Lenovo Yoga, Twist or Helix?

I have been looking around for a new laptop/tablet/touch machine for a few months now, and finally there are some options that are actually shipping. I am a long-time ThinkPad person so I am primarily looking for Lenovo although I know there are other options as well.

Primary use in my case would be:

• All-around web surfing at home and on the road (vacations etc) for family use
• Occasional photo editing with Lightroom (I have a separate machine with calibrated display for the serious stuff)
• Testing of touch-enabled Windows 8 apps that I have implemented
• Occasional software development with Visual Studio (again, separate dedicated machine for serious stuff)

Due to my requirement to run traditional desktop software, an RT machine will not do. Therefore I am looking at hardware that runs Windows 8 Pro. The pros and cons listed below reflect my priorities and my personal opinions, of course. YMMV.

The options

All of the options below share similar characteristics: i7, 8GB of RAM, an SSD (size varies), around 1,5kg weight and a touch screen that can also be used as a tablet. I have personally test driven both Yoga and Twist briefly, but Helix is so new that I haven’t been able to get my hands on one yet.

IdeaPad Yoga 13

Yoga is a new design that I haven’t seen before. The screen flips over 360 degrees so that it can be used as a tablet. Drawback is that the keyboard is left exposed in tablet mode.

Pros

• sturdy hinge, good overall build quality
• 256GB SSD
• decent screen resolution (1600x900)

Cons

• no built-in 3G
• new type of charger connector (I have a bunch of Lenovo chargers
• no TrackPoint mouse, only a TouchPad (rare for Lenovos)
• somewhat closed construction (no user replaceable SSD etc, but makes it sturdier of course)

Yoga 13 tech specs from Lenovo site

ThinkPad Twist

Twist has a familiar design from earlier ThinkPad X…T line of convertible tablets.

Pros

• 3G
• traditional round ThinkPad charger connector (matters to me because I have compatible chargers lying around)
• SSD can be replaced easily
• TrackPoint mouse

Cons

• low screen resolution (1366x768)
• glossy screen & surrounding plastics
• build quality not high enough for my taste (plastics everywhere)

tech specs from Lenovo site

ThinkPad Helix

Helix is the only one I haven’t been able to try out personally, but based on what I have read from the internet, Helix seems to be by far the best device in the group. However, it is also by far the most expensive one and it remains to be seen how well the detachable screen construction works in practice and how durable the hinge mechanism is. If the build quality is excellent and e.g. fan construction proves to be good, then the higher price might be justified.

Drawback of the detachable screen is that all of the electronics has to be packaged to the screen part. That makes the screen+keyboard combo probably a bit top-heavy, although in Lenovo’s design the weight is almost evenly distributed since the keyboard has additional battery – a nice way to extend the battery life.

Pros

• detachable screen that makes this a lightweight tablet
• 3G
• excellent screen resolution (1920x1080)
• digitizer, pen for precision touch

Cons

• expensive (about 1000€ more than Twist & Yoga 13 based on preliminary pricing)
• new construction, durability

 

Summary

I ended up purchasing the Yoga. The lack of 3G is compensated by sharing my Lumia’s network connection and I will just need to either use external mouse or learn to use the TouchPad mouse.