ThinkPad Helix

by Lenovo

4/5

$1,911.00

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IdeaPad Yoga 11S

by Lenovo

3.5/5

$680.00

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Surface Pro (128GB)

by Microsoft

4/5

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Inspiron 15z

by Dell

3/5

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Pros
  • Can operate as a touchscreen notebook or a Windows 8 tablet
  • Solid-state drive speeds up frequently performed operations
  • Dual-battery arrangement delivers up to 6.5 hours of battery life
  • Excellent all-around design and ergonomics
  • Vivid IPS display
  • Full version of Windows 8
  • Ultrabook-caliber components.
  • Beautiful, 1920-by-1080 display.
  • Windows 8 grants full desktop application support.
  • Large and wide touchscreen
  • Good audio performance
  • HD (720p) webcam
  • Built-in rewritable DVD drive
Cons
  • Subpar audio
  • High-res screen can make small type difficult to read
  • Pricey considering its 11.6-inch display
  • Mediocre battery life
  • Meh performance
  • Bulkier than a standard tablet
  • Pen is a nice touch, but chintzy.
  • Display size and keyboard comfort will make you think twice.
  • Sluggish performance
  • Poor battery life
  • Heavy for an Ultrabook
At A Glance

Able to serve as a laptop or a Windows 8 touchscreen tablet, the ThinkPad Helix is pleasingly versatile—but it’s also very expensive.

A major improvement over the original ARM-powered Windows RT device, but still short of being the ultimate hybrid.

Surface Pro is the best Windows tablet, but depending on your needs, it may not be the best Windows 8 hybrid for you.

The Inspiron 15z might appeal to Windows 8 users in search of a touchscreen option that won't break the bank, but its mediocre performance and subpar battery life fail to impress.

Specs

Pricing

UPC Code 887619336450 887263609818 885370525571 884116106609

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Processor

Processor type Intel Core i5-3337U Intel Core i5-3339Y Intel Core i5-3317U Intel i5-3317U
Processor speed 1800.0  MHz 1500.0  MHz 1700.0  MHz 1700.0  MHz
Number of Cores 2.0 2.0    

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Memory

Memory size 4.0  MB 8.0  MB 4096.0  MB 6144.0  MB
Memory type DDR3 DDR3   DDR3
Memory speed 1333.0  MHz 1600.0  MHz   1600.0  MHz
Memory max     4096.0  GB 8.0  GB

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Display

Display size 11.6  inches 11.6  inches 10.6  inches 15.6  inches
Touchscreen Yes Yes Multitouch Multitouch
Aspect ratio 16:9 16:9 16:9 16:9
Resolution   1366 x 768  pixels 1920 x 1080  pixels 1366 x 768  pixels
Display type     Touch Screen Glossy LCD with LED Backlight

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Graphics

Graphics Type Integrated Integrated Integrated Integrated
Primary Graphics Chipset Intel HD Graphics 4000 Intel HD Graphics 4000 Intel HD4000 Intel HD Graphics 4000

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Storage

Drive 1 size 128.0  GB 240.0  GB 128.0  GB  
Drive 1 type Solid-State Drive Solid-State Drive Solid-State Drive  
Drive size     128.0  GB 500.0  GB
Drive type     Solid-State Drive Hard Disk Drive
Drives included       1.0
Hard Drive Speed       5400.0  RPM

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Ports and Connections

Available Interfaces Thunderbolt|USB 2.0 HDMI|USB 3.0 Line Out 1/8|Mini DisplayPort|USB 3.0 HDMI|USB 3.0
Wireless connection 802.11b|802.11g|802.11n|Bluetooth 802.11b|802.11g|802.11n|Bluetooth 802.11b|802.11g|802.11n|Bluetooth 802.11n|Bluetooth
Audio Output     Yes  

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Power

Battery Type Lithium Polymer Battery Lithium Polymer Battery Lithium Ion Battery  

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Dimensions

Width 11.7  inches 11.6  inches 10.81  inches 15.0  inches
Depth 8.9  inches 8.1  inches 0.53  inches 9.8  inches
Height 0.7  inches 0.6  inches 6.81  inches 0.9  inches
Weight 1.8  pounds 2.7  pounds 2.0  pounds 5.3  pounds
Weight with Accessories 3.6  pounds 3.5  pounds   6.0  pounds

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Included Software

Operating System Microsoft Windows 8 Pro Microsoft Windows 8 Home Microsoft Windows 8 Pro Microsoft Windows 8

