The Yoga Tablet 2 Pro, announced by Lenovo at a launch event in London last night, is a tablet behemoth; with a 13.3in display, it's one of the biggest we've ever seen, but that size has been put to good use. It's the first tablet with an integrated pico projector, and a sound system to match for when you want to share content with friends and family, rather than keep it to yourself on one device. We got the chance to try one out after the press conference in order to bring you some hands on impressions.
We were impressed with the multi-purpose kickstand design when it was first introduced with the Yoga Tablet 8in and Yoga Tablet 10in, and Lenovo has improved it for the latest model. The hinge has been strengthened, so you can use the Tablet 2 Pro in Stand mode without tipping it over with your taps, and a hole machined in the aluminium lets you hang it virtually anywhere. The bulging base is ideal for gripping when reading, and also makes room for a large battery; according to Lenovo the Tablet 2 Pro should last up to 15 hours on a single charge.
At one end of the base, a pico projector will turn the 13.3in screen into a 50in projected image, while on the back a dedicated subwoofer should create loud and clear sound with distinct bass. We tried both out with a series of video clips in a dark room away from the main conference area, and walked away impressed with the clarity of the image and volume from the 2.1 speakers. With the lights off, there was plenty of detail and colours were reasonably vibrant given the size of the projector, so we could happily use it to watch YouTube or catch-up TV. It won't replace a full-size projector, or even a big screen TV, but having it built into the tablet and available at the push of a button should be a very welcome addition for film fans and YouTube addicts.
The fact Lenovo's design hasn't had to adapt or compromise to emcompass the projector only adds to its premium feel, which is helped by the metal construction, flowing lines and slim dimensions. Despite the screen size, it doesn't feel overly heavy and we could comfortably hold it in one hand in portrait mode.
There's no getting away from the fact the Tablet Pro 2 is huge - that 13.3in screen might be geat for watching video curled up on the sofa or in bed, but it isn't exactly practical for reading the morning news on the train. Lenovo UK is aware of this, and purposely won't be selling the 4G variant here - it fully expects customers to use this almost exclusively at home.
The screen is stunning in the flesh though. The 2,560x1,440 resolution makes images and video look sharp and detailed, while brightness and colour vibrancy were both high - even under the harsh event lighting. We'll have to withhold judgment until we get one into the lab and test it against the competition, but it certainly looks impressive at first glance. With 32GB of onboard storage, a microSD card slot for adding another 64GB of space and dual band Wi-Fi, there should be no shortage of downloaded or streamed content to watch on it either.
We also didn't have the opportunity to proerly test the 8-megapixel rear camera, which should be capable of reasonably clear images in bright lighting conditions. With no flash, it may struggle in darker situations though.
On the software side, Lenovo's heavily customised version of Android 4.4 Kitkat reappears. It's a major change from the vanilla version, with no app drawer - instead you get a series of homescreens containing all your apps, making it feel more like iOS than google's operating system. At least it runs smoothly, thanks to the latest Intel Atom processor and 2GB of RAM, and there are only a few Lenovo-specific apps - the rest are standard Google fare.
We don't doubt that big screen tablets are the future; Apple is rumoured to be working on a 12.9in iPadand we've already seen the first 12in devices from Microsoft. Lenovo's approach is an interesting one, as it makes sense a bigger screen will probably be used more frequently at home than on the move, and with more and more people using tablets to watch video, the projector and sound system are sensible inclusions. We were impressed after a brief first look, so can't wait to see how the final retail version performs.
The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro will be going on sale from the end of November here in the UK, with prices starting from around £449. We're hoping to give the oversized entertainment tablet a full review a little closer to launch.
