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MagyarLenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 Tablet Review
For the original German review, see here.
In the land of iPad clones, the Lenovo Yoga tablets are a breath of fresh air. The cylinder-shaped battery/grip makes the tablet a little thick, but it looks stylish and is handy. Furthermore, the device offers 4 different ways to enjoy the tablet experience: hold, tilt, shift and hang. These modes are made possible thanks to the integrated kickstand, which has a hole, allowing users to hang the tablet on a wall. In addition, the larger Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is equipped with a projector in the kickstand.
Although the smallest model, the Yoga Tablet 2 8, does not have a projector, the other familiar features are on-board. The Yoga tablets are available with Android or Windows 8.1 with Bing. Our test model is equipped with the Microsoft OS. It runs on an Intel Atom SoC and 2 GB of RAM.
Competitors in this price range include the HP Stream 8, the Acer Iconia Tab 8 and the Dell Venue 8 Pro.
Case & Connectivity
The shape of the device may be unusual, but it offers a better grip. Furthermore, this allows the manufacturer to put all the hardware in one place and keep the rest of the tablet slim. Basically, the case is made of synthetic material, but the kickstand of the device is metal.
The sturdiness of the case could have been better: the panel can be bent inwards, which causes distortions. Bending the case forces a distinct squeak from it.
The display shines thanks to its high resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. The 32 GB storage can be increased using microSD cards. The connectivity is simple and an LTE module is optional. Lenovo also offers the option to use any stylus or character device with their AnyPen for the tablet.
The OS is Windows 8.1 32-bit with Bing, which means that Bing is set as the default search machine in Internet Explorer (can be changed at any time). Windows 8.1 runs well on the 8-inch tablet as long as one uses the Metro UI. Once on the desktop, the interface is awkward due to the icons being too small. To make up for this flaw, Microsoft and Lenovo offer one year of Office 365 free.
Communication & GPS
The primary communication module for the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 is of course its WLAN module which supports the 802.11 a/b/g/n standards and can also operate on the 5 GHz frequency. Bluetooth 4.0 is also on-board. A GPS module is included and, in our test, it was reliable and fast.
Cameras & Multimedia
Lenovo is generous with the cameras: the rear camera offers 8 megapixels, which is a far higher resolution than that offered by the HP Stream 8 or the Dell Venue 8 Pro. The pictures have decent colors and thanks to its wide-angle lens, it is very easy to capture the desired subject. However, pictures blur easily and object borders are often not clear. Overall, it will not be fun to zoom into these pictures but the picture quality is decent. The front camera with 1.6 megapixels offers decent Selfies.
Input Devices & Interface
The 8-inch capacitive touchscreen is the primary input device for the tablet. It works reliably, even in the corners, and can support up to five fingers simultaneously. The on-screen keyboard can be put in its own window and then moved around freely. In landscape mode, the keyboard takes up a lot of space, but it is simple and easy-to-use.
Display
The high resolution of 1920x1200 pixels scores the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 a lot of points. In comparison, the competitors all offer a mere 1280x800 pixels. Our test model has very sharp details, but the icons are far too small on the desktop. The brightness is the highest amongst the four devices and the illumination of 88% is just right.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 389 cd/m²
Contrast: 1556:1 (Black: 0.25 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.28 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2
ΔE Greyscale 9.65 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
Gamma: 1.25
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3745, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Dell Venue 8 Pro HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3740D, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Acer Iconia Tab 8 W HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 32 GB eMMC Flash | HP Stream 8 5900ng HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 32 GB eMMC Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 1% | -29% | -18% | |
| Brightness middle | 389 | 380.2 -2% | 313 -20% | 340 -13% |
| Brightness | 371 | 365 -2% | 298 -20% | 327 -12% |
| Brightness Distribution | 88 | 86 -2% | 80 -9% | 88 0% |
| Black Level * | 0.25 | 0.312 -25% | 0.57 -128% | 0.61 -144% |
| Contrast | 1556 | 1219 -22% | 549 -65% | 557 -64% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 10.28 | 7.03 32% | 7.3 29% | 4.89 52% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 9.65 | 7.12 26% | 8.38 13% | 4.19 57% |
| Gamma | 1.25 176% | 1.59 138% | 2.43 91% | 2.44 90% |
| CCT | 6657 98% | 6988 93% | 6145 106% | 7344 89% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 53.88 | 46 | 46.5 |
* ... smaller is better
The black value and contrast are the best in our test group, but the decent black value of 0.25 cd/m² does not prevent us from seeing a gray tinge in dark areas (subjective). The contrast of 1556:1 is very high, but the colors do not standout on the panel.
