Score: 7/10 (Average)
Pros Strong build quality, good looking screen, efficient battery life, full capabilities of Windows 8 . | Cons Lack of ports for a full Windows 8-powered machine, inconsistent processing speeds, better W8 tablets available for a little bit more money. |
Buying a Windows 8 or Windows RT tablet can be a very difficult process. With a surplus of options out there on the market, it can be quite hard to decide which one is just right for you. We haven't reviewed a Windows 8 or RT tablet yet here on MobileCupOfJoe, but we decided we would get our foot in the door with the Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx. The IdeaTab Lynx is not a bad tablet, but it is ultimately a very forgettable one with a few hardware flaws, and a price that is hard to justify when there are other options out there for a little bit more money that are better tablet choices. To find out more about my thoughts on the IdeaTab Lynx, keep reading my full review!
Design/Build Quality
The Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx measures in at 11.8 x 7.4 x 0.37" and weighs in at 22.6 oz. Although the IdeaTab Lynx isn't my most favorite tablet that I have used, I can't deny that it does have a very strong build quality. Although the design of the Lynx isn't revolutionary, it does feel really great to hold in the hand. The incredibly sturdy body, and nice textured plastic back give the IdeaTab Lynx a nice little premium feeling.
In terms of ports, the IdeaTab Lynx is lacking quite a bit when you consider that it is a full-fledged Windows 8 machine. A microUSB, miniHDMI, 3.5mm headset jack, and microSD card slot are all that you will find here on the Lynx. Considering that this is running full Windows 8 tablet, it would have been nice to see at least one full-sized USB port make it's way onto the device. With that said, you do have the option to purchase a keyboard docking station for the Lynx, which doubles your battery life and adds 2 full-sized USB 2.0 ports. Unfortunately, the docking station costs an extra $199 on top of the base price of the tablet, and the USB ports are the slower 2.0, and not 3.0 like you can find on devices with Intel's faster Core-i series CPU.
The Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx is also pretty basic when it comes to hardware buttons. On the top of the tablet, you will find a standard power/lock button. On the left-hand side you will find a physical lock rotation button and your volume rocker. Below your 11.6-inch screen you will find a physical Windows home button, but it doesn't provide as much feedback as I would have liked to seen. There are a total of 2 stereo speakers on the Lynx, one of the right and one on the left hand side on the tablet. Unfortunately, the speakers leave a lot to be desired. Even when turning the volume up to 100, I still found myself craving for louder, and deeper audio.
In terms of ports, the IdeaTab Lynx is lacking quite a bit when you consider that it is a full-fledged Windows 8 machine. A microUSB, miniHDMI, 3.5mm headset jack, and microSD card slot are all that you will find here on the Lynx. Considering that this is running full Windows 8 tablet, it would have been nice to see at least one full-sized USB port make it's way onto the device. With that said, you do have the option to purchase a keyboard docking station for the Lynx, which doubles your battery life and adds 2 full-sized USB 2.0 ports. Unfortunately, the docking station costs an extra $199 on top of the base price of the tablet, and the USB ports are the slower 2.0, and not 3.0 like you can find on devices with Intel's faster Core-i series CPU.
The Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx is also pretty basic when it comes to hardware buttons. On the top of the tablet, you will find a standard power/lock button. On the left-hand side you will find a physical lock rotation button and your volume rocker. Below your 11.6-inch screen you will find a physical Windows home button, but it doesn't provide as much feedback as I would have liked to seen. There are a total of 2 stereo speakers on the Lynx, one of the right and one on the left hand side on the tablet. Unfortunately, the speakers leave a lot to be desired. Even when turning the volume up to 100, I still found myself craving for louder, and deeper audio.
Hardware
The IdeaTab Lynx is considered to be a 10-inch tablet, but in reality it has a 11.6-inch screen with a pixel resolution of 1366 x 768. Although it would have been nice to see a 1080p full HD resolution, the IdeaTab Lynx's screen actually looks pretty darn great. Colors are extremely vibrant, text is nice and crisp, and everything is just really pretty to look at.
One of my issues with the IdeaTab Lynx is it's processor. The Lynx is packing in a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2760 CPU and 2GB of RAM. While swiping through the Modern UI and opening applications is a fairly fast and smooth experience, I did run into quite a few hiccups when browsing the Web, and even playing games as casual as Jetpack Joyride. When playing Jetpack Joyride on the Lynx, I always encountered some pretty bad frame rate issues that occasionally caused me to fly into a red hot laser and lose. Although this isn't that much of a surprise when you consider that this is an Atom processor, it still didn't make it any less annoying.
