In January 2013, I bought a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 for myself. Since I’m firmly in the Windows ecosystem camp, I didn’t want to get either an iPad or an Android tablet, and the TPT2 was the first Windows tablet that started to tick all the boxes I had in my list. Being a tablet with a second generation Intel Atom processor at its heart, it was no powerhouse, but it suited me very well.

Fast forward to now, and there are tablets available with the next generation of Intel’s Atom, and new low-power versions of the Atom’s big brothers, the Core processor range, are also starting to appear in devices. For the past few months I’ve been comparing my trusty TPT2 to Lenovo’s new ThinkPad 10 tablet, and to Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3, wondering whether to make a move to a newer device. I finally came to the decision, after much vacillation, to sit this round out, hang on to my TPT2,  and wait for up to a year before purchasing a replacement device.

However, yesterday a small box was delivered, courtesy of Lenovo, which contained a ThinkPad 10. I’ve been fairly active in a couple of online forums trying to help people with TPT2s, and Lenovo have sent me a TP10 on long-term loan so that I can move into helping with TP10 issues. Very nice of them, I must say, but I’m not going to let that sway my judgement.

I thought that one way to get started would be to compare the TP10 with its predecessor, the TPT2. It should be an improvement over the earlier product, but is that true in every respect? Let’s take a look…

First of all, here’s the comparison of the basic specifications of the particular models of the tablets I currently have:

	ThinkPad Tablet 2	ThinkPad 10
Processor	Intel Atom Z2760 (2 cores, 1.80GHz, 1MB cache)	Intel Atom Z3795 (4 cores, burst 2.40GHz, 2MB cache)
Display	1366 x 768 (16:9)	1920 x 1200 (16:10)
Memory	2GB / 800MHz LPDDR2	4GB / 1067MHz LPDDR3
Storage	64GB eMMC + MicroSD up to 32GB	128 GB eMMC + MicroSD up to 64GB
O.S.	Windows 8.1 Pro* 32bit	Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit
Digitizer Pen	Yes	Yes
WLAN	11a/b/g/n	11a/b/g/n
WWAN	GPRS / WCDMA / HSPA / HSPA+	No
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0
GNSS	Yes	Yes
NFC	Yes	No

*The TPT2 originally came with Windows 8 installed. I upgraded it to Windows 8.1 when that became available.

You’ll notice that the TP10 that I have on loan does not have WWAN or NFC fitted. These are available as options for some models of the TP10 line. Other than that, it is clear from the table that most of the important elements have performance improvements over the TPT2 equivalents.  This is also borne out in benchmarks. Here, for example are the Windows Experience Index scores:

TPT2:

TP10:

Whilst the gaming graphics and hard disk subscores are only slightly improved for the TP10 over the TPT2, the other measures show substantial improvement. That translates in practice into a snappier feel for the TP10 over my TPT2. Office programs start up much faster, for example.

Physically, the two tablets are close in size, the TP10 (on the left) being slightly taller and narrower than the TPT2:

Also shown in this photo is the Lenovo Quickshot cover fitted to the TP10, with an Armour Dog cover from Lente Designs fitted to my TPT2 on the right. The Armour Dog cover wraps around the TPT2, and is very stable when used as a stand, but it does add thickness to the tablet when closed. The Quickshot cover is thinner, and only covers the screen (it can be completely folded back under the TP10 in use). It can also act as a stand, but it is less stable, and with less angles to choose from.

You’ll notice that it also has a loop to hold the TP10’s pen. Since the TP10 is slightly thinner than the TPT2, it is not possible to store even a small stylus in the tablet itself, as was done for the TPT2, so Lenovo has delivered a normal sized pen.

