Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsexcellent hybrid tablet for work/play
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2013
At work I use word and power point quite frequently. I am also more comfortable with windows vs. mac. I bought an ipad 2 back in the day, and just never used it that much. Oh, it was fun for the first week or 2, but after that I realized I'd surf the net occasionally or play a game or 2 on it but that was it. Once the windows tablets started coming out I was interested in seeing how they worked. the surface was not for me because I don't like the idea of a windows lite. I'd rather have a full version, but the fact they had power point and word seemed pretty nice. I needed something the was portable and able to be comfortably held in one hand so I continued to wait. I almost got an ipad mini but held out, and I am definitely glad I did. I started looking into the miix2 when my wife got the miix 10. It seemed pretty nice but too big. I saw a review about a pending offer from lenovo the miix 2 I happened to check amazon and lo and behold the had it in stock. i ordered it immediately and it arrived 2 days later.
External appearance: Opening the box I was very pleased with it's initial looks. It seems very sturdy, maybe aluminum or something but there was certainly no flimsiness that i noted. I didn't like all the stickers on the back but they peeled off very easily and you can't tell they were ever there. It has a micro usb an SC card slot and a headphone jack. Speakers on the back one on top of each other and front and rear facing cameras. Windows button in good position bottom center. Plugged it in and after a few hours charge booted it up.
First use: Set up went just fine without a glitch. Mine didn't have the facial recognition software which I would have removed anyways. The apps preset were fairly minimal in keeping with lenovo's other offerings. I also removed mcaffee and several other non-essential aps without difficulty. The uninstall is extremely easy. Windows 8 is a great OS. I use 7 on my other computers but I really like 8 so far. The really nice thing is word, power point, excel, and one note are all there to be installed using the key provided in the packaging. Also while trying to get used to the new start screen, the desktop was literally a touch away. I installed itunes just to see if I could and that brings up another plus. This is full windows. If there isn't an app for something you need you can just install the program (size pending obviously). I don't need a citrix receiver app, I just install the client and it boots up. I can also port into my home or work cpu without difficulty. I have used this almost exclusively for the past 2 weeks and still love it. Although the ipad was never a laptop replacement I can see this tablet being close. I have a bluetooth keyboard and power point and word are with me wherever.
Screen: Very nice very bright. people have complained that the black isn't black but I found that by fiddling with the adjustments it a pretty good pure black to me. the contrast is very nice and the high def is great for me. Although like any other tablet it collects smudges, they don't seem to interfere with visibility that much.
Sound: Speakers are fine, nothing great but adequate. Certainly not busy airport loud, but I use headphones mostly.
Speed: I am very happy with the speed of internet connection as well as processing. Another plus is that I can run 2 apps/programs simultaneously without losing noticeable speed. I'm working on a powerpoint and need info I bring up chrome to one side and get the info. This is extremely useful.
Storage size: I have the 32 GB, and can see needing more space but with the SD slot you can just add a card and viola you have it. There is also a 128 GB coming out that should be great.
Battery life:I haven't tested it extensively, but I typically plug it in at night and haven't lost power during the day yet. I use it modestly though. Not sure how far it'd last if you were on it literally all day.
Work use: I already alluded to this but i am able to do pretty much everything I need to for my business on this it really is very close to being a laptop replacement. (If you have vision impairments (wear glasses, etc) the small screen may be an issue plus it you need a larger display this won't work as well but for me it's great.
Apps: the windows App store is still a bit light although getting better per report. There's also a lenovo app store which seems a waste of time but there are some exclusive apps there. If all you want is games, the ipad of android may be better, although xbox is getting a larger presence on the windows platforms and I can see them starting to push exclusive content. Just something to think about.
Overall durability: I have been using think pads for almost a decade now from back when IBM still made them and am definitely slightly biased as I think they are hands down the best laptops. The Miix 2 is definitely in keeping with their reputation for sturdiness. Now bear in mind its a tablet and I'm not going to go around dropping it just to see, but it certainly feels sturdy and the screen seems tough.
Overall: Great tablet I'm recommending to everyone I work with and anyone who reads the reviews on amazon. I bought a screen cover which I'd recommend anyone buying this to do ( they literally cost only a few bucks) and a evercase thin case for it both of which are great additions to make this a perfect tablet for me. The case was under $10 when I bought it and is very nice. Great value for the cost.
