Lenovo added two tablets to its convertible Yoga line in fall 2013 with the Yoga Tablet 8 and Yoga Tablet 10. Though they're aesthetically unique, with a design that features a rounded spine and kickstand, their identical internal specs, mediocre screens, and heavily-modified operating systems prove less than exciting.
Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The tablets get their Yoga names thanks to a kickstand on the back of each device, which props them up on a flat surface to give you a variety of viewing angles. They don’t, however, transform as much as other Yoga devices, since neither includes a keyboard.
At $250 for the 8-inch model and $300 for the 10-incher, the Yoga tablets are much cheaper than other tablets on the market. For those prices, the 8-inch is a solid value when you put it up against its competition. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for with the Yoga 10, whose low price gets you an overall unimpressive tablet that only has long battery life to brag about.
Design and features
A major selling feature of the Yoga 8 is its sturdy and unique design. It looks a lot like an Apple Wireless Keyboard, with its thin body and cylindrical edge on one side.
Officially, it measures 8.4 inches wide by 5.7 inches tall and at it’s thinnest point, it’s just .12 inches deep. It’s also weighs only .8 pounds. It has a silver polycarbonate textured back cover that looks like metal and feels smooth.
The tablet’s rounded edge (.30 inches), which I am calling the spine, houses the tablet’s battery and other components, allowing it to have a slim design everywhere else. It also changes the Yoga’s center of gravity, and makes it remarkably comfortable to hold. When I held the tablet by the spine, to read a book or Web site, it fit nicely in my hands.
The spine also props up the tablet so you can lie it flat on a surface and view it at a slight angle, making it easier to type on the screen.
There’s also an aluminum kickstand nestled in that spine, which folds away from the device to prop it up. The kickstand is awkward to open at first, but you quickly get used to it.
To open the kickstand, hold an edge of the tablet in one hand, grip the spine and rotate it away from the body of the tablet. Then, once the edge of kickstand lifts up, you can grab it and open it all the way. I don’t recommend trying to pry it open using your fingernails -- the amount of force needed means you’ll likely tear your nails.
There are two grip pads on the edge of the kickstand that are meant to give it extra stability. On the model I tested, they were applied crooked, and because of that, they didn't stop the tablet from sliding slightly on my desk each time I tapped the screen.