Lenovo Yoga Book, we've tested it

One of the most innovative tablets of the year is already on the market: the Lenovo Yoga Book 2-in-1 convertible model  . Not only stands out for its dual-screen design and its Halo touch keyboard , but also for the large number of operating options (as a tablet, as a computer, as a single screen to watch movies and videos) and for the possibility of writing with real ink on paper while the device automatically and real-time digitizes all letters and drawings.

In addition, this model offers great autonomy thanks to the long-lasting battery: it guarantees more than 12 hours in normal use, and more than 70 hours with the device on standby.

The Lenovo Yoga Book tablet  is available in two different versions: one with  Windows 10 Pro "" for those who want to use it primarily as a computer "" and another with  Android 6.0 Marshmallow , for those who prefer to use it primarily as a tablet.

Below we thoroughly analyze the characteristics of this interesting Lenovo tablet  .

Lightweight design, dual screen, and plenty of use options

Lenovo Yoga Book has this year won the tuexperto.com Award for the best innovative tablet design , and the manufacturer has decided to develop a convertible model with a double screen and a curious hinge system that allows its two components to be oriented at practically any angle .

The main screen is 10.1 inches with Full HD  resolution (1920 x 1200 pixels) and can display the content vertically or horizontally thanks to the automatic rotation.

Next to the main screen we find another of the same size, which works as a surface for the touch keyboard, as a support for the paper notebook (on which we will use the Real Pen  with real ink) or as a direct drawing and writing surface with the Real Pen .

The tablet alone weighs 690 grams and measures 256.6mm long x 170.8mm wide x 9.6mm thick . To this data would be added only the weight and dimensions of the support for the paper, the pad of sheets and the pencil, but the end result is still a very compact, lightweight and easy to handle design.

The Lenovo Yoga Book model  is sold in a box that includes a charger (with microUSB cable), a Lenovo pad of paper  , the  Real Pen  with ink refills, and the support bracket to hook the sheets of paper on the surface. on the tablet and prevent them from moving while writing.

In addition to the microUSB connector, the tablet has a microHDMI port and a microUSB memory card slot. Also, depending on the version chosen, it may have a nanoSIM slot for LTE functions . The device also has a Bluetooth and  WiFi connection  .

A special hinge to orient the device in different ways

The Lenovo Yoga Book tablet  , having a double screen with the characteristics that we have mentioned, can be used in many different ways, for different uses, depending on how we orient them in space. This is possible thanks to the special connecting hinge.

• With the tablet closed in the style of a book, we can use it resting directly on the table or hold it as if it were a book: the main screen, which is tactile, will remain active, while the secondary screen will be facing backwards and totally deactivated.
• For computer mode, you just have to place the main screen vertically and the other screen horizontally, resting on the table. This will activate the Halo  keyboard  to facilitate typing.
• With this computer mode, it is also possible to disable the Halo keyboard  to use the second screen as a direct drawing surface with the Real Pen ink  pen . The tablet comes standard with applications that facilitate the integration of manual tracing, such as a trial version of  ArtRage or the Lenovo NoteSaver or  OneNote apps  , depending on the operating system.

• By fully opening the Lenovo Yoga Book device  and resting the two screens on the table, we can use the second as a support surface for the Lenovo notepad  and thus write with any of the applications that we have installed and that allow handwriting . What is really interesting, as we will see later, is that everything we write on paper with real ink is automatically digitized and we will be able to select different options on screen such as the type of stroke or the color. The result is a paper copy with what we have written by hand, and a digital version "" in image or in PDF format "" in different colors.
• Finally, if what we want is to enjoy audiovisual content and not have to worry about holding the tablet, we can open the screens even more to support the main one in front of us and the other behind, as support.

Halo keyboard - a pleasant surprise

One of the biggest questions that could be raised at the time of purchase is the type of keyboard: let's not forget that the  Lenovo Yoga Book does not have physical keys, but uses the surface of the second screen to project a Halo haptic feedback keyboard  .

Obviously, at first you have to get used to the strange feeling of not having keys, but the adaptation process takes just over a day: the keys are normal size, so the fingers can be easily moved without fear of pressing several keys at once. In a short time we can start typing normally and almost as quickly as on a standard computer keyboard, with the added benefit of the built-in spell checker (although, if not needed, it can be disabled).

Performance and operating system

The Lenovo Yoga Book tablet  is equipped with an  Intel Atom X5- Z8550 processor with quad cores running at 2.4 GHz and 4 GB of RAM . It has 64 GB of internal storage space , although it can be expanded with an external memory microSD card up to 128 GB.

