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Whether you’re looking for a tablet just to watch videos on, or one to replace your laptop — 2021 is off to a promising start.
Last fall, I wrote about the asymptotic convergence between Apple’s MacBook and iPad lines; the latest crossover tech between the two products has been the iPad Pro’s adoption of Apple’s M1 chip. Ultimately, though, there have been lines that Apple has obdurately refused to cross, including putting a touch screen or cellular modem in the Mac.
In the non-Apple world, where the leading operating systems for tablets is Android and for laptops is Windows, there are no such boundaries. Most premium Windows laptops have touchscreens and a good number have integrated cellular modems, a few even supporting 5G. And yet, after spending time with two ultralight Lenovo devices, there are still clear lines separating tablets — at least those running Android — and laptops.
Let’s start with the laptop, In this corner, wearing black carbon fiber and weighing in at just 2 lbs. is Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Nano, which is minimalist in the sense that it’s the lightest ThinkPad the company has ever made. Furthermore, the version I had lacked the optional touchscreen. In this case, though, “minimalist” is a far cry from “stripped.” The model I used had an Intel Core i7 processor and was certified under Intel’s Evo program. As for design, the wrist rest also features a fingerprint reader and Lenovo’s distinctive tripartite upper trackpad buttons and TrackPoint stick. While the aesthetic follows the ThinkPad line’s long aversion to showiness, it’s not quite as stark as the black AMD version of Microsoft’s recently released Surface Laptop 4.
And in this corner, wearing a fabric-textured kickstand back and keyboard cover and weighing in at 1 lb. (without any accessories) stands Lenovo’s P11 Pro, As the only of the largest PC makers still offering Android tablets, Lenovo has followed the Surface’s lead in making the tablet more laptop-like with a magnetically attached keyboard (bundled, unlike the Surface’s) and a kickstand (detachable, unlike the Surface’s). The P11 Pro’s 2560 x 1600 11.5-inch OLED display offers excellent contrast and vivid colors and the tablet boasts four speakers that can tap into Dolby Atmos. Lenovo has also integrated a fingerprint reader into the tablet’s power button.
Because Android tablets are second-class ecosystem citizens and there are few really taxing Android tablet apps (particularly beyond games), vendors skimp a bit on the SoC. The P11 Pro’s Snapdragon 730G makes for a snappy experience, but doesn’t represent the best Qualcomm had to offer at its release. In tablet tradition, there’s only one USB-C connector, which means you can’t attach anything to it while it’s charging. Historically, this hasn’t been much of an issue. For example, Android can’t extend onto a second display connected to USB-C. On the other hand, Apple’s adoption of Thunderbolt on the iPad Pro hints at growing versatility. There’s always the hub option.
The X1 Nano is a bit thicker, has a fan a bit louder, has battery life that’s a bit shorter, and has screen borders a bit thicker than what’s found on the P11 Pro. On the other hand, the laptop’s nearly imperceptible weight made it an easy choice to take along and a welcome companion as indoor seating has begun opening up in many venues. How light is the X1 Nano? At one point, a misguided cable tug led to my heart skipping a beat as I found the laptop being suspended by just the USB cable connection! This is, of course, not recommended.
Using a modern Windows laptop without a touchscreen felt odd at first, and I admit having reached out once out of habit, but I soon reacclimated. It may not speak well to Microsoft’s efforts to push touch screens for almost a decade that they can be dismissed so easily. But Lenovo is in good company in confining fingers to the lower deck.
Ultimately, it comes down to software. Lenovo, in answering the ability of Samsung’s S-series tablets to enable the DeX desktop interface on their own displays instead of on an external one as its phones traditionally have, offers Productivity Mode for the P11 Pro. Like DeX, Productivity Mode provides many Windows-like elements such as a taskbar and resizable window. Unfortunately, as is also the case for DeX, many apps don’t take advantage of the interface, and I’d invariably wind up turning it off, leaving me in the cumbersome world of Android’s multitasking interface on tablets.
Much as with keyboard cover hardware, you can dress up an Android tablet’s software to look more like a PC, but ultimately can’t make it one. If only Google would prioritize improving this versus imbuing Android with the state of the art in lovely, responsive themes, aka, Material You. Furthermore, despite hearing about “desktop-class” apps on mobile operating systems since the launch of the iPhone, mobile versions of apps almost always have more limits than their Windows and Mac counterparts.
On the other hand, this isn’t anything close to a fair fight. The P11 Pro is Lenovo’s best Android tablet. At $499, though, it starts at a third of the price of the X1 Nano. With its bundled keyboard cover, this makes the P11 Pro a nice value, particularly as a secondary device that can even serve as a vibrant external monitor, but no laptop killer. Snap off the keyboard and you can enjoy one of the best mobile entertainment experiences on the go.
Is there a middle ground? My experiment led me to recall my experience with a third ultramobile Lenovo product I wrote about last year, the budget-friendly Chromebook Duet. With its keyboard cover and removable kickstand back, the Duet is a bit like a smaller, more affordable, student-tuned version of the P11 Pro. However, the Duet runs Chrome OS, which would allow Lenovo to create a permanent “productivity mode” on its premium tablet. While Android app support on Chromebooks still isn’t perfect, it’s now quite good. Any limitations vs. Android or inconsistencies are more than offset by a genuine windowing interface and Chrome OS’s fully compatible browser.
PREVIOUS AND RELATED COVERAGE
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano review: Slim, lightweight, durable, expensive
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