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

AMD transformation-artist. ThinkPad Yoga is the name of Lenovo’s business convertibles. The ThinkPad L series is the affordable enterprise series, which means the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 AMD is a budget hybrid. With AMD Ryzen 7030U and a new design, this convertible can compete with more expensive models.

Benjamin Herzig 👁 (translated by Benjamin Herzig), Published 08/04/2023 🇩🇪

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

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.

      Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14       Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G2 21AES01A00       HP ProBook x360 435 G8 R7-5800U       Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 21FSS00100       Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G3 21AW003UGE       DIN A4 {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_338035’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_327329’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_327329’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_323999’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_323999’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_337440’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_337440’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_337664’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_337664’).checked = false;return false;” title=”hide all”>❌

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.

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.

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:  

• WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200), 300 cd/m², semi-glossy, 100 % sRGB
• WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200), 400 cd/m², matte, 100 % sRGB, Low Power

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. 

* … smaller is better

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.

Display Response Times

↔    Response Time Black to White
28 ms … rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 16.1 ms rise
	↘ 11.9 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 65 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.1 ms).
↔    Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
43.3 ms … rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 20.2 ms rise
	↘ 23.1 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 68 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.8 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

Screen flickering / PWM not detected
In comparison: 54 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18867 (minimum: 5 – maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

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: 

• Best battery life: PL1 6 W / PL2 6 W
• Balanced: PL1 9 W / PL2 9 W
• Best performance: PL1 15 W / PL2 30 W

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. 

* … smaller is better

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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.

* … smaller is better

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.

* … smaller is better

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.