Lenovo outs its new Surface Pro challenger, the MIIX 720

by Luis D. / Jan 03, 2017, 4:33 AM

Lenovo outs its new Surface Pro challenger, the MIIX 720

Lenovo debuted a new Windows-powered detachable tablet, the MIIX 720. The successor to the MIIX 700 offers sensible changes over last year's model and stands out as a worthy competitor to the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (and perhaps, the upcoming Surface Pro 5). For starters, Lenovo has upgraded to more power-efficient 15W processors on Intel's Kaby Lake architecture.

Moreover, the tablet is equipped with a very sharp screen – a 12-inch 2880x1920 3:2 panel with a pixel density of 288 pixels per inch which is more than what both the MIIX 700 and the Surface Pro 4 have to offer. The screen is rated at 400 nits of maximum brightness and is protected with a Gorilla Glass cover. Different configurations allow for up to 16 GB of DDR4 RAM memory and up to 1 TB of SSD storage.

Lenovo will be racing against the Microsoft Surface Pro 5, which could appear before the MIIX 720.

Despite changes, the Miix 720 measures the same as its predecessor – 11.5x8.27x0.35in and 1.72lbs (292x210x8.9mm at a weight of 780g). It features three USB ports of different variety – one USB 3.1 Type-C port, one USB 3.0, and one USB 2.0 port. There's also a Thunderbolt 3 port which connects to up to two external displays. Where battery life stands, Lenovo has rated the MIIX 720 for up to 8 hours of battery life.

The tablet has been secured with Microsoft's Windows Hello biometric protection, letting users unlock it by using the front camera though it's not immediately clear whether the system uses facial recognition or iris scanning. The device seems to lack a fingerprint scanner, which could be polarizing to some, but prospective buyers will be happy to know that Lenovo will include a full-sized backlit keyboard with all models.

We presume Lenovo will also throw in the Active Pen 2 stylus, as the device has a special slot for housing the stylus and it would appear rather awkward if the tablet shipped with a big empty slot – imagine receiving your Galaxy Note without the S-Pen! The stylus features a clickable shortcut button for Windows Ink (the operating system's stylus input recognition) and up to 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

The Lenovo MIIX 720 will be available in April, starting at $999.99 for the base model and sold in either Champagne Gold or Iron Gray color schemes. It is rumored that Microsoft will launch the Surface Pro 5 in March, which means that Lenovo could make its move a few weeks late and suffer losses. We'll see how things go for Windows tablets in the first quarter of 2017.

Lenovo MIIX 720

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source: Lenovo

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8 Comments

1. Obádárà

Posts: 218; Member since: Nov 02, 2015

... I THINK THIS IS A GOOD ONE, BUT THIS WOULDN'T CHALLENGE THE SURFACE AS MICROSOFT'S SURFACE PRO IS IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN. WIDER AVAILABILITY MAY GIVE THIS AN EDGE THOUGH...

posted on Jan 03, 2017, 6:04 AM 0

2. Macready

Posts: 1824; Member since: Dec 08, 2014

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/380/337/1c4.jpg

posted on Jan 03, 2017, 6:20 AM 2

4. Settings

Posts: 2943; Member since: Jul 02, 2014

Samsung keyboard failed again.

posted on Jan 03, 2017, 6:21 AM 0

3. Settings

Its good to see Surface competitors rather than Macbook wannabes.

posted on Jan 03, 2017, 6:21 AM 3

5. buccob

Posts: 2975; Member since: Jun 19, 2012

I agree... As an owner of a 5 y/o Asus "Macbook Pro look-alike"... I am now proudly owning a Surface Book which is definitely an original breed, and one that satisfy my design needs. The Asus was a good performer and for what I paid it gave me more than what I expected.... But the Surface Book goes well beyond that with its tablet mode, included pen and its dGPU.

posted on Jan 03, 2017, 7:37 AM 4

6. vincelongman

Posts: 5724; Member since: Feb 10, 2013

I'm really interest in a Surface Pro and eGPU Hopefully it can replace my ultrabook and gaming PC

posted on Jan 03, 2017, 5:51 PM 2

7. buccob

Hopefully they expand the range of the Pro 5... From an LTE enabled Arm processor, to a powerful i7 with dGPU... And of that is too much to ask, at least make it compatible with thunderbolt 3 for eGPU... For my needs, the Book is more than enough with medium gaming requirements, nothing too taxing

posted on Jan 03, 2017, 8:35 PM 2

8. vincelongman

There wont be a dGPU in the Pro, not enough space But there's rumors Intel are working with AMD to try integrate some of their smaller dGPU, probably Polaris 11 or its Vega successor The Book may be more your type Unless you go with Pro+eGPU But those are pretty expensive at the moment, but luckily they are getting cheaper