Credit: PcMag
Lenovo has been on top of it lately with their recent releases of Android tablets and devices. The Yoga 10HD+ was their last big step forward, but the new Yoga Tablet 2 takes their unique kickstand design and plucked it into an even better device.Features and Design:
The Yoga Tablet 2 is physically indifferent from its predecessor, save for a small cutout in the built-in kickstand—it adds another position to the multi-mode design. At 10.04 by 7.2 by 0.28 inches (HWD) and 1.36 pounds, it's not the smallest or lightest device, but the signature rolled end helps make it more comfortable to hold than other tablets. An intermediary upgrade earlier this year brought a full HD LCD to the table, but performance wasn't quite up to par. Luckily the 10.1-inch, 1,920-by-1,200-pixel LCD remains with upgraded internals to better render each pixel. The two front-facing speakers sound good, projecting impressive volume, but lacking any real depth, which is to be expected from any tablet. For connectivity, you get dual-band 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS. In my tests, the Yoga Tablet 2 had no problem connecting to a 5GHz access point and showed solid wireless speeds. In terms of battery life, I left a stream on YouTube run over Wi-Fi, the Yoga Tablet 2 lasted for 6 hours, 7 minutes. That's a pretty solid result considering the power-consuming high res screen.
The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 runs Android 4.4 KitKat and houses a 1.3GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3745 processor and 2GB of RAM. There' 16GB of internal storage, and it's expandable up to 64GB with a microSD card. That's pretty standard with tablets in the same price range. Performance was fast and smooth for simple tasks, but the Yoga Tablet 2 suffered from many performance hiccups. The touchscreen reacted slowly to taps, and I frequently encountered crashing apps and Wi-Fi connectivity issues. The bugginess was unfortunate, but it wasn't frequent enough for me to turn the device off in disgust. Big games launch fast, even with many apps open in the background, and once loaded they perform smoothly. Lenovo's heavily skinned Android 4.4 software remains largely unchanged between the two Yoga Tablet 2 models, with the exception of projector-related customizations for the larger Pro. That means heavy visual tweaks and hand-holding for home-screen customization options for you to take advantage of. hankfully, the most useful feature from the Pro version is available to the 10-inch model. Multi-window multitasking lets you run several apps in floating windows. You're limited to Email, Gallery, File Browser, Calculator, Video, and Chrome, but it's much better than having none at all.
Final Thoughts: Picking an affordable, large-screen Android tablet is all about compromise. You just can't expect to find the best performance and the most beautiful design all in one device without paying extra. The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 comes close, though, delivering unique looks, a sharp full HD display, and solid performance for those everyday needs. If you're in the market for a nice tablet to have, give the Yoga Tablet 2 a look.
+Low Price +Full HD Screen +Unique Rolled Design -Performance can stutter at times S&S Rating: 7/10 @whatsPlay
