Lenovo today unveiled the second generation of its Yoga tablet lineup – meet the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2. The slate comes in two pretty similar versions, which have a pretty distinct difference between themselves – one of them comes with Android 4.4.4 KitKat aboard, whereas the other makes full use of Windows 8.1. Each of these two is available in two different-sized versions as well – you can opt for either an 8” or a 10.1” one. This way, Lenovo is giving you the complete freedom to choose between four different versions of its newest slate. Smart move, Lenovo.
Hardware specs
Apart from these differences, the four variations of the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 share the same hardware components and specs. Lenovo's display of choice for its new tablet is a IPS LCD one with a resolution of 1200 x 1920 pixels, which has a 178-degree viewing angle. This display size-resolution combo means that the 8-inch devices have an acceptable pixel density of 283ppi, while the 10-inch ones are less sharp with a ppi of 226.
We can find a 64-bit capable Intel-made SoC under the hood of all versions of Lenovo's new tablet – in particular, this is a quad-core Intel Atom Z3745, doing its mojo at up to 1.86GHz. The SoC is paired with 2GB of LPDDR3 operating memory, which is still a standard for the industry, but 3GB of RAM would have made the tablet a tad more futureproof.
In the on-board memory department, the Windows 8.1 version of the Yoga Tablet 2 has a slight advantage – it comes with 32GB out of the box, whereas the Android counterpart ships with merely 16GB of native storage. All versions of the tablet are endowed with microSD slots, mind you, and they support up to 128GB microSD cards.
Lenovo mum's the word on the battery capacity of the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 and only reveals that the Android version of the slate will eke out as much as 18 hours of battery life from the on-board juicer, whereas the Windows 8.1 one will tick and click for as much as 15 hours. Judging by its previous generation, this most probably means that the Yoga Tablet 2 has a juicer with a capacity of roughly 9,000mAh, yet Lenovo mum's the word about this rather important hardware spec.
Features
The previous Yoga Tablet was known for its unorthodox exterior design, which employs a bottom-positioned handle-like kickstand. It paved the way for a great level of flexibility, as the user of the slate could position it in one three different stances – Hold, Tilt, and Stand. With the Yoga Tablet 2, Lenovo introduces a redesigned kickstand that allows users to make use of a fourth mode and comfortably “hang” their device so that they can use the tablet hands-free. The latter is courtesy of the improved kickstand which now rotates close to 180 degrees. The manufacturer also kept an ear close to the ground and enhanced the overall stability of the device while the latter is being positioned in Stand mode. The 10" Windows slate even comes with a Bluetooth keyboard.
The front of the device sports a pair of large-chamber speakers, and while it's pretty unclear if these are stereo ones, Lenovo says that they flaunt Dolby Audio and Wolfson Mater HiFi support. A 1.6MP front-facing selfie camera completes the picture. Fortunately, Lenovo has put an 8MP snapper at the back of the slate, which comes with a glare-reducing BSI-2 sensor – let's hope that Lenovo has learned its lesson and the main camera will produce better images than the under-perfroming snapper of the previous Yoga Tablet generation.
The 10” Windows and the two Android versions of the Yoga Tablet 2 have LTE capabilities (thanks to Intel's XMMTM 7160 cat.4 LTE modem), but only in select regions and, unfortunately, the USA is not among them. The whole Lenovo tablet crop comes with dual-band Wi-Fi, however.
Pricing & availability
The Android versions of the Yoga Tablet 2 are immediately available from Lenovo - the smaller, 8-inch one retails for $249.99, while the larger one sells for $299.99. Their Windows counterparts will arrive a little bit later to the party - the 8" Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 will be available directly from Lenovo in November and will fetch a $299.99 price tag, while the 10" goodness will arrive on BestBuy's shelves in late October and will your set you back $399.99.
What do you think about Lenovo's latest crop of slates? Share any thoughts you might have in the comments section right beneath the gallery right below!
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