Microsoft Surface Pro vs Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S
Microsoft recently released their new Surface Pro device which is an extension to the Microsoft Surface RT device. Surface RT was running on Windows RT and hence wasn’t considered as a top end platform while Surface Pro runs on Windows 8 and can be used for any regular application you use on a PC or laptop. It also has a stunning display panel with a great resolution making it an attractive option for anyone. The initial information indicates that the Surface Pro devices were sold out within one hour of the release for the 128GB edition. The 64GB edition did not have this glamor and luck of been sold out given it only features a usable space of 29GB compared to the 89GB provided by the 128GB edition. The price difference was $100 for 60GB which suggested buying the 128GB edition. In any case, this marks a milestone for laptop-tablet hybrid devices running on Windows 8. We recently reviewed another similar device; Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S. With the release of Microsoft Surface Pro, we tend to realize that Lenovo’s June release date for Yoga 11S might be too late because there’s ample time for the market to be saturated by Microsoft Surface Pro devices. Hence we decided to compare these two devices to understand which one stands a better chance at survival on the long run.
Microsoft Surface Pro Review
You may be familiar with Microsoft Surface, which was released last year with Windows RT as the operating system. In addition to that, we can now purchase Microsoft Surface Pro which would give you a fully-fledged system running on Windows 8. It is powered by Intel Core i5 high power processor with 4GB of RAM and Intel HD 4000 graphics. The internal storage comes in two versions; 64GB SSD or 128GB SSD. However, the available space in the 64GB SSD is only 29GB, which is not quite attractive. Microsoft Surface Pro has a brilliant 10.6 inches ClearType full HD display featuring a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with 16:9 aspect ratio and 10 point multi touch. It also features a capacitive stylus which will come in handy when you are drawing or even as a substitute for your finger input. It is a pressure sensitive pen meaning the harder you press, the thicker the line you draw will be. In addition, Surface Pro will disable finger touch when the stylus is near the screen effectively eliminating the fudges that can be created by your fingers. A separate keyboard can be purchased and plugged into this device, as well. It comes with the same form factor as the Surface RT and can be placed at a good viewing angle using the kickstand. Microsoft Surface Pro feels rather solid and sturdy but weighs rather heftier at two pounds.
Surface Pro has a powerful processor and hence reinvents the problem of ventilation. Microsoft has used the technique called peripheral venting that runs a ventilation strip around the beveled edges of the Surface Pro. The noise is at minimum levels as well which is admirable. Microsoft has been generous enough to include a USB 3.0 port in Surface which gives you super-fast transfer speeds from and to the plugged in media devices. The battery life expectation for Microsoft Surface Pro is around 4 hours as per unofficial records although this hasn’t been verified. We’ve seen mixed reception about the recent release of Microsoft Surface Pro which was sold at $900 and $1000 respectively for 64GB and 128GB versions. Many tech websites were quick to report that Microsoft Surface Pro devices were sold out within one hour of their release. However, some analysts allege Microsoft for creating an illusion of selling out to create an artificial demand for Surface Pro. Their rational is that Microsoft only provided few to none Surface Pro devices to retails outlets across the country and hence a sold out was out of the question. Hence to gauge the Microsoft’s claim on Surface Pro been sold out, we need to have details on the number of devices available for sale at the time of release.
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S Review
What would you do to have a tablet and a laptop in a single device? There has been many compelling solutions for this, but none more compelling than 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. 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.
A Brief Comparison Between Microsoft Surface Pro and Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S
• Microsoft Surface Pro is powered by Intel Core i5 processor with Intel HD 4000 graphics and 4GB of RAM while Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S is powered by Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM and Intel HD graphics.
• Microsoft Surface Pro and Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S run on Windows 8.
• Microsoft Surface Pro has 10.6 inches ClearType full HD display featuring a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with 16:9 aspect ratio and 10 point multi touch while Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S has 11.6 inches LCD touchscreen featuring a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels.
• Microsoft Surface Pro and Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S come with Wi-Fi connectivity.
• Microsoft Surface Pro comes with a Stylus while Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S doesn’t come with an S-Pen Stylus originally.
• Microsoft Surface Pro doesn’t come with a Keyboard originally while Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S comes with Keyboard.
• Microsoft Surface Pro features USB 3.0 port while Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S features USB 2.0 ports.
Conclusion
It is still early to compare these two devices, but we sure can give a rudimentary conclusion. The two devices resemble more than they differ to each other. They possess an entirely new form factor and features Intel Core i5 processors with Intel HD 4000 graphics. Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11s features better memory while Microsoft Surface Pro features a better and vibrant display panel. Both these devices are aimed at replacing tablets and laptops. With the addition of Intel processor and fully fledged Windows 8; they have the right to do so too. Hence in essence; these two convertible tablet-laptop hybrids can serve you equally well and it all comes down to a matter of choice. Thus, we leave the subjective decision behind you with the objectivity we added in to the comparison.