The device is sold in two different versions depending on the operating system, to adapt to the needs of users: Windows 10 Pro or  Android 6.0 Marshmallow . The choice will be based mainly on the type of use we want to give the device: the Windows version is more suitable if we want to use the Lenovo Yoga Book  as a computer, while  Android  is an operating system that guarantees a more fluid performance if we want to use the device like tablet.

The impression when testing the operation is that the processor falls a bit short for the Windows version  : browsing the Internet using  Google Chrome , for example, slows down the device a lot if there are other programs open. For mobile device use, the ideal is to have the Android version  precisely because the applications are lighter, but if we want to enjoy the advantages of  Lenovo Yoga Book as a computer,  Windows 10 is the best option because we can enjoy programs like  OneNote  or  Sketch to get the most out of the writing functions with the Real Pen .

Real Pen ballpoint pen, built-in software and prints when testing handwriting

The star feature of this convertible tablet is, without a doubt, the possibility of writing by hand with the Real Pen real ink  pen  and thus saving the original on paper together with a digital version of our texts and drawings.

To enable writing mode, you just have to open the computer until the two screens are at the same level, on the table (or keeping the main screen vertically, like a computer) and press the pencil icon on the secondary screen. This will make the Halo keyboard disappear   and we can use the surface to write or draw. We can do it directly on the surface, or by supporting the Lenovo paper table  . The equipment box includes a paper notebook specially designed for this use, although we can also use any type of paper, and even thin notebooks, as long as they are supported on the surface of this second screen. The main advantage of Lenovo pad is that it is magnetized and stays fixed on the surface thanks to these magnets.

The pen  Stylus allows you to write on paper while strokes are digitized in real time on supported applications: can be used, for example,  OneNote from  Microsoft  or  Sketch in the version with Windows 10 Pro , or own app  Lenovo NoteSaver on the tablet  Android , in addition to the ArtRange artistic creation software  (which comes standard in a trial version for both models) and other programs or applications that we can install and that allow the introduction of manual writing, such as the Evernote app  for  Android .

As we write or draw, we will see the strokes directly on the screen and we can configure them so that in the digital version they appear as pencil lines, pen lines, highlighters ... And we can select the color or use an eraser to digitally correct any errors that we can commit on paper.

The user experience with these writing modalities is very good: the digitization takes place in real time and the options to customize the written or drawn lines on the screen are very varied. However, although created pages can be exported for saving as PDF or image format, a simpler system is needed to automatically convert handwritten text into digitized text. The function OCD is only available in the version of  Lenovo Yoga Book with  Windows through the program  OneNote , but we believe that there should be an automatic system that allows the user to choose from the beginning how to keep your writing in the final document.

Battery

The  Lenovo Yoga Book  incorporates an 8500 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery , which translates into excellent autonomy of use: more than 12 hours of normal use for the Windows version  , and more than 15 hours of normal use on the Android model  . The battery life with the tablet in idle reaches 70 hours.

Another interesting detail is that the device incorporates a fast charging technology similar to that of smartphones, to be able to enjoy several hours of autonomy by connecting the  Lenovo Yoga Book to a power source for a short period of time. With this technology we will achieve up to 80% charge of the tablet with only 50 minutes of connection to the current, but only if we use Lenovo's own charger  . If we use another USB power adapter, the charging time can be lengthened between 3 or 4 hours.

Price and conclusions

The Lenovo Yoga Book  convertible tablet  is now available in Spain . The Android  version  sells for € 500 , while the  Windows 10 Pro model can be purchased for € 600 .

As we have already mentioned, the choice of the model will depend on the main use that we want to give the equipment: if it is going to become a main or secondary computer where we will spend time working, it is best to opt for the Windows version  , since we can install numerous programs necessary for daily work.

Keep in mind, however, that the tablet's processor allows for better performance with the Android system  , since the applications work more fluidly than the Windows software . The Android version  would be the most suitable, therefore, to use the  Lenovo Yoga Book  as an accessory or tablet, much more comfortable than the smartphone but with certain limitations compared to a computer.

Considering the design, performance and operation, there is no doubt that the Lenovo Yoga Book device  is truly innovative and can become an excellent tool for those who want to combine the benefits of handwriting with the digital version. The handy size and lightweight design also make it easy to transport from place to place, and the special hinge allows for a wide variety of uses when resting the tablet on any surface. On the other hand, if we really want to give it an "off-road" use, some protection for the main screen glass is missing.

Data sheet

screen 

Design 

Camera 

Halo keyboard

software 

Power 

Memory 

Connections 

Autonomy 

+ info

Price 500 euros Android version / 600 euros Windows version