ET Review: Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8

Price: Rs 22,999

NEW DELHI: Drawing inspiration from its contortionist cousin laptop with the same name, the Yoga Tablet features an innovative twist-out stand and a unique design that makes it easier to hold in one hand. While conventional tablets have a uniform thickness, the Yoga Tablet has a bulbous battery cylinder on one side which doubles up as the grip. On the other edge it tapers off to just 3mm which adds to the allure. Hold it using the cylindrical edge and your first thought will be “wow this is much easier to hold than a regular tablet”. It feels made for your palm and your fingers won’t obscure the screen. Use it in either hand and the screen flips accordingly.

The power button (which doubles up as a notification LED) is on one end of the cylinder while the 3.5mm jack is on the other end. The screen is 8-inches — just a bit larger than the usual 7-inches.

The twist out stand is made from sturdy aluminium and props the device up on a table rather well. You could also place it on a table with the screen facing up and use the relaxed incline for typing. The micro SD and micro SIM slots are located under the stand — there’s nothing else to pry open or fiddle with.

Overall, we really liked the special attention to detail in the design and the innovative multi-use nature. The price is a bit on the high side considering the competition. For instance, if you don’t want the phone function, there’s always the excellent iPad Mini (which is available for just under Rs 22,000 now). If you need an 8-inch device with calling, there’s Samsung Tab 3 311. The Tab 3 has better performance, a better camera and better screen quality for roughly the same price.