W.A.Khan, Microsoft Surface Pro 2 The Surface Pro 2's display may not have received an upgrade, but then it didn't need one. It's still a fine IPS panel that helps bring Windows 8.1's colorful and vibrant nature to life. The tablet itself is easier to use thanks to improved keyboard covers - even the Touch Cover 2 will prove more than adequate for most this time around.The Microsoft Surface Pro 2 is a faster, longer-battery-life version of the original model, upgraded with a current-gen Haswell processor. The keyboard cover is also improved with backlit keys, and is among the best tablet accessories ever devised.The Surface Pro 2 is a very tough product to judge, which is what makes it interesting. The good news is Microsoft has sorted out the most serious issue with the first version: the battery life. At around eight hours, the Surface Pro 2 mixes it with the Ultrabooks like the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus and Sony VAIO Pro 13, even if it still falls a little short of 'tablet class' battery life.
But, The Surface Pro 2 remains stubbornly thick and heavy compared with some sleeker competitors. The base 64GB version may leave you starved for storage, and the keyboard cover, practically required, should be included instead of sold separately.
The bottom line: Microsoft's subtly updated Windows 8.1 tablet feels more like Surface Pro 1.5 -- improved battery life and better accessories make it a worthwhile (albeit pricey) laptop replacement, but it's still not an iPad-level category killer. Specifications
Display type10.6 nm
RAM4 GB
ProcessorIntel 4th Gen Core i5
Dimensions (WxDxH)10.8 in x 0.53 in x 6.8 in
Weight2 lbs Price $899 VS Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S
The Yoga 11S is one of the most anticipated laptops of the year, especially after the very warm welcome its predecessor received. That predecessor, the 13-inch IdeaPad Yoga 13, was one of the most talked-about Windows 8-launch laptops. The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is a great 11-inch ultraportable touch-screen laptop that also has a flip-around display for tablet and hybrid use.The 11.6-inch IPS display impresses with its vivid colors, and dark scenes greatly benefit from the Yoga 11S’s deep blacks. The 1366 by 768 resolution is a bit of a bummer in tablet mode, but it holds up well during laptop usage on account of the system’s small screen. An overactive ambient-light sensor proved annoying, though easy to disable. Battery Life: The battery life of the Ideapad Yoga 11S to be pretty good but not outstanding. The battery lasted five hours and 26 minutes in the Powermark, which mixes web browsing (50%), video (25%) and productivity (25%). That’s around 25 minutes less than the Samsung Series 7 Ultra mentioned above and nearly 50 minutes less than the Sony Vaio Pro 13. But,Recent 11-inch laptops from Apple and Sony have raised the bar for ultraportables, especially when it comes to battery life. The Yoga 11S needs an upgrade to Intel's latest processors.
The bottom line: Like the larger 13-inch model, the 11-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is a useful hybrid that doesn't forget it's a laptop first, but it's stuck with what feels like old hardware for now. Specifications
Processor Intel Core i5 i5-3339Y / 1.5 GHz ( 2 GHz ) ( Dual-Core )
RAM installed size 8 GB
Hard Drive 256 GB - Serial ATA-300
Operating System Windows 8 64-bit Edition
Display Type 11.6 in IPS
Max Resolution 1366 x 768 ( HD )
Graphics Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000
Optical Drive None Price;$949.99 VS HP Envy x2 The Envy x2 impressed us. Its outstanding industrial design really shows the potential of a tablet/laptop hybrid. The HP Envy x2 has a clean, comfortable design and feels lightweight in tablet form. It has excellent battery life, and works just as well as a laptop as it does as a tablet. Performance: Unfortunately, as soon as we start talking performance we’re confronted by the fact that Clover Trail is still Atom, and Atom is still not in any way, shape or form a performance chip – and that 2GB RAM maximum doesn’t help here either.Don’t get us wrong, for navigating through Windows and average daily use such as browsing the web and running apps or light programs, the Z2760 in the HP Envy x2 runs smooth as butter. Performance is consistently superior to that in the netbooks of yore, especially when it comes to HD video playback and light multi-tasking, and most non 3D-gaming apps you’ll find in the Windows store should run without a hitch.
However, proper multi-tasking; running intensive HD video simultaneously with another program; or using demanding programs like an image editor can still quite easily bring this kind of machine to its knees. In other words, as a tablet the x2 performs admirably, but as a laptop replacement you have to be prepared to put up with its limitations.
3D gaming in anything but the most casual titles, meanwhile, is also a big no-no. Even at minimum settings our test games simply refused to run or crashed after getting through the menus. Mind you, this is not surprising given that Intel’s integrated GMA 3600 chip paired with the Atom Z2760 is derived from an old PowerVR design the benefits of which Windows drivers don’t fully bring out. Hopefully updated drivers will eek out more performance. Battery life: Battery life is impressive, living up to HP’s claim of seven hours when we streamed video from BBC iPlayer. And, of course, there’s a second battery in the keyboard, which provides an additional seven hours of battery life. No ultrabook that weighs a similar amount can claim to last this long. But, The laptop mode is top-heavy, and the awkward tablet detachment mechanism isn’t perfect; it has limited ports; and a slower Atom processor means in performance it's far behind most ultrabooks, even though it’s priced like one. The bottom line: The HP Envy x2’s capacity to be a full Windows 8 tablet or dock with a keyboard works as well as advertised, provided you’re willing to live with slower performance at a high price. You’re paying for style.
