The Lenovo Miix 8 2
Its fitting that the Miix has an 8 inch version, 8 inches has always struck me as an in-between size. Between to big to be easily portable (10 inches) and larger than the easily portable sizes of 7 inches and below. Its fitting then, that this device with its slim and styled form factor also be housing the in-between OS of Windows 8.
Yes, Windows 8: the OS that seems to do neither mobile nor desktop as well as its predecessors.
Really if you want me to describe the Miix 8 I would say it is an all around device. It seems to do everything well, and nothing spectacularly.
Hardware:
This of course is the refresh of the earlier tablet of similar designation, and has updated hardware. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about its hardware is that it has one of the best displays in its price range, dense pixels, and great color and brightness.
Software:
It comes with a full version of Office 2013 Home & Students, which is more than enough for most windows users, and beyond that, is a fairly stock windows 8 experience.
Performance:
As I mentioned above the thing to keep in mind is that the Miix 8 performed well in almost every respect, it was responsive, it was fast enough.
Here are some benchmarks* so you can compare to other tablets:
3Dmark: Ice Storm – 15600
Cloud Gate – 1200
Geek Bench – 2600
Battery Life:
The battery life on this tablet is fairly well on pace with its immediate rivals,
General Web browsing ran the tablet down at 7 1/4 hours
HD Movies from memory 7 1/2 hours
Streaming Netflix 6 3/4 hours
(This is great battery life as far as Windows tablets go)
Connectivity:
Since it has no HDMI out, any mirroring has to be done though Miracast, which is supported by the Miix 8. The bad news however is that Windows is currently messing up the Miracast, to the point that you can only extend your display, and not mirror it. Which means you had better have a mouse connected, because otherwise you just cant use the Miix 8 for practical purposes right now. Hopefully Lenovo will get that issue fixed through an update in the near future.
Final Thoughts: As you may know I am not a big fan of the Windows 8 OS, however, in its price range, the Miix 8 makes a compelling argument for me, and anyone else to put our feelings aside, and see just how good Windows can be. And as an added bonus it will not make you feel it too deeply in your wallet.
*Benchmarks are averages of several runs, some were higher, others lower, and yours might vary somewhat.