APC_Australia_Issue_442_June_2017

superguide » transformative 2-in-1s
$800 | WWW.LENOVO.COM/AU
Lenovo
Yoga Book
An awesome two-screen hybrid for
creative types.
$4,199 | WWW.MICROSOFTSTORE.COM
Microsoft
Surface Book
Not even a dedicated GPU and long
battery life can justify that price.
There’s no other
convertible quite
like the Lenovo
Yoga Book. Instead
of a keyboard, it has a flat
touch-and-pressure
sensitive plate at the base
that works a little like a
Wacom graphics tablet.
You can overlay it with
special paper and write and
draw with the supplied pen.
That pen contains real ink,
so you can write with it
naturally and see what you
write mirrored on the
screen. You can also swap
out the ink for a stylus.
For typing, the base has a
‘Halo’ keyboard instead of
real keys. A virtual
keyboard on the tablet base
lights up and you type like
you would on an on-screen
keyboard. There’s actually
some haptic feedback, too.
If you demand touch typing
speeds, it’s probably not for
you, though we found we
could type quickly enough.
The model we looked at
ran a customised version of
Android (a Windows version
is also available). Lenovo’s
changes to base Android
are unobtrusive and
elegant, and the scribing
and drawing apps simple
and easy to use.
The hardware also looks
great. We can’t help but
think it would work much
better as a detachable than
a convertible, and the watch
band hinge could use a bit
of stiffening, but the screen
is great. In tablet mode,
it sits very nicely flush,
with no gap between screen
and base.
Obviously, the Yoga Book
is not going to be a product
for everyone. But for people
to whom this kind of thing
is appealing, it’s beautifully
made, has a nice screen
an amazing battery life and
is wonderfully light and
portable at only 690g.
A top pick.
Verdict
This works well as a creative device
and is unique for a convertible.
Late last year,
Microsoft refreshed
the Surface Book,
adding in a faster
processor and better GPU.
There is a lot to like about
the Surface Book — its
unique detachable design,
the very usable keyboard
and trackpad, the great
stylus support for creative
work. The tablet section,
when divorced from the
base, is surprisingly light
and it was the only 2-in-1
we looked at that included
an actual dedicated
graphics processor with
independent memory.
It also has a huge battery
— the best of any 2-in-1.
With the NVIDIA GeForce
GTX 965M graphics
processor, it destroyed the
competition in the 3D tests,
and is the only 2-in-1 we’ve
seen that’s viable for 3D
gaming. Its battery life was
also the best of the bunch.
However, because it doesn’t
have the latest-gen CPU, it
still lagged behind the top
devices when it came to
general performance. That
slightly-behind-the-curve
CPU wasn’t the only issue
we had either. The too-loose
hinge leaves a gap when the
book is closed, letting in
dust and making it thicker
than it needs to be.
There’s no Thunderbolt
port, and it’s heavier than
the previous-generation
Surface Book. And then
there’s the price.
Not even the dedicated
GPU, long battery life and
beautiful 3,000 x 2,000
screen can justify that price
tag. The Dell and Lenovo
reviewed above have better
screens and newer CPUs and
are still substantially less
expensive. Still expensive,
but not $4,200 expensive.
Shave $1,000 off the cost
and the Surface Book is a
contender, but right now,
that’s just too much.
Verdict
Despite its results and functional
design, nothing justifies the price
you’d have to pay.
46 www.apcmag.com