The original Medion Akoya P2211T/P2212T has been around since the end of 2013 but the version available in Germany since the beginning of March and coming to Australia at the end of March has a faster CPU and 4GB of RAM. This 2-in-1 Windows 8 tablet has been getting good reviews and, because of the 399 Euro price (about US$ 460 in pre-tax equivalent,) it will probably sell well. Baytrail-T is doing well in the tablet space and Baytrail-M seems to be hitting the mark in the modern-netbook space too.
Full specifications and more here.
This 11.6-inch 2-in-1 update to the P2212T came to the ‘Aldi’ supermarket chain in Germany on the 6th March for just 399 Euros which puts it in line with the big-selling ASUS Transformer Book T100. Aldi are likely to have shifted many thousands of units across their German outlets in an offer this month, just like they did with their early netbook in 2008.
The 11.6-inch screen 2-in-1 is a FullHD model so it leans towards more mainstream use than the smaller ASUS T100 competitor. In sizing it sits side-by-side with the Dell Venue 11 Pro which is a lot more expensive.
Netbookcheck gave the original P2211T an 83% score in a detail review and a quick glance through the review reveals that not only is there 64GB eMMc flash storage on board (SSD) but there’s a 500GB drive in the keyboard and AC support on the WiFi. The battery is good for about 10 hours. The updated P2212T has 4GB RAM and the faster N2920 CPU.
The weight is a little disappointing. The tablet is 830 grams which is a lot heavier than a consumer will be confortable with for long-term consumption. Add the keyboard and you’ve got 1.7KG (3.75 pounds) which is 300gm heavier than the Dell Venue 11 Pro. It’s a unique product for the price through and perfect for 2-day conferences, weekend holidays, long journeys and even to be your ‘one’ PC. ASUS will be watching closely but it’s Acer that are likely to be watching even closer as they plan the launch of their updated W5 2-in-1.
If you’re thinking of the single-PC solution though do be aware of the CPU and GPU limitations. This Celeron N2920 (Baytrail-M) at 1.8Ghz with 4GB is powerful enough to get you through web-based work, YouTube, Office and even some basic video and photo editing but there’s not much power in reserve here. The graphics power won’t let you play too many Windows PC games although you’ll definitely find something to keep you amused in the older PC and flash-based games. It also sips more power than the Baytrail-T (Atom Z3000 series) variants.
Overall we’re talking about a lot of PC value here. The Medion Akoya P2212T update is the best of the variants if you can find it. 4GB RAM is going to be worth spending money on if you plan to use this as PC for more than just web browsing.
The bigger story here though is that Windows 8 touch 2-in-1’s have reached mainstream markets and, together with the 8-inch tablets it’s not difficult to work out that they are selling like the netbooks did too. Across the tablet and ‘modern netbook’ space the Baytrail platform appears to be hitting consumer requirements at the right price.
Note: Not all P2212T’s have the new CPU and RAM configuration. We have seen one P2212T in Switzerland being offered with the N2910 and a P2212T with N2920 and 2GB RAM in Denmark. Double-check on specifications before buying.
UK: P2211T: 349 pounds. P2212T not currently available.
DE: P2212T: 399 Euro (Aldi. Now difficult to find.)
Australia: $599 (Aldi, 26th March)
PC World have an English language preview of the Australian model here.
Another one to look at is the Intel’s N3530 Zlate 11