The TP10 has a larger display and a higher resolution than the TPT2, and I like the 16:10 aspect ratio of the TP10 over the 16:9 ratio of the TPT2. When I’m reading books, for example, I prefer the TP10 experience (on the right) over the slightly longer and narrower page rendered on the TPT2:

The difference in aspect ratio also means that I get five rows of Tiles on the Start screen with the TP10 versus four on the TPT2:

The TP10 is certainly sleeker than the TPT2, but there are aspects about the case that I find less ergonomic than the TPT2. For example, the TP10’s buttons are flush with the case, rather than being slightly raised as with the TPT2. Finding and using buttons (e.g. the volume controls) on the TP10 is an exercise in frustration for me.

On both the TP10 and the TPT2, the USB socket has a cover. It may be just me, but the cover on the TP10 seems much more fiddly to pop off and to put back in place than the one on the TPT2. Here’s a photo of the cover on the TP10, and next to it, the power charging socket:

The power charging socket on the TP10 is proprietary to Lenovo; on the TPT2 it was a micro-USB. This means that you can’t use a micro-USB phone charger with the TP10 in an emergency. Some people might view that as a drawback. I’ve noticed one other concern about the design and position of this socket. Here’s a photo of the TP10 being charged while being used flat on a desk:

Notice how I have folded the Quickshot cover back under the tablet, as I think most people would tend to do. For one thing, it now protects the smooth metal back of the tablet from getting scratched. However, if the pen is stowed in its loop, then it pushes up on the charging plug and raises the tablet slightly on that side. I just wonder what the long term effects and stresses will be as a result.

The TP10 comes with a lot of software applications and apps pre-installed. This is stuff such as:

• Lenovo Companion
• Lenovo Support
• Lenovo Tap to Share (QuickCast)
• AccuWeather
• Evernote
• Norton Studio
• Skype
• Zinio
• 1-Year Office 365 Personal subscription (Trial only on Win8.1 Pro)
• Norton Internet Security 2014 with 30 days of virus protection
• Nitro Pro 8
• Lenovo Solution Center
• ThinkVantage System Update
• Lenovo Reach
• Hightail –metro (cloud storage)
• Maxthon Browser
• Lenovo Photo Editor (by CyberLink)
• Lenovo Video Editor (by CyberLink)

Frankly, most of this I view as Bloatware. The first thing I did was remove all but a couple of packages from the TP10. I then left the TP10 to update itself with Windows and Lenovo driver updates. A few hours, and 60+ updates later, it was ready to use.

I uninstalled Office 2013 Home & Student from my TPT2 and installed it on to the TP10. I needed to activate it via the telephone, rather than the painless internet route, but after punching in reams of numbers into my phone and into the TP10, Microsoft was happy and activated Office. After another round of software updates, this time for Office 2013, I think the TP10 is now finally ready to be put to work.

I’ll report back over the coming months on how I’m getting on.

Addendum: I do rather wish that manufacturers would strive for consistency with accessories across generations. For example:

• The TPT2 has a mini-HDMI port; the TP10 has a micro-HDMI port. So I have to buy yet another HDMI cable for the TP10…
• The Docking connectors are different, so I have to buy a new TP10 Dock, I can’t re-use the TPT2 Dock.
• The TPT2 has a VGA Adaptor that fits into the Docking connector on the tablet. I use that to connect my TPT2 to a VGA projector in meetings. There is no equivalent adaptor available for the TP10. In fact, apparently the only way to connect a TP10 to a VGA projector is to use the Lenovo USB 3.0 to DVI/VGA Adaptor. Note that is a USB 3.0 connector. The TP10 only has USB 2.0 on the tablet; do I have to get the TP10 Dock to provide a USB 3.0 connection for the adaptor?…

Sigh.

For the past three weeks, I’ve been trying to nail what my next Windows Tablet will be. And I still can’t decide between the Lenovo ThinkPad 10 (TP10) or the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (the Core i3 model). I keep going back and forth trying to look at the pros and cons of both tablets in an effort to choose. To be honest, it’s a bit of a Luxury Problem, because my current tablet – a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 (TPT2) – is still serving me well after 18 months of use. Overall, I’ve been very pleased with the TPT2, but the siren call of new technology is singing to me, and I’m finding it difficult to resist. So I thought I’d use this post to compare all three tablets with each other, and see if that helps sharpen up the pros and cons as I see them.

