Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S vs iPad 3
We were delighted to see Lenovo coming up with a new IdeaPad Yoga which has more resemblance to a tablet rather than a laptop. If you remember; we suggested that Lenovo would rather benefit if they release another Yoga 11 that runs on Windows 8 compared to the Yoga 13 given it’s a little too bulky to be a tablet. Lenovo has actually answered our call for this wonderful tablet/laptop hybrid, and it’s going to be a great addition for the folks who want performance, mobility and versatility of a laptop in a single package. In fact, we couldn’t really find out an equivalent for this hybrid, so we decided to compare it with one of the closest competitors it would have which is Apple new iPad. As Windows operating system and Apple OS X are considered as the top selling operating systems in USA, their war at the tablet level has also started. Apple is obviously at a disadvantageous point given its device is offered with mobile OS; nonetheless, let us compare them and find out what they have to offer.
Review of Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S
What would you do to have a tablet and a laptop in a single device? There have been many compelling solutions for this, but none more compelling that IdeaPad Yoga 11 and IdeaPad Yoga 13. Yoga 13 came with Windows 8, but it was a little too bulky to be used as a tablet while Yoga 11 only had Windows RT, which is not as much as good. But fear not; Lenovo has revealed their new IdeaPad Yoga 11S design which essentially has the same form factor as of IdeaPad 11 with fully fledged Windows 8 as the operating system. As you might have guessed, this means Yoga S comes with Intel processor. To be precise, Yoga 11S is powered by Intel Core i5 processor and can be extended up to i7. It is bound to be clocked somewhere around 1.9-2.1GHz according to the sources. Yoga 11S also has 8GB of RAM and offers 128GB SSD storage, which is super-fast and lucrative.
The display panel in IdeaPad Yoga is 11.6 inches wide and comes with 1366 x 768 or 1600 x 900 pixels resolutions. The pixel density seems good in this tablet laptop hybrid. It also comes with Wi-Fi as a connectivity option and is 17mm thick. The form factor is what is known as a convertible which you would be familiar with if you used Yoga 13 or 11 before. It looks like a usual Notebook at first glance, but you can fold it 360 and it’ll nicely rest in your hands as a tablet. Another option is to fold it about 270 and make it stand like a tent where you can easily glance at the screen and watch a movie or use as a tablet with a stand. The battery life is declared at 8 hours by Lenovo although we assume it’ll be more towards 6 hours given the performance of the high end processor. As you may assume, we are very excited to see this device because of its unique stance as Laptop and a Tablet. The price starts at $799, and Lenovo says this convertible will be released somewhere in June 2013.
Review of iPad with Retina Display (iPad 3 or the new iPad)
There had been many speculations about the new iPad because it had such a pull from the customer’s end and, in fact, many of those features were added up to a consistent and revolutionary device that is going to blow your mind. Apple iPad 3 comes with a 9.7 inches HD IPS retina display that features a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels at a pixel density of 264ppi. This is a huge barrier that Apple has broken, and they have introduced 1 million more pixels to the generic 1920 x 1080 pixels display which used to be the best resolution a mobile device provides. The total number of pixels adds up to 3.1 million which is now the highest number of pixels available in a mobile device. Apple guarantees that the new iPad has 40% more color saturation compared to previous models. This slate is powered by A5X dual core processor with quad core GPU although we don’t know the exact clock rate. It is needless to say that this processor will make everything to work smooth and seamlessly.
There is a physical home button available at the bottom of the device as usual. The next big feature Apple introduces is iSight camera, which is 5MP with autofocus and auto-exposure using a backside illuminated sensor. It has an IR filter built into it which is really great. The camera can also capture 1080p HD videos, and they have smart video stabilization software integrated with the camera which is a good move. This slate also supports the best digital assistant in the world, Siri which was supported by iPhone 4S only.
The iPad does come with LTE connectivity apart from EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA and finally LTE that supports speeds up to 73Mbps. The device loads everything super-fast on 4G and handles the load very well. Apple claims iPad 3 is the device that supports most number of bands ever. It has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n for continuous connectivity, which was expected by default. Fortunately, you can let your iPad 3 to share your internet connection with your friends by making it a Wi-Fi hotspot. It is 9.4mm thick which is amazing and has a weight of 1.4lbs which is rather comforting.
The iPad 3 promises a battery life of 10 hours on normal usage and 9 hours on 4G usage, which is another game changer for iPad 3. It is available in either Black or White, and the 16GB variant is offered at $499 which is rather low. The 4G version of the same storage capacity is offered at $629, which is still a good deal. There are two other variants, 32GB and 64GB which comes at $599 / $729 and $699 / $829 respectively without 4G and with 4G.
A Brief Comparison Between Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S and Apple new iPad
• Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is powered by Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM and Intel HD graphics while Apple new iPad is powered by 1GHz Cortex A9 Dual Core processor on top of Apple A5X chipset with PowerVR SGX543MP4 GPU and 1GB of RAM.
• Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S runs on Windows 8 while Apple new iPad runs on Apple iOS 6.
• Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S has 11.6 inches LCD touchscreen featuring a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels while Apple new iPad has 9.7 inches LED backlit IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen featuring a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels at a pixel density of 264ppi.
• Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is offered with Wi-Fi connectivity while Apple new iPad is also offered in a 3G variety.
Conclusion
Before moving in to the conclusion, we must understand one thing clearly. Apple new iPad and Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S are in two different categories although both can be used as tablets. Hence evaluating which is the best option for you entirely depends on your context. For this reason, I’ll take two contexts in to consideration and evaluate them. Imagine you are looking at buying a laptop as well as a tablet and have to adhere to a tight budget as well; in that case Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is a very attractive and cheap option at $799. However, if you want a powerhouse for your laptop (say a gaming laptop) and you also want a tablet for general use; then iPad can be your cup of tea. But if you ask me objectively to give out a verdict without considering the context, Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is going to surpass the performance of the new iPad without doubt and without any hinder. After all, Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S runs fully fledged Windows 8 operating system on a mobile Core i5 processor which is superior to the ARM SoC used in new iPad. You might have a slight problem with the battery usage though which comes in the territory of power hungry processors.