We've finally seen a start button, smart search, improved multitasking, and a wider range of entertainment apps. But Microsoft Windows 8.1 shines on touch devices, especially if it's a large tablet or a hybrid designed specifically for this system. After all, the operating system was designed specifically for touchscreens, not traditional laptops. FROM huge amount manufacturers, among tablets and hybrids of any size and performance, it is not easy to choose. Here are the models that our editors consider the most exciting.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 offers a large and crisp 12.5-inch display (2160 x 1440 pixels) in a design that's significantly lighter and thinner than its predecessor. We also appreciate the flexible hinge and the new magnet on the keyboard case, which guarantees comfortable operation in all conditions. If you want, you can take notes with the pen, just press the top of it to launch OneNote. And while battery life could be better, the Surface Pro 3 is a highly versatile hybrid device.
Dell Inspirion 11 3000 (2014)
Dell adopts some design elements from Lenovo - and we have no complaints about this. The Inspirion 11 3000 is equipped with a rotating hinge that allows you to work in multiple modes (laptop, tablet, tent and stand) that change in one motion. We also appreciate the attractive design, durable and reliable despite the $500 price tag. And while the touchpad could be better, the Inspirion 11 3000 lasts an hour longer than the competing Yoga 2 11.
HP Specter 13X2
One of the first laptops in this category, the HP Specter 13 X2 is equipped with Core processor i5 and bright touch screen(1080p). This beautiful aluminum hybrid offers a comfortable keyboard that works very well in the lap. And although it weighs a hefty 2kg, the Specter 13 X2 offers a whopping 7 hours of battery life, allowing you to leave your charger at home.
ASUS Transformer Book T100
When connected to its (included) keyboard dock, the ASUS Transformer Book T100 transforms from a lightweight, 360-gram tablet into a laptop with up to 12.5 hours of battery life. You can also count on the performance of the 4-core Bay Trail processor whether it's for daily activities or entertainment applications. 10.1-inch IPS display (1366x768 pixels) promises bright picture and wide viewing angles, which is very important for watching movies. And when it's time to get to work, you'll appreciate the Office suite for home and school. At $349, the hybrid has no faster or cheaper competitors.
Microsoft Surface Pro 2
Microsoft's Surface Pro 2 has everything business users need. Featuring 4th generation Intel processor Haswell series and the fastest SSD, the tablet can give odds to many ultrabooks. More importantly, the Surface Pro 2 offers a long battery life, much longer than its predecessor, with around 8 hours on tests. Other highlights include a bright 10.6-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, an active stylus, and a choice of two keyboard covers. As an option for the Surface Pro 2, you can purchase a docking station that supports displays up to 3840x2160 pixels.
Dell XPS 12 (2013)
Last year's XPS 12 was one of the best Windows 8 hybrids out there, and Dell made it even better in 2013. The new XPS 12 retains the same fancy rotating display as its predecessor, but features a 4th Gen Intel Core and new battery, which offered him 9.5 hours of battery life. With a 12.5-inch touchscreen under Gorilla Glass and a resolution of 1920x1080, this is a bright representative of the mutation from an ultrabook to a tablet-laptop hybrid.
Lenovo Miix 2 8"
The Lenovo Miix 2 is an affordable Windows 8.1 tablet that starts at $299. Thinner and lighter than competing 8-inch tablets, it features a 1.3GHz Intel Atom Bay Trail processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 32GB SSD. The screen with a resolution of 1280x800 is characterized by good brightness. Students and business users will be pleased to know that the tablet comes preloaded with Microsoft Office Home and Student.
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro
The IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro is both lighter and brighter than its predecessor. Similar to its namesake "Yoga", this 1.1 kg hybrid can be used as a laptop or tablet. You can set it up as a stand or tent, whichever you prefer. Yoga 2 Pro boasts a high-quality 13.3-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 3200x1800 pixels, a backlit keyboard and high-quality sound.
Nokia Lumia 2520
If you're thinking about buying a Surface 2 with Windows RT, there's a better option. The Lumia 2520's screen is brighter and richer, battery life is longer, and the keyboard is more comfortable (although all this will cost $149 more). In addition, you get a built-in LTE support to connect to the network anywhere, anytime.
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga
The ThinkPad Yoga is a well-thought-out hybrid for business users, with a rotating Full HD display, a great keyboard and long battery life. Lenovo builds on an innovative flexible design that encourages the user to ditch the keys in favor of tablet mode for a more comfortable experience.
Dell Venue Pro 11
This exciting Surface 2 alternative runs on full version Windows 8.1, which allows you to run Win 8 desktop programs and applications. The tablet boasts a 10.8-inch 1920x1080 pixel IPS panel and 32GB of storage. It becomes quite interesting when you add a thin keyboard to the list of advantages; it is also the cover of the device and hides an optional stylus. As an accessory, you can use the Mobile Keyboard (significantly heavier than the original), which increases the tablet's nominal offline time to an epic 17 hours.
Finding a tablet on Windows 8 is becoming more and more difficult every day. This is due to the fact that there are fewer and fewer such tablet PCs on the market. Recently, the range of tablets has been supplemented with several new 8-inch devices, for example, Venue 8 Pro and others. The device we'll talk about below is very similar to the iPad Mini. The basis for the new tablet was Windows.
The ThinkPad 8 tablet computer is deservedly recognized as an excellent device. The owners of the device say that this is the most successful 8-inch tablet that can be seen on sale. For such a pleasure, you will have to pay a slightly larger amount (400 US dollars) in comparison with competitors. Such a waste is justified by the internal memory of the novelty - 64 GB, high resolution display and superior quality. Of great interest is the design of the tablet. He has additional functions and high performance.
Naturally, devices from other manufacturers that have the same operating system can compete with this tablet. Many will agree that a full version of the OS for an 8-inch tablet PC is not mandatory. However, in some cases, users cannot do without it. It is for them that the ThinkPad 8 is of the greatest interest.
