PATREONItems tagged with convertible
On paper, the Lenovo Yoga C630 WOS (Windows on Snapdragon) laptop doesn't seem to stand out much, save for perhaps the somewhat unique system processor under its hood. Regardless, as an affordable, always-on, always-connected convertible PC with middle-of-the-road specs and benchmark scores (more on this later), you might be forgiven for thinking that there's little reason for this machine to be remarkable in any significant way. And yet, the Lenovo Yoga C630 is impressive indeed. This machine is always connected (with a mobile data plan), it boots up (and shuts down) almost instantly, it breezes through typical office tasks, streams YouTube and Netflix videos with nary a stutter (on both...
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HP is set to drop a very powerful convertible laptop on the masses at CES 2018. In fact, HP claims that the machine is the world's most powerful convertible PC, and we have no reason to doubt the company. The Spectre x360 15 is available with one of two potent processors with equally competent graphics subsystems. The first available is an 8th generation Intel Core i7-8550U processor that is paired with Pascal-based GeForce MX150 graphics. The second, and possibly more entertaining pairing is the 8th generation Core i7-8705G processor, which includes an on-package AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL graphics card. Despite the fact that Intel has billed its new Core processors with Radeon RX Vega M GPUs as...
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Remember when convertible notebooks were considered a luxury? That's especially true for convertibles that have four different modes: laptop, stand, tent, and tablet. It was also considered a luxury to have a notebook that could last more than 10 hours on a single battery charge. Acer's TravelMate Spin B1 has all of those features, so it must fetch quite the premium, right? Nope - this laptop starts out at a meager $299 USD. Acer unveiled this laptop at a Microsoft education event, so its target audience is going to be obvious from the get-go. That also inherently means that there are going to be a couple of caveats, with two rather big ones surrounding this device. First, it's not a powerhouse...
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HP is not one to let the weeds grow under its feet, at least not when it comes to its Spectre x360 line. The company it has no problem changing things up in an effort to keep its premium ultraportable hip and trendy. Having already gone through a few mild wardrobe changes over the past few years, the newest iteration of the Spectre x360 brings another slightly different look than last year's model -- one that is perhaps more refined and mature. It retains the gold accents introduced by its predecessor, but does not flaunt them quite as loudly. Other upgrades are not as subtle. HP continues to offer the Spectre x360 in 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch form factors, the latter of which we're reviewing...
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Dell's XPS 13 and 15 line of notebooks have done well for the company, sparked by a reinvention of the product line back in 2015. Since then, its design signature has reached iconic status for Round Rock, with the ultra-thin bezel of its Infinity Edge display and hatched carbon fiber composite palm rest and keyboard area earning the series many awards, including our Editor's Choice on multiple occasions. And as you might expect, Dell has continued to evolve its well-received XPS product offerings, not only as new notebook platform architectures roll out, but the company is also now looking to capitalize on its the XPS design signature with new machine types, cut from the same cloth. Dell...
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CES 2017 is just warming up, but already we have seen a ton of hot new products unleashed. Among these is Dell’s new XPS 13 2-in-1 convertible notebook, which first broke cover on Monday. Today, we had the pleasure of taking a closer look at this Infinity Edge’d stunner. Dell’s XPS 13 notebook has long been a favorite of ours, earning Editor’s Choice after Editor’s Choice. We thought there wasn’t much more Dell could pack inside its 2.7 pound frame. We were wrong. Somehow, they managed to engineer a strong and sturdy 360-degree steel hinge without tacking on any extra weight. Check out the full tour below: The XPS 13 2-in-1 convertible packs in Intel’s latest Kaby Lake chips with a choice of...
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With the release of Windows 8, Microsoft effectively encouraged its hardware partners to think beyond the confines of traditional PC design, giving them the nudge they needed to introduce bold new products. Lenovo embraced the challenge, and in 2012 it brought its first Yoga system to market, a multi-mode laptop that could fold back onto itself like a carnival contortionist. The design proved popular, so over the past few years Lenovo has added new laptops to its Yoga line. One of the newest is the Yoga 700, a 14-inch convertible that takes advantage of the latest technologies, pairing Intel's Skylake architecture with Microsoft's Windows 10 platform. It's a marriage of hardware and software...