If you are one of those people who somehow finds it enjoyable to take pictures with a 10-inch tablet, you will be disappointed to find out that there is no rear-facing camera here on the IdeaTab Lynx. There is however a 2MP front-facing camera, which actually performs quite nicely for video chatting or taking selfies for your Facebook or Twitter profile pictures.
Although Lenovo does not list the size of the Lynx's battery on their website, they claim that it can run for up to 8 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, and another 8 hours when hooked up to the keyboard dock. Lenovo's claim actually turned out to be true, because in my time with the Lynx, I usually got about 8 hours of usage time out of it before I had to throw it on the charger. This long-lasting battery is all thanks to the Intel Atom CPU. Although Atom can't compare to the Core-i series' processing power, it certainly does have the upper hand when it comes to conservation of battery life.
Although Lenovo does not list the size of the Lynx's battery on their website, they claim that it can run for up to 8 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, and another 8 hours when hooked up to the keyboard dock. Lenovo's claim actually turned out to be true, because in my time with the Lynx, I usually got about 8 hours of usage time out of it before I had to throw it on the charger. This long-lasting battery is all thanks to the Intel Atom CPU. Although Atom can't compare to the Core-i series' processing power, it certainly does have the upper hand when it comes to conservation of battery life.
Software
The Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx is running on Windows 8, so unlike Windows RT, you can download and install full desktop applications. While it is nice to have the option to run apps such as iTunes, Sony Vegas Movie Studio, and Adobe Photoshop on the Lynx, it is worth noting that you do not get free access to Microsoft Office 2013, like you do on Windows RT.
As far as Windows 8 goes as a whole, there is still quite a bit of room for improvement. My biggest issue with Windows 8 (and RT) is still the disjointed experience between the Modern UI and Desktop mode. I've voiced my distaste on this in my other reviews of Windows 8 and Windows RT-powered devices in the past, so I won't go too far into that in this review here. Another issue that I've noticed with Windows 8 and RT in the past, is that it can take quite some time to completely open applications. However, it did seem to take a bit more time to open apps on the IdeaTab Lynx.
As far as Windows 8 goes as a whole, there is still quite a bit of room for improvement. My biggest issue with Windows 8 (and RT) is still the disjointed experience between the Modern UI and Desktop mode. I've voiced my distaste on this in my other reviews of Windows 8 and Windows RT-powered devices in the past, so I won't go too far into that in this review here. Another issue that I've noticed with Windows 8 and RT in the past, is that it can take quite some time to completely open applications. However, it did seem to take a bit more time to open apps on the IdeaTab Lynx.
One thing that I do really like with Windows 8 and RT (that I haven't mentioned in previous reviews) are all of the preinstalled apps Microsoft includes. Apps such as Weather, Travel, Games, etc., all have a really great layered look and feel to them. Every app has a Modern UI look to it, which means that virtually all of your apps will look very clean and not too intrusive.
While speaking of apps, Microsoft's Window Store is slowly, but surely, improving. Although you won't be able to download all of the very latest apps that are on Android and iOS, the big names like Twitter, Evernote, Google Search, Netflix, and Skype are all still there.
Final Verdict
At the end of the day, the Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx is a pretty forgettable tablet. While I appreciated the good build quality, great looking screen, the long-lasting battery life, and having the full features of Windows 8, there are just much better options out there, for a little bit more money. For only $60 more, you can get the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 which offers dual cameras, higher pixel density on the display, included stylus that docks into the body of the tablet, and an even better design. For just a little more than $50, I would recommend going with the ThinkPad Tablet 2 if you are in the market for a Windows 8 tablet made by Lenovo. The IdeaTab Lynx just doesn't offer anything that would truly compel me to shell out $450 for this 11.6-inch tablet. With the required purchase of the keyboard docking station to access all of the tablet's ports, inconsistent processing speeds, poor speakers, and more, the Lynx will most likely just get left in the dust, and be forgotten about. While the Lynx isn't a horrible tablet, I just can't find any reason to purchase one, when you can get a lot more bang for your buck elsewhere.
DISCLAIMER: Joseph Maring used the Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx for 20 days before beginning to write his review of the device. Lenovo sent us the IdeaTab Lynx to review, but in no way affected our final core of the tablet.
Author: Joseph Maring
DISCLAIMER: Joseph Maring used the Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx for 20 days before beginning to write his review of the device. Lenovo sent us the IdeaTab Lynx to review, but in no way affected our final core of the tablet.
Author: Joseph Maring
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