We analyzed this issue with the CalMAN tool and a spectrophotometer. Overall, the colors and gray values deviate strongly from ideal values of the sRGB color spectrum. Gray levels are far too bright and even colors are often much brighter than they should be.
In the outdoors and bright sunlight, the panel suffers from strong reflections, which prevent us from reading anything off the device. However, working with the device indoors, even when it is quite bright, is comfortable.
Thanks to the IPS panel, the viewing angles are perfect from all directions: the content does not change, regardless of the viewing angle.
Performance
The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 is equipped with the usual Intel Atom Z3745 SoC, which belongs to the Bay Trail T platform. This processor runs at 1.33 to 1.86 GHz and has 4 cores. In comparison, the Yoga Tablet 2 8 performs slower than the other devices as they all employ stronger Intel Atom SoCs. The user can easily navigate around Windows 8.1, but demanding software can push the CPU to its limits.
| Cinebench R10 | |
| Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | |
| Dell Venue 8 Pro | |
| Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | |
| HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
| Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | |
| Dell Venue 8 Pro | |
| Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | |
| HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
| Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | |
| Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | |
| HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
* ... smaller is better
PCMark 7 reveals that the Lenovo tablet beats the competition by a large margin, which is probably due to the fast memory and decent graphics performance.
The 32 GB eMMC storage, which is installed in the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8, offers fast read and write speeds. Most competitors cannot keep up with our test model.
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | Dell Venue 8 Pro | Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 3.0 | -32% | 2% | -6% | |
| Read Seq | 176 | 53.8 -69% | 172 -2% | 160.2 -9% 87.2 -50% |
| Write Seq | 71 | 40.15 -43% | 80.8 14% | 74.5 5% 52.3 -26% |
| Read 512 | 156 | 51.7 -67% | 141.7 -9% | 143.9 -8% 81.2 -48% |
| Write 512 | 43 | 32.57 -24% | 59.3 38% | 65.2 52% 37.9 -12% |
| Read 4k | 12 | 8.043 -33% | 12.76 6% | 17.52 46% 16.43 37% |
| Write 4k | 10 | 8.888 -11% | 9.26 -7% | 6.871 -31% 4.944 -51% |
| Read 4k QD32 | 26 | 28.75 11% | 26.31 1% | 37.23 43% 35.69 37% |
| Write 4k QD32 | 13 | 10.65 -18% | 9.491 -27% | 9.406 -28% 5.833 -55% |
The Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail) runs quite fast in our test model: 778 MHz. This allows the test model to beat the competition in terms of graphics performance. In the next section, we will discuss the gaming performance.
| 3DMark | |
| 1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | |
| Dell Venue 8 Pro | |
| Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | |
| HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
| 1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | |
| Dell Venue 8 Pro | |
| Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | |
| HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
| 1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | |
| Dell Venue 8 Pro | |
| Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | |
| HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
| 1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | |
| Dell Venue 8 Pro | |
| Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | |
| HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
| 1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | |
| Dell Venue 8 Pro | |
| Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | |
| HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
| 1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Physics (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | |
| Dell Venue 8 Pro | |
| Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | |
| HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 | |
| Dell Venue 8 Pro | |
| Acer Iconia Tab 8 W | |
| HP Stream 8 5900ng | |
Games
32 GB of storage and relatively weak hardware mean that games, which typically run well on laptops or PCs, will not run on our test model. This statement is supported by the benchmark of "Anno 2070". Thankfully, even demanding games from the App Store, like "Asphalt 8: Airborne", run smoothly.