- Design
The body of the device is made of metal, it has a black color, is equipped with high-quality glass, a red LED, which goes well with the ThinkPad logo. This symbiosis is the hallmark of the tablet. The novelty can be safely called the best gadget in design. Some of its design elements are similar to those of the elongated iPad Mini.
The exact screen size of Lenovo's new tablet is 8.3 inches. In terms of elegance of design, the new gadget surpasses the previous model (ThinkPad Tablet 2). The dimensions of the device are 132 x 225 x 9 mm with a weight of only 430 g (not the lightest, but not the heaviest either).
As for the Windows logo that adorns the front panel, it serves as a touch button to return to tile mode. The top of the device is equipped with a power button and volume control. The novelty is complemented by a headphone jack, a charger port and a retractable panel that serves as a protection for the slot for microSD cards. The device also boasts a Micro-USB port.
Display resolution - 1920 x 1200. The obvious advantages of the screen should also include its high quality, ideal viewing angles. In addition, the screen supports 10-point multi-touch. Note that the tablet from Lenovo provides a comfortable viewing of video, so its aspect ratio is 16:9. This design feature practically does not negatively affect the work with web pages, reading. A new gadget from a well-known manufacturer has a pair of stereo speakers that protect small grilles. The speakers provide high quality sound.
The tablet also boasts a pair of cameras, in particular the rear (8 MP) and front (2 MP). The front camera has a flash. The available frame rate for video recording is 1080p. You will be surprised by the high quality of photos and videos.
- Accessories
You can purchase a remarkable and unusual magnetic case for the tablet. One of its covers can be bent. And you will have to do this in any case, if you decide to use the rear camera. It also allows desktop viewing. The cover is $35.
There is no stylus, which is typical for the Dell Venue Pro 8. There is also no optional keyboard.
- Characteristic
OP - 2 GB, and built-in - 64 GB. Representatives of the company assured that a similar tablet will appear in the near future, inner memory which will be 128 GB.
The processor of the novelty is 4-core (belongs to the Bay Trail family), successfully adapted to everyday work with high performance. The processor supports basic computing on a large screen. The processor will not master serious games.
The display, due to its small size, makes some Windows applications. At the same time, the on-screen keyboard in Windows 8 can hardly be called convenient.
As for games, watching movies, photos, reading, users will be satisfied. True, it was not without a drawback - the limited number for Windows 8. But the OS has high-quality classic programs.
The battery will disappoint you a little, as it will provide a maximum of 7 hours of continuous operation. Today, there are tablets on the market that can work without charging for 8 hours or more.
Lenovo has introduced a new compact ThinkPad 8 tablet with an advanced version of Windows 8.1 Pro. An ultra-thin body, full-fledged graphics and the latest generation processor are included in the basic set of new products from Lenovo. The company has taken innovation seriously, and the new tablets embody the brand's latest developments.
Specifications
- Processor: 1.46 frequency 4-core Intel Atom Z3770.
- Operating system: Windows 8.1 Pro.
- GPU: Intel HD Graphics.
- Memory: operational - 2 GB, built-in - 64 GB, 128 GB (expansion up to 64 GB).
- Display: 8.3 inches, resolution 1920x1200, Full HD, 10-point multi-touch.
- Connectors: USB 3.0, miniHDMI, SIM (3G/LTE).
- Camera: back - 8 megapixels, front - 2 megapixels.
- Built-in sensors: GPS, light and proximity sensors, compass.
- Wireless interfaces: Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11n, GSM/UMTS.
- Case and docking station optional.
Design
Lenovo Tablets ThinkPads are known for their classic design, similar to laptops from the same company. The ThinkPad 8 features a matte black aluminum chassis with a Lenovo logo and a red camera bezel.
Full HD IPS Display
Strict, but not boring design gives the impression of a serious device. The case thickness of 8.9 mm allows you to freely hold it in your hand or put it in your pocket. The metal is pleasant to the touch. The tablet weighs only 430 grams.
Usually Lenovo tablets do not have impeccable build quality, this model is an exception. The body structure is monolithic. The metal gets dirty quickly, but is easy to clean.
For the sake of a thin body, I had to sacrifice the number of ports. On the left side are slots for SIM and microSD. There is also a microHDMI port. The tablet supports 3G networks, is equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. On the right side is a USB 3.0 connector. The headphone jack is located on the bottom edge next to the speakers.
Display
The Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet is a new generation of Windows 8 tablets. A relatively small display with Full HD resolution gives a high dot density. For the model in question, this is 273 ppi versus 326 ppi for the iPadMini. To the human eye, the difference is indistinguishable.
When tilted, the Lenovo screen darkens slightly, possibly due to protective glass. However, 50% screen brightness is enough for comfortable work.
CPU
The Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet can be considered as a representative of a new generation of computers. The device is equipped new Intel Atom Bay Trail with four cores versus two from Lenovo's predecessors. It has a graphics subsystem that is comparable in performance to ultrabooks.
The tablet is still not a gaming tablet, it is also not suitable for time-consuming professional work with videos and photos. For ordinary photos, Photoshop and other editors are installed that do their job quite well. The main duties (watching movies and working with documents) Lenovo performs quickly.
Work on the Internet also did not cause complaints. The professional version of Windows 8.1 installed by the manufacturer allows you to open many pages at the same time without losing your tablet. The function of working with two windows on one screen is also available.
Camera and Apps
The latest generation tablets are traditionally equipped with good cameras. The Lenovo ThinkPad 8 has an 8MP main camera and a 2MP front camera. The first is equipped with autofocus and flash. Even though the tablet is not often used for taking pictures, Lenovo has made sure that they turn out to be of high quality.
Lenovo ThinkPad 8 is running Windows 8.1 Pro. Despite claims of changes and improvements, this version of the software still leaves a lot of room for user resentment. There are not so many applications for tablets on Windows 8.1, in some of them the font size is too small to read and edit due to the screen resolution.
