Atom-based Windows 8 slates continue to flood the market from every corner, but who would have thought the biggest budget option would be a ThinkPad?
At a base price of $729, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 is the cheapest 10-inch, Atom-based slate I've reviewed to date, and while the few shortcuts taken to reach that price create some challenges, they aren't deal-breakers.
This is one streamlined and super-compact tablet. At just 11 mm thick and 1.2 pounds, it's the lightest Windows 8 tablet I've encountered to date (and nearly a full half-pound lighter than Dell's Latitude 10). You might think this comes at the expense of specs, but with a 1.8GHz Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD, it's got an identical configuration to the rest of the Atomlets on the market. You might also assume the screen suffers in some way versus the competition, but the 1366 x 768-pixel resolution is also the same as the rest of the market, and the brightness, while on the dim side, isn't horrible. The chassis comprises a magnesium frame covered with polycarbonate – sturdy, but not entirely ironclad.
The battery is the usual area where manufacturers cut corners in order to trim weight, but the ThinkPad Tablet 2 shines here, too, offering more than ten straight hours of full-screen video playback. That's the top spot for Atom tablets and more than double the longevity of the much heavier HP Envy x2.
Performance benchmarks are in line with other Atom tablets. I did encounter some initial hiccups with the device (Windows Updates wouldn't install) but after updating drivers through Lenovo's System Update app, everything began working smoothly. I even managed to get S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat to run on the device... at 1.3 frames per second.
One of the most noteworthy additions to the tablet is a stylus that docks into the upper left corner of the device. This small sticklet gives you a certain level of additional precision when interacting with the touchscreen, but I found the stylus so thin that it was difficult to hold steady when navigating cluttered Windows menus. The click button, integrated near the tip of the stylus, is also extremely small and difficult to tap accurately.
Lenovo also bundles a few applications with the Tablet 2, but the most notable is the Lenovo QuickLaunch app, which emulates the old Windows 7 Start Menu and gives you access to a search box. It's not the most capable Start Menu replacement I've seen, but it's better than nothing.
My only real complaint with the Tablet 2 is a moderately serious one involving the unit's full-size USB 2.0 port (also included are a mini-HDMI port and MicroSD card slot). The problem is that the USB port is underpowered, offering just 2.5 watts of juice. This isn't enough to power a bus-powered external hard drive or optical drive, which is really the main point of having a full-size USB port on the tablet to begin with. Without a USB port that can work with a hard drive, the port is next to useless.
Power connectivity is also another blown opportunity. The Tablet 2 uses a micro USB connector to charge the device, but it positively sips at the juice. Charging the fully-drained battery via wall power for more than 12 hours didn't even net me a 60% battery charge. The included power cable is also far too short.
Your $729 gets you just the base unit and stylus. A docking station is another $100, and a compact Bluetooth keyboard, with an integrated stand and pointing system (but no secondary battery) is $120. The keyboard is nice, but you'll want the dock and its extra connectors if you plan to use the device for serious work.
WIRED Incredibly light and portable. Touchscreen tracks well. Cheapest Atom-based slate on the market. Record battery life.
TIRED Useless USB port. Charging is incredibly slow, and accomplished via an incredibly small cable. Small, stiff Windows button. Somewhat dim screen.