| Anno 2070 | |||
| Resolution | Settings | Value | |
| 1920x1080 | Very High Preset, on AA, 4xAF | 1.1 fps | |
| 1366x768 | High Preset, on AA, 2xAF | 4 fps | |
| 1366x768 | Medium Preset, on AA | 7.6 fps | |
| 1024x768 | Low Preset | 16.1 fps | |
Emissions
Temperature
While idling, the test model does not heat up. At maximum load, the surface temperatures can reach up to 44.5 degrees Celsius (~112 °F). These levels can be felt but are not so bad, especially as they are restricted to small areas. During the stress test, the CPU and GPU are pushed to full load to see if they continue running at maximum speeds: they do. At full load, the full performance of both the CPU and GPU is available. The CPU temperature rises to up to 82 degrees (~180 °F) which is acceptable.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35.1 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 34.1 °C / 93 F, ranging from 21.2 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44.5 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 33.5 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.1 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 30.2 °C / 86 F.
Speakers
The sound system of the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is quite good for a tablet. This is not always the case, especially since the Yoga Tablet 2 10 had some serious issues with sound. Thankfully, our test model has the advantage in this case: the forward facing speakers deliver sound directly to the user. The volume is quite high and the sound is heavy on the middle and high notes. As with the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro, the test model lacks precision, especially when multiple instruments are being played at the same time. Overall, the 8-inch tablet has a decent sound system. The 3.5 mm audio jack allows the user to enjoy better sound with headphones or external speakers.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 has significant weaknesses in this department. In comparison to other tablets, like the HP Stream 8 and the Acer Iconia Tab 8 W, our test model requires more power in all modes. At maximum load, the device draws up to 10 W! This is highly unusual, as even the power-hungry Dell Venue 8 Pro stops at 8.6 W. While idling, the device requires at least 1.3 W, whereas the HP Stream 8 and the Acer Iconia Tab 8 W survive on 0.4 W.
| Off / Standby |   0 / 0.1 Watt |
| Idle |  1.3 / 3.2 / 3.4 Watt |
| Load |
8.6 / 10 Watt |
    
| |
Battery Life
Due to the high power consumption, the Yoga Tablet 2 8 cannot run for very long: Despite a battery capacity of 24.3 Wh, our test model offers relatively poor run times. The HP Stream 8 has 10 Wh less, yet it can almost match our test model in run time (falls 11% short). In everyday use the Yoga Tablet 2 8 will last long enough, but Lenovo has a lot of room to optimize.
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3745, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Dell Venue 8 Pro HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3740D, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Acer Iconia Tab 8 W HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 32 GB eMMC Flash | HP Stream 8 5900ng HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Z3735G, 32 GB eMMC Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -3% | -5% | -11% | |
| Reader / Idle | 829 | 782 -6% | 768 -7% | 748 -10% |
| WiFi | 368 | 373 1% | 362 -2% | 324 -12% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Of course, one can simply use the Yoga Tablet 2 8 as a digital picture frame, but it would be a shame to employ the tablet in this manner, as it has a lot to offer. Its practical cylindrical grip and integrated kickstand are nice, ergonomical features. The tablet has good workmanship and decent sturdiness. However, if pressure is applied to the case, distortions are visible on the screen. We find it especially annoying that despite such a great design, the tablet has some serious flaws, like high power consumption, and the odd colors of the panel.
In terms of practical use, the Yoga Tablet 2 8 is definitely good, but it is not the slimmest tablet available - the grip requires a lot of room.
Windows 8.1 may or may not be a good choice for a small tablet, especially as an Android tablet can be recognized on a laptop/PC as an external storage device whereas a Windows tablet is simply not recognized. Furthermore, the small icons in desktop mode make the interface awkward. Perhaps the Android version is a better option, especially if you do not absolutely need a Windows 8.1 tablet.
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 8
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03/10/2015 v4(old)
Florian Wimmer
Pricecompare
