A flexible take on the hybrid laptop,
Lenovo’s ThinkPad Twist is delightfully versatile
Laptops are for serious work and tablets
are for consuming media. That’s the general consensus when it comes to modern
computing. A consensus that’s easily disproved, but one which, as a general
rule of thumb, sums up our attitudes to these two separate ways of using the
latest technology. At least, that was the general idea before Windows 8 came
along, which meant that Lenovo could release a machine just like this.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Twist squeezes a lot
out of its sturdy design. As the name suggests, unlike laptops that are
restrained by a single clamshell action, the screen on the Twist can be easily
rotated so that it ends up facing away from the keyboard. This transforms it
into a versatile tablet whenever you need it, like showing off a presentation.
It also means you can use the machine easily when sat on the sofa, then twist
it back round to turn it into a fully-fledged laptop.
The
Lenovo ThinkPad Twist squeezes a lot out of its sturdy design
This is a Lenovo machine, and one carrying
the venerable ThinkPad name, which means that it’s a workhorse PC first and
foremost. It’s designed to last and serve you well, and is exceptionally
robust. This build quality extends to the twisting mechanism itself, which is
elegant, but holds the screen at your chosen angle well and clunks reassuringly
into place when you flip the screen back to its laptop form.
The core specification of the ThinkPad
Twist is a no-nonsense affair, boasting one of Intel’s third-generation Core
architecture processor, the Core i5-3317U. This is a dual-core processor that
can handle up to four threads at the same time. This makes it a powerhouse with
the right software particularly for media encoding. The default speed of 1.7GHz
may not seem like much, but it ramps up to 2.6GHz when required, which means
you’ll rarely be waiting for it to respond.
The processor is also responsible for the
system’s graphics capabilities, its integrated HD 400 GPU looks after media
acceleration, 3D rendering and even the odd game. Admittedly you’re not going
to be playing the latest gaming blockbusters, but some older titles work well.
Fast and smooth
This
handles HD movies easily and still has plenty of room for more serious work
Lenovo has packed in 4GB of RAM to keep
things running smoothly, and for permanent storage this model has a 500GB hard
drive. This isn’t your standard laptop drive running at 7,200rpm as opposed to
the far more common 5,400rpm, which means it feels sprightly in use. This is
helped even further by small 24GB cache drive, which helps keep the Pro version
of Windows 8 fast and responsive. You can choose a faster SSD if you need the
speed, but overall this is a good solution for the money.
The 12.5-inch Gorilla Glass screen is the
main draw of the ThinkPad Twist and boasts a standard resolution of 1,366 x
768. This handles HD movies easily and still has plenty of room for more
serious work. Something the machine is more than capable of thanks to the roomy
keyboard and versatile options for mouse control. Not only do you have a
touchpad and TrackPoint inputs (the small red nub on the keyboard), but you
can, of course, use the touchscreen as well.
The
12.5-inch Gorilla Glass screen is the main draw of the ThinkPad Twist and
boasts a standard resolution of 1,366 x 768.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Twist is well designed,
sturdy and a strong performer. It’ll also last you a good while, racking up
over three and a half hours of battery use under moderate conditions. It’s just
as happy acting as a powerful tablet as it is a laptop, and while a little
heavier than normal laptops, the versatility on offer makes it a machine worth
considering if you’re looking for a serious workhorse.
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Specifications
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Price: $1,368
§
Web: http://shop.lenovo.com
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Processor: Intel Core i5 3317U
§
Display: 12.5” HDIPS display with Touch
Sensor, 350 nit (1366 x 768)
§
Memory: 8GB DDR3
§
Storage: HDD: 320GB.500GB; SDD: 128Gb
§
Dimensions: 313 x 236 x 20mm
§ Weight:
1.58kg
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