We recently had the chance to check out the Lenovo Yoga Book. What feels like a cross between a laptop and a tablet, it’s an insanely lightweight device with a halo keyboard, real pen, and 15+ hours of battery life. It can be opened up and used as a laptop, folded and used like a tablet, or you can turn the keyboard off and sketch with the real pen stylus as you simutaneously create a physical and digital copy. And it’s available on either the Windows or Androids platform.
With a hinge that opens 360º, the Yoga Book can be used in 4 modes to fit your lifestyle: lay-flat Create Mode for drawing and taking notes, Browse Mode as a compact 10.1” tablet, Watch Mode for entertainment, and Type Mode as a productive laptop.
So Who Is the Yoga Book For?
As a writer, I work mostly from home at my desk. It’s where I feel most productive and I have all of my files and products I’m currently reviewing easily accessible. When I take my work to go, I like a lightweight device I can carry to meetings or throw in my bag on the way to the coffee shop. I do a LOT of typing when responding to emails or writing features, so upon first glance, my biggest concern was the keyboard. Would I be able to comfortably type as fast or as much as I usually do?
The Results
After almost a month with the Yoga Book I would say sometimes. While it’s a lot harder to type at full speed without the feel of real keys, I noticed when I’m consistently using the tablet I am able to churn out emails at a pretty fast speed. But times where I hadn’t used it in a few days, it took some time to adjust again, and many typos were made.
And the mousepad? I have never been one to prefer a laptop mousepad over an actual mouse. I tend to be a total spazz with ultra sensitive pads and I somehow end up at the bottom of the page or closing out my work. But I’ve managed to get used to the Yoga Book mousepad, and being that it is a tablet, I turn to the touch screen for most of my scrolling and selecting anyway.
Windows or Android?
While I’m a writer, I work mostly from the Chrome browser. Even my drafts are written in Google docs verses Word, which allows me to transition between devices with ease. I also have to maintain several social media apps, so the Android version is a perfect fit for me. And from other reviews I checked out before receiving this device, I found many agreed that the Android version is the best. Back when tablets first made their debut, I remember many sites not being able to perform the same functions as when on a PC. But luckily technology has advanced and that is no longer the case. Of course, if you’re a frequent user of Windows applications, then you’ll want to choose the Windows version.
Performance
www.lenovo.com
With 4 GB of memory and a Quad Core 2.4 GHz processer, the Yoga Book performs great for such a small device. It uploads large photo files at a decent speed and videos are crisp on the 10.1 inch screen. There is also a camera, and a microSD slot with the ability to add up to 128 GB.
Take Notes
What has to be the coolest feature about the Yoga Book is the real pen stylus. The stylus can be used as a normal stylus on both the screen and when the keyboard is turned off, but the coolest part is when you attach the real ink tips and grab the notepad. As a writer, I love taking real notes in meetings. But going back to type them can be a real pain in the you know what. So being able to simultaneously take notes and have a digital version is brilliant.
As for the other uses of the sketch pad, I can see how an artist would love the Yoga Book. I had a moment as I imagined myself as an artist, sketching away on the blank keyboard. It was pretty cool, although I don’t think I’ll be using the Note Saver often for this purpose – moreso for note taking.
Final Thoughts
So if you’re in the market for a tablet that can function as a super portable laptop, the Yoga Book is a great option with some pretty awesome features that you won’t find in any other tablet. The fact that the charger is a standard Android charger makes it even easier for Android phone users. You’ll only need to lug one charger around, and the long battery life is great.
And yes, I wrote this post from my Yoga Book.
For more information, visit www3.lenovo.com.
We received product to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions are our own.