Lenovo has added a new member to its Yoga series with the launch of the latest 2-in-1 device, the Yoga Book in India. Priced at Rs 49,990, the device comes with some interesting features like a new virtual keyboard coupled a dual-use stylus. But will it be enough, to make it a worthy investment? Let’s take a closer look.
The ‘Halo’ keyboard and the dual use stylus
What makes the device stand out of the crowd is that the company has opted for a virtual keyboard as opposed to the traditional physical keyboard used by others. The laptop features, what Lenovo called a Halo keyboard, which is basically a touch based keyboard instead of the regular physical keyboard. The dark screen lights up with proper a QWERTY keyboard and a touchpad. During brief testing, I found out that the Yoga Book gives some amount haptic feedback when you tap the keys, however, it does take some time to getting used to it. I was a bit uncomfortable in typing and the haptic feedback didn’t make things any better to enhance the typing experience.
Also, the keyboard doubles as the digitizer. A digitiser converts your actions like pressing or swiping into a digital signal that your tablet or phone can understand. Simply put, the display also acts as a scribbling pad, which is a welcome move.
Another interesting thing about the new 2-in-1 tablet is that it comes with a ‘Real Pen’ stylus, which you can use it on the screen as well as on a piece of paper. All you have to do is attach the notepad which comes bundled with the laptop and start scribbling. The same technology has been used in Wacom Bamboo products and it seems that Lenovo has implemented this concept well as the pen was fairly accurate in digitising what I wrote on the paper, but it was not as spontaneous as the company boasted during its presentation.
Design
Coming to the design part, the device does give a book-like feel. When you open it, you see two touch display joined by the company’s signature watchband hinge, which allows it to move 360 degrees. And the device is certainly a sleek looking 9.4mm thickness and is certainly lightweight with weighing just 690 grams. The front is dominated by a 10.1-inch screen and underneath it is the touch display which also houses the virtual keyboard and scribbling ground to showcase your talent. On the right, you will find the audio jack, volume rocker, power button and a speaker grille, while the left houses one microUSB 2.0 and micro HDMI port. Frankly, I was a bit disappointed with the fact that the company has added with only one microUSB 2.0 and micro HDMI port, which restricts you to connect various external devices with the tablet. But overall, the design is pretty neat and impressive. The device does give a distinct look.
Display
On the display front, the device sports a 10.1-inch full-HD display with a maximum brightness of 400 nits. The display looked good but was a bit reflective in nature and it would be interesting to see the performance of the display when we will review the device.
Hardware
Coming to the hardware part, the laptop-cum-tablet comes with an Intel Atom x5 processor. There is a 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which comes with an expandable memory option. The 2-in-1 is powered by an 8,500mAh battery which the company’s claim can last up to 13 hours on a full charge. The device comes with Windows 10 pre-installed.
On the camera front, the device comes with a 2-megapixel which is placed on the main screen, while the 8-megapixel rear camera is at the top-right corner of the virtual keyboard. Though some might think it to be placed oddly, but when you fold it, acts like a primary camera.