Final Thoughts
I actually got my first look at the ThinkPad 8 back at CES in January and I was actually pretty impressed. Lenovo wanted to bring out a tablet for business users where you can actually be productive and most importantly get work done. After spending some time with the ThinkPad 8 it is actually the first tablet that I have used where I could really substitute it for my Ultrabook.
I think that the main reason this is possible is because of the high resolution screen. Having a 1920 x 1200 resolution screen means that I can easily work in desktop mode in Windows 8.1, which I do prefer over using metro apps. Desktop mode can easily be used with touch, but I would have really liked to have seen stylus support here. I have smaller hands and fingers, but if you have larger hands it may be a little difficult. Now of course if you have a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse you can easily connect them to the ThinkPad 8 and really get to work.
As far as performance goes the ThinkPad 8’s Intel Z3770 Quad Core processors could handle pretty much everything we threw at it. This includes having multiple applications open at once, watching HD video, playing arcade-style games, running Microsoft Office, editing photos, browsing the web and more. The only thing that I really could not do on the ThinkPad 8 that I would normally be able to do on my Ultrabook is edit HD video, but of course who is going to do that on a tablet anyways.
Lenovo did send along their Quickshot cover, which for $35 is a great addition to the ThinkPad 8. When you close it, it will put the ThinkPad 8 to sleep and of course when you open it back up it will turn the device back on. On top of that it is going to protect the screen and when you are using the device it will protect the back. You can also use it to prop up the ThinkPad 8 if you wish. The reason they are calling it the Quickshot cover is that the corner pulls down to give you easy access to the back camera. When you pull down this flap the camera will instantly turn on, which is a nice touch.
If you are looking for a Windows 8 tablet of this size the ThinkPad 8 is a great choice. It does offer a better screen size than most and had a sleek design to it. Although it does lack the battery time of other devices and we did have a little trouble with the WiFi. Right now you can find the ThinkPad 8 at my favorite online retailer for $449, which makes it a little more expensive than other 8-inch Windows 8 tablets, but with that screen resolution and other features I would say it is worth it. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 Tablet a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– 1920 x 1080 screen resolution
– Great performance
– Sleek design
– Dual cameras
– Bluetooth allows you to easily add accessories
– Quickshot cover is a great addition
Cons:
– No stylus support
– Battery life is not the best compared to other tablets
– Had a few WiFi issues