Dimensions

The Surface Pro 3 (SP3) is the biggest and heaviest (at 800 gm.) tablet of the three. The TP10 is roughly the same size and weight (610 – 600 gm., depending on whether it has WWAN or not) as my TPT2 (610 gm.), but has a slightly different aspect ratio. Whilst I haven’t had an opportunity to compare all three side by side in real life (and won’t until September, here in the Netherlands); reading the forums where these are discussed, I worry a little that the SP3 may be just a little too big and unwieldy as a tablet. The TP10, particularly with that changed aspect ratio, may be, as Goldilocks found, “just right”.

Screen Resolution and Aspect Ratio

The changed physical aspect ratio of the TP10 reflects the fact that the display screen ratio has also been changed: from 16:9 of the TPT2 to 16:10 of the TP10. It’s not just the ratio that has been changed, but also the resolution. The TPT2 has a screen resolution of just 1366 x 768 pixels, whereas the TP10 has 1920 x 1200. Now, I say “just”for the TPT2, but quite honestly, for the size of the device, the resolution is perfectly adequate. Nonetheless, the higher resolution of the TP10 is clearly an improvement, and the 16:10 aspect ratio even more so, as far as I’m concerned. So how does this compare with the SP3? It has to be said that the SP3 has the upper hand. Not only does it have a resolution of 2160 x 1440, this also gives it the best aspect ratio of 3:2. For reading books and documents in portrait mode, this is pretty close to what I want. The 16:10 ratio of the TP10 is in second place (with my trusty TPT2 coming in at third place with 16:9). However, if one compares reading quality, as expressed by pixel density, then in fact the TP10 comes first: it has a pixel density of  224.17 pixels per inch, while the SP3 has 216.33 pixels per inch. Obviously, the TPT2 comes third with 155.16 ppi. In summary, for me, the SP3 display is the front runner, but the TP10 is close behind.

Performance

On paper, there is no contest; the Core i3-based SP3 wipes the floor with both of the Atom-based ThinkPad tablets. Looking at the CPU Passmark benchmarks, then we have:

• SP3: 2,278
• TP10: 1,970
• TPT2: 679

The SP3 is over three times as fast as my TPT2. However, for my usage (Word, Excel, OneNote, Mail, Windows Live Writer, web browsing, playing media, Metro Apps), the TPT2 has proved perfectly adequate. Yes, extra power would be welcome on occasion; but essential? Not for what I use my tablet for. I understand that, for many people, more power is what they need. That’s not the case for me – at least not with my current usage patterns and scenarios. In summary then, the TP10 would give me a boost in power over the TPT2. The SP3 would give me a further boost in power over the TP10, but whether I really need it is a moot point. More likely, this would be gilding the lily.

Fan Or No Fan?

The biggest stumbling block for me is the fact that because the SP3 has more performance than the TP10, it requires a cooling fan. The TP10, like the TPT2 before it, is fanless. Personally, having experienced a tablet that is fanless (my TPT2), I really do not want to replace it with a tablet that has a fan. That would seem to be a huge step backwards as far as I’m concerned. Now I know that Microsoft claim that the fan in the SP3 is silent; but reading the forums, it’s clear that it is not. It’s true that at the moment all the real world experience is coming from people who have SP3 models that are fitted with the more powerful Core i5 processor. The Core i3 models (which should run cooler) won’t be available until next month. Nevertheless, it’s a concern. An additional point is that the SP3 is one of the first examples of an Intel Core-based tablet that uses InstantGo (formerly known as Connected Standby). Reading the forums, it is apparent that the bugs have not been fully ironed out. There are examples of people finding that their SP3 has turned itself on in their shoulder bags, with subsequent overheating. As a result, some people are posting ways to turn off InstantGo, which seems to me a pretty drastic course of action. My TPT2 has InstantGo, and, after some initial teething issues, solved by software updates, it now performs faultlessly, and I would not want to lose it. A fanless tablet, even if it did turn itself on in your shoulder bag, would only run the risk of unwanted battery drain, not meltdown. In summary, therefore, the fanless TP10 easily wins this round over the SP3.

