Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 With Windows Review! The Great Entertainment Buddy!
We all know that the Yoga Tab 2 10.1 inch variant is a great multimedia tablet with good overall performance. However, not everybody wants an Android tablet. That could be the reason why Lenovo came up with a Windows 8.1 variant of the above mentioned tablet with multi mode.
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| Yoga Tab 2 Windows review |
We were able to grab a demo unit with us to share with you our experience with it.
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Windows Specs
Display: 10.1 Inch 1920 x 1200 resolution w/ 10 point multi touch at 224 ppiCPU: 1.33 GHz Intel Atom Z3745 Processor
GPU: Intel HD Graphics
RAM: 2 GB
ROM: 32 GB expandable via microSD card up to 64 GB
Back Camera: 8 MP f/2.2
Selfie Camera: 1.6 MP
Battery: 9,600 mAh
OS: Windows 8.1 w/ Bing
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, MiMo, Bluetooth® 4.0 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Dual Band
Sensors: G-Sensor, compass, ambient light, hall, vibration
Others: Colors: Ebony, Wolfson HiFi DAC, 2x chamber speakers built in kickstand, external keyboard, Microsoft Office 365, share it, user guide
Dimensions: 255 x 183 x 7.2 mm
Weight: 619 g
Unboxing / Accessories
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| The box |
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| Inside the box |
The package Lenovo included here was pretty standard, however I would have liked it better if they included another wall charger adapter even with just 1 A for the removable Bluetooth keyboard. I also missed the free JBL in ear monitor that they included with the Yoga Tab 2 Pro.
Build / Design
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| The power button, micro USB port and volume rocker |
The Yoga Tab 2 Windows edition still maintains the form factor we love from the Yoga Tab 2 Pro. Even in a smaller form factor, it still maintained the hang, tilt and stand modes. In addition to that you can also unlock the 4th mode which I call the "laptop mode" by attaching the keyboard to the tablet. However, the kickstand was a little hard to open and figure out how it's done.
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| The HDMI and 3.5 mm female port on the right side |
In terms of the build, this tablet is all premium. The body of the tablet feels solid, the craftsmanship is excellent and the form factor is just right. It's also not too heavy at just 619 grams even with a big battery on the tubular side. This tablet also flaunts a slim sexy profile that will surely attract a lot of stares.
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| microSD card slot |
Display Quality
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| Display quality outdoors |
One of the strongest asset of the Yoga Tablet is the display, and I'm glad to say that it remained that way with this unit. The Windows version of the Yoga Tab 2 boast one of the clearest, brightest and nicest display I've seen on a 10.1 inch tablet. It features vibrant and accurate colors to make you enjoy whatever you are viewing. The viewing angles are excellent and it's still view-able even under direct sunlight.The resolution of this unit is also pretty huge at 1920 x 1200 pixels at 224 ppi, it also has 10 point multitouch capability to add responsiveness when you're touching the screen. The display of this tab is amazing when watching YouTube videos, movies and etc.
Keyboard
When it comes to the keyboard, I liked what I experienced with it. Even if it's a bit cramped, the keys are soft and comfortable to use, has good non slippery matte like texture an a nice responsive touchpad. One advantage of this keyboard is it's Bluetooth powered, that means you can use it even from afar. Maybe my only gripe here is the magnet that serves as a connector to the tablet was not that strong. I would have liked it better if they added some serious type of lock in it.
Audio Quality
Just like what I experienced with the Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 Pro, the audio quality of this smaller variant of the Yoga Tab 2 is impressive. It may not have the subwoofer effect of the Pro version, but it's still better than most tablets available in the market today. It still packs two great sounding front facing speakers, the HiFi goodness and power of Wolfson DAC and Dolby software.
Just like what I said, the speakers of this version of the Yoga Tab 2 is excellent for a tablet. It was able to provide loud and clear audio with surprising bass quantity that's rare for a small device. It also has a wider than average soundstage that can make this great for watching movies with a lot of sound effects.
Note: It's best used in a quiet room to maximize your listening enjoyment
Again, the audio out thru headphones using this tablet is superb! The warm smooth and luscious sound signature of the HiFi Wolfson DAC was very evident here. The result is excellent, you get clear tunes, deep lows with great sub-bass extension and wide soundstage. The driving power (volume) of this is also pretty strong as it can drive even some full sized can even with just 80% volume.
What I missed here is the inclusion of a free JBl in ear monitor that's present with the bigger Pro variant.
Battery
The 9,600 mAh battery capacity of this tablet is no joke and this Windows version of the Yoga Tab 2 features on the longest battery life I've experienced on a tab high resolution screen. On average usage with WiFi on and auto brightness it lasted me a little over 10 hours and there's even a time where I only charged the device twice in a week.
The same goes with the Bluetooth keyboard. While I wasn't able to truly measure its battery life. The fact that I rarely charge it a good testament on how power efficient is it.
Camera
If you're looking for a tablet with nice camera performance, the Windows version of the Yoga Tab might be the one for you.
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| The big 8 MP sensor of the Yoga Tab 2 Windows |
The f/2.2 8 MP rear camera is very good in taking photos at great lighting conditions, can produce vibrant and accurate colors, bokeh background at close up focus shots and sharp details. However, it's not that good in lowlight and doesn't have flash.
The front camera features a 1.6 MP for taking selfie and doing video calls. The quality is very good outdoors and decent in office lighting. However, it's grainy and doesn't perform that well in coffee shop type of dim lighting where-in there are times that business people are doing Skype calls.
Software-wise it features an easy to use interface. It has video mode, timer, exposure changer and panorama mode. What's missing that I'd love to see is the HDR mode.
Sample Shots
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| Regular daylight shot |
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| Regular landscape photo |
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| Quite easy to focus even if the subject is close, it was also able to produce some nice blur in the background |
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| Sample selfie photo in office lighting I also noticed that the color tone of the front camera is on the yellowish side |
Note: rear camera is wide angled by default, I 100% cropped the images to fit our format.
Performance
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| Some details about this tab |
The Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 with Windows was able to perform is a nice way. It has good power and speed to ensure user satisfaction. The inclusion of the stable Windows 8.1 is a delight as I can do even my office work here while on the go.
It can open multiple apps with ease and without lags, can run my Photoshop CS6 portable when needed and play casual games. It can also run heavier type of games decently, but don't just expect an excellent performance. It's also good that they included a microSD card slot for additional storage space as the 32 GB included inside is clearly not enough especially if you'll use this as a laptop alternative. Another thing that I like with its performance is it doesn't heat up that much compared to the Yoga Tab 2 Pro.
Pro's - Excellent display, fantastic audio quality, long battery life, innovative looks and buildCon's - Keyboard included doesn't have an extra storage, weak keyboard grip, no regular USB port
Verdict
Even after months from its release, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 10.1 inch with Windows remains to be an extremely competitive unique type of entertainment tablet. It performs very well, has an extra long battery life, has very good audio quality and nice vibrant display. If you have the cash right now and wanted a Windows version of the Yoga Tab for your portable
all in one entertainment buddy, grab this now.
GIZ Rating: 4.25/5 Stars
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