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First: The vendor/fulfillment. I ordered just a few days after the first sporadic reports started that the machine was finally shipping, and before the Lenovo website even showed it as available. I was more than half expecting to be disappointed -imagining a "back order" claim. Turned out I was wrong. Believe it, folks: The machine showed up three days later, exactly as promised. I fired it up and immediately went online to register with Lenovo. No issues; the registration "took" and I immediately started getting the expected greetings emails. A legit product, exactly as promised.
The machine: Fabulous. (Note: I am specifically not going to review Windoze 8, except to say I find it takes too many clicks or gestures to do anything and the interface is obtuse -but it is mostly useable, with patience.)
I am a working travel photographer and also dabble in web site management. (Doesn't everybody nowadays?) I was looking for a machine that could combine functions so I would have to carry less when traveling. After several weeks of use, I conclude: The Lenovo Helix is totally cool. It is attractive, small, light, flexible, has good battery life, and runs everything I've thrown at it.
In short: It works. I no longer carry a separate laptop (for work) and iPad (casual use, entertainment, and light work in transit); this one Lenovo Helix does it all. One thin machine and one small power supply, vice two of each: Weighs less, fits better, does everything I need. As a bonus, this machine is faster/more powerful and has more working memory (RAM) than my old laptop -no compromises to use the latest versions of my software.
After purchase, I immediately tried this machine as my primary (only) computing device on a week-long trip. Since then I have taken two more working trips. This is the right machine for my intended purpose. Detach the tablet portion and you have an iPad equivalent (though granted, iOS is a cleaner experience than is the current version of this unpleasant compromise of an operating system). With keyboard on backwards, it is a great viewer / movie machine. With the keyboard attached "front-wards," it is a full-fledged and powerful enough laptop. I no longer carry my iPad; this machine does it all -and does so handily.
Form and build: The system is solid. It is a bit weightier than would be a similar-sized small ultrabook or laptop, but I would not call it heavy. The whole thing put together (that is, assembled with keyboard and folded like a laptop) feels lighter in one hand than my previous kit (a 12-inch Acer laptop plus an iPad), and it certainly takes up less space. Power supply is external but small; it fits easily in an outside pocket of my backpack or camera bag (so, also takes less space than previous kit, which needed two small power supplies). There is no physical latch to keep the system folded; for that it depends on stiffness of the hinges. The hinge system works well and will hold any position it can reach -even balanced on my knees during a violent plane ride, landing in a thunder storm. I do notice some apparent "flex" or "wobble" where the tablet joins the keyboard hinges; that seems cosmetic since the tablet does latch firmly and cannot be separated and as noted, the hinges hold any position well. The design of the hinges does stop the system from opening flat; that can be a minor inconvenience but in my opinion is offset by the flexibility of being able to detach or reverse the screen. I have quickly gotten used to it.
Performance: As a photographer, I need enough power, memory, and drive space and a good enough display to actually use photo processing software on the road. As a (poor) web developer, I need to run a local server emulator and browser software. Probably the most demanding application I run is Adobe Photoshop; that tests the processor, disk drive, and memory. Running the web host emulator WAMP with a web browser (I use Firefox and Chrome for development work) stresses the system in a different way, exercising multiprocessing, memory, and hardware integration and drivers. I also regularly watch recorded videos (movies or TV), read books (Kindle), and play games (Civilization and a few others).
Every program I want to run works exactly as expected. The screen is beautiful and responsive (movie watching) and can be tuned for color reproduction (photographer). The system is plenty powerful enough to run games and all programs mentioned without any lag or performance hits (at least, none significant enough that I've noticed them). Obviously, programs like Photoshop that are not designed for touch work best if one uses the keyboard and trackpad attached. The keyboard is Lenovo quality (that is, excellent) and the multi-touch trackpad works great. The system is also delivered with a Wacom pen-pointer, so it can be used for really fine art or graphics work by hand. (Which could be a selling point all by itself -I'm not aware of any other laptop or tablet on the market that offers Wacom technology built-in. So if you know what that is and why you want it, this is probably the small/light machine for you.)
