Which Lenovo Yoga Tablet should you get?

by Volker Weber

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Quite a while ago I coined a very simple rule: "If Android, then Nexus". The reason is simple: no crapware and timely updates. But I am making an exception with the Lenovo Yoga Tablet because of its elegant and purposeful design. In case you missed it, I explained it last week.

Lenovo did not release one tablet, but two. The larger one has a 10 inch display, the smaller one 8 inch. The difference does not seem much, especially if you look at the photo above. Well, look again:

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They look alike, but they feel completely different. I find the smaller device even more radical than the bigger one. It's shape makes for the perfect reading device. And for the first time ever, I dropped Kindle and started reading on this one. Just grab the role with one hand and read. If you are tired, turn it around 180 degrees and grab it with the other hand.

The 10 inch model has a single benefit: if you want to watch movies or type with ten fingers on glass, a bigger screen is better. For everything else, I prefer the smaller device. Since both tablets share the same pixel resolution, the smaller model is sharper. It's also easier to type with two thumbs, as you can easily reach across the keyboard in portrait mode. Even if they were the same price, I wanted the smaller one. But they aren't. The 8 inch model sells for 229 € and is a whopping 70 € cheaper than the bigger one.

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One more thing: I wish this was running Windows RT 8.1 instead of Android Jellybean.

Comments

Any idea when there will be a 3G version?

mariano kamp, 2013-11-07

Die deutsche Pressemitteilung von letzter Woche, datiert auf den 30. Oktober 2013, sagt:

"Alle Modelle des Lenovo Yoga Tablets sind ab sofort erhältlich. Das Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 kostet 229,- Euro (WiFi) bzw. 279,- Euro (WiFi+3G). Das Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 wird zu einem Preis von 299,- Euro (WiFi) bzw. 349,- Euro (WiFi+3G) angeboten."

Volker Weber, 2013-11-07

that would be a killer second screeen to a lenovo tablet ...

John Head, 2013-11-07

What an interesting idea

Volker Weber, 2013-11-08

The "no crapware" thing on Nexus devices is sadly no longer true - Google+, Google Keep and Google Currents are all installed in the system partition.

Jeff Gilfelt, 2013-11-08

Is one GB enough for all the simultaneous programs that tend to be run?

Joseph O'Laughlin, 2013-11-08

It might sound crazy, but I'm thinking of getting the small one for bedside as an alarm clock.

Eric Hancock, 2013-11-08

Did you get to try out the bluetooth keyboard/cover? only works with the larger ones. and looks less flimsey than the surface keyboard cover.

John Head, 2013-11-08

At least, since Ice Cream Soda we can first uninstall updates for system apps, and then choose to disable them.

Lars Berntrop-Bos, 2013-11-08

I always recommended Nexus for Android too, until I read that Google officially only update Nexus for 18 months.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/31/5051958/google-galaxy-nexus-will-not-be-upgraded-android-4-4-kit-kat

Oliver Schulze, 2013-11-10

Die Tablets gefallen nicht jedem:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/12/5090560/lenovo-yoga-tablet-8-10-review

Inzwischen bin ich dann auch wieder beim iPad (Air) gelandet und damit super zufrieden.

Martin Imbeck, 2013-11-14

Habe ich gelesen. Das ist 'ne Pappnase, die nicht mal gecheckt hat, wie man die Farbtemperatur wählt.

Wer sich ein Air leisten kann, der ist nicht Zielgruppe.

Volker Weber, 2013-11-14

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