Performance and functionality
The tablet is supplemented with pre-installed components of its own production, the main of which is the tablet setup program. Here are the menus key functions, settings wireless connections, cameras, indexes of performance and load of the device. Traditionally, a full-fledged Microsoft Office 2013 is installed on Windows 8 tablets. After opening, the program will require activation, but you do not need to buy it.
autonomy
With regard to autonomy, the tablet did not surprise. The operating time declared by the manufacturer is 8 hours. In a heavy workload, Lenovo will last a maximum of 5, which is quite normal for Windows 8 devices. Considering the screen resolution and the thickness of the device, you should not make too high demands on autonomy.
For the dimensional parameters of the Lenovo ThinkPad 8, the autonomy indicators are excellent. The tablet has a charging mode through USB port, which makes it easy to charge it, for example, on an airplane. At a brightness level of 50%, the tablet will last up to 6 hours.
Conclusion
Lenovo is the first serious manufacturer of tablets with the best value for money. ThinkPad 8 is the first and only step towards glory iPad mini. At the same time, the tablet from Lenovo boasts a full version of the operating system. computer system. A powerful processor combined with Windows 8.1 Pro ensures that the familiar office applications will be with you on the road.
Still, it is worth considering the poverty of the range of applications for the tiled version of the OS and the short operating time of the tablet. No Windows tablet is suitable for gaming. So if you're looking entertaining version compact gadget, then you should opt for the iPad mini. If you are interested in a full-fledged, but very compact computer, Lenovo ThinkPad is quite a suitable candidate.
The price of the tablet is about 18,000 rubles, which is very good in comparison with similar competitors. At the same time, no one will offer a similar set of functions, thin body and screen resolution. Professional computer marketers believe that the price of the gadget is too high. Indeed, for the same price you can buy a laptop, and competitors offer, albeit more bulky, but quite viable tablets with docking stations in the kit.
Whether Lenovo ThinkPad 8 will be a long-liver in the domestic market or will become a thing of the past after less successful brand models, time will tell. Today, the tablet is an interesting novelty at an affordable price, offering a familiar package of applications with the ability to put them in a trouser pocket.
Quad-core processor Intel Atom Z3770 running at a frequency 1.46 to 2.4 GHz and consumes from 2 (SDP) to 4 (TDP) W (for more information about this processor, see). Volume random access memory(LPDDR3, 1066 MHz) is 2 GB. This is enough for fast work systems, but, of course, for demanding tasks like video editing and modern 3D games (the lack of a powerful discrete graphics card will also affect here) tablet is not good. But the fact that a full-fledged x86 version of Windows (and not a stripped-down RT for ARM processors) works on a tablet and allows you to perform the same tasks as on most laptops, it's impressive. Just a couple of years ago, this was unthinkable. For all the usual work tasks like working with a browser and mail clients, create and edit documents or view presentations (this is where the mini-HDMI video output is useful for connecting to a projector or big screen) performance is quite enough, and this is the main thing. A pleasant surprise: performance(verified with 3DMark 11) does not decrease when disconnected from the network and battery operation. DPC Latency Checker reports minimum latency, so watching/listening to streaming Internet video/audio will work without problems.
As you can see, the Atom Z3770 is an excellent choice for modern tablets- sufficient performance combined with low power consumption sounds very tempting, so the ThinkPad 8 is far from the only tablet with this processor. This is where our main disappointment lies: Z3770 in our ThinkPad 8 noticeably slower than other tablets. A good example is the HP Omni 10 5600eg, which shows 10% better performance (and sometimes even 44%, as in the 3DMark Ice Storm Physics benchmark). The results of the ThinkPad 8 are much closer to those obtained when testing the slower one (the difference is within 5-10%). Possible cause such behavior may be insufficient cooling, which limits the frequency of the processor and, thus, does not allow it to show its full potential.
However, overall performance is reassuring, with the tablet proving one of the best in its class(PCMark 7 and PCMark Vantage tests), catching up or outperforming even devices such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 2. Yes, this is not much better than the results of or , but almost twice as good as Lenovo's previous similar device, the ThinkPad Tablet 2. The new Bay Trail-T chips proved to be exactly what Windows tablets lacked to successfully compete with Android or iOS devices.
Lenovo already has several Windows tablets in its product range: IdeaTab Lynx K3011, ThinkPad Tablet 2 and Miix 2. The first two tablets with operating system Windows 8 is based on the dual-core Intel Atom Z2760 (Clover Trail) processor. At the same time, the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 has a screen with a diagonal size of 10.1 inches and a resolution of 1366 × 768, and the tablet Lenovo Idea Tab Lynx K3011 - a screen with a diagonal size of 11.6 inches, but with the same resolution of 1366×768. In a Lenovo Miix 2 tablet with an operating Windows system 8.1 has been in use for over new processor Intel Atom Z3740. Its screen size is 8 inches and the resolution is 1280×800.
This year at CES 2014, Lenovo announced a new Windows tablet based on a quad-core Intel processor Atom Z3770 (Bay Trail) with a diagonal screen size of 8.3 inches and a resolution of 1920 × 1200, which is positioned by the company as a business-class tablet. It is this new tablet that we will consider in detail in our review.
