Any Lenovo Yoga 8 users?

[bradly1101]

My big clumsy hands have trouble holding onto super thin, ultralight tablets. Cases help, but the form factor just doesn't feel natural in my hands. Trying them out in stores, I always found myself holding them by the store's security device.

I have read a lot on my older Kindle (my first and only 'tablet'), but it needs too much light; it kept my partner awake. I was considering a new, backlit Kindle, but it only has a single use.

I also use my phone as a second TV when we want to watch different things. I can watch anything on cable or recorded by streaming from my Media Center PC, and I enjoy Netflix too.

So an Android tablet made the most sense, but the Kindle Fire is not universal enough to run necessary apps. (Kindle is on everything anyway). I would be able to read with a backlit display, and I could watch Breaking Bad on a bigger screen.

In review after review I saw these wafer-thin, unwieldy ultralights with so-so battery life. The battery on the e-Ink Kindle was amazing. I wanted it all.

Along comes Mr. Shrout's review of the Yoga 8. It has a big 'spine' on one side for hand holding, which doubles as a larger space in which to hold a battery. Ryan said he got 18hrs. in mixed use. It also has a 64GB mSD slot.

It doesn't have the best specs. (Mediatek quad core, middling graphics on a 1280x800 display), but I won't be print-proofing photos on it, nor will I be doing any heavy gaming or benchmarking; just reading, video, web, scrabble, etc.

It's only $200 now. What do you guys think? All the user reviews I've seen are positive too.

 

[Ravynmagi]

It's only $200, but so is the Nexus 7 (it's $230, but Staples seems to have $30 off sales on it all the time).

With the Nexus you get a much better processor, resolution (and probably color/contrast quality), and double the RAM.

I do like the bigger 8 inch screen and the 50% larger battery, but the better screen quality and processor are far more important to me (along with having the newest version of Android).

If the Nexus 7 is too thin, you could put a case on it.


PS. I do think that Yoga 8 has a neat design. If it was $50 cheaper then maybe. Still not quite neat enough to me to spend $200 on it with a Mediatek SOC, non-FHD display, and half the standard RAM.

 

[bradly1101]

It's only $200, but so is the Nexus 7 (it's $230, but Staples seems to have $30 off sales on it all the time).

With the Nexus you get a much better processor, resolution (and probably color/contrast quality), and double the RAM.

I do like the bigger 8 inch screen and the 50% larger battery, but the better screen quality and processor are far more important to me (along with having the newest version of Android).

If the Nexus 7 is too thin, you could put a case on it.


PS. I do think that Yoga 8 has a neat design. If it was $50 cheaper then maybe. Still not quite neat enough to me to spend $200 on it with a Mediatek SOC, non-FHD display, and half the standard RAM.

Hmmm. I guess I have to sort out the priorities. I think it will be good enough for me. I hate it when the battery on my S3 dies in mid-show, so the battery is important.

I looked and it doesn't appear that the Nexus has a card slot. That's only 16GB on the $200 model. The Yoga can expand its 16GB to 80GB. That's important to me because if I convert a media center show or movie for the device, they can be multi-GB. And 720P is fine for me.

 

[bearxor]

I think for your uses, the Yoga makes a lot of sense. I think, for the price, a 1920x1080/1200 screen should have been included. If it were $50 cheaper, I think it'd be very attractive.

But, again, I don't think you need better specs than what's included. I'd just buy it and be happy.

 

[s44]

Nook HD?

 

[bradly1101]

Nook HD?

Can the Nook run any Android app.?

 

[Ravynmagi]

It's kinda slow, but it has Google Play and can run pretty much any Android app.

 

[bradly1101]

I went ahead and got it. It'll be here this week. Now to deal with the anticipation of a new product from a new sector to me. Wheeee!

 

[Necrolezbeast]

from most usage cases I'm particularly involved in I wouldn't run the battery dry in a sitting... so although I'm late to the thread, I'll still add that qi charging makes it easy to maintain a topped off device without having to worry about plugging it in.. The only complaint about my venue 8 pro is that I do miss the qi charging from the nexus 7 2013...

Anyway, have fun with the yoga 8 and be sure to let us know how it turns out! Enjoy!

 

[bradly1101]

from most usage cases I'm particularly involved in I wouldn't run the battery dry in a sitting...

I'm using a phone for tablet stuff. And since I only use that stuff in the evening on a thirsty S3, I run out.

I like how the battery works on the Kindle, I'm hoping this'll last for days too (considering my use).

 

[bradly1101]

It arrived today. Very solid and the screen looks great. Installed Apex, SwiftKey, Netflix... Video looks great and it's smooth and fast. Here's a good, in depth review of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaWLSoc2DjMhttp://<br /> www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaWLSoc2DjM

 

[bradly1101]

Well after living with it and giving it a workout...

1. The screen was somewhat washed out looking. But what I missed (and some reviewers missed) is that it has a more saturated preset that makes it look much more like my AMOLED phone.

2. It is a lot faster than my Galaxy S3, everything runs quickly. WiFi (N) is also much more speedy.

3. Battery life is incredible. With heavy use it only needs to be recharged every other night.

4. One thing that helps battery life and speed is the fact that it's a 1280x800 screen. 720P HD looks great. I never understood needing more pixels on a screen this small. My computer monitor is only double at 1440P at a relatively giant 27" (which also looks great). Text is crisp, and HD Netflix is engrossing.

5. I went ahead and got the 64GB SDXC Class 10 UHS-1 card, which is just as fast as the internal memory. Now I can keep my entire 28GB collection of music on it, all my classic music videos, and plenty of space left over for movies from WMC, etc. These libraries are large, but come up almost instantaneously.

6. The front firing stereo speakers (with Dolby DSP modes) sound crystal clear. We watch stuff in bed and it gets much louder than we need. Bass is of course lacking.

7. The built-in stand is really sturdy, and holds it up on a variety of surfaces.

Finally a tablet that's super easy to hold with its asymmetrical design, speedy response and a great screen and storage options. At $200 it feels like a steal.

The only downside I've found so far is that it's a little too addictive to play with.

 

[Necrolezbeast]

Great to hear the strengths and that you're enjoying it! Sounds like a great lil tablet for those not obsessed with the spec wars.