Lenovo unveils the Tab S8, a 64-bit 8-inch slate with Intel inside

Lenovo is no stranger to the tablet market, as it has launched a number of slates over the past year or so. Most of these were running on Android, but Lenovo proved that it's not afraid to mess with Microsoft's Windows ecosystem, as well. Well, it seems that Android has scored yet another victory, as the tablet that Lenovo just unveiled is running on Google's mobile OS. Enter the Lenovo Tab S8!

The Tab S8 is kicking and ticking thanks to a 64-bit Intel CPU (a quad-core Atom Z3745, to be exact) and is, in fact, Lenovo's first Android tablet that flaunts an Intel-made silicon inside (up until now, Lenovo has only paired Intel's SoCs with Microsoft's OS ecosystem in its tablets). The chip is coming with Burst Performance Technology, which provides processing power on demand only, thus successfully saving you some battery juice when you are using the Lenovo Tab S8 for lighter tasks, somewhat similar to ARM's big.LITTLE technology. Decent enough for a tablet, right?

"Engineered to give users the most from their mobile device without sacrificing portability, the Lenovo TAB S8 marks Lenovo’s first 8-inch Android tablet powered by an Intel processor."

The Tab S8 is endowed with a 8” display with a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 283ppi. As a side comparison, one of Samsung's more recent 8-inch tablets, the Galaxy Tab 4 8.0, comes with a pixel density of 189ppi, whereas the 7.9” Apple iPad mini 2 is well ahead with a density of 324ppi.

Under the hood of the 64-bit slate, one would also find 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, optional LTE connectivity (courtesy of Intel's homebrewed XMMTM 7160 cellular modem). The imaging department comprises of an 8MP rear shooter with a f/2.2 sensor, while a more modest 1.6MP front-facing camera will take care of your selfies. The manufacturer also boasts that the battery of the Tab S8 will keep it ticking for roughly 7 hours.

The tablet will initially ship with Android 4.4 KitKat on board, but it won't be able to make full use of the 64-bit architecture of the SoC. Fortunately, the upcoming L version of Android, probably Lemon Meringue Pie, will be able to do so and we suppose that Lenovo will try hard to update the firmware of the slate as soon as possible.

As per the pricing of the Tab S8, Lenovo says that its newest slate will retail for $199 before taxes and subsidies, making it a noteworthy rival on the tablet market. It will be immediately available "via major retailers" and Lenovo itself. The tablet will be showcased at Lenovo's IFA keynote later today.


source: Lenovo