Specifications Lenovo ThinkPad 8
So, let's consider, first of all, the technical characteristics of the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet, which we tested.
| Lenovo ThinkPad 8 | |
| CPU | Intel Atom Z3770 (BayTrail) |
| RAM | 2 GB SDRAM, LPDDR3-1066 |
| Video subsystem | Intel HD Graphics |
| Screen | IPS, 8.3-inch, 1920×1200, 10-point touch |
| Flash memory | SanDisk SEM64G 64GB (eMMC 4.51 interface) |
| Camera | front 2 MP (1080p) rear 8 MP (1080p) with autofocus and flash |
| Microphone | Bidirectional digital microphone with echo cancellation |
| Memory card support | microSD (up to 64 GB) |
| Wireless networks | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 (Broadcom BCM43241) |
| Connectors and slots | Micro-USB 3.0 Micro-HDMI 1.4a mini jack 3.5 mm (headphone output) microSD card slot |
| Sensors | GPS accelerometer compass ambient light sensor |
| Dimensions | 132×224.3×8.8mm |
| Weight | 431 g |
| Operating system | Windows 8.1 Pro (32-bit) |
| Retail offers | L-10694457-10 |
At the heart of the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 is the SoC (codenamed Bay Trail). This is a quad-core processor that does not support Hyper-Threading Technology. It has a nominal clock speed of 1.46 GHz, which is turbo boost can be boosted up to 2.39 GHz. Its L2 cache size is 2MB and typical power consumption (SDP) is 2W. This processor has an integrated graphics Intel core HD Graphics from 311 to 667 MHz.
The DDR3-1066 RAM of the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet is fixed at 2 GB. According to the AIDA64 utility, a single-channel memory mode is used.
There are two versions of the tablet, which differ from each other in the amount of built-in flash memory. In our version, a 64 GB SanDisk SEM64G drive (eMMC 4.51 interface) was installed in the tablet, but a 128 GB drive can also be used.
The communication capabilities of the tablet are determined by the presence of a wireless network adapter, which complies with 802.11a/b/g/n specifications (2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands are supported) and Bluetooth 4.0.
Of course, Lenovo ThinkPad 8 is equipped with a photo / video camera, and not one, but two: front and rear. The front camera, which is used primarily for Internet communication, has a resolution of 2 megapixels (1080p), while the rear camera is endowed with autofocus and flash and has a resolution of 8 megapixels.
Well, the last thing that makes sense to pay attention to is the support for WWAN networks. The tablet has a slot for installing SIM cards (Micro-SIM format), but it is optional, and we received a model without this slot for testing. Judging by the information on the manufacturer's website, models with support for 3G / 4G networks will also be available in Russia.
Naturally, the question arises: what is the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet compared to? It seems to us that only Windows tablets, and with approximately the same screen size, should act as competing models. Well, it's pointless to compare Windows tablets with Android tablets, and even more so with the iPad mini - this is understandable without comment. And that's why we don't want to compare an 8-inch tablet with 10-11-inch ones - this is perhaps worth explaining. The fact is that, despite the same operating system and, perhaps, even configuration, 7-8-inch tablets still suggest a slightly different use case than their 10-11-inch counterparts. And if 10-11-inch Windows tablets can be used as a replacement for laptops, although not full-fledged, then 7-8-inch ones are not suitable for this role. Of course, on such tablets you can run absolutely the same Windows applications as on 10-11-inch ones, but this is already quite inconvenient, and even the optional keyboard for these models (unlike 10-11-inch ones), as a rule, not included. 7-8-inch tablets are designed to work with them on weight, that is, holding them in your hands. And if we are talking about Metro applications, Internet surfing, Internet communication, watching videos or photos, then it is really convenient. But if you need a tablet to work at least with office programs, then a 7-8-inch tablet is not the best option, although, we emphasize once again, theoretically this can be done on it.
However, let's get back to comparing Lenovo ThinkPad 8 with competitors, which can be Acer Iconia W4, Dell Venue 8 Pro and Lenovo Miix 2 tablets.
| Lenovo ThinkPad 8 | Acer Iconia W4 | Dell Venue 8 Pro | Lenovo Miix 2 | |
| CPU | Atom Z3770 | Atom Z3740 | Atom Z3740D | Atom Z3740 |
| RAM | 2 GB LPDDR3-1066 | 2 GB LPDDR3-1066 | 2 GB LPDDR3-1066 | 2 GB LPDDR3-1066 |
| Video subsystem | Intel HD Graphics | Intel HD Graphics | Intel HD Graphics | Intel HD Graphics |
| Screen | 8.3 inches, 1920x1200 | 8 inches, 1280×800 | 8 inches, 1280×800 | 8 inches, 1280×800 |
| Flash memory | 64/128 GB | 32/64 GB | 32/64 GB | 32/64 GB |
| Camera | frontal 2 MP rear 8 MP | frontal 2 MP rear 5 MP | frontal 2 MP rear 5 MP | frontal 2 MP rear 5 MP |
| Wireless interfaces | WiFi Bluetooth | WiFi Bluetooth | WiFi Bluetooth | WiFi Bluetooth |
| Connectors | Micro-USB 3.0 Micro-HDMI mini jack 3.5 mm | Micro USB 2.0 Micro-HDMI mini jack 3.5 mm | Micro USB 2.0 mini jack 3.5 mm | Micro USB 2.0 mini jack 3.5 mm |
| Memory card slot | microSD | microSD | microSD | microSD |
| Dimensions | 132×224×8.8mm | 135×219×10.8 mm | 130×216×9 mm | 132×216×8.0 mm |
| Weight | 431 g | 430 g | 395 g | 430 g |
| Operating system | Windows 8.1 | Windows 8.1 | Windows 8.1 | Windows 8.1 |
| Average price (for 64 GB version) | T-10694457 | N/A | T-10694962 | T-10727799 |
So, from a comparison of Lenovo ThinkPad 8 with competing models, it can be seen that it has a higher screen resolution, a slightly more productive processor (although this, of course, is not important) and a configuration with 128 GB of flash memory is available (and in competing models its maximum the volume is 64 GB). But of course, main feature The Lenovo ThinkPad 8 lies precisely in the fact that it is practically the first 8-inch tablet with a resolution of 1920 × 1200 (some companies have already announced similar models, but there is still little information on them, and they are not yet on sale).
Equipment
With the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 bundle, everything is very simple. There is, in fact, no complete set at all - there is only the tablet itself, and that's it. There is not even a regular charger.
