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Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 hands on review

Lenovo’s hybrid tablet serves up Windows 8 in the body of a tablet with the access of a keyboard – take that Surface

It was recently the Lenovo ThinkPad’s twentieth anniversary – and over 75 million of them have been sold since 1992. So what better way to mark it than by bringing out a hybrid tablet with Windows 8? We go hands on with the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 – screen

The ThinkPad Tablet 2’s 10.1in IPS display looks great with those big colourful Windows 8 tiles – and the edges are crisp and clear thanks to the 16:9 1366×768 resolution display. It even manages to keep up with that constantly sliding screen that is synonymous with Windows 8 OS. And the screen renders the efforts of the 8MP snapper perfectly – it also features a front facing 2MP version for video calls and narcissistic self-portraits.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 – design and build

At under 10mm thin and less than 600g, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 can certainly compete with the Microsoft Surface on size and weight. Plus with a claimed 10-hour-plus battery life, it’ll hold its own against the ultrabook brigade. But unlike laptops it comes packing a digitiser pen for all your drawing needs – not unlike Samsung’s S Pen, with similar lag and sensitivity.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 – power

The ThinkPad Tablet 2 manages to run the full Windows 8 Pro OS on its next generation Intel Atom processor. This might pale in comparison to the Microsoft Surface‘s but it appears to run smoothly. But without a host of multitasking and a proper test, the jury’s still out on whether the Atom can deliver the full force of Windows 8 Pro.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 – connectivity

When it comes to connections, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 impresses with a bevy of ports – including USB 2.0, MicroSD, mini-HDMI, and even NFC. There’s also an optional Bluetooth keyboard that the device can be docked into for speedy typing – though there’s no sign of batteries to extend the tablet’s life, sadly. And with 3G and 4G LTE options on their way the ThinkPad Tablet 2 certainly won’t be short of data chewing up power.

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Profile image of Dan Grabham Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home