An Android tablet with a large
13-inch display is unusual enough. But Lenovo goes even further by
building a projector into its new Yoga slate.
This large tablet packs an 854 x 480-pixel pico projector. It can
project a 50-inch image onto a screen 2m away. But at 50 lumens, it is
not as bright as a full-sized projector.
With its "Home Theater Anywhere" tagline, Lenovo wants consumers to
see the Yoga as an entertainment device. Reinforcing this argument are
the JBL stereo speakers and a subwoofer, which sound good for a tablet.
This tablet holds much promise as a business companion due to the
projector. The only stumbling block is that it runs Android instead of
Windows. While you can still open and edit PowerPoint slides on
Android, it is not as versatile as Windows for work.
The design is largely similar to previous Yoga slates, though with a
13-inch screen, the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is the largest one yet. Its
cylindrical spine holds a beefy 9,600mAh battery and the pico projector.
The integrated kickstand pops out when you press a button at the
back. This stand now has a hole in the middle, so you can hang the
tablet on a hook. Choose a sturdy hook - the Yoga tablet weighs a hefty
950g.
Its 2,560 x 1,440-pixel screen looks lovely. Colours seem to pop and text is sharp. It is probably the tablet's best feature.
Lenovo has heavily skinned the default Android 4.4 system with an
interface reminiscent of Apple's iOS. For instance: the Gallery icon is
a doppleganger of the Photos app in iOS 8. The Yoga's default starry
sky wallpaper also gave me an iOS flashback.
Unlike stock Android, you swipe from the bottom to bring up the
settings. The icons remind me of the ones on iOS. But the interface
looks polished and feels responsive.
Like Samsung, Lenovo has created its own multi-window feature to
take advantage of the Yoga's expansive 13-inch screen. Up to three apps
can run at the same time, each in its own floating and resizeable
window.
Touch the multi-window icon on the lower-left corner of the
interface to bring up a list of compatible apps. Currently, there are
only six apps, including e-mail, video player and the Chrome browser.
Overall, this feature feels clunky compared with Samsung's
implementation on the Galaxy Note devices.
Using the projector to play a video, the Yoga lasted 6hr 35min. In our usual battery test, the Yoga clocked 8hr 11min.
With a $1,199 price tag for the LTE version, Lenovo should have included more than the measly 32GB of internal storage.
TECH SPECS
Price: $1,199
Processor: Intel Atom Z3745 (1.86GHz)
RAM: 2GB
Display: 13.3 inches, 2,560 x 1,440 pixels
Camera: 8 megapixels (rear), 1.6 megapixels (front)
Storage: 32GB, microSD expandability up to 64GB
Battery: 9,600mAh
RATING
Features: 5/5
Design: 4/5
Performance: 4/5
Value for money: 3/5
Battery life: 4/5
Overall: 4/5