Design
The design of the new Lenovo tablet is very standard. The only thing that makes it stand out is that it is very thin for its size and quite light. Indeed, with a size of 132 × 224 mm, its thickness is only 8.8 mm, and its weight is 430 g. Such a tablet can be held in one hand (for example, when watching a movie), and it practically does not take up space in a bag. Moreover, with such dimensions, it can even be carried in a jacket pocket (not in any, of course, but it is possible).
The back of the tablet is made of brushed aluminum in dark gray. I must say that the surface is quite easily soiled and quickly acquires a state of staining.
In the upper left corner of the back of the tablet is the rear camera and a miniature flash, and at the bottom you can see two miniature speaker grilles. In addition, on the back surface there is a ThinkPad series logo, the red dot above the letter "i" in which it also performs the function LED indicator turning on the tablet.
The front surface of the tablet is quite typical. The frame around the screen along the long side has a width of 7 mm, at the top (where the front camera is located) - 20 mm, and at the bottom - 23 mm.
In terms of connectors, the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 is pretty modest. There is a Micro-HDMI connector on the left side face, and next to it, under a flap, there are two slots: one for microSD memory cards up to 64 GB, and the second for SIM cards. True, as we have already noted, the ability to install SIM-cards is optional, and we had a variant without support for WWAN networks during testing.
On the right side of the tablet is a Micro-USB 3.0 connector. This connector is designed for charging the tablet, and for connecting external drives, mice and keyboards to it. Next to the Micro-USB 3.0 connector there is a rocker-type key for volume control and a power button.
The audio output (3.5 mm minijack) for connecting headphones is located on the bottom side of the tablet.
As a design flaw of the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet, it is worth noting the lack of a separate charging connector and the presence of only one Micro-USB 3.0 port, which is designed for both charging and connecting peripherals. The fact is that not every charger is suitable for this tablet. For example, when we tried to use the first USB charger from a smartphone with a Micro-USB 2.0 connector to charge the tablet, it, as it turned out, simply “did not pull”. Of course, we eventually found a suitable charger (with a Micro-USB 2.0 connector), but in the process of working with the tablet, we found out such an interesting feature. If you set a different brightness level for mains and battery power in the power scheme settings (for example, 100% for mains power and 50% for battery power), then when you connect power to the tablet, in case of some chargers, its screen may start to flash (periodically decrease and then increase the brightness). The problem is that some chargers give out the charging current at the limit, and the control controller first thinks that the tablet is charging - the screen brightness becomes maximum. But after that, the voltage on the battery sags a little, and the controller concludes that the power supply is off - the screen brightness is reduced. The process is repeated in a cycle. Once again, we note that this phenomenon is not observed with any charger.
The next disadvantage of using the Micro-USB 3.0 connector to charge the tablet is that if you use a cable with a Micro-USB 2.0 connector for this purpose, then the connector in the tablet loosens quite quickly, and the cable simply starts to fall out of it. In addition, we connected a powered USB hub to the Micro-USB 2.0 connector in order to be able to simultaneously use a mouse, keyboard and external drive. Actually, with this connection scheme, everything works, but the tablet in this case is no longer charging. and we tried two different USB hubs.
Now about using a cable with a Micro-USB 3.0 connector (at least so that the connector on the tablet itself does not loosen). It's possible, of course, but Micro-USB 3.0 cables tend to be pretty stiff and almost always short. That is, if you use such a connection for charging, then the tablet must be placed next to the outlet, which is almost always inconvenient. In addition, finding a USB hub that has a Micro-USB 3.0 connector for connecting to a tablet is by no means a trivial task.
Thus, the presence of only one Micro-USB 3.0 connector greatly limits functionality tablet. It is almost impossible to charge the tablet and work with it at the same time. In addition, the lack of commercially available USB hubs with the appropriate connectors makes it impossible to simultaneously connect a mouse, keyboard, and storage device to the tablet via USB 3.0. But in this case, there is no point in the Micro-USB 3.0 connector, and you could limit yourself to the Micro-USB 2.0 connector.
That is, the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet implies exactly the same mode of use as any smartphone: first it is charged, and then it is used. But in order to combine these two processes, difficulties may arise.
Well, the last remark regarding the need to connect a mouse and keyboard to the tablet. It would seem, why connect these devices to the tablet at all? After all, there is screen keyboard, and the screen itself is touch-sensitive. So it is, but not in the case of Lenovo ThinkPad 8. Of course, if we are talking about Metro applications, then no mouse and external keyboard no need. But try to work with Windows applications on an 8-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 × 1200. The possibility of simple scaling, of course, facilitates the situation, but by no means solves all problems. But the stylus in this tablet, which is simply vital here, is not provided. So without a mouse, working with Windows applications on such a tablet is very problematic and ineffective.
Well, now, after a general review of Lenovo ThinkPad 8, let's take a closer look at the test results of this tablet.
Screen
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, there is an effective anti-glare filter, which, in terms of reducing the brightness of the reflection, is no worse than the screen filter of Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here are photos in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens of both tablets (Lenovo ThinkPad 8 is on the right, then they can be distinguished by size):
Visually, the reflection in the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 screen is slightly lighter, which is also confirmed by statistics from graphic editor- the average brightness of the screen in the photo is 84 versus 81 for the Nexus 7. The ghosting of reflected objects on the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (it is also a touch sensor) and the matrix surface (OGS-type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of borders (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, all other things being equal, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since you have to change the entire screen. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, maybe a little worse than Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.
