Yep, y'all read the title correctly: Lenovo has indeed named a tablet 'Miix 2 8'. Somewhere along the line, Lenovo's marketing department fell asleep and allow this sideslip through. And then here's Lenovo'due south consumer version of an affordable Windows eight.i powered tablet. Surely no visitor in their correct mind would genuinely proper noun a tablet headed to Western markets in such a confusing and nonsensical way, but alas, information technology's the mode things are.

Lenovo Miix two 8 - $240 - $349

  • 8.0", 1280x720 IPS LCD (189 ppi)
  • Intel Bay Trail Z3740 SoC
  • one.3 GHz quad-core CPU, HD Graphics, 2GB RAM
  • 32 GB internal storage, microSD card slot
  • 5 MP camera, 1/4" sensor, f/2.4 lens, 1080p video
  • Wi-Fi a/b/thou/due north, Bluetooth 4.0, 17.v Wh bombardment
  • Windows 8.ane + Microsoft Office
  • 350 grams, 8.35mm thick

Even though Windows 8 has been out for some time at present, information technology's been simply since late final year that we started to see 8-inch Windows tablets headed to marketplace. The Miix two 8 isn't geared up for high operation tasks, nor does it accept peak-terminate features, only its use of an Intel Atom x86-capable processor and 1280 x 800 display nowadays very decent value for the tablet'south $240 asking cost (originally it was $300).

We recently reviewed the similarly Windows 8-powered Toshiba Encore, but information technology's the Miix two that nosotros've had on-mitt for a longer period. Read on to detect out how well Windows viii.1 functions on smaller-screened devices and whether the total Windows desktop is practical in this course factor. Plus, the Miix 8 2 has to compete with similarly-priced Android and iOS tablets that are more focused on media consumption.

Blueprint

Every tablet on the market has the same base design, because there'south really not all that much y'all can do with a large display in a rectangular torso. Yet every manufacturer manages to include something unique to brand the tablet their ain, including Lenovo for the Miix 2 eight.

This particular device only comes in silver, with black bezels around the display, and the ii complement each other nicely. Like nigh every tablet, the front end panel is protected with glass polish enough that your fingers simply fly across when you're manipulating content on the brandish. The back is generally synthetic from metallic (probable aluminum), which is patterned with tiny diamond shapes that gives information technology an actress layer of texture, making it experience fifty-fifty nicer. To allow the wireless radios in the device to function correctly, there's also a strip of smooth, metallic-colored plastic that runs forth the lesser.

I'1000 ever a fan of metal on tablets because it's strong, feels bang-up and often looks great, merely the Miix 2 eight isn't without oddities. There's quite a noticeable gap between the metal dorsum plate and the plastic mid-section, virtually prominent forth the bottom of the tablet'due south rear. In some ways it appears Lenovo has taken inspiration from the iPad for the Miix two 8's blueprint, but Apple would never let this seam pass engineering quality control.

There are also a range of stickers inexplicably practical to the device out of the box, including a Windows 8 logo, Intel inside logo and product information. Typically you only see these sorts of stickers on laptops – and yes, they are removable – but they look out of place and dominating on an otherwise reasonably sleek tablet.

One thing I was really happy with as far as the Miix 2 viii'due south blueprint goes is its size. The tablet is both sparse (8.35mm thick) and reasonably light (350 grams), plus the overall profile of the viii-inch body makes information technology a very portable device. The 16:10 aspect ratio display also keeps the tablet from being too slim or odd to hold, yet is however corking for widescreen content and snapping applications.

Everything on the Miix 2 8 is positioned to make portrait the default orientation. The capacitive Windows push button is beneath the display's bottom edge, and there's a front-facing camera to a higher place, plus some cleverly hidden sensors and a Lenovo logo. The dorsum panel has a prominent Lenovo logo every bit well, plus a photographic camera in the very tiptop left corner, and a speaker in the acme right. Unfortunately there's only 1 speaker on the Miix ii 8, but it's reasonably powerful, if quite poor in terms of quality.

Autonomously from the 3.5mm audio jack on the elevation edge, all the other features of the Miix two eight's design are on the right side. At the pinnacle is the power push, and so the volume rocker, a panel that hides a microSD carte slot, and the microUSB charging port. The buttons are in a reasonable position, but like all tablets, they're never quite at your fingertips all the time.

The pattern of the Lenovo Miix 2 8 is quite nice, and forgiving a few oddities in construction, is well suited to the smaller form factor of tablets. Information technology doesn't accept that same premium feel as the Apple iPad mini, only I'd happily use it without complaint.

Display

For some bizarre reason, Windows manufacturers have one time again fallen into the trap of including low-resolution displays, despite competitors at the same price points offering pixel-dumbo alternatives. The Lenovo Miix 2 viii's viii-inch TFT IPS LCD console with a xvi:10 attribute ratio may seem appealing at first, simply the 1280 ten 800 display resolution leaves a lot to be desired.

To first with, a WXGA resolution for an viii-inch brandish equates to 189 pixels per inch, which is substandard for a device on sale in 2022. The Miix 2 eight can only handle 720p content natively, but falls backside when you're looking at high-resolution imagery or 1080p content. Text also suffers, with the display producing pronounced jagged edges at a comfortable viewing distance and reasonably visible pixels.

Earlier anyone complains that this tablet costs just $299, might I remind y'all of a few similarly-priced tablets on the market with higher-resolution panels. The 2022 Google Nexus 7 ($229) and seven-inch Amazon Kindle Burn down HDX ($199) both pack 1080p displays, or you tin can take hold of the $339 Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" with a 2560 x 1600 display. Absolutely neither of these devices take the verbal aforementioned brandish size as the Miix 2 viii, merely so over again LG'due south G Pad viii.3 does pack a 1920 x 1200 panel for $329.

Strangely, nearly all 8-inch Windows viii.1 tablets feature 1280 x 800 displays, similar the switch to Windows somehow forces manufacturers to lower the display resolution (it doesn't). In my eyes this isn't a good thing, and I can't wait to come across all OEMs embrace pixel-dense displays as the norm, regardless of the OS they're running.

If you can look past the display resolution, the Lenovo Miix two viii's panel is actually quite reasonable. Colors appear reasonably saturated yet also counterbalanced, although gamma seems a little off the marker, and at that place's little-to-no color banding when looking at gradients. Black levels aren't the best I've seen, and the backlight does visibly laissez passer through when displaying nighttime items, but whites appear stiff and accurate.

Brightness is very skilful from the brandish, and thank you to its IPS nature, information technology'southward reasonably like shooting fish in a barrel to read outdoors, cheers to few layers between the glass and panel itself. You besides get automatic brightness adjustments, which aren't the fastest on the Miix 2 8, but piece of work quite well. All this is complemented by great viewing angles, which permit you lot to hands read the display at off-angles, such as when the device may be laying on a desk.

If it wasn't for the low resolution of the Lenovo Miix 2 viii's brandish, I'd say this is one of the better panels I've used on this form of tablets. Instead information technology'due south merely average, simply one key feature away from being crawly.