I bought a Thinkpad 8. Why? This high-end Windows 8 tablet with LTE and 4GB got an update to the Z3795 CPU, has much improved performance over the original and was retailing in the UK for an absolute bargain price. Since I bought it I’ve done a lot of testing and a lot of travelling with it. I’ve also treated it to a hard case and a USB 3.0 OTG adaptor which says a lot about how I plan to use it.
Update March 2019. I still use this tablet regularly. The hard case broke unfortunately but I am still impressed with it. Windows 10, plenty of storage and LTE.
More information on the Lenovo Thinkpad 8
Performance is very impressive. (Here are my early test results, more in the images below.) I’ve just tested the Intel Compute Stick with Cinebench and the Thinkpad 8, with the same Atom-series CPU, is turning in 50% better CPU performance scores.
In a subsequent Cinebench run I saw a multi-CPU score of 1.56 which is nearly up to some Ivy Bridge Ultrabook scores of 2012. It’s 15% better than the scores from an early Thinkpad 8 I tested.
More importantly it feels smooth to use. Like a Dell Venue 11 Pro (with Z3795 CPU) I tested recently there’s a feeling that you could use this for web working without hitting barriers. It’s got enough power to drive some very productive computing.
In a quick web-test with a big-screen (via HDMI) and a USB keyboard and mouse I had no problems at all but you’ll have to be aware that if you want to charge it while you use it in this scenario you need to use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The power takes away the USB data port.
To try to solve that power-data over USB problem I’ve ordered the official Lenovo Y cable. (Update: I still use it in 2019) It’s not cheap and it’s going to take a few weeks to get here but I’ve read about successes from other users. The cheap USB 3.0 OTG cable I bought doesn’t even enable USB 3.0 operation of accessories and won’t connect correctly to my DisplayLink docking station. Beware!
Battery life is average (about 5 hrs web-working) but Connected Standby is good. LTE works although my mid-day city-center up/download test wasn’t that fast. I’ll test that again to see what maximum speeds I can get.
The next step is to test Windows 10. I’m reluctant to dive into that now though as the Thinkpad 8 is working so well with Windows 8 but I want to make sure it works so I’ll dive into that at some point next week. I’m still testing the Intel Compute Stick and the Ainol Mini PC so there’s a lot to get through!
Update: Windows 10 update has been stable for 2 years now.
If you have any questions about the Lenovo Thinkpad 8 LTE (Z3795) then let me know below
I’m using a Toshiba L15-B1330 at the moment,but would prefer to have a smaller footprint. Can you give me ideas I’m regards to other smaller devices that would be as powerful (or even more so) that would have more than 2gb ram and a SSD of at least 128gb? A good keyboard would be very important, since I had a surface and that form factor didn’t work for me.
Something like the Dell Venue 11 Pro with Z3795 CPU and 4GB RAM, Or would you need it as a desktop replacement?
not necessarily, although I’d be interested in something that could do that. how do the earlier Venue 11 Pro with 8GB and 256 SSD fare?
logitech’s k810 bluetooth keyboard is a really nice companion to most tablets.
not quite the size of an 8 incher but pretty close to a ten inch tablet.
it connects really fast and it’s battery lasts for months on a charge.
definately my favorite, but also a bit expencive.
Yeah. It’s expensive. I bought the K400 for testing.
Hey Chippy – thanks for the info on this cool little tablet. Where did you pick up the ISVO hard case? I’m not seeing it on Amazon. The imitation leather stuff out there doesn’t look like it would offer much protection.
Amazon Germany. Hopefully you can get enough info to find it locally. I believe it’s available under different brand names. https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B00HRSRIS0
Hey Chippy I own this beast myself since September 2014. There is an USB3 OTG adapter (Lenovo PN 4x90g54343) with charging function out from Lenovo so you can use the Thinkpad as a full Desktop PC and charge it at the same time (but like you said i think data transfer is slow like with USB2) . The problems I encountered are that 2 bluetooth devices like a mouse and a keyboard are not working good at the same time connected. The bluetooth stack in the Lenovo Thinkpad 8 has several bugs which disconnects every here and then one of the devices. So I worked around this by using a wireless keyboard and a bluetooth mouse. I am doing hard work with it like CAD drawing on the go, editing videos and sometimes I am playing games with friends on small lan sessions. There is the option to coinnect it with widi to different devices like my lg led beamer and it works great for videos. for reasons that widi is a little slow and has lags it is not good for doing work with a widi screen. Further there is an unofficial docking station out there I blogged on my website http://scheisser.net/?p=4887 This is the last thing I am waiting for this bad boy. The last week I got my original Lenovo hardcase and I have to say it looks sturdy and stable, the stand is really nice to use it in portrait or landscape mode. For the guys out there in Germany or Europe there is a shop in Czech its called ALZA.CZ . The original stuff from lenovo is really cheap there and the shipping is around 3 days to Germany even if there is labour strike at the german Post. This is only a privat mention not a promotion for any store or seller. If anybody has questions you can visit my website http://www.scheisser.net too.
Thanks for your great reviews chippy.
Keep the good work going on.
Daniel
Thanks for the feedback and tips. Sounds like you are getting the most you can out of it and that’s something I respect.
Where did you get your case from Chippy? Cheers
Link to case below.
I doubt this is real leather but it fits well and operates sleep with the magnetic catch.
https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B00HRSRIS0
Any news of a new 8″ ThinkPad tablet? The current one has been out for a while now.
I live in Canada and I placed an order at Expansys UK. They canceled my order. They tell me that it is not possible to ship to Canada. Do you have any idea how I can get one this cheap?
Shipping to North America is pain. Lots of paperwork. The best way is to get someone who is travelling to/from UK to pick one up.
I ordered from the USA and got the email confirmation that the tablet has shipped. If you know someone across the border you might have them order it for you.
So, the ThinkPad 8 has been discontinued in the US for a while now. Does Lenovo have any plans to release a new version?
Chippy,
Have you checked the BIOS. It seems (according to Lenovo forums), that if your BIOS is 1.44 then the Y Cable won’t function as it should. The latest version is at least 1.64 which should then allow the cable to work.
Thanks. Yes I spotted that in one of the threads.
Being aware of security threats like you are I wouldn’t put anything sensitive on device owned by Chinese manufacturer.
Good luck.
I have checked the build and it looks very clean. I can’t find any unexpected processes. A Windows 10 update will help too, when I get round to it on the Ainol.
Update: Sorry, I thought this was a comment on the Ainol mini PC. I haven’t checked the Lenovo through yet.
Does it (LTE Z3795 4GB) have GPS? I have seen conflicting information about it, if you could please check if a proper GPS receiver is present or is it just A-GPS.
GNSS. Full GPS.
Hi, Chippy
Are you using a stylus for TP8? If yes, what pen are you using?
HI, when you say it’s 50% better score what are you comparing it with? The z3770? Have you tested them agains each other? Thanks