At manual control brightness and when displaying a white field in full screen, its maximum value was about 420 cd / m², and the minimum - 5.5 cd / m². The maximum value is quite high, and, given the good anti-reflective properties, the image on the screen should be clearly visible in bright daylight. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. There is an automatic brightness control by light sensor (it is located in the upper left corner in portrait orientation). The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness control. If it is at maximum, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 150 cd / m² (too much), in an artificially lit office (about 400 lux) it sets it to 405 cd / m² (too bright), in a very bright environment (corresponds to on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to the same 405 cd / m². If the brightness slider is at about half the scale, then the screen brightness for the three conditions above is as follows: 55, 160 and 365 cd/m² (suitable values). If the brightness control is set to minimum, then the brightness always remains at the minimum (5.5 cd/m²) value. In general, the result of this function is as expected. At a brightness below the maximum, there is some backlight modulation, but its amplitude is small, and the modulation frequency is high - about 46 kHz, so it is impossible to visually detect backlight flicker, and the presence of such modulation cannot affect the comfort of working with this device.
This tablet uses an IPS type matrix. The microphotos show a typical IPS subpixel structure:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
The screen has good viewing angles without hue inversion and without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here is a photo in which the same images are displayed on the Nexus 7 and Lenovo ThinkPad 8 screens, while the brightness of both screens is set to about 200 cd / m². Perpendicular to the screens test picture:
It can be seen that the differences in color reproduction are small, but the image on the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 screen is clearly lighter and slightly less saturated. And the white box:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone, which differs little from the tone of the Nexus 7 screen (when photographing, the color balance is forced to 6500K). Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen, the test picture:
It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both tablets, but on the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 the red-violet hue began to dominate and the contrast decreased to a greater extent due to black highlights. Then a white box:
The brightness at an angle for both tablets has noticeably decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of Lenovo ThinkPad 8, the brightness drop is slightly larger (brightness in photos 241 versus 244 for Nexus 7). The black field, when deviated diagonally, is highlighted strongly, and acquires a purple or red-violet hue. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same!):
And from another angle:
When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good, but not ideal, since there are a couple of areas with increased brightness along the edge:
Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) Lenovo screen ThinkPad 8 is normal - about 855:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 20 ms (10 ms on + 10 ms off). The transition between grayscale 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back in total takes 33 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.18, which is close to the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates slightly from the power law:
Due to the aggressive and non-switchable (at least, we did not find any standard means of disabling it) dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image (brightness decreases on dark images), the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to gamma -crooked static image, since the measurements were carried out with a sequential output of shades of gray on the entire screen. For this reason, a number of tests - determining the contrast and response time, comparing black light at angles - we carried out when displaying special patterns with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in full screen.
The color gamut is slightly narrower than sRGB:
Apparently, the matrix filters slightly mix the components to each other. The spectra confirm this:
As a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have a saturation that is slightly lower than natural. Saturation in midtones can be adjusted in programs that support color management, but fading in saturated colors is still there. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is close to the standard 6500 K and the deviation from the black body spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered acceptable for a consumer device. At the same time, the color temperature and ΔE do not change very much from hue to hue, which has a good effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, as there the color balance does not of great importance, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
The brightness adjustment range of this screen is quite wide, and the anti-glare filter is very effective, which allows you to comfortably use the tablet both on a clear day on the street and in complete darkness. At the same time, the user is relieved of the need to manually adjust the brightness, since the corresponding function does a good job of this task, in addition to helping to save battery power. The advantages also include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of an air gap in the layers of the screen and visible flicker, as well as a good color balance. Significant drawbacks include a strong lightening of black when the gaze deviates from the perpendicular to the screen surface and the color gamut that does not reach the sRGB borders. However, overall, we find the screen quality of the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet to be good.
Note that in order to display the image on external device The tablet is equipped with a Micro-HDMI connector. This connector is miniature (narrower than micro-USB), but has 19 pins. HDMI cables for such a connector are usually quite rigid, which during operation often causes the plug to be skewed in the socket and a failure in image transmission. After some time, this connector becomes loose and cannot be used. In general, the performance of this method of connecting to an external screen is extremely low. Using a Micro-HDMI connector is still somewhat justified in the case of miniature devices like phones, but in tablets you need to use more reliable options like Mini-HDMI, Mini-DisplayPort, or even full-size HDMI. Output modes are traditional for Windows: copy (clone), desktop extension, only on the tablet screen or only on an external device. In copy mode, the output to our 1920x1080 monitor was very strange, with a small copy of the tablet's screen in the center of the screen, but there were no problems with the remaining modes.
Sound path
To evaluate output sound path, designed to connect headphones or external speakers, we conducted instrumental testing using an external sound creative cards E-MU 0204 USB and RightMark Audio Analyzer 6.3.0 utilities (tested for stereo mode, 24 bit, 44.1 kHz).
According to the test results, the audio path in the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet received a good rating. The full report with the results of testing in the RMAA 6.3.0 program is placed on a separate page, a brief report is given below.
| Frequency response unevenness (in the range of 40 Hz - 15 kHz), dB | 0,01, −0,00 | |
| Noise level, dB (A) | mediocre |
|
| Dynamic range, dB (A) | mediocre |
|
| Harmonic distortion, % | ||
| Harmonic distortion + noise, dB(A) | ||
| Intermodulation distortion + noise, % | ||
| Interpenetration of channels, dB | Very well |
|
| Intermodulation at 10 kHz, % | ||
| Overall rating | Good |
|
Camera
 | The quality of the front camera is very mediocre, but quite sufficient for its purpose. |
 | In the foreground, the sharpness is not bad, but towards the far it drops a little. |
 | On the trees you can see a rather original software processing. |
 | Neat sharping is noticeable. In general, sharpness is good. |
 | Good sharpness throughout the frame. |
 | Noticeable noise in the shadows is practically absent. |
 | Macro in low light works relatively well, given the high (ISO 737) light sensitivity and long (1/20 second) shutter speed. |
 | The flash makes things a lot better. |
 | The text is quite legible and practically undamaged. |
 | The flash improves things a bit. |
Of the features of the camera, an interesting processing of branches in the background immediately catches the eye. The camera seems to emphasize them, creating a nice pattern instead of porridge. Unfortunately, for other small details, she applies this processing less willing.
