We've become used to seeing adventurous form factors from Lenovo, and the Yoga A12 unveiled today is no exception. The 2-in-1 laptop/tablet has a 12.2-inch display, an unusual solid-state keyboard, and is priced to sell.
Broken down into its components, the Yoga A12 is a large Android-running tablet attached to a keyboard via a 360-degree hinge. And that's not just any keyboard – it's Lenovo's so-called Halo keyboard, which has a touchscreen, key-free interface. Instead of pressing down physical buttons, the smooth, backlit keyboard responds with haptic feedback in the form of light vibrations.
In many ways, the Yoga A12 is a larger, more affordable version of the Lenovo Yoga Book, which we reviewed last November. Unlike the Yoga Book, the A12's Halo keyboard does not include a digitizer for writing and drawing, nor does it have Lenovo's trademark watchband hinge. But for what it's worth, the Yoga Book's Halo keyboard did exceed our (low) expectations for the touch typing experience.
The Lenovo Yoga A12 has modest, mobile-friendly internals, including an Intel Atom x5 processor, that 12.2-in screen, 2 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of built-in storage. It weighs in at under a kilogram, and will be available in Gunmetal Grey or Rose Gold. Its build is magnesium/aluminum.
Starting price is a strikingly low US$299, and unfortunately, that budget demands a few concessions: The tablet will run Android Marshmallow instead of the newer Nougat OS launched last August. More disappointing? The display resolution, a relatively measly 1,280 x 800 pixels.
The Yoga A12 hits the market on February 8.
