Nextbook FLEXX 11A 2-in-1 Quad Core Windows 10 Tablet

• 11.6 inch High-resolution 1366 x 768 IPS Screen
• Intel^® ATOM^™ Quad-Core Processor 1.84GHz (Z8300)
• 2GB DDR3L; 64GB onboard storage
• WIFI 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Front and Back Camera 2.0 MP
• Micro HDMI

• Pogo Keyboard with one USB 2.0 port
• Micro-SD card slot for expansion to 128GB
• Support 3 -axis G-sensor
• Built-in microphone
• 9000 mAh Internal rechargeable battery
• Charging indicator light
• Windows 10
• Office Mobile

The highlights here are the Z8300, the latest Gen Intel Atom quad core processor, as well as 64GB of onboard storage. Rounding out the package are a micro SD card slot, Bluetooth 4.0, front and back cameras, and a micro HDMI port. The 9000 mAh battery means that the FLEXX 11A should last about 6 hours of reasonable use. I am particularly fond of the fact that Nextbook choose to integrate a 2.0 USB port into the keyboard. This alone means that the versatility and usability of the FLEXX 11A is much expanded.

Usability

Usability is a subjective measurement of a products every day application and hands on use. I look at a few key areas to determine a products overall usability.

• Does the product fulfill its intended purpose or are there shortcomings?
• Does the product perform in a manner in which it aids in productivity or impede?
• Does the device interface facilitate ease of use or hinder use?

To this end I have made the FLEXX 11A my sole computing device for a period of three days. I utilized each of its interfaces and technologies to measure impact on the system and to see if they assisted in the overall device experience. Additionally I used the device in tablet mode each day for an extended duration.

My first impression of the FLEXX 11A was that for an 11.6″ it was not light weight compared to similarly sized devices. Officially spec’d at just over 3 pounds, it feels a bit heavier, but we checked and it is exactly 3.2 pounds as per the specs. Other noteworthy impressions were that they keyboard is superb for such a small model. They key spacing’s and tactile feedback are excellent. I found it very easy to type on. The touch pad is just the right size, and right/left click work well without defined buttons. The screen is fairly bright, and very clear, and while I am not a huge fan of the 1366 x 768 resolution I found that it is well suited to the FLEXX 11A. The screen bezel is not overly large and is blended well into the frame so that it doesn’t become an eye sore or distracting.

In total I used the Nextbook for a bit more than 5 hours continuously the first day without any issues with the battery. I tested 1080p playback on the FLEXX 11A which can be problematic for many tablets and 2-in-1’s running lower power chips and found that the Nextbook FLEXX 11A handles it without a problem. I can easily see myself utilizing the FLEXX 11A on my next trip with the kids to keep them occupied in the back seat with a movie. Twin speakers located at the bottom of the screen provide more than enough volume for a car, small room, even light to moderate noise levels, and the FLEXX 11A includes Bluetooth so you have the option to play sound through your car speakers or an external Bluetooth speaker if you find you need more volume. Options are always good, I like options in mobile platforms, and speaking of options the FLEXX 11A includes a micro SD card slot that allows for expanded storage up to 128GB so I will have more than enough storage for the movies, media, or additional programs.

Detaching the screen and using the FLEXX 11A is easy as it is held in place via a magnetic dock. These prove to work very very well for the 11A as the screen was held firmly in place but still easy to detach when desired. There was no flex in the screen or dock and we were able to position the laptop at any angle we desired without the screen slowly falling or tipping over. Most of the weight of the FLEXX 11A is in the screen so this is really due to good engineering as some 2-in-1 systems will tip when opened to their maximum angle. The magnetic mechanism is an upgrade that the 11A has received over the previous gen FLEXX 11. I much prefer this style over the old clip and button detachment but we will miss the backlit keyboard even though the letters on the keys did not show through. Overall the keyboard is much improved.

Design Notes

Looking at the overall construction and design of the FLEXX 11A we see a few highlights and potential issues. Starting with the highlights we see plenty of ports and room for expansion. The inclusion of the full size USB port is very overlooked in many 2-in-1’s and nearly unseen in tablets. The speakers again are placed in front instead of behind the screen and this allows them to actually be useful. We really like the rear mounted volume rocker for easy volume control, and the inclusion of micro USB and micro HDMI ports to further the potential uses of the FLEXX 11A. Nextbook has decided to drop the rubberized finish found on the original FLEXX 11 in favor of a hard satin plastic finish found on the new 11A and while this may seem a downgrade believe me when I tell you that after a few months use the rubberized finish will show wear and can become sticky. As an added bonus the new finish is not a fingerprint magnet and doesnt show marks or oil from your fingers. You won’t find yourself wanting to wipe the shell down every time you pick it up as it retains its clean appearance.