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Update 4/26/2016: We've updated our battery life test suite for this review and have new more real-world metrics to share on page 6. It was just about this time last year that HP first took the wraps off its chic, convertible ultrabook, the original Spectre x360. Although the Spectre name wasn’t new, HP’s approach to the ultrabook’s design language had been completely revamped, and it showed in the quality of the then all-new Spectre. Now, HP is releasing another revamped version of its slick ultrabook, making promises of an even better experience for users who want something just a bit larger in a 15-inch format. The craftsmanship that made the original Spectre x360 such a hit is clearly...
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The 2-in-1 and convertible PC space has changed significantly over the past couple of years. What was once a cluttered mess of kludges is now a well-defined market segment packed with refinement, power, and plenty of options. You could partially credit Microsoft's Surface line for making 2-in-1s an object of desire, but it's also products like the Dell XPS 12 that make today's line-up of convertible devices so much more interesting. Dell's XPS 12, which was first announced last fall, is just as capable as a laptop as it is a tablet. That's no small feat, and it's multifaceted abilities are largely due to Dell's top-shelf keyboard cases. Though it's engineered as a tablet first, the 12.5-inch...
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The era of laptops with crappy displays might be coming to an end. How so? The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has turned into a launchpad for several new laptops and hybrids with high quality panels, and such is the case with HP and its refreshed Spectre x360 convertible. HP is rolling out two upgraded Spectre x360 models, one of which is its familiar 13.3-inch model, only now it's available with a Quad HD OLED display option. By switching over to OLED, customers can expect better color accuracy with a broader range of shades, improved contrast, and a higher color gamut at 103 percent, a significant improvement over 72 percent on WLED displays. The OLED panel HP is running with...
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When Microsoft first launched its Surface line of products, it caused quite a stir in the mobile PC market. It may have taken a couple of iterations to get things dialed in to the point they are today, but simply entering the market with its own branded hardware put Microsoft in the position of essentially competing with its partners. Microsoft had a specific vision for the future of Windows-based mobile products, however, and decided to develop hardware that embodied that vision. Now that we’re a few years removed from the introduction of the original Surface and Surface Pro, it’s clear that Microsoft’s vision has merit, and now virtually all of the company’s major OEM partners are producing...
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They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so Microsoft should be “elated” that the competition is coming to market with tablet design that look surprisingly similar to its Surface Pro 3. The iPad Pro was introduced earlier this week with a 12.9-inch display, a fold-out Smart Keyboard cover and a much ballyhooed Apple Pencil (which is just Apple speak for an expensive stylus). Steven Sinofsky, the former Microsoft exec that had a hand in developing the original line of Surface tablets, took to Twitter to lay on the sarcasm following the Apple keynote: iPad Pro has a magnetic keyboard fold-out keyboard (with seamless key covers). What an awesome idea!! pic.twitter.com/ldspeuAysv— Steven...
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It’s back-to-school season, which has traditionally been a good time to pick up a laptop or tablet at a decent price. Asus just released a low-cost Chromebook that is worth a look, but Windows users are getting some love, too. The Acer One 10 is a 10.1-inch Windows tablet (with a keyboard) that rolls in at just under $200. The One 10’s hardware is understandably light, given the tablet’s price tag, but the tablet comes across as a fairly competent 10-incher, at least on paper. It combines an Intel Atom Z3735F quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of flash storage. There’s also a microSD card slot for additional storage, should you need it. The system runs Windows 8.1 32-bit. Connectivity...
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For years, the notion of a tablet replacing one's laptop was a novel idea, but hardly feasible. Much has changed in recent times, however, with Microsoft going so far as to claim that its newest Surface units are indeed powerful enough to take the place of a bonafide laptop. It's that push that has gotten the attention of the entire industry, with everyone from Lenovo to Asus and now Dell pushing out potent 2-in-1 units that manage to straddle the line between slate and laptop with very little compromise.The Inspiron 13 7000 is Dell's latest two-faced unit, and the one we're testing is a top-spec Special Edition model that's faster and more beautiful that the other models in the line-up....
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We were all hyped up about Lenovo’s latest LaVie Z series of tablets and convertibles, which both went on sale this week. After all, both models — first announced at CES — offer 13-inch QHD displays, a Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. Even more impressive is that the LaVie Z (notebook) weighs in at just 1.87 pounds while the LaVie Z 360 (convertible) weighs only slightly more at 2.04 pounds. However, the Consumer Reports have taken a little bit of wind out of our sails with some troubling news regarding the LaVie Z 360. The folks at Consumer Reports ordered a brand new LaVie 360 and eagerly awaited its arrival. Instead, the publication received an email from Lenovo indicating that...
