Lenovo IdeaTab Yoga 10 Pro Reviews

Great battery life and an ingenious design, but the screen and performance are both below par

A tablet with a hinge is a good idea. It’s even a good idea the particular way Lenovo’s designed it. And I'm thrilled to see someone taking chances, doing things differently, re-imagining what a tablet looks like. But a terrible tablet with a hinge is still a terrible tablet, and no matter which Yoga Tablet you buy you’re getting a terrible tablet. Bad screen, bad performance, bad software — bad tablet. Lenovo calls the Yoga Tablet “revolutionary multimode Android tablets.” But for all the things they do, they don’t do anything well. At every turn, Lenovo’s made Android worse, while simultaneously hamstringing it with huge performance problems. And while many of the compromises are certainly made in the name of price, Google and Amazon have proven that you can build a well-made tablet with great performance and a great display for $229. Lenovo doesn’t get to make excuses about price anymore – no one does. Sure, it’s easy to hold in one hand, and yes, I like having my tablet propped up on my desk. But I also like doing things with my tablet. And it’s in the doing things that everything about the Yoga Tablet falls apart, and sends me running back to pretty much any other tablet on the market.

The Lenovo IdeaTab Yoga 10 is an innovative tablet with just average hardware and performance. We like the integrated kickstand, which allows the Yoga to be used in various positions without the need for an additional stand. The cylindrical spine makes the tablet easier to hold than conventional designs and houses a high-capacity battery, which guarantees exceptional battery life. Unfortunately, Lenovo decided to outfit the Yoga 10 with a display that is hampered by a sub-par resolution more fitting for bargain-basement 7-inch models, although the brightness is outstanding. The lackluster wireless performance and the failure of the tablet to establish a GPS connection are most likely due to an issue with our particular review unit. While the ability to prop up the tablet on the table is a nice-to-have feature, users wanting at least a Full-HD display need to look elsewhere - for example at the Google Nexus 10, which retails for a $100 more but has twice the resolution and better performance. The comparably priced Asus Memo Pad FHD 10 Tablet also has a higher resolution, but somewhat dimmer display. If a slightly smaller display is acceptable, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 Tablet is also a worthwhile choice.

Lenovo might still be trying to gain some traction in the Android tablet space, but they’re definitely getting our attention with the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10. It may not be a high powered thing that would capture the imagination of people, but the combination between its affordable cost, intriguing design, and unprecedented battery life, help to give it a standing chance in hitting the big time. At only $299 for the base 16GB option, it’s a steal no doubt when we find a sturdy built tablet that has a very peculiar design – one that’s different from most things out there. Well, it’s not without its low points either, like its disorganized homescreen layout and poor camera quality. Despite that, we can’t help but think about that cost in the end. If you’re strapped for cash, then it’s a no-brainer decision to pick this one up.

The screen isn't great but otherwise this is a well-designed 10in tablet at a very keen price

Given that most 10-inch tablets are used as at-home entertainment devices for watching videos and playing games, it's hard to recommend the Lenovo Yoga 10. Though its kickstand makes it really easy to prop up the tablet on a table so you can sit back and watch a movie, the awful screen and poor speaker quality really put a damper on the whole viewing experience. Really, the tablet's only two redeeming qualities are the 13-plus hours of promised battery life and its $300 price tag, which is lower than its competition. If cost is crucial for you when picking a tablet, the Yoga is at least a better value than the equally priced Toshiba Excite Pure, which has an even lower-resolution display. However, for $100 more, you can get one of our top picks for a 10-inch Android tablet, the Nexus 10. The Nexus 10's screen is far superior to the one on the Yoga, it has much better performance, and it's running a pure version of Android. Another highly recommended choice is the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, which costs $379 and bests the Lenovo Yoga in both screen quality and performance. If either of those tablets are in your price range, I suggest you pick them over the Yoga.

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet tries something a little different and to a certain extent it succeeds. This is a tablet that offers multi-mode use without the need for an additional cover, so it's a nice and clean solution. People we've shown it to have found the stand a convenience and the device itself comfortable to hold thanks to the design. There are things to criticise too however: there are more powerful tablets out there and there are lighter tablets, but what the Lenovo Yoga Tablet does is blend its unique functionality with a price point that's competitive. The chipset might not be the latest from Qualcomm and there could be more RAM to improve the performance, but this tablet still runs all the apps we want it to without a problem. The battery life is good and it's plenty responsive, so there's little to complain about on the performance side of things. However, the biggest Yoga Tablet compromise is with its display. That's where you really see the difference from other, better, tablets. The 1280 x 800 pixel resolution feels a long way from the sharp displays you get elsewhere. The 8-inch Yoga Tablet doesn't suffer the same fate as it's cheaper and sharper, offering the same resolution on a smaller panel for better overall visual. In summary, the Lenovo Yoga Tablet offers a lot for its price and is unique proposition that will have some appeal. If you're after the best tablet on the market then you can get better specs on a smaller device like the Nexus 7, but you can't deny that the Yoga Tablet is reasonably good value for money and a welcome take on the tablet concept.