LENOVO YOGA TABLET 8

To say that the word “unique” is thrown around a lot in these sorts of online write-ups would be massive understatement. Well, except for that blue-moon frequent appearance here at Tablet2Cases of a truly one-of-a-kind item. Such an item is the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8.

A look at the unboxed Lenovo Yoga 8 immediately makes it distinct. Far from yet another would-be iPad clone or yawn-inducing gorilla-glass, black-bezeled device, this Yoga (as well as its big brother the Yoga Tablet 10) has one edge rounded. Reminiscent in placement and somewhat in look to a book-binding, this edge makes for great carrying and one seriously attention-grabbing design; it also provides a home for some seriously advanced speakers for sound perhaps unparalleled among budget tablets.

Another huge plus – albeit not *quite* as unique as its Space Age retro appearance – is the excellent built-in kickstand. This sets the tablet at a small range of angles (thanks to the tweakable rounded edge) for viewing in landscape mode.

In terms of specs, we’re sorry to say the 1280 x 800 resolution is quite disappointing, especially when teased by the display possibilities brought by the kickstand, but the Lenovo Yoga 8 fares better here than the 10” version due to higher density. The processor is a MediaTek 1.2 GHz quad-core, essentially to be expected in a budget tablet and slower than the Google Nexus 7’s latest models. Typical as well is the 16 GB of storage space to start and a micro SD card slot allows up to 64 GB to be added.

Originality and flair at a budget price: That’s what the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 brings. Truly unique, this one is a true alternative to the Nexus 7, Amazon Kindles and the like – though we think another six months or so could see an upgrade with some sharper video specs, at which point the Yoga 8 becomes a positive steal at this price.