Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 Pro Reviews

The ThinkPad 2's performance and specs are so-so, but plenty adequate for most typical tablet uses. With passively-cooled Haswell chips and AMD's Temash on the way though, its Clover Trail innards are destined to become outclassed in the coming months.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 was the company’s attempt to create a new version of their original tablet equipped with Windows 8, but unfortunately, its specs and its overall experience gave us the feeling of a low-budget tablet, even though this particular tablet we reviewed is priced at $729, and that’s without including the price of its accessories like its low-quality keyboard. What the Tablet 2 does have going for it is its battery life, as long as you don’t consider its long battery charge time, and its lightweight build. 1.30lbs feels extremely light in your hands, and when you consider it’ll last 10 hours if it’s constantly on, that makes this tablet extremely transportable. You can certainly get a better Windows 8 tablet experience from other companies with a price comparable to what Lenovo is charging for its Tablet 2, like the HP Envy X2. If you aren’t completely married to the idea of purchasing a Windows 8 tablet, you can even get a much better experience on a number of Android tablets as well as the iPad. If you absolutely need a lightweight Windows 8 tablet with long-battery life, then by all means, give the Tablet 2 a go, but if you’re somebody who uses a keyboard often with a tablet or would prefer to have a more impressive screen, then we know you can absolutely do better.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 is fantastic device when used as a casual tablet or business PC for a mobile sales force. The machine looks great, it's light and easy to hold, and the battery lasts all day. Users who simply want to browse the web or run basic productivity applications will be best served by this hybrid tablet, but those users also probably won't need a $740 Windows 8 machine either. The ThinkPad Tablet 2 targets an audience that wants more productivity options that what an iPad or Windows 7 netbook offer. However, with the machine's limited Intel Atom processor and integrated graphics, the device struggles to take full advantage of everything Windows 8 has to offer. Additionally, users who do not opt for the $120 keyboard dock will find the device's productivity greatly hindered. The ThinkPad Tablet 2 is a fun device, but users looking for pure productivity will be better served by more reliable notebook alternatives.

Until now, all of our recommendations of Atom-powered Windows 8 tablets have come with faint praise: most of these products have been marred by cramped keyboards, middling runtime and occasionally poky performance. Even the okay one, the Acer Iconia W510, is mostly saved by its low price and 14-hour battery life. It's otherwise no better than a netbook. But the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 is different. It's seriously, refreshingly good. It's the sort of device we'd award an editor's choice... if Engadget did such things. Though the tablet was designed for business users, we'd go a step further and recommend it to anyone who's been looking for a Windows 8 tablet with great battery life. Truly, there's very little it doesn't do well: in addition to that long runtime, it offers stable performance and the best typing experience you'll find on a device like this. If there's one thing we'd have Lenovo address in the second-gen model, it would be the keyboard: the current one is great for typing, but a dock with a latch would allow for a second battery, and maybe adjustable screen angles. It would also eliminate any typing lag over Bluetooth. Unless you were hoping to spend a little less money, we can't think of a reason why you'd bother with most of these other low-powered hybrids. Even then, we'd recommend paying the premium: you'll be rewarded with a more pleasant experience in the long run.

The fact that the ThinkPad Tablet 2 runs Windows 8 Pro is great for business users and anyone who finds it hard to do real work in Android, iOS, or Windows RT--which is probably the vast majority of people. But it's just not quite powerful enough to replace a laptop for most business people. If you know you're going to use it with a keyboard most of the time, you should wait a few months until the ThinkPad Helix and IdeaPad 11S show up. Both of those will have ultrabook guts, higher-resolution touchscreens and an adjustable-angle hinge connecting the keyboard and screen. The Helix's keyboard dock is detachable, while the Yoga 11S's keyboard folds all the way around against the back of the tablet. It's likely that neither will have battery life as good as the ThinkPad Tablet 2, so as always you have to weigh your needs carefully before committing to a laptop/tablet convertible. It's hard to decide whether to recommend the ThinkPad Tablet 2. On the one hand it's great for what it is, and the keyboard is a must-have addition. It's the best tablet keyboard I've ever used, and the ThinkPad Tablet 2 is one of the best Atom-powered Windows slates you can buy. If you know that's what you want, get the ThinkPad Tablet 2. Otherwise, you'll want a hybrid that's a little bit more like a laptop.

Lenovo is no stranger to making business-focused tablets, but its latest creation, the ThinkPad Tablet 2, is its first attempt at a serious-minded 10.1in Windows slate. With an IPS screen, integrated stylus, and an Intel Atom CPU promising all-day battery life, this could be the tablet your briefcase has been waiting for.

If you are looking for a light Windows tablet, then the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 provides a loyal companion with good battery life. Business users on the other hand, purchase this table for the security module (TPM). However, one needs to make compromises in terms of manufacturing quality and the performance. The price of the configuration was set at 625 euros during the time of testing. The Dell Latitude 10 and the HP Envy x2 are about on par with the Lenovo Tablet in terms of power. However, these can score with an even better battery life and better manufacturing at the cost of a higher weight though. Furthermore, with the Dell Latitude 10 it is possible to still work well at times of incoming sunlight thanks to the high display brightness. The Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 is also a tablet for the business customers. However, because of its older chip generation it usually does not deliver enough performance anymore and cannot convince in terms of manufacturing either. The advantages of those tablets are the non-reflecting display and the low price. If someone is looking for high performance, then the ThinkPad Tablet 2 and all Atom powered devices do not live up to the task, and one should better go for an i5 ULV chip, such as the Samsung Series 7 XE700T1A. Further powerful business options are the Sony Vaio Duo 11, the Fujitsu Lifebook T902, the Fujitsu Stylistic Q702 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Twist.

Already relishing on some stellar tablets such as the Microsoft Surface Pro and Asus VivoTab Smart, we’re now checking out Lenovo’s offering in the ThinkPad Tablet 2. Not surprisingly, it’s sporting some of the distinct design characteristics that live up to the ThinkPad name, but more importantly, will it be able to entice consumers who are already bombarded with a decent selection of Windows 8 slates?...

The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 combines touch, all-day battery life, and ThinkPad styling to the Windows 8 Slate tablet market. It's not a bad first effort, but rivals currently have the upper hand.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 moves up to being my favorite current Atom-powered Windows 8 tablet, on account of its strong industrial design, excellent keyboard dock, and great battery life. I'd still pick up a Surface Pro (or maybe an IdeaPad Yoga) instead for all-day use, and adding the must-have accessories only makes this tablet more expensive than something with this level of hardware should be.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 starts at $579 with the Atom processor, 32GB of storage, and no stylus but is probably sold out in most places like Lenovo’s online store. Then the 64GB model bumps up to $679 but you also get that stylus, and lastly you’ll be entering the $900 range for 3G/4G connectivity — something we feel should be much cheaper to integrate. With the 128GB iPad available, a 64 and 128GB Microsoft Surface Pro, and many other Windows 8 tablets on the scene the choice might not be clear. Previously we haven’t been too happy with many of the Atom-powered Windows 8 machines, but this time Lenovo delivers an all around solid and usable product. The Samsung ATIV Smart PC comes with AT&T connectivity out of the gate and similar specs, so you could venture that route for $750. We still would rather go with the 64GB Tablet 2 for the stylus support and elegant yet simple design. In the end the Lenovo Tablet 2 is obviously geared at business professionals with the stylus and 3G connectivity, but we’d go as far as to suggest this to anyone looking for a Windows 8 slate.