Since few tablets are equipped with a flash, I would like to note its work separately. Although the flash does its job well, the camera behaves a little strange when using it. In the case of the squirrel shot on the frame without flash (ISO 737, 1/20 second), slight noise and movement are noticeable, and the frame with flash (ISO 2536, 1/20 second) is worked out noticeably better, despite the very high ISO value. In the case of a photo with text, the shooting settings do not change when using the flash.
The camera as a whole turned out to be quite decent, especially for a tablet. It is felt that they really worked on it, and did not push it for show. It is quite suitable for documentary and artistic shooting.
The camera can shoot videos in Full HD. Video examples are shown below.
The video is clear enough. Distortions are noticeable with fast wiring vertical lines. It seems that filming is given to the camera with some difficulty. This was especially expressed in the periodic hang of the tablet at the start of recording or even when switching to the video shooting mode.
Work under load and idle
In idle mode, as it should be, the processor frequency is 533 MHz (x4 multiplier). At the same time, the temperature of the processor in idle mode is no more than 42 °C, which can be considered a very good result.
When loading the processor with the Stress CPU test (AIDA64 utility Extreme Edition, system stability test), which uses integer calculations, the processor frequency is 2.2 GHz (multiplier x17). The processor temperature in this boot mode does not exceed 70 °С.
When loading the processor with the Stress FPU test, which, theoretically, should heat the processor to a greater extent, the maximum steady-state processor frequency is also 2.2 GHz, and the temperature is exactly the same as in the Stress CPU mode.
When loading the processor cores (Stress FPU) and the graphics core (Stress GPU) at the same time maximum frequency the processor is still the same 2.2 GHz, and the temperature is 70 ° C.
Memory subsystem
According to the AIDA64 Cache & Memory Benchmark utility, the memory write speed is 8301 MB/s, and the read speed is 10457 MB/s. Recall that according to the report of the AIDA64 diagnostic utility, in the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet, two 1 GB memory chips soldered on the board belong to one memory channel. However, according to the AIDA64 Cache & Memory Benchmark, the memory clearly works in dual-channel mode, since the read speed simply cannot be equal to 10457 MB / s for DDR3-1066 memory in single-channel mode (its theoretical bandwidth is 8500 MB / s). Most likely, the AIDA64 diagnostic utility incorrectly determines the memory mode.
Approximately similar results for RAM are given by the AIDA64 GPGPU Benchmark utility. In addition, the same utility allows you to determine the speed of access to the memory of the graphics core.
Drive performance
Well, now consider the performance of the storage subsystem. According to the AIDA64 test, the maximum sequential disk read speed is about 125 MB / s, and the average is 88.4 MB / s. Of course, by the standards of modern SSDs, this is more than a modest result.
The ATTO Disk Benchmark utility determines top speed sequential read at 130 MB/s, and sequential write speed - only 40 MB/s. The results are by no means outstanding, and of course, the low performance of the drive will also affect the overall performance of the system.
Battery life
We measured the battery life of the tablet using our new method using the iXBT Battery Benchmark v.1.0 script. The only difference from how we measured laptop battery life is that we used the 32-bit version of the MPC-HC 1.7.3 player, since the tablet is running a 32-bit version of the Windows 8.1 operating system. In addition, based on the discussion of our methodology on the forum, we have made adjustments and now measure battery life at a screen brightness of 100 cd/m².
As it turned out, the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet has one interesting feature that makes sense to talk about. The fact is that even if the same screen brightness is set in the settings of the power consumption scheme (Power Options) for power modes from battery and from the mains, then in fact this brightness turns out to be different. For example, the maximum brightness in AC mode is 420 cd/m², while in battery mode it is 350 cd/m². A graph of the dependence of the screen brightness on the set value in the power consumption diagram is given below.
Since we measured the battery life at a screen brightness of 100 cd / m², setting this value using a spectrophotometer was carried out when the tablet was powered from the battery. As it turned out, with the power off, a screen brightness of 100 cd / m² is achieved at a brightness level of 43%.
Now let's look at the test results.
| Load scenario | HP Omni 10 | Lenovo ThinkPad 8 |
| Video viewing | 7 hours 30 minutes | 4 hours 05 minutes |
| Working with text and viewing photos | 11:01 a.m. | 5 hours 45 minutes |
Considering that the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 is designed specifically for battery operation, its battery life is not impressive. Apparently, either the size of the tablet itself does not allow you to “shove” a more capacious battery into it, or installing a more capacious battery will negatively affect the weight of the tablet too negatively.
As an example for comparison, we point out that the HP Omni 10 tablet on the same Intel Atom Z3770 processor, although it has a larger screen (10.1 inches), works in video viewing mode for 7 hours and 30 minutes, and in working mode with text - 11 h. 01 min. The weight of the HP Omni 10 tablet is 630 g, and the battery capacity is 31 Wh. The Lenovo ThinkPad 8, on the other hand, weighs 430 g and has a two-cell lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 20.5 Wh.
Performance Study
To evaluate the performance of the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet, we were unable to use our traditional methodology that we use to measure laptop performance. The problem is that the tablet is running a 32-bit version of the operating system, and our iXBT Notebook Benchmark v.1.0 uses 64-bit versions of various applications to measure performance.
That is why we tested the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet using benchmarks such as PCMark 8, PCMark 7, 3DMark and 3DMark 11. In principle, these tests are self-sufficient, that is, their results do not need to be compared with the results of a certain reference system, since the developers' website test data, you can find a database with results for various systems. However, for clarity, we will also show the results of testing the Microsoft Surface 2 Pro tablet based on the Intel Core i5-4200U processor and the HP Omni 10 tablet based on the Intel Atom Z3770 processor. Note also that for testing we used the most latest versions benchmarks that are updated quite often (especially PCMark 8).
The Lenovo ThinkPad 8 and HP Omni 10 tablets were tested with Windows 8.1 32-bit, while the Microsoft Surface 2 Pro was tested with Windows 8.1 64-bit.