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It was a year ago this month that Sony sold its VAIO PC business to investment firm Japan Industrial Partners Inc., thus signaling a likely end to the VAIO brand in the U.S., at least on computers. Is that still the case? We're not sure, though in Japan, a pair of new VAIO Z convertible laptops is launching. The VAIO Z represents a new start for the VAIO brand -- the "Z" stands for "zero." It's not clear what this new start will mean for markets outside of Japan, but in the immediate future, the forthcoming VAIO Z and VAIO Z Canvas are a couple of interesting looking laptops. Sony's VAIO Z is the top dog out of the two. It sports a 13.3-inch display (which can flip and fold...
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When Microsoft first released Windows 8, the company hoped that hardware manufacturers would get creative with form factors and customers would be enticed by the intriguing new PC designs. One of the clear leaders to emerge since Windows 8's launch is the Lenovo Yoga series of laptops, which fold in half to mimic tablets or can be used in tent and stand modes. A similar approach that has also seen some success are 2-in-1s that essentially split in half, so you can use the display as a tablet without dragging around the weight of the keyboard. The Acer Aspire Switch 10 is one of these 2-in-1 detachable systems... Acer Aspire Switch 10 Hybrid Review...
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When Microsoft first released Windows 8, the company hoped that hardware manufacturers would get creative with form factors and customers would be enticed by the intriguing new PC designs. One of the clear leaders to emerge since Windows 8's launch is the Lenovo Yoga series of laptops, which fold in half to mimic tablets or can be used in tent and stand modes. A similar approach that has also seen some success are 2-in-1s that essentially split in half, so you can use the display as a tablet without dragging around the weight of the keyboard. The Acer Aspire Switch 10 is one of these 2-in-1 detachable systems. The selling point for these tiny, $450-and-under types is versatility:...
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When it rains, it pours. Toshiba took the wraps off half a dozen refreshed and new mobile devices today, including convertible and detachable laptops, Windows tablets, and a bargain-basement Android tablet. The laptops will start dropping in June, followed by the tablets in July, in plenty of time for students gearing up for fall classes. Arriving in June are the Satellite Radius and Satellite Click 2 Pro laptops, both of which have touchscreens and run Windows. As a convertible, the Radius can be used as a laptop or folded back for a tablet-like experience. It has a 1920 x 1080 resolution display and some enticing components, including (up to) a Core-i7 processor and 8GB of RAM, as well as a...
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When Lenovo introduced the original Yoga 13 convertible ultrabook last year, consumers snatched it up in droves, making it one of the top selling Windows 8 convertibles on the market. Fast-forward a year, and Lenovo is at it again, this time with the new Yoga 2 Pro. Like its predecessor, the Yoga 2 Pro features the same well-liked multimode form factor that can function in laptop, stand, tablet, and tent modes. The new Yoga 2 Pro is thinner and lighter than previous models. It also features Intel’s latest 4th generation Haswell-based Core processors and comes preloaded with Windows 8.1. Another key differentiating factor between the previous Yoga 13 and the new Yoga 2 Pro is the super high-resolution...
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When Lenovo introduced the original Yoga 13 convertible ultrabook last year, consumers snatched it up in droves, making it one of the top selling Windows 8 convertibles on the market. Fast-forward a year, and Lenovo is at it again, this time with the new Yoga 2 Pro. Like its predecessor, the Yoga 2 Pro features the same well-liked multimode form factor that can function in laptop, stand, tablet, and tent modes. The new Yoga 2 Pro is thinner and lighter than previous models. It also features Intel’s latest 4th generation Haswell-based Core processors and comes preloaded with Windows 8.1. Another key differentiating factor between the previous Yoga 13 and the new Yoga 2 Pro is the super...
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It’s a veritable form factor jamboroo in the PC and mobile markets these days. Companies like Samsung are trying to find the sweet spot(s) with a host of different smartphones, phablets, and tablets, and companies such as Lenovo are completely rethinking the notebook with convertible designs. Dell is now getting into the fray with the XPS 11, its own version of a convertible notebook that should compete squarely with Lenovo’s Yoga. The XPS 11 is billed as the “thinnest, lightest, and most compact convertible on the market”, and Dell says that it’s really designed as a tablet first and a notebook second. It offers 360-degree rotation, and it starts at 2.5lbs and 15mm...
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