Smartphones and tablets have challenged PC makers to come up with a laptop that is portable, flexible, light and affordable. When the Lenovo Yoga Book came out last year, the company pretty much addressed every point and received rave reviews across the board for the Halo keyboard and digitizer pen.
Small business owners who increasingly demand technology that can be taken anywhere, are especially in need of these features. But they also need a price that fit the most modest startup budget. The new Android Yoga A12 comes in at only $299, so some sacrifices had to be made. But for the price, it delivers a utilitarian device many users may find useful, according to company specs.
A Look at the New Lenovo Yoga A12 Laptop
When the A12 becomes available on the Lenovo (OTCMKTS:LNVGY) site starting February 8, these are some of the key specs that will reportedly be on the device:
- Intel Atom x5 processor
- 2-inch HD touchscreen
- 2GB RAM
- 32GB storage
- 13 hours of battery life
- Android 6.0.1
- Two Dolby Atmos speakers
The A12 still has the Halo keyboard, but not the digitizer like its big brother. And the 360-degree hinge lets you flip the keyboard so you can use it as a tablet in four different work modes. According to Lenovo, the multi-tasking hybrid UI resembles those of smartphones and tablets.
Only 5.4mm at its slimmest point, the magnesium and aluminum A12 comes in gunmetal gray, rose gold and a soft shade of pink.
The sacrifices for the A12 were made on the screen, which only has a resolution of 1200 x 800 pixels, and an Atom X5 tablet processor code-named Cherry Trail that is being phased out by Intel. Lenovo says the next iteration of the Yoga A12 will have the Apollo Lake processor, which will be replacing the Atom.
The full featured Yoga Book is priced at $499 for the Android version and $549 for the Windows version. With a price difference of up to $250 depending on which model you get, the Yoga A12 can be the right solution for users — including small businesses — with a budget.
Images: Lenovo
I know costs are a big concern, but when it comes to technology you can cut off your nose to spite your face. This device would need to have a very specific purpose to excel. It doesn’t have much RAM, so anything intensive would be slow. The screen resolution is low, so don’t plan on spending hours at a time on it. But if you just need a device to let your booth people take to trade shows, it could work.
Michael Guta
Hi Robert,
I think the hardware specs are good enough to carryout a range of tasks, but where I see the shortfall is on the OS. If it becomes available in Windows the cost will increase, which probably defeats what Lenovo is trying to do at this price point. But for people that like Android, the A12 will find its niche.