PCMark 8 Professional Edition v.2.0.204
Let's start with PCMark 8 Professional Edition v.2.0.204. Those interested can read the description of this test (at English language) . In addition, our website also provides a detailed overview of this package. Note that the test was run using the OpenCL acceleration technology (Accelerated Run).
| Scenarios PCMark 8 | Lenovo ThinkPad 8 | HP Omni 10 | Microsoft Surface 2 Pro |
| home accelerated 3.0 | 1091 | 1206 | 2194 |
| Creative accelerated 3.0 | 1008 | 1112 | 2346 |
| Work accelerated 2.0 | 1219 | 1265 | 2800 |
| Storage (System) | 3584 | 4276 | 4843 |
As can be seen from the test results, Lenovo ThinkPad 8 is inferior in performance not only to the Microsoft Surface 2 Pro tablet, which is quite natural, but also to the HP Omni 10 tablet on the same Intel platform Bay Trail-T based on Intel Atom Z3770 processors. The reason for this is that the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet uses a slower drive, and in terms of speed with operational Lenovo memory ThinkPad 8 loses to HP Omni 10.
PCMark 7 v.1.4.0
The next popular benchmark is PCMark 7 v.1.4.0. For testing, we used the Professional Edition. You can read the description of this test. In addition, on the manufacturer's website you can also find a large database with results for various systems.
| Scenarios PCMark 7 | Lenovo ThinkPad 8 | HP Omni 10 | Microsoft Surface 2 Pro |
| PC Mark Score | 2525 | 2695 | 4887 |
| lightweight | 1428 | 1619 | 3337 |
| Productivity | 1120 | 1209 | 2554 |
| Entertainment | 1701 | 1812 | 3563 |
| creativity | 4416 | 4972 | 9043 |
| Computation | 6489 | 6795 | 15599 |
| System Storage | 3255 | 3793 | 5190 |
| Raw System Storage | 881 | 1343 | 4660 |
Actually, the test results repeat the situation with the PCMark 8 test: the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet is inferior in performance to the HP Omni 10 tablet, and even more so to the Microsoft Surface 2 Pro tablet.
Again, this is not surprising if you remember that in the PCMark 7 v.1.4.0 benchmark, the results of all tests, with the exception of Computation, depend on the performance of the storage subsystem. That is, in each PCMark 7 scenario, there are tasks to determine the performance of the data storage subsystem (System storage). moreover, when calculating the integral result, the weight of the results in the System storage problems turns out to be quite large. Here, too, the slow drive is dragging the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet down.
3DMark v.1.1
You can get acquainted with the description of the new 3DMark v.1.1 package. In addition, a detailed overview of this package and the technologies used in it is published on our website.
| 3D Mark scripts | Lenovo ThinkPad 8 | HP Omni 10 | Microsoft Surface 2 Pro | |
| ice storm | Score | 11612 | 15462 | 42483 |
| Graphics score | 11094 | 14548 | 49081 | |
| Physics score | 13881 | 19826 | 28892 | |
| Ice Storm Extreme | Score | 8059 | 9044 | 27940 |
| Graphics score | 7224 | 7897 | 27775 | |
| Physics score | 13537 | 18408 | 28042 | |
| Cloud Gate | Score | 1155 | 1255 | 4474 |
| Graphics score | 1154 | 1184 | 5905 | |
| Physics score | 1160 | 1595 | 2422 | |
| fire strike | Score | N/A | N/A | 652 |
| Graphics score | 122 | 155 | 714 | |
| Physics score | 1638 | 2286 | 3400 | |
| Combined score | N/A | N/A | 228 | |
As you can see, the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 is slightly inferior to the HP Omni 10 tablet in graphics tests. Perhaps the reason is that the HP Omni 10 tablet has a faster RAM, and the versions of the video driver for these tablets were different during testing.
3DMark 11 v.1.0.132
The 3DMark 11 benchmark needs no introduction. It is so popular that it has become a kind of standard for measuring system performance in games. Therefore, we can only announce the results of testing.
| 3DMark 11 Scenarios | Lenovo ThinkPad 8 | HP Omni 10 | Microsoft Surface 2 Pro | |
| Entry | Score | 317 | 343 | 1833 |
| Graphics score | 286 | 289 | 1727 | |
| Physics score | 1108 | 1428 | 3135 | |
| Combined score | 192 | 287 | 1311 | |
| Performance | Score | 173 | 212 | 982 |
| Graphics score | 152 | 181 | 878 | |
| Physics score | 1004 | 1360 | 3154 | |
| Combined score | 148 | 226 | 865 | |
Note that there are no results for the Extreme test in this table. The fact is that this test cannot be run on the graphics core of the Intel Atom Z3770 processor.
Actually, the results of the 3DMark 11 test are similar to those of the 3DMark test: Lenovo ThinkPad 8 is slightly inferior in performance to the HP Omni 10 tablet and significantly loses to the Microsoft Surface 2 Pro tablet.
conclusions
So, it's time to sum up and make our verdict regarding the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet.
Once again, we recall that this is one of the first 8-inch Windows tablets with a screen resolution of 1920 × 1200. On the one hand, this is, of course, good: such a tablet is an excellent tool for accessing the Internet, for watching movies and photos, for working with Metro applications. But, on the other hand, working with Windows applications on such a screen, and even without a stylus (which, we recall, is not included in the kit), is very difficult. This tablet cannot act as a replacement for a laptop, and the ability to work on it should be treated as some kind of additional functionality that is used only in case of emergency. Purchasing Lenovo ThinkPad 8 for full-fledged work in Windows is hardly advisable.
The disadvantages of this tablet include the lack of a stylus, not very long battery life, the lack of a charger in the kit, as well as the presence of only one Micro-USB 3.0 connector, which is designed for both charging and connecting external devices.