Lenovo has announced it is to launch a new tablet called the Miix2 later this month. The announcement was made to coincide with the launch of Windows 8.1 which will be the operating system pre-installed on this 8-inch slab of technology.
Highlights of the Lenovo Miix2 include; Intel’s latest quad-core Bay Trail processor, an 8-inch 1280 x 800 pixel IPS display and a pair of front/rear cameras with 2MP/5MP output. It is to be priced from US$299.99 with an extra $20 required for an official folding cover which includes a stylus.
The new Lenovo Miix2 specifications are as follows:
- Display: IPS display with a 1280x800 resolution (16:10), 178-degree viewing angle, and 10-point multi-touch support
- Processor: Intel Bay Trail-T quad-core processor with Intel HD Graphics
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 32GB, 64GB and 128GB options plus microSD support
- Cameras: front-facing 2-MP camera and a rear 5-MP camera
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and 3G mobile broadband
- Physical: 8.35mm thick, 350g in weight
- Battery life: about 7 hours
- Software: Windows 8.1 plus Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 pre-installed
Lenovo appears to have managed to cram in an attractive mix of hardware and software at the $299 price point. The device is very slim, but perhaps that has negatively impacted the size of the installed battery and its stamina. However the inclusion of Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 is a nice bonus for mobile productivity.
The extra $20 required for an official folding cover, which includes a stylus, is pretty competitive - however it must be noted that Lenovo doesn’t have an active digitizer, this is a passive stylus.
These 8-inch Bay Trail powered Windows 8.1 tablets are going to be a growing trend with Microsoft’s manufacturing partners we heard last month. At that time we also saw some early video footage of Acer’s upgraded Iconia W4 Windows 8.1 model. We also know that at least Dell and Toshiba have some similar tablets in production.
Things might get competitive with all these devices hoping to catch the eyes of consumers in the coming months. Also information from Intel published at the IDF in September included a chart (above) with Atom tablets priced as low as $199 and Notebooks from $299 (Chromebooks from $199).