Windows 8 (32-bit); 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760; 2GB DDR2 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 747MB (Total) Intel GMA; 64GB SSD Processor 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760
Memory 2GB, 1,066MHz DDR2
Hard drive 64GB SSD
Graphics Intel GMA
Operating system Windows 8
Dimensions (WD) 11.9x8.1 inches
Height 0.6-0.7 inch
Screen size (diagonal) 11.6 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 3.1 pounds / 3.6 pounds (tablet + keyboard)
Category Ultraportable hybrid Price; $849
But, The Surface Pro 2 remains stubbornly thick and heavy compared with some sleeker competitors. The base 64GB version may leave you starved for storage, and the keyboard cover, practically required, should be included instead of sold separately.
The bottom line: Microsoft's subtly updated Windows 8.1 tablet feels more like Surface Pro 1.5 -- improved battery life and better accessories make it a worthwhile (albeit pricey) laptop replacement, but it's still not an iPad-level category killer. Specifications
Display type10.6 nm
RAM4 GB
ProcessorIntel 4th Gen Core i5
Dimensions (WxDxH)10.8 in x 0.53 in x 6.8 in
Weight2 lbs Price $899 VS Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S
The Yoga 11S is one of the most anticipated laptops of the year, especially after the very warm welcome its predecessor received. That predecessor, the 13-inch IdeaPad Yoga 13, was one of the most talked-about Windows 8-launch laptops. The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is a great 11-inch ultraportable touch-screen laptop that also has a flip-around display for tablet and hybrid use.The 11.6-inch IPS display impresses with its vivid colors, and dark scenes greatly benefit from the Yoga 11S’s deep blacks. The 1366 by 768 resolution is a bit of a bummer in tablet mode, but it holds up well during laptop usage on account of the system’s small screen. An overactive ambient-light sensor proved annoying, though easy to disable. Battery Life: The battery life of the Ideapad Yoga 11S to be pretty good but not outstanding. The battery lasted five hours and 26 minutes in the Powermark, which mixes web browsing (50%), video (25%) and productivity (25%). That’s around 25 minutes less than the Samsung Series 7 Ultra mentioned above and nearly 50 minutes less than the Sony Vaio Pro 13. But,Recent 11-inch laptops from Apple and Sony have raised the bar for ultraportables, especially when it comes to battery life. The Yoga 11S needs an upgrade to Intel's latest processors.
The bottom line: Like the larger 13-inch model, the 11-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is a useful hybrid that doesn't forget it's a laptop first, but it's stuck with what feels like old hardware for now. Specifications
Processor Intel Core i5 i5-3339Y / 1.5 GHz ( 2 GHz ) ( Dual-Core )
RAM installed size 8 GB
Hard Drive 256 GB - Serial ATA-300
Operating System Windows 8 64-bit Edition
Display Type 11.6 in IPS
Max Resolution 1366 x 768 ( HD )
Graphics Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000
Optical Drive None Price;$949.99 VS HP Envy x2 The Envy x2 impressed us. Its outstanding industrial design really shows the potential of a tablet/laptop hybrid. The HP Envy x2 has a clean, comfortable design and feels lightweight in tablet form. It has excellent battery life, and works just as well as a laptop as it does as a tablet. Performance: Unfortunately, as soon as we start talking performance we’re confronted by the fact that Clover Trail is still Atom, and Atom is still not in any way, shape or form a performance chip – and that 2GB RAM maximum doesn’t help here either.Don’t get us wrong, for navigating through Windows and average daily use such as browsing the web and running apps or light programs, the Z2760 in the HP Envy x2 runs smooth as butter. Performance is consistently superior to that in the netbooks of yore, especially when it comes to HD video playback and light multi-tasking, and most non 3D-gaming apps you’ll find in the Windows store should run without a hitch.
However, proper multi-tasking; running intensive HD video simultaneously with another program; or using demanding programs like an image editor can still quite easily bring this kind of machine to its knees. In other words, as a tablet the x2 performs admirably, but as a laptop replacement you have to be prepared to put up with its limitations.
3D gaming in anything but the most casual titles, meanwhile, is also a big no-no. Even at minimum settings our test games simply refused to run or crashed after getting through the menus. Mind you, this is not surprising given that Intel’s integrated GMA 3600 chip paired with the Atom Z2760 is derived from an old PowerVR design the benefits of which Windows drivers don’t fully bring out. Hopefully updated drivers will eek out more performance. Battery life: Battery life is impressive, living up to HP’s claim of seven hours when we streamed video from BBC iPlayer. And, of course, there’s a second battery in the keyboard, which provides an additional seven hours of battery life. No ultrabook that weighs a similar amount can claim to last this long. But, The laptop mode is top-heavy, and the awkward tablet detachment mechanism isn’t perfect; it has limited ports; and a slower Atom processor means in performance it's far behind most ultrabooks, even though it’s priced like one. The bottom line: The HP Envy x2’s capacity to be a full Windows 8 tablet or dock with a keyboard works as well as advertised, provided you’re willing to live with slower performance at a high price. You’re paying for style.
Windows 8 (32-bit); 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760; 2GB DDR2 SDRAM 1,066MHz; 747MB (Total) Intel GMA; 64GB SSD Processor 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760
Memory 2GB, 1,066MHz DDR2
Hard drive 64GB SSD
Graphics Intel GMA
Operating system Windows 8
Dimensions (WD) 11.9x8.1 inches
Height 0.6-0.7 inch
Screen size (diagonal) 11.6 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 3.1 pounds / 3.6 pounds (tablet + keyboard)
Category Ultraportable hybrid Price; $849
