ThinkPad quality, tablet-style: Lenovo’s ThinkPad Tablet 2 reviewed

ThinkPad quality, tablet-style: Lenovo’s ThinkPad Tablet 2 reviewed:

The ThinkPad Tablet 2 in its keyboard stand.

Andrew Cunningham

Any tablet based on Intel's Clover Trail Atom platform is going to have the same strengths and weaknesses. They'll run all of your Windows desktop applications in a thin, light, and power-efficient package, but they only really run them well if said applications are relatively lightweight. This is simply the cost of using a 1.8GHz dual-core Atom CPU, 2GB of memory, and a slower storage interface rather than the full-blown Ultrabook guts of a tablet like Acer's Iconia W700. If you can look past those issues (as well as lackluster graphics performance), Clover Trail enables full Windows 8 tablets that aren't hampered by an inability to run third-party desktop applications.
The insides of Lenovo's ThinkPad Tablet 2 are largely identical to those of the Acer Iconia W510 we reviewed recently. They share the same processor, amount and type of RAM, and storage interface. What Lenovo's Clover Trail tablet brings to the table is the ThinkPad name, which many PC buyers still swear by. Lenovo's entry packs most of the ThinkPad line's virtues into a tablet-sized package, which makes it compelling if you can get past Clover Trail's performance.

Very much a ThinkPad

The ThinkPad Tablet 2: a rectangle with a screen.

Andrew Cunningham

Specs at a glance: Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2
Screen	1366x768 10.1" (155 ppi), 5-point capacitive touchscreen
OS	Windows 8 Pro (32-bit)
CPU	Dual-core 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2670
RAM	2GB DDR2 (non-upgradeable)
GPU	Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX545
HDD	64 solid-state drive (about 35GB available on 64GB drive after updates)
Networking	802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports	Micro USB 2.0 for charging, full-size USB 2.0 for accessories, Micro HDMI, MicroSD card slot.
Size	10.1” x 6.9” x 0.34” (262.6 x 164.6 x 9.8mm)
Weight	1.29 lbs (585g)
Battery	30WHr lithium-polymer
Warranty	1 year
Starting price	$699.00
Price as reviewed	$749.00
Other perks	Active digitizer and pen (in some configurations), optional keyboard stand accessory, optional VGA dongle, and optional dock accessory.

The ThinkPad lineup is known for having good build quality, and that's what the ThinkPad Tablet 2 brings to the table. The bulk of the tablet's casing is still made of plastic, but it's the same sturdy plastic that ThinkPad laptops use. The plastic has a slightly soft feel, similar (but not quite the same as) the rubbery coating used on the lids of the laptop ThinkPads. The Tablet 2 is to the iPad as ThinkPad laptops are to MacBooks—Lenovo favors plastic to metal, but their devices don't feel cheap and they're nice to use.

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