Lenovo launches Miix 2, Tab A7 and Tab A8 in Malaysia

Lenovo today has announced a couple of new consumer devices for the Malaysian market. Probably the biggest highlight is the Miix 2 multimode device which transforms from tablet, to stand and laptop mode in a 2 piece solution. Also announced are 2 new affordable tablets the Tab A7-30 and Tab A8-50 that are priced below RM700 and comes with telephony features as well.

While mobile devices are enjoying rapid growth, Lenovo is still focusing on their laptops as well. After all they are currently the largest PC maker surpassing Dell and HP. During the launch, they have also announced its affordable G40-70 and G50-70 laptops that are priced from just RM1,499.

Read on for more details of the Miix 2, Tab A7 and Tab A8 along with a couple of hands-on photos.

Lenovo Miix 2 11.6″

The Lenovo Miix 2 is quite an interesting product which offers the flexibility of a tablet with a computing power of a full fledged Windows 8.1 laptop. Priced at RM2,999, the Miix 2 11 gets a 11.6″ Full HD display and is powered by a Intel’s 4th generation Core i5 (4202Y) processor. On-board it gets 4GB RAM and 128GB of SSD storage. Overall the tablet is 11mm thick and weighs a respectable 800 grams excluding the keyboard dock. Being a multi-mode device, the Miix 2 lets you use the tablet standalone and you can switch to laptop mode by placing it on the keyboard or turn it around for a tablet stand mode. The design is pretty sturdy as the tablet is attached via connector pins for a confident fit. This gives the Miix 2 a more planted feel than the Acer Aspire P3. Stowing the tablet onto the keyboard dock is pretty seamless as well which makes it appear like a single piece laptop.

For audio, it has stereo JBL speakers on both sides and the accompanying keyboard dock boast an additional front firing speakers when placed in “stand mode”. If you need more connectivity ports, the Miix 2 has a USB port on the tablet while the keyboard dock provides 2 extra with one on each side. You also get a micro-HDMI out and microSD slot as well. There is a micro-SIM slot at the sides too but it isn’t usable as the Miix 2 that we’re getting is WiFi only. For imaging it has a 5MP camera at the back and a 2MP unit for video conferencing at the front. Interestingly the Miix 2 is charged via its full sized USB port on the tablet and the adapter pushes a higher 20V at 2Amps. In the hands, the Miix 2 tablet feel quite sturdy with clean edges which almost mimics the design of the Surface. The tablet itself is quite light but with the keyboard attached, it feels almost as heavy as an ultra-portable laptop.

Lenovo Tab A7-30

Entry level devices have been a volume driver for Lenovo and they are pushing more capable tablets at a lower price range. The Lenovo Tab A7-30 is priced at just RM399 and it offers a 7.0″ IPS display that pushes a modest 1024×600 resolution. It is powered by MediaTek’s Quad Core 1.3GHz MTK8382 processor with 1GB RAM and expandable 8GB of storage using microSD. The spec list continues with a 2MP main camera, a front facing VGA camera, 3,500mAh capacity battery and it runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It also gets front facing stereo speakers and you also could also use this to make phone calls and send SMS as well.

Lenovo Tab A8-50

Moving up a notch higher is the Lenovo Tab A8-50 which is priced at RM699. For the extra premium, you’ll get a higher resolution 8″ IPS display that does 1280×800 and better optics with a 5MP main camera and 2MP front facing camera. It is also powered by the same Quad-Core 1.3GHz processor with 1GB of RAM as the A7 but the storage has been doubled to 16GB-board and it is expandable via microSD as well. Being a bigger unit, it packs a larger 4,200mAh capacity battery but it still quite slim at 8.95mm. Similar to the A7, the A8 is also capable of making phone calls and comes with a pair of front stereo speakers as well.

With the Tab A7 and A8, budget conscious consumers are definitely spoiled when it comes to a big screen tablets that are capable of making phone calls. Despite its cheap price, the build quality is pretty decent especially the A8 which comes with a nice matte finish.