, an HDMI 2.1 video output, and an Ethernet port. However, the circular design causes cables to point in multiple directions, which can lead to a tangle of wires on a desk.
Adaptive Lighting and AI Features
A signature feature is the Adaptive Lighting ring around the base, which pulses for notifications or flickers in time with music. Users can toggle this lighting or trigger a Voice Chat mode via a touchpad on top of the device. These features, along with connected apps, are managed through the AI Turbo Engine software. The PC also includes Intel Wi-Fi Sensing, which is designed to wake the computer when it detects a user approaching, though testing found this feature to be inconsistent.
Performance and Hardware
The review unit tested featured an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 processor and 16GB of RAM. In Geekbench 7 testing, it achieved a single-core score of 2,363 and a multi-core score of 11,371. While the system is not designed for professional video editing or complex 3D projects, it proved capable of handling everyday productivity tasks, such as running multiple browser tabs, office applications, and streaming media simultaneously.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by ZDNET AI.