Battery life is fine for travel. I haven't taken any really long-haul trips yet, but so far I have never run out of power. So far, I've used it up to five or six hours (intermittently) while traveling without an issue.
Storage capacity. At 256GB, the largest available built-in solid-state drive (SSD) for storage is large for a tablet but small~ish for a photographer. The good news: There is room to load all the needed software -and some of those programs are relatively massive. There's plenty of room left over for some downloaded videos, pictures, and etc. The down side: With all my software and etc. loaded, there is only room on the drive for a day or so of shooting. Since my images are my income, I backup to external hard drive daily anyway, so I've been able to adapt -just don't try to keep all images on the machine. There are two USB-3 ports, so both camera (or external card reader) and an external hard drive can be connected at the same time. (The two USB-3 ports are on the keyboard half; the tablet half has one USB-2 port that is covered up when attached to the keyboard.)
It is worth noting that the SSD is a standard commercial mSATA device, so theoretically could be upgraded after-market in future. The socket is totally internal, but according to the Lenovo service manual it is a standard mSATA form factor and not soldered. (The service manual for this machine is available as a PDF on-line at Lenovo: http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/helix_hmm_en_0c10337.pdf.) A hard drive (SSD) upgrade seems possible -though I have not had the guts to disassemble my baby yet, and I'm sure it would jeopardize the warranty. I think I'll probably live with it for a while yet.
Conclusion: I am really happy with this machine. Highly recommended if you have the money and are looking to replace another, older laptop or to lighten / consolidate your load. As a small/light machine, I do not think it could replace my "big," primary work desktop, but it is totally the right tool for the small, light, traveling job. Get one and enjoy!
Note: There are several versions / models of the Lenovo Helix "out there." Typically, Lenovo and online advertisers do not do a good job of saying what is the difference between the various models. The particular model I bought happens to be the most powerful / largest memory version that does not have a built-in cell-service connection -as it happens, exactly what I wanted, so perfect for me. If you are unsure, there is a Lenovo marketing spec sheet "out there" on the web as a PDF, which contains every machine Lenovo makes, including all the variants of the Helix: http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/tabook.pdf.)
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Well, it's expensive. More expensive than any tablet option that I've seen, but that's also partially because it's on par with a full powered Ultrabook in terms of specs. Here are the specific pros and cons I see:Pros:
* Battery life really can hit 10 hours even though it's an i7, 256GB SATA III SSD , with 8 GB RAM. With the digitizer it's powerful enough to be used as a pretty effective graphic design device.
* Rip and flip mode is actually pretty handy when using it as a tablet (more so than the hinge less Surface Pro)
* Keyboard battery idea is well engineered and works like the Asus tablets. The tablet's battery is always given charge priority over the keyboard dock's battery, so when both are plugged in the tablet charges while the KB trickle charges. Once the tablet is full, the KB charges at full speed. When docked but unplugged, the KB powers the device -andtransfers its juice to the tablet to recharge its battery. You can also plug the KB in by itself to charge the KB dock's battery while you continue to use the tablet. If you really wanted to, you could use the tablet indefinitely and never actually plug it directly into the wall if you alternate using it with the KB dock.
* With vPro Rapid Boot full hibernation takes less than 7 seconds to restore between pressing the power button and actually getting a useable desktop. Cold boot's pretty close to that. Sleep restore is instant.
* Large, multitouch touchpad is actually usable and works very well. It's on par with the touchpad I had on my Macbook Pro. Eraser mouse also works well and is a nice alternative to have for apps that don't work well with touchpads (such as games like Minecraft).
* Well-built hinge design is sturdier than any other similar tablets I've used. The KB dock has supplemental cooling so when docked it can run the i7 at full speed (fans in the dock blow through vents in the tablet). Even when not docked it's pretty fast.
* Supports Intel WiDi so I picked up a couple adapters.
