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The Best Experience With Windows 8 Tablets And Hybrids (Part 1)

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We test nine new touchscreen devices to see which one provides for using Windows 8

The tiles on the Windows 8 Start screen are designed to be prodded with a finger, rather than clicked with a mouse, so you’ll get the most from the OS if you use a touchscreen device.

Windows 8 tablets, unlike Android and Apple ones, are designed for more than just surfing and viewing, and often come with a keyboard either included, or as an optional extra. A hybrid is a cross between a tablet and a laptop: like a laptop, its screen and keyboard are separated by a hinge, but this is flexible enough to fold back on itself, tucking away the keyboard to leave a tablet-like screen. We’ve looked at six hybrids and three tablets to see which provides the best touchscreen Windows 8 experience.

How we tested

We tested how fast each device running a full version of Windows 8 (all the hybrids and one tablet) performed a series of Windows tasks, then compared it with a 3.4GHz Intel Core i7-2600 desktop PC with 4GB of memory and a benchmark score of 1. The better a device performed, the higher it scored. Because two of the tablets use the cut-down Windows 8 RT, and don’t run standard Windows programs, they couldn’t run the benchmark software, so couldn’t be compared to the other devices. We also looked at the screens’ brightness and contrast (measured in cd/m2), and testes battery life by looping a video and timing how long it took to drain the battery from a full charge.

Lenovo ideapad yoga 13: $1,499.99

While other hybrid manufactures have gone to town with intricate sliding mechanisms and ingenious flipping and rotating screens, Lenovo’s Yoga 13 keeps things simple. It’s connected by an ultra-flexible hinge that allows the lid to rotate a full 360 degrees and bend back on itself fully, thus transforming into a tablet. This fixed hinge feels solid compared to the more fiddly mechanisms on other hybrids in this Group Test.

The simple design makes the Yoga 13 comfortable to use, particularly in laptop mode. There’s a large Synaptics buttonless touchpad and our only complaint about the keyboard is that the keys are slightly small. The wide, rubberized wrist rest feels comfy, too.

Lenovo ideapad yoga 13

Lenovo ideapad yoga 13

As you push back the display from the laptop position, the Yoga 13 can strike a range of different poses. In ‘tent’ mode, the Yoga stands on its edges like a name card at a wedding supper. Lay the base flat with the keyboard facing down and the hinge allows the touchscreen to be titled back and angled to your optimum position. Fold it completely flat to use as a standard tablet, and the keyboard and trackpad are automatically disabled as the screen passes the horizontal, so there’s no danger of typing random letters while you hold it. However, at 1.53kg it’s very heavy, and the exposed keyboard and touchpad on the rear feel a bit odd, so using it flat doesn’t feel natural. For casual surfing or watching videos, however, the touchscreen and flexible hinge are a winning combination.

As you push back the display from the laptop position, the Yoga 13 can strike a range of different poses

As you push back the display from the laptop position, the Yoga 13 can strike a range of different poses

The Yoga 13’s display is top quality. The 1,600 x 900 pixels resolution is lower than that on the Acer, Dell, Sony and Asus models, which all boast Full HD screens. However, its image quality is superb. The IPS panel’s wide viewing angle helps it look great in any position, and while the vivid color reproduction has a slightly pink hue, it’s more than a match for its peers. The 832:1 contrast ratio gives images solidity and depth, and the LED backlight reaches an ample brightness of 325cd/m2, though it was only seventh brightest in this Group Test.

Our review model had a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5 CPU. However, that was a pre-launch model and the Yoga 13 now comes with a 1.9GHz Intel Core i7-3517U. The 4GB of memory and 128GB SSD make everything feel responsive, even while multitasking. With the slower Core i5 in place, the Yoga 13 achieved 0.61 in our Real World Benchmarks, which put it in fourth place. It runs the full 64-bit version of Windows 8.

The Yoga 13 came fifth in our light-use battery, test, lasting 6 hours and 50 minutes, which should be adequate if you don’t keep it running all day.

The 1,600 x 900 pixels resolution is lower than that on the Acer, Dell, Sony and Asus models

The 1,600 x 900 pixels resolution is lower than that on the Acer, Dell, Sony and Asus models

The Yoga 13’s weakest element is connectivity. Despite plenty of space around the laptop’s flattened edges, there’s only one USB 2 port, one USB 3 port, an HDMI video port, a single 3.5mm headphone jack and an SD card reader. There’s no Ethernet socket, so you’ll have to rely solely on wireless via the single-band 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.

Verdict

Making a usable Windows 8 hybrid is all about compromise, and Lenovo has got the balance just right. The double-jointed hinge is flexible and durable, and there’s ample power twinned with a top-notch IPS display.

Rather than creating an overweight tablet with diminished laptop features, Lenovo has come up with a solid, attractive laptop that doubles as an occasional, king-sized 13.3in tablet. The distinction is subtle, but it makes all the difference.

The Yoga 13 isn’t perfect, but for $1,500 we think it’s the pick of the Windows 8 hybrids for now, if you want both a laptop and a tablet.

·         Features: 8/10

·         Performance: 8/10

·         Ease of use: 8/10

·         Value for money: 8/10

Dell XPS 12: $1,948.99

The Dell XPS 12 converts from a laptop to a tablet with one press of your finger. Open the lid, push firmly on the display’s upper half and, with a soft click, the magnets and latches disengage, allowing the panel to spin through 180 degrees. Snap the lid shut and the XPS 12 becomes a tablet. Alternatively, you can swing the base round and use it as an adjustable stand.

In laptop mode, the XPS 12 has a handy spill-resistant keyboard, with keys that light up in the dark. It’s also very pleasant to type on. The glass touchpad has a silky feel that’s great to use, and is flush with the wrist rest, making it easy for Windows 8’s swipe gestures.

Dell XPS 12

Dell XPS 12

At 1.5kg, it’s heavy, which makes it less convincing as a tablet, but it’s reasonably comfortable to hold, with ridges on the base that provide good grip.

The display is superb. It’s 12.5in across the diagonal, covered in strong Gorilla glass, and has a Full HD resolution. The only downside is that standard Windows text looks minuscule, so you may have to increase the text size to make it legible. We recorded a contrast ratio of 681:1 and a maximum brightness of 395cd/m2, fifth brightest in this Group Test. It achieved 0.65 in our benchmarks (third in this test), and its battery lasted 6 hours 55 minutes in our light-use battery test (fourth overall).

Our review model came with a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of memory, a 256GB SSD and the full version of Windows 8. If you want to pay less than $1,948.55, the hardware can be cut back to a Core i5, 4GB of memory and 128GB SSD, but you’ll notice a reduction in performance.

It’s 12.5in across the diagonal, covered in strong Gorilla glass, and has a Full HD resolution

It’s 12.5in across the diagonal, covered in strong Gorilla glass, and has a Full HD resolution

Verdict: 8/10

The Dell XPS 12 gets lots of things right. It’s attractive and powerful, and the display is excellent. However, despite being both an excellent laptop and a workable table, its screen-tipping mechanism doesn’t feel as sturdy as the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13’s. if you’re going to spend this much money on a hybrid, we think it’s worth buying the cheaper Lenovo model with its sturdier construction.

·         Features: 8/10

·         Performance: 8/10

·         Ease of use: 8/10

·         Value for money: 8/10

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