Just a short comment today...
I met up briefly with a long time friend today who was passing close by. She said if I had an extra buck or two for a burger and a beer, she might have something to show me. Turns out, I did have an extra 8 or 9 quarters and other misc. loose change with me, so I scurried to the designated Spy vs. Spy location. Seems that she just happened to have a loaner Lenovo Miix 510 in her back pack. Try as I might, she wouldn't leave it with me for further study ;-) Still in the maybe 20 or 30 minutes that she was distracted by the burger, I came away more favorably impressed than I expected to be with how it felt and the apparent build quality, etc.
I'm not sure about the out-and-out performance as I didn't even try to compare it with my Surface Book and I didn't have an SP4 with me. I did have my trusty TP10 with me, but there was really no comparison - the Miix 510 is just a more capable machine (as one would expect) than the TP10. Just from a seat-of-the-pants perspective, it felt about as snappy with mainstream apps as I remember most Core i5 SP4s I've used recently and it felt just about the same with regard to weight (again, strictly from memory.) Due to the fact that the device is on loan and still owned/registered through Lenovo, I couldn't go on the app store and get any of our stuff to test, so everything I ran through was regular "Office" and productivity stuff that was already loaded on the device - I didn't even try a game... No big deal - our apps aren't very heavy so the mainstream apps were more of a stress check than our stuff would have been anyway.
The screen is lower resolution than the SP4 and SB, but I really can't say that I noticed it looking grainy - really, the resolution is more than adequate - in fact, it was quite nice. My SB screen is punchier and I remember my SP4s looking even better, but given the price, I'd say the Miix 510 screen is really good for the buck. (Of course, it still needs an anti-reflective screen protector in sunny environments IMHO.) I still prefer 3:2 (15:10) aspect ratio over the 16:10 aspect ratio on the Miix 510, but I could live with it, given the relative bargain.
One thing that I DID notice being considerably better (IMHO) was the included keyboard. It is in many respects similar to the SP4 keyboard with regard to looks and functionality, method of attaching, general size and key travel, etc., but the Miix 510 keys are not flat like they are on most 2-in-1's (heck, most laptops) made by almost every other manufacturer. Thankfully, Lenovo has continued to put a mild sculpting on the keys that makes it more comfortable to type on and I really appreciate the way Lenovo give you regular size arrow keys! My friend forgot the pen (probably lost it, knowing her, - inside joke, LOL) so I couldn't try that out, but the Miix 510 uses a Wacom digitizing system (screen and pen combo), so I wouldn't expect there to be any problem there. Overall, I definitely came away from my brief experience liking it more than I thought I would which means procuring one for formal field testing just got kicked up the list a few slots ;-)
Of course, I asked if she had access to any other Lenovo goodies, but that didn't even register a smile with her... Hmmmm... Probably means she's been feeding me more info than I've been feeding her lately, ha ha... I still wish I understood HOW she gets stuff like this way before I do ;-)
Hope this helps!
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
[PS Edit] - I can verify that there IS a 4G LTE option as unit she had was showing a cellular connection. By the time I got to the designated meet-up spot, she had had already made a Wi-Fi connection at the establishment so I used that and simply neglected to test out how well 4G was working, my mistake. I am pleased, however, that we will now have another option for those who desire a tablet with a 4G option. Many people these days find this to be an important element when selecting their device. It is, in fact, the main reason I still carry my TP10 with me in my bag. If my other daily driver was 4G LTE-equipped, I'd probably drop the TP10 altogether. I can easily use my L950 phone for a cell connection but I'd still prefer it to be built into the tablet. Just my 2¢ on that particular item...
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