Lenovo held a press conference on Thursday to reveal new products in the company’s Yoga line. These included a super-thin and -light Yoga 3 Pro notebook, four Yoga Tablet 2 units, and the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro.
For starters, Lenovo’s Dilip Bhatia indicated that the Yoga 3 Pro is the world’s thinnest and lightest 13.3-inch convertible laptop. It measures 11.8 x 9 x 0.5 inches and weighs around 2.6 pounds. Thanks to a special “watchband” hinge (which features over 800 pieces), this device can fold over and lay completely flat. There are six points of stability in this hinge, he said.
As for the specs, the laptop includes an Intel Core M-70 processor, 8 GB of RAM, up to a 512 GB SSD, an IPS panel with a 3200 x 1800 resolution and Gorilla Glass protection. The Yoga 3 Pro also includes JBL speakers with Waves Audio certification and a battery that promises up to 9 hours. This device can be used in four modes: laptop, tent, stand and tablet.
“To advance the concept of adaptive computing and complement the YOGA’s responsive hardware features, Lenovo created the new Harmony software experience,” the press release said. “Harmony gives YOGA owners a new way to discover applications and customize how they behave when used. For example, when reading an e-book, Harmony will automatically change the brightness and color temperature according to the environment lighting.”
This laptop’s pricing starts at $1,349.99, and it comes in Clementine Orange, Platinum Silver or Champagne Gold. The device will be made available at the end of October at Lenovo’s website and Best Buy.
Next, Lenovo’s Jeff Meredith and actor Ashton Kutcher introduced four new Yoga Tablet 2 tablets. These include an 8-inch Android 4.4 model, an 8-inch Windows 8.1 model, a 10.1-inch Android 4.4 model, and a 10.1-inch Windows 8.1 model. All four have four modes: stand, tilt, hold and hang, the latter of which is new to the Yoga family.
During the presentation, the two gentlemen revealed that the tablets will have a 1920 x 1200 display, dual speakers with Dolby technology, a battery promising up to 18 hours, an Intel Atom processor, and LTE capabilities. The keyboard for the 10.1-inch tablets magnetically locks, and it also serves as a tablet cover.
The 10.1-inch and 8-inch Android tablet will be available on Lenovo’s website beginning October 9 for a starting price of $299.99 for the 10.1-inch model and $249.99 for the 8-inch model. The 10-inch Windows 8.1 model will be made available in late October on Lenovo’s website and Best Buy for a starting price of $399.99. The 8-inch Windows 8.1 model is listed as “coming soon” (November).
Also introduced was a 13.3-inch Yoga Tablet 2 Pro with a rather cool built-in projector that will cast a 50-inch screen on the wall or ceiling. This model, packed with Android 4.4, also includes an 18 watt 2.1 speaker system, a 5 watt subwoofer, an Intel Atom processor, a 2560 x 1440 resolution, 32 GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for 64 GB of additional storage.
Meredith and Kutcher deemed this device the ultimate entertainment tablet, which focuses on the group of consumers who spend most of their tablet time at home watching video. More specifically, they said that 80 percent of those who use tablets do so at home; 52 percent watch video, and 56 percent share their tablet.
The 13.3-inch Yoga Tablet 2 Pro has a starting price of $499.99, and it will be available at the end of October on Lenovo’s website.
All in all, Lenovo had quite a bit to show off in its press event on Thursday. The two products that stood out were the Yoga 3 Pro and its 0.5-inch “thinness,” and the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro with its built-in projector. The latter tablet’s pricing, a starting tag of $499.99, shouldn’t be surprising given the large screen size and the nifty projector. Meredith and Kutcher weren’t kidding when they said this tablet will be primarily used at home.
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