Lenovo YOGA Tablet 2 Pro With Built-In Projector Review
Design and Projector
The Yoga Tablet 2 Pro features a slate-like design with the exception of the lower edge which has a round cylinder that extends the length of the tablet. In this lower edge, you’ll find the tablet’s speakers and projector as well as the built-in stand. The 13-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440) display gives the tablet the majority of its size though there is a good-sized bezel that surrounds the screen as well. Lenovo’s spec sheet says the thickest point of the tablet is 0.5 inches, but the widest part of the cylindrical base measures closer to a full inch.
The Yoga Tablet 2 Pro’s display features IPS technology and a density of 221ppi. Viewing angles are rated at up to 178 degrees. In real-world testing, the viewing angles were in fact excellent and the display produced very crisp and colorful images--the screen is a definite strong point.
The left edge of the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro contains a 3.5mm audio jack along with the micro USB port and a volume rocker. The power button for the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is the circular button on the bottom left edge of the tablet. On the right edge of the tablet, you’ll find the on/off button for the projector and the projector itself. The focus control switch for the projector is located on the back edge of the tablet about a half inch from the projector.
Looking at the back of the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro, you’ll notice the Lenovo logo as well the built-in kickstand and 5 watt subwoofer. There’s also an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera. The button to the left of the camera releases the kickstand. When you release the kickstand, you’ll find a swinging door which covers the microSD card slot.
Two JBL 1.5 watt speakers are located below the display on the front of the tablet. The front-facing 1.6 megapixel camera is centered above the display. Traditional Android control buttons (Back, Home, and Recent Apps) are built in to the base of the display as well. Lenovo also adds a multi-window button to this control bar, placing it in the lower left corner of the display.
The built-in kickstand has a good amount of resistance, which is good because it enables you to tilt the tablet to virtually any angle you want and it will hold its place. The Yoga Tablet 2 Pro has four use modes: stand, hold, tilt, and hang. Stand mode is designed for tight use spots such as an airplane or when you want the screen to be propped up like a monitor on a desk. In hold mode, you’re supposed to use the cylindrical base of the tablet as a grip. Tilt mode essentially reverses stand mode—it gives you a sturdy typing surface and props the tablet off of the desk slightly. Hang mode is a new mode for the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro. By rotating the kickstand all the way back and using the open slot, you can also hang the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro from a hook.
The pico projector that’s built into the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is capable of producing an image up to 50-inches from a distance of 2 meters in a dark room. The projector displays an image at a resolution of 854x480 and a brightness of 30-40 lumens. The projector has a maximum distance of 5m.
In order to get the best results from the projector, Lenovo recommends using the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro in tilt mode. A G-sensor detects the angle of the tablet in this mode and employs automatic keystone correction to help fix trapezoid distortion. When using the projector, the display turns off automatically after 10 seconds to conserve battery life.
For a pico projector, we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the image projected from the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro. Unfortunately, this projector must be used in a very dark room in order to get a good image. In rooms with moderate light, the picture is not bright enough for comfortable viewing.
In addition to the 8 watt sound system that’s built-in to the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro, Lenovo also included Dolby Audio Digital Enhancement and Wolfson Mater Hi-Fi CODEC audio processing for studio-quality noise reduction. Sound quality from this tablet is much better than previous tablets we’ve reviewed. The speakers produced a very full sound, and the Dolby enhancements definitely makes a difference when it’s turned on. The overall volume output of the speakers was not as strong as we expected and deep base sounds were a bit weak. Still, the speakers were adequate for watching a movie in an average-sized room.