* Two USB 3.0 ports on the KB dock
* Solid overall build quality (something Lenovo is well known for)
* Good quality speakers (loud and clear)
* Decent sized stylus and that actually goes inside the tablet when not in use (unlike the Surface Pro)
* Intel HD 4000 isn't the fastest GPU but when paired with a halfway decent CPU it'll run just about anything on the MS store flawlessly and most of my Steam library on low to medium settings, unlike the Atom-based tablets which were always a crapshoot when trying new software. I've tested it with Dishonored, Fable 3, Skyrim, Far Cry Blood Dragon, Assassin's Creed, Xcom: Enemy Unknown, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Arkham City, Shogun Total War 2, and several other current gen games. With the exception of any games that specifically have trouble with Intel integrated graphics (like The Swapper) it can run pretty much anything I try on it at least at 30FPS if I turn the detail down low enough.
* Mini DP instead of micro HDMI like some models (such as the Samsung Ativ)
Cons:
* Fully loaded, it probably runs about $2300+
* Wifi reception is a little odd. It picks up G networks great but N network reception drops off significantly the further you get from the router. From the other side of the house I get 5 bars to the G network but as few as 1 bar to the N network, even though they are both hosted by the same Netgear 6300. They had similar issues with the early models that my company received a few months back and the Lenovo rep told us that a 3x3 version would be available sometime in the future but I have no idea specifically when that might be.
* No SD card slot (although I'd rather use a SATA III external USB hard drive over a slow SD card). They had to cut it for space in the final design.
* When docked, it's a little bit larger and heavier than some 11-12" ultrabooks.
* The only USB port on the tablet is 2.0 and is covered when docked with the keyboard. No USB 3.0 ports on the tablet itself.
* Actually getting WiDi to work has been unreliable, but I don't know where the problem is on that one yet. Probably software updates.
* No GPS on the wifi model (included with mobile broadband only)
* Compared to other Lenovo laptops that feature "rapid charge", recharging both batteries to full takes a while. Total charging time seems to take about 2 to 3 hours (or 1 to 1.5 per battery).
* As is the case with all full Windows tablets, the battery -candrain faster than expected if you are not careful. Too many background apps may drain your battery prematurely, but this is more of a general Windows 8 complaint than this device specifically.
* No Haswell model today and for all anyone knows there could be one in a week or a year. Now is a terrible time to buy any device because halfway decent Haswells are showing up pretty quickly. Razer already has a 17" Haswell gaming laptop with a discrete GPU that weighs less than 7lbs.
Really Nitpicky Cons (these are "cons" that I noticed that are very minor, boil down to personal preference, or haven't been verified as being "unsolvable" so there may be some equivalent feature/solution:
* While the KB can charge when the tablet isn't attached, the USB ports don't appear to charge devices plugged into them if the tablet is not present.
* A battery charge indicator on the KB would be nice. Without this there's no way to know how charged the KB is without plugging the tablet into it.
* Some of the keyboard keys are laid out strangely. FN in the far lower left (instead of CTRL) is a pet peeve of mine. The BIOS allows you to swap CTRL and FN in the lower left to compensate for this.
Observations (neither good nor bad, but interesting to know):
* When the tablet is flipped, all KB input from the docked KB is ignored as is the "close lid" action since folding the unit up doesn't really close it in this mode. This means that if you had a specific power setting mapped to "lid close" then you can't do that until you flip it back around in the other direction.
