What's good
- Backlit keyboard
- Beautiful display
- Snappy performance
- Unique design
- Well built
What's bad
- Better as a laptop than a tablet
- Keyboard exposed in tablet configuration
- Few USB ports
- No built-in Ethernet
- Program support for high-resolution screen is hit or miss
With its innovative hinged design, robust features and excellent quality, the original Yoga was a breath of fresh air in a stale hybrid market. Lenovo is back again with the next generation of Yoga, but does it live up to its predecessor? Let’s hit up the reviews and find out.
While models might vary slightly with certain specs, every Yoga Tablet 2 Pro includes a 13.3-inch 3200-by-1800 pixel IPS touch-enabled display. Reviews noted that anti-glare treatment worked well at virtually any angle. Combined with the wide display angles of an IPS display and the QHD resolution of Lenovo’s panel and you have a display that virtually every review fell in love with. Ars Technica called it “the ultimate drool-inducing portable” in its class.
Unfortunately, the resolution of the display is both a strength and a weakness. Unless specifically supported, many Windows applications simply do not compensate the the higher than HD resolution offered. The result is tiny menus, buttons and texts. Reviews all noted issues with web pages, Photoshop and other common applications. However, this is something that will be less of an issue as software makers adjust to the new higher resolutions displays on the market.
Most reviews used the mid-tier model, including an Intel Intel Core i5 processor, 128GB SSD hard drive and 4GB of RAM. Other configurations offer an i3 or i7 processor and more RAM or storage space. Performance reviews were positive, with all reviews noting that this will not work as a gaming machine, but should handle other tasks, including multi-tasking, without problems. PC Magazine described performance as “brisk, if not earth-shattering.” Laptop Magazine even cranked up a few older games, including World of Warcraft, and said they were playable, but not perfect.
The build quality of the Yoga 2 Pro is another strong point according to reviews. From the aluminum chassis to the sturdy hinge, reviews had nothing but praise for the ultrabook hybrid. PC Magazine called the backlit keyboard “extremely comfortable” while Engadget said the computer was “durable and well-built.”
Reviews note that unlike some dock-style hybrids, the hinged design of the Yoga 2 means it performs most like an ultrabook with a touch of tablet functionality. This design also means its a bit heavier than your average tablet. At just over 3 pounds, PC Magazine found it “way too heavy to use in Tablet mode full time.”
If there was a weak point of the device, it would appear to be battery life. A new Haswell processor and 5400mAh battery simply do not offset the resolution of the display. Numerous reviews ran stress tests and found battery life ranging from 6 to 7 hours on a single charge. The ultrabook design also means there are fewer connection options, with only a single USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 port and a Mini-HDMI port.
Overall, it appears that Lenovo has not only repeated the success of the original Yoga, but found ways to improve on its design. CNet touts the Yoga 2 Pro as “one of the best all-around ultrabook-style systems available.” Engadget is equally positive, labelling it “the most versatile Windows convertible we know of.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Nandagopal Rajan, The Indian ExpressIt makes for a great second screen, but the size is a bit unwieldy.
- Michael Crider, Android PoliceFor most consumers, the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro will be too much of something. Too big, too gimicky, too cheap, and definitely too expensive. If you really want a huge tablet, I have to recommend Samsung's 12-inch options instead, even if you have to lug along a stand. If the lackluster hardware doesn't s...
- Chuong Nguyen, TechRadarThe Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 with Windows is a solidly-built tablet. Though the hardware design offers a lot of ergonomics, the software choice makes it clumsy. The lack of touch-centric Modern UI apps for Windows, coupled with a less than ideal experience of navigating text-driven menus in the classic...
- James Pearce, CoolsmartphoneOverall I really liked the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro, I mean I really really liked it. A lot.At first I thought it was just too big, then I realised it really was a great piece of kit, I mainly saw it as a home multimedia hub, thanks to the great display, projector, handy kickstand and the decent speakers....
- Kris Carlon, AndroidPITWhether you like the Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 comes down to what you use a tablet for: if you want a large colorful display, good battery life, great speakers, lots of pre-loaded software features and the awesome ability to project anything you want anytime and anywhere, then this is a great tablet for you...
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