Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx K3011 - 59344276 Pro Reviews

The moniker Lynx sounds a bit ferocious, but Lenovo's newest IdeaTab is hardly that. It's a reliable performer with a bright IPS display, and its price tag is reasonable, but the Lynx isn't the best-designed, longest-lasting or most feature-rich low-powered hybrid. For that, you don't even have to look outside Lenovo's wheelhouse: the ThinkPad Tablet 2's long battery life and comfortable keyboard make it our reigning favorite.

The Lynx offers a nice proposition. For $670, you can have a Windows 8 machine with over 11 hours of real battery life (incorporating the keyboard dock, of course), a highly portable form factor, and the option of separating the slate from the dock in order to use the tablet by itself. It runs circles around netbooks that were all the rage just a couple of years ago and while it can't step up as a gaming machine, it's ideal for working professionals and home users who are on the hunt for something that lasts longer untethered from an electrical outlet and weighs less than a conventional notebook or ultrabook.

The Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx gives Intel Atom hybrids a bad name.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Lynx K3011 (street price around $500 with 64 GB eMMC flash storage) is a decent enough tablet: the performance of the Atom SoC is right where we would expect it to be, the weight is quite low, and the 11.6-inch display is fairly bright and vivid. HP's aluminum Envy x2 11 also has a 11.6-inch display, but comes with the keyboard dock (and its additional battery) for $600 after a recent price drop. If a smaller screen size is acceptable, the 10.1-inch Asus VivoTab Smart ME400C Tablet (available online for about $450) is an acceptable choice. Those who need a tablet with outstanding battery life and extremely bright screen should take a look at the Dell Latitude 10. Just like the Latitude 10, Lenovo's own business-oriented ThinkPad Tablet 2 supports an active pen and digitizer (if so configured) and comes equipped with dual cameras.

Seriously, if saving money is all that you care about, there's no arguing that you'll be doing just that with the Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx. Despite its less than appetizing design combined with its entry-level specs, the Lynx is able to deliver the same level of performance as other Atom-based Windows 8 tablets. However, in making it a more competitive option, you'll need to fork over another $130 to make it a convincing netbook replacement – and that's on top of its $550 price point! Honestly people, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 seems to be a convincing option too at $679, seeing it's packing a rear camera, digitizer stylus, full-sized USB port, and an overall better design, but heck, the savings found with the Lynx might be enough to sway people to its gaze.

The Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx K3011 slate tablet won't replace your laptop as your main Windows machine, but it's not a bad choice for a second or third device.

The Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx is a perfectly workable Atom-powered Windows 8 tablet, and has a better-than-average optional keyboard dock to form a quasi-clamshell package that works well as a laptop. But, starting at $649 for a plastic case and micro-style ports, it's hard not to either comparison shop down to Dell's Atom-powered Latitude 10, which starts at only $499, or slightly up to to Lenovo's own ThinkPad Tablet 2, which offers a great relative value starting at $30 more, and includes a full-size USB port, better construction and design, and dual front-and-back Webcams. Unless I absolutely needed an 11-inch screen over a 10-inch one (and I can't imagine why I would), that extra $30 for the ThinkPad version represents a smart investment.