So is the Lenovo Yoga Book right for me?
There is no doubt that Lenovo spent a good deal of time, research, and refinement on the Yoga Book, but that alone doesn’t qualify it as a purchase that’s right for you. We recommend you answer the following questions if you are considering the Yoga Book for purchase:
- Will you make use of the included drawing area?
Arguably one of the most prominent features of the Yoga Book is that it enables you to take real notes and drawings, and capture them real time in digital format.
- Can you handle typing on a virtual surface?
Probably the most difficult question to answer here without actually trying. We suggest visiting your local Walmart or Best Buy (if they carry it) to test it first. If you have access to someone with a Microsoft surface using the Touch keyboard it is similar in nature. We can say that with use the keyboard becomes easier to use.
- Do you travel often where an 11 to 13 hour battery life would come in handy? Understanding the trade-off.
While we don’t actually foresee anyone saying no to longer battery life, it does come at the expense of increased storage and computing power. If you don’t expect to be programming, running heavy duty applications, storing a lot of data, or running intensive video then the Yoga Book may fit your needs.
- Will the Yoga Book’s design limitations be a problem for your computing needs?
The Yoga Book does not have a full size USB port, mouse and keyboard are atypical in terms of key layout and use, additionally the CPU horsepower is lower than STANDARD laptops available though very good for a 2 in 1 or tablet PC.
Who we feel the Yoga Book is right for:
The Yoga Book would find itself right at home for a business traveler who wants quick access to information and PC capabilities but who doesn’t concentrate on content creation. This would be an excellent sales and presentation platform due to its unique look, super light weight, and visual appeal. Students would benefit from the excellent battery life and especially the note taking capability of the Yoga Book and would be able to use the tablet through an entire day of classes without the need to recharge. If a recharge becomes necessary then student, and business consumer alike would find its ability to recharge from a standard external battery an attractive feature. The student user would need to keep in mind its thin and light form factor is sturdy but not indestructible and as such it will not stand up well to abuse. We didn’t test the Yoga Book for drops and punishment but we are fairly confident that if you sit on it, it will not survive.
Conclusion:
Overall we are impressed with the performance of the Yoga Book and find its feature list is unparalleled in the 2 in 1 or tablet category. It is the most well equipped Atom powered tablet we have seen and lends itself well to a variety of uses and consumer needs. The fit and finish of the Yoga Book gives it a premium feel that is well above its price category though appropriate for a 2 in 1 or tablet of this price. The included accessories are both useful and add to the premium experience when you purchase the Yoga Book. The majority of consumers will not be bothered by the slower than average 64GB eMMC storage but could be dismayed by the atypical keyboard and mouse. The tech savvy and mobile business users will love the inclusion of the nano-SIM tray for 4G LTE connections.
There is no single magic product that meets everyone diverse needs. The Yoga Book is no exception, but we find that for what it was designed for it excels at. In each of our mobile product tests the Lenovo Yoga Book performed very well. As such for its price it is a good value. We would have given it a rating of excellent value but it is still at the high end of the market for a tablet/2 in 1 and is out of the price range of many consumers looking for a thin and light.
The Lenovo Yoga Book exceeded our expectations as a thin and light in terms of features, performance, and fit and finish. The devices usability was very good but not excellent as the keyboard and mouse were consistent issues that we would probably have overcome given time. We hope that the Yoga Book represents the first of an evolving product line from Lenovo in this super thin and light 2 in 1 category as we can’t wait to see what a second and third generation device from Lenovo would offer.
The Lenovo Yoga Book receives our Gold Product Award for its unique leverage of innovation and functionality in the 2 in 1 category. It represents a good value and great feature list for consumers who would benefit from its target audience.
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