On the flip side there is really not much to complain about. Design-wise, the FLEXX 11 A retains the power port placement and I’ve already made the mistake of plugging in the AC adapter into the speaker port. They are nearly identical in size and are placed close enough to each other that you can expect confusion to arise. Aside from that there are no glaring issues that I can find.

Lets talk performance.

Nextbook FLEXX 11A Performance

The Nextbook FLEXX 11A was not designed with high performance in mind. This is a budget 2-in-1 that just happens to bring a lot more to the consumer than most laptops or 2-in-1’s on the market today. That being said this is still an Intel Atom powered machine and you shouldn’t expect it to perform like a mainstream processor powered device. The Z8300 has been reviewed to death and as such we wont endeavor to cover its performance here, but rather to show you what you can expect from the implementation in the FLEXX 11A. The Z8300 is more than adequate for nearly any tasks you could throw at a non-gaming portable windows based machine. This means you can expect it to work flawlessly in office applications, for web browsing, media playback, light computing tasks, and more basic functions you would use your laptop or desktop for. The FLEXX 11A is not meant for gaming, 4k production or consumption, 3D tasks, heavy number crunching, video editing, or other tasks involving primarily video or challenging graphics. I wish I didn’t have to mention it but inevitably someone will send me an email asking if they can play Doom, CS:GO, or Team Fortress on an Atom powered PC.

For $179 you are getting a very capable system that is well rounded enough to appeal to a very wide range of needs and consumers. If the FLEXX 11A has any drawbacks it is the 2GB of DDR3L which really limits the ability of these systems to multitask without caching to the HD or slowing down. While Intel’s official specifications say the Z8300 only supports up to 2GB of ram and in single channel, there are plenty of Z8300 systems on the market running 4GB. These systems are of course not in the Sub $200 price category and we cannot verify if it is dual or single channel.

Moving along the next most critical factor in system performance is the main storage, which in this case is a generic ssd at 64GB in capacity. We will be honest here this is not a lightning fast drive, it is certainly faster than a standard HDD but its on the budget end of SSD drives. Still at 64GB this is excellent for a sub $200 laptop and still a great offering. You are getting SSD speeds with decent capacity that can be expanded via the micro SD slot.

Wireless reception on the Nextbook FLEXX 11A is pretty standard for a B/G/N adapter. We had no issues connecting to networks up to 50 feet away in crowded environments and through multiple walls. The FLEXX 11A should work just fine for any home or business setting. The Nextbook FLEXX 11A uses the Realtek RT8723BS combo card.

The Realtek RTL8723BS-VQ0-CG is an 802.11bgn 2.4G single-chip that integrates Wireless LAN (WLAN) and a network SDIO interface controller with integrated Bluetooth 2.1/3.0/4.0 controller. It combines a WLAN MAC, a 1T1R capable WLAN baseband, and WLAN RF in a single chip. The RTL8723BS-VQ0-CG provides a complete solution for a high-throughput performance and low power consumption integrated wireless LAN device.

Nextbook integrated two cameras into the FLEXX 11A rated at 2MP each. Given the relatively low resolution of these cameras it is logical to reason that Nextbook designed them for conferencing and not for picture taking. There is an integrated microphone placed at the lower left side of the unit for sound pickup which should work equally well for front and rear applications.

Conclusion

The Nextbook is not a stand out product because of its performance or unique styling, it stands out because of the value it presents for what you get. Functionality wins every time and the Nextbook FLEXX 11A is very functional. As a consumer though I look for more than just functionality, I look to get the most performance I can for my money. I have been doing reviews and working in technology long enough to know specs very well and as a spec driven consumer the FLEXX 11A appeals to me. A mere $179 buys this product and that’s a huge value given what you are getting. Very few products present such a value and lend themselves to so many consumers and such an age range.

In the end if you are looking for a portable gaming 2-in-1 this is not the system for you. If you are just about anyone else the FLEXX 11A is well worth taking a look at. It will run any application that can be run under windows that doesn’t require special hardware, has good battery life, middle of the road performance, and great storage out of the box. The FLEXX 11A brings multiple ports for expansion and output. It includes good internal wireless as well as Bluetooth and to top it all off the keyboard is very very usable.

I would happily recommend the Nextbook FLEXX 11A to any consumer looking for a portable system for its excellent value and features. The Nextbook FLEXX 11A lives up to its name and is extremely flexible for consumers.