Pen Support

All three devices (the TPT2, TP10 and the SP3) support active pens for accuracy and pressure sensitivity. The ThinkPads use Wacom technology, whereas the SP3 now uses N-Trig technology (earlier Surface Pro models also used Wacom). There are many heated discussions over which technology is superior, particularly amongst artists. However, since my purpose for wanting to have a pen is for simple notetaking and scribbled drawings, I will be happy with either. Both are far superior to the capacitive pens sold as accessories for iPads. The TPT2 came with a very thin pen that can be stored in the tablet itself. However, I tend to use a normal-sized Wacom pen when writing long screeds. The pens supplied with the TP10 and SP3 are of normal dimensions, which unfortunately means that they are too big to be stored in the thinner tablets. In this category, therefore there is nothing to choose between the TP10 and the SP3, as far as I am concerned.

Cameras

I was very surprised to discover recently that the rear camera in the SP3 was a fixed-focus device, rather than auto-focus. A fixed-focus camera is very limited in what it can do. Photographing documents, and similar close-up work, will be difficult, if not impossible. When this was raised in forums, lots of people jumped in to say that they would never use their tablet for making photos anyway, but always rely on their smartphones. While this is true (and my Nokia Lumia 1020 will knock the socks off any tablet camera), it does rather seem to miss a fundamental point. Microsoft are presenting the SP3 as a premium device for professionals. If Microsoft want the SP3 to be bought in large numbers by organisations, then it has to be a serious platform for Line-of-Business applications. Many such applications, these days, will want to include photos captured by the platform. For example, when the contractors arrived at our house to install and commission the solar panels and electric inverter, the team leader had an iPad with a LoB application. It contained the work order details. Once the installation was commissioned, he used the iPad camera to photograph the serial number barcode of the inverter, and the serial number was used to activate the monitoring system in the cloud. He also photographed my paper copy of the work order, now complete with my signature, and the electronic copy was added into the business process application. The iPad has an auto-focus camera, and can be used in these sorts of applications. The SP3’s fixed focus camera can’t. Here’s an example (taken from a post on the Microsoft Surface forum) of the same document photographed by an iPad (auto-focus) and the SP3 (fixed-focus) cameras: I’m sorry, but Microsoft should be ashamed of this. A common use of tablets in the field is with insurance adjusters. They will inspect a loss, taking a number of photographs along the way, notate the damage on them with a pen by circling the damage and email the pictures to the claims handler with their recommendations. The Adjusters need to take long shots and close ups (hat-tip to Bronsky for this example). The SP3 cannot be used in this scenario. My old TPT2, and the TP10, can. They both have auto-focus lenses capable of taking close-ups and wide-angle shots. Once again, Microsoft snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. As I said, most of the time I will use my Nokia 1020 for taking photos, but in practice, both my TPT2 and the TP10 cameras will far surpass the toy camera that Microsoft has put in the SP3. So, while I could live with the camera that the SP3 has, it certainly tarnishes the “premium” moniker that Microsoft would have us believe that the SP3 carries.