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UPDATE from what I wrote bellow. Its now been over two months and I am confident that this is the best machine on the market. BETTER THEN A MAC for music (The new FL studio is awesome and works smoother then Logic Studio). Great for an Adobe cloud user like myself. The multiple types of inputs (pen, touch, track, nub, keyboard) make website and graphics edits easy. Get onenote for this thing it works like butter for taking notes and create docs (touch sensitive for pen works great on onenote). Make sure you use the Lenovo support software since it updates the computer's drives way better then Windows alone. Those who have had problems are likely not using it since I havent experienced similar issues and Im a power user by most means. I would also recommend the antiglare filter by 3M if the glare annoyes you, pump up the brightness and you will hardly notice it. Two months in and the battery is still working solid I use it all day with tons of video, music production, and programming and I still have enough to watch Democracy Now the next morning. Best computer on the market to buy right now. One more thing Ive had 14 synths and 7 effects running in FL studio, two web browsers, Onenote, and a text editor all running in desktop mode without a hiccup.I've only had mine for a week but Im loving it. I returned a Samsung ATIV 7000 which would have been great if the dock wasnt terrible and the wifi bad. The Helix is a much better built machine. Mine gets amazing battery life possibly more then 10 hours with the extra battery thats in the dock. I didnt charge it for a week, used it several hours a day, and I never did a complete shut down. The screen is wonderful minus the glare, and the pen works well after updates. Everything is built well on it.
Honest reviews on Lenovo ThinkPad Helix 36984SU 11.6-Inch Convertible 2-in-1
I bought Helix (i7, 8GB, 256GB SSD) two months after I tried Surface Pro 128GB with type cover keyboard. While Surface Pro was very nice, Helix is at another level of features, flexibility, and..yes, the price too.Windows Performance Index (on native Windows 8):
------------------------------------------------
Processor: 7.2
Memory/RAM: 7.5
Graphics: 5.5
Gaming graphics: 6.4
Primary hard disk: 8.0
Pros
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* The tablet is thinner than Surface Pro, and about the SAME thickness as thinnest tablets with cover. I know it's not a fair comparison, but no one is expected to put a cover on the Helix tablet portion, since when not using it's covered/protected like a laptop. Overall it feels like a solid slate with slightly larger screen at 11.6"
* Love the quick detach and re-attach of the tablet/screen. It's fun to show off to others, but the real appreciation comes when I am using it as an ultrabook on the desk or on my lap, and then snap it off in 1 second and proceed to lie on couch/bed to browse in tablet mode! It's just not web surfing, but working through spreadsheet, redlining a word document, and even video editing. Just can't beat that!
* full size productive, spill free keyboard with a smooth feeling pad. I get about 85 words per minute, while I get 90 on the regular keyboards.
* Trackpoint this is a must for me. More productive than trackpad and I don't have to carry a separate mouse.
* Once docked, it's a real ultrabook so can actually work in my lap (hard to do with Surface Pro)
* Flip for TV watching/demo mode. It feels real good to work on free hand sketches on the desk as well.
* Pretty good battery life for an i7 with 8GB RAM at around 5 hours with tablet, and 9 full. This is my active use; advertised total time is 10 hours.
* Solid casing with gorilla glass (strong, scratch resistant). I don't feel I need a protective cover like my tablets
* Pen storage inside tablet (really paranoid with the Surface Pro for not having it)
* Fast boot / resume with Windows 8
Neutral
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Weight: tablet and keyboard dock under 2 pounds each. Combined is reasonable weight at 3.74. Tablets like iPad and Android-based with cover gets to be about the same weight or more compared to Helix slate bare (no cover needed)
Cons
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* No SD/MicroSD card slot(boo)
* Buttons on tablet are flush with tablet edge. It actually made pressing the buttons a bit more challgenging. I either have to press harder or need a longer nail
* Hot with running fan most of times, but this is controlled well with the free "TPFanControl" downloadable program
* No backlit keyboard (I can dream)
* About $300 $500 higher than the equivalent i7 8GB ultrabook. But the extra money for that 1 second snap-off and then head-for-couch justify the extra $$$ for me!
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Pros:This convertible is everything that I ever wanted in a Windows 8 device. It is responsive and fast. The touch-screen is beautiful and responsive and the pen input is nearly flawless (can get a little uncalibrated at times). It actually makes me really like Windows 8. If you're looking for a high end device, this is it.
Cons:
The tablet can get a bit warm on the top right, but that is to be expected. The one real issue that i have with it is that the back of the tablet appears to scratch very easily. I had scratched it in the first few hours just using it on my lap. That could have just been bad luck, however.
Bottom line:
You get what you pay for. This is a great device!
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