Lenovo ThinkPad Twist review
Lenovo combines tablet and laptop for its first hybrid ThinkPad - does the Twist offer the best of both worlds for businesses?
UpgradesAs usual, Lenovo offers a good selection of upgrades and alterations to the Twist's specification. At the bottom of the range the 500GB hard disk is swapped out for a 320GB model, with the price dropping to 870 inc VAT. It's possible to add a little more processing power to this model - upgrading to a Core i7-3517U, which runs at 1.9GHz with a Turbo Boost peak of 3GHz, and this pushes the price up to 920.
The next model up is where things get interesting, with the platter-based hard disk swapped for a 128GB SSD and a mobile broadband chip - Ericsson's H5321gw - included for 999.
The top of the range model costs 1,079, and it's got a formidable specification: the Core i7 processor, SSD, mobile broadband chip and 8GB of RAM included on-board.
A bevy of warranty options are available, too. All of the Twist's configurations included a basic one-year RTB deal, and it's possible to upgrade to a two-year, on-site, next-business-day deal for an additional 46 - and adding accidental damage protection to this warranty drives the cost up to 102.
There are even more three-year deals available. A basic warranty costs 75, an on-site, next-business-day offering will set you back 96, and upgrading to three years of accidental damage protection costs 181. Sealing the battery, meanwhile, puts the cost of this deal up to 198.
Conclusion
Lenovo's ThinkPad brand is synonymous with excellent design and build quality. Whilst the Twist is a versatile and reliable hybrid, the build quality isn't quite up to scratch when compared to traditional laptops like the X1 Carbon. If you're searching for a hybrid for the office, the 999 model - which includes 3G and an SSD - is the best option. If the tablet features and touchscreen don't excite, though, an Ultrabook will better serve.
Verdict
Lenovo has joined the Windows 8 party with the Twist, a ThinkPad that uses the traditional hinged method to switch between its laptop and tablet modes, and it's a good piece of design - but, while the usual ThinkPad visuals are in place, build quality isn't quite up to scratch. The specification doesn't do much to excite so we reckon a step up to the £999 model - which provides an SSD and 3G chip in additional to a Core i5 processor - is the best option if you're searching for a business hybrid rather than a traditional Ultrabook.
PROCESSOR: 1.8GHz Intel Core i5-3427U RAM: 4GB DDR3 GRAPHICS: Intel HD Graphics 4000 DISPLAY: 12.5in 1,366 x 768 STORAGE: 500GB HDD CONNECTIVITY: 802.11n dual-band WiFi PORTS: 2 x USB 3, SD card reader, mini-DisplayPort, mini-HDMI DIMENSIONS: 313 x 236 x 20mm (WxDxH) WEIGHT: 1.57kg OS: Windows 8 64-bit WARRANTY: 1yr RTB
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