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Other Features

Devices Built-In Microphone|Built-In Webcam|Docking Station|Keyboard|Touchpad|Track Stick/Eraserhead Built-In Microphone|Built-In Webcam|Touchpad (Multitouch) Built-In Microphone|Built-In Webcam Backlit Keyboard|Built-In Microphone|Built-In Webcam
Input devices     Pen (Stylus)|Touch Screen|Touchpad (multitouch) Touchpad (multitouch)

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Requirements

Operating System Compatibility     Microsoft Windows 8  

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Battery

Charging Interface     Proprietary Connector  

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Storage Media

SD card     SDXC Memory Card Yes
Memory stick       Memory Stick

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Optical Drive

Included Drives       DVD Drive

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Sound

Speakers       Stereo

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Performance

Overall Performance

Worldbench Score

285.0 243.0 265.0 59.0
Worldbench Version

8.1 8.1 8.1 8

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Battery

Battery Life

(hh:mm)

 6:32 4:33 5:08 3:22

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Start Up

Start Up

seconds (lower is better)

 14.6 10.3 9.2 15.7

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Office Productivity

PCMark 7 Productivity Suite

score (higher is better)

 2533.0 2064.0 2287.0 2160.0

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Web Browsing

Peacekeeper

score (higher is better)

 2181.0 865.0 2073.0 1972.0

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Storage Performance

PCMark 7 Storage Test

score (higher is better)

 5308.0 5241.0 5145.0 4454.0
File Compression

seconds (lower is better)

 140.6 184.7 139.1 153.9

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Content Creation

Image Editing

seconds (lower is better)

 258.3 348.1 604.4 642.8
Image Editing - GPU Accelerated

seconds (lower is better)

 168.4 482.0 337.8  
Video Encoding

seconds (lower is better)

 206.0 234.0 253.0 208.0
Audio Encoding

seconds (lower is better)

 288.4 401.5 300.7 305.7

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Power Usage

Working power usage

Watt hours

 3.0 1.7   3.0
Idle power usage

Watts

 18.2 8.2 9.2 9.4

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Gaming

3DMark, Ice Storm

score (higher is better)

 26434.0 25522.0    
3DMark, Firestrike Extreme

score (higher is better)

 186.0 180.0    
3DMark, Cloud Gate

score (higher is better)

 2858.0 2722.0    
3DMark, Firestrike

score (higher is better)

 398.0 392.0    
Dirt Showdown, Low Quality, 1024x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

 15.4 30.1    
Crysis 3, Ultra Quality, 1024x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

 6.2 6.6    
Bioshock Infinite, Low Quality, 1024x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

 19.2 17.7    
3DMark 11, 1280x720 Performance

score (higher is better)

     547.0 642.0
3DMark 11, 1920x1080 Extreme

score (higher is better)

     179.0  
Civilization V, Leader Benchmark, Ultra Quality, 1920x1080

Frames per second (higher is better)

     11.8  
Civilization V, Leader Benchmark, High Quality, 1920x1080

Frames per second (higher is better)

     14.7  
Civilization V, Leader Benchmark, Low Quality, 1366x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

     690.9 632.1
Civilization V, Late Game View, Ultra Quality, 1920x1080

Frames per second (higher is better)

     5.5  
Civilization V, Late Game View, High Quality, 1920x1080

Frames per second (higher is better)

     5.9  
Civilization V, Late Game View, Low Quality, 1366x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

     7.6 11.3
Dirt Showdown, High Quality, 1920x1080

Frames per second (higher is better)

     17.6  
Dirt Showdown, Low Quality, 1366x768

Frames per second (higher is better)

     34.5 34.9

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Product Type

Subcategory

      All Purpose

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TouchXPRT

Beautify Photo Album

Photos/sec (Higher is better)

       1.13
Beautify Photo Album

seconds (lower is better)

       44.37
Prepare Photos for Sharing

Collages/sec (Higher is better)

       0.42
Prepare Photos for Sharing

seconds (lower is better)

       16.79
Convert Videos for Sharing

X (higher is better)

       7.6
Convert Videos for Sharing

seconds (lower is better)

       11.24
Export Podcast to MP3

X (higher is better)

       89.9
Export Podcast to MP3

seconds (lower is better)

       19.92
Create Slideshow from Photos

Photos/sec (Higher is better)

       2.79
Create Slideshow from Photos

seconds (lower is better)

       17.94

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