I don’t typically feature a lot of laptops, notebooks, ultrabooks or anything of the like, but I’m a big fan of convertibles, which is why I was a bit intrigued by the Lenovo Thinkpad Helix. It’s a convertible, like the Yoga 11s that was launched a few weeks before, but this time, it’s targeted more toward the enterprise user. Like the Yoga 11s, it has multiple modesthat it can transform into, but the Thinkpad Helix does things a bit differently.
The Lenovo Thinkpad Helix functions, first and foremost, as a proper laptop, but should you need need the portability, you can rip it from the keyboard dock and use it as a tablet. Or you can use it in tablet+ mode where instead of removing it from its dock, you can just flip it over and fold it so that the dock continues to charge the tablet. You can also use it in stand mode for presentations so you have easy access to the touchscreen controls while presenting to a small audience.
I’ve always liked the simple and practical one-piece design of the Yoga series, particularly the Yoga 11s because of its size, but the Thinkpad Helix allows you to rip and flip the screen when using it in stand mode or tablet+ mode. That way, the keyboard isn’t face-down against the table or whatever other surface you’re resting it on. Some things can always be improved on.
The Lenovo Thinkpad Helix is a proper Windows 8 computing device that features an 11.6 inch Full HD Gorilla Glass-protected 10-point touchscreen powered by an Intel Core i5-3337U 2.7GHz ULV processor with Intel SFF QS77 w/ HD Graphics GT2. It’s coupled with 4Gb of RAM and a 180Gb mSATA solid state drive. Other goodies include integrated 3G mobile broadband, Bluetooth 4.0, dual cameras (5mp rear, 2mp front), and a 3-cell Lithium Polymer battery.
Lenovo Thinkpad Helix Specs
- 11.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS (400 NITS)
- 10-point multi-touchscreen
- 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3427U (3M Cache, up to 2.80 GHz)
- Intel HD 4000 Graphics
- 720p HD webcam w/ face-tracking
- 4GB DDR3 RAM
- ThinkPad Digitizer pen (optional)
- Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205S
- NFC
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 2 USB 3.0
- 1 USB 2.0
- MiniDisplayPort
- up to 256GB SSD SATA3
- 3-cell 42Whr (tablet)
- 4-cell 28Whr (keyboard dock)
- up to 10 hours battery life (keyboard + tablet)
- Windows 8 Pro