Sensors

Smartphones and tablets are equipped with a range of sensors these days, whilst laptops are not. The TPT2, TP10 and the SP3 all have a gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer and an ambient light sensor. In addition, however, the TPT2 has a GNSS sensor, which can provide GPS positioning data to the Windows 8.1 Location Service. At this point, it’s not clear whether the TP10 includes the same sensor. Lenovo’s documentation implies that all models of the TP10 have it, yet Lisa Gade found in her review of the TP10 that the model under test did not include GNSS capability. I’ve asked Lenovo if they can clarify the issue. One thing is clear, though, the SP3 does not have a GNSS sensor. And again, I find this strange, given that the SP3 is supposed to be a premium device for professionals. Microsoft state in the SP3 specifications that it has a “digital compass” for its Location Service. Do they take us for fools? A compass is not sufficient to provide accurate position data. In this category, therefore, the TPT2 is currently out in front, but if it is confirmed that the TP10 also has a GNSS sensor, then it will join the TPT2, and the SP3 will be in third place. [Addendum: Lenovo has confirmed to me that all models of the TP10 have a Broadcom 4752 GPS chip in them to provide GNSS data] Is a GNSS sensor essential for me? Honestly, no, but it is very nice to have. A number of the apps that I use require accurate position data (e.g. mapping, navigation and astronomy apps), and while I could provide this via a bluetooth GPS device to the SP3 (and the TP10, if necessary), it’s very convenient to have this built into the tablet directly.

Networking

All three devices support WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 networks. The SP3 also supports the newest, fastest variant of WiFi: 802.11 ac in addition to the 802.11 a/b/g/n specifications. This puts the SP3 in front of the TPT2 and the TP10 in this respect. However, there are currently no models of the SP3 that are equipped with WWAN capability, whereas both the TPT2 and the TP10 have models equipped for mobile networking. Once again, just as for the camera quality, this could be an important differentiator for Business users. Is this a showstopper for me? No, it isn’t. Although my current TPT2 is equipped with WWAN, I very rarely use it, and on the occasions that I do, I could just as easily pair it with my Nokia 1020 to provide internet access to my tablet. The SP3 also does not have NFC, whilst some models of both the TPT2 and the TP10 do. This feature is more commonly found in Smartphones, but it could just take off in tablets as well. This is another “nice-to-have” feature as far as I’m concerned. Its absence is not a showstopper. Overall, therefore, given that I could live without WWAN capability, NFC, and do not need 802.11 ac speeds (or indeed have them in our home network), then there is nothing to choose between the SP3 or TP10 in this category.

Summing Up

I’ve tried to sum up using the table shown below. I haven’t assigned weightings to the categories, but if I did, then the dimensions/weight, display and noise categories would be the most important to me. You’ll notice that I have not got a battery life category. I’m assuming that both the SP3 and the TP10 would be sufficient for me.

Category	Front-runner
Dimensions/Weight	TP10
Display	SP3
Performance	TP10 (sufficient)
Noise (fan)	TP10 (fanless)
Pen Support	SP3 = TP10
Cameras	TP10
Sensors	SP3 = TP10
Networking	SP3 = TP10

The one area where the SP3 clearly comes out on top is in the display category, because of its superior resolution and 3:2 aspect ratio. Whilst, on paper, the SP3 clearly wins in the performance category, the TP10 has sufficient performance for me, so I’ve put that first. The SP3’s superior performance also comes at a cost for me: that damn fan. In fact, I’m beginning to think that the whole case one way or another, balances around the question of the fan. If the Core i3 model of the SP3 can really minimise the use of the fan, and the problems with InstantGo resolved, then it becomes more attractive. Then the attention shifts to the dimensions and weight category. So it looks as though, at this point in the technology cycle, while the TP10 is a better fit with what I am looking for in a tablet, I must resist the temptation to pull the trigger until after some reports of the Core i3 model of the SP3 have been published, and I’ve had a chance to see, and heft, both the TP10 and SP3 in the flesh…

Addendum

I reached a decision (of sorts) on the 6th September 2014, and wrote a post on it. The bottom line:

Now that a wider range of TP10 models are available here in the Netherlands, I could get a TP10 (faster, with a better display, and twice the RAM) to replace my existing TPT2 for €620. I definitely won’t be going for the SP3 (at €819) – too many compromises and issues for me. I could also equally continue using my TPT2 quite happily and wait to see what an SP4 has to offer. There’s no rush.