My predictions about the 7-inch Windows tablet space are coming true. The smaller Baytrail-T (refresh) platform simply allows a smaller motherboard which means a smaller screen which means lower backlight power/cost and finally a smaller battery. The mathematics continue into plastic costs, shipping costs and storage costs and then you end up with something like the Toshiba Encore 7. Good for markets that need it but bad for markets that want higher quality and better features.
I ran a last-minute Google Hangout this evening which worked out well because not only was I able to present 5 Windows 8.1 tablets, I was also able to answer questions from the viewers. During the session I recorded a higher quality video for YouTube and both videos are embedded in this article.
This is UMPCPortal, the site that’s been covering handheld Windows PCs since 2006 and as you might imagine we’ve been quite excited about the return of the small-form-factor Windows PC. The Acer Iconia W3 piqued our interest earlier in the year but the sector has now been completely re-born through products that combine Intel’s Baytrail platform with Windows 8.1. The Dell Venue 8 Pro is one of five or six devices already on the market and it will be joining us soon but we’ve already bought the Toshiba Encore WT8 and our full review is here. There are additional videos on our YouTube channel and even more detail coming soon.
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As the year draws to a close I’m frantically trying to finish the full review of the Toshiba WT8. It’s taking longer than expected for a number of reasons, not least is the fact that there’s just so much to this tablet. So many usage scenarios, so much dynamic range and even a few surprises! For example, I didn’t realize that Bitlocker encryption is available.
In order to demonstrate a few of the unique features I’ve put together a couple of videos for you that I hope will keep you interested until the full review is available in a few days. You’ll see Miracast, a USB display setup, the Bitlocker encryption and a few other things. Below the videos I’ve also published a paragraph from the full review; A teaser!
Extract from the full review of the Toshiba Encore WT8 Windows tablet:
The performance advantage over previous, Clovertrail-generation tablets really shows up in web browsing. It’s much more of a desktop experience in terms of speed and quality. Program startup times are good too and after measuring the SSD, an eMMC-based soldered module, I was pleased to see an improvement over many Clovertrail-generation test results.
Cinebench tests results for CPU and OpenGL are as good as an Ultrabook I tested recently and, just for fun, the CrystalMark04 scores are 10 times the first netbook I ever had and about 4 times that of a good quality netbook from 2010.
..and a demo image from the 8MP auto-focus rear camera which I find surprisingly good in daylight usage. One more demo pic here.
A happy and healthy 2014 to everyone!
I’ve tested a number of Baytrail devices and, as always with a new platform, there’s potentially a difference between the over-excited experience at the launch event and real-life usage; Sometimes it’s disappointing. In this case, I’m extremely excited because the experience is better than I thought. I’ve just received the Toshiba Encore WT8 (bought for UMPCPortal) and spent 2 hours unboxing and testing in front of cameras. My first impressions in blog-form will take a few days but if you’ve got time to watch through this 40 minute testing video, you’ll see why I’m excited. That’s all I’m saying for now. Your questions are, as always, welcome.
There are nine Baytrail products about to launch and I’ve detailed them all in this post. If money wasn’t an issue and if all of these mobile Windows 8 options were available tomorrow, which one would you choose?
The first of these new tablets and 2-in-1 devices will be available next week. Pre-order has already started!
Baytrail was officially launched as the Z3000-series Atom processor a month ago and we’ve already seen a good range of devices launched that will be using it. Here’s an overview of the platform, the products launched so far and with some though about what could come over the next months.
Intel Atom Z3000-series is aimed at both Android and Windows tablets (Chrome OS would fit too.) It’s a small, low-cost, low-power system-on-chip based on a new Atom architecture that not only improves the performance (approx 2X) over the previous Clovertrail platform but improves on power control and Intel Burst Technology. Baytrail-T only supports eMMC storage, not SATA so disk speeds will be ‘good’ rather than ‘groundbreaking.’
There are four processors in the range:
Processors with the D marking are limited to 2GB RAM and smaller screen sizes (1920×1200.) The others can use up to 4GB RAM, have a bigger memory bus and support 2560×1600 max screen size. These non-D variants are the ‘best’ in terms of mobility.
You’ll see these appear in low-cost Android tablets but you’ll also see these appear in low-cost Windows tablets and thanks to some help from the Microsoft Small Screen Touch program you’ll see products at lower cost than the Clovertrail variants of last year. The SST program also includes an Office Home and Student license. So far we’ve seen prices starting at $299.
In our opinion one of the most interesting products to launch so far because it’s a 2-in-1 for $349 that also uses the successful ASUS Transformer brand. The 2-in-1 segment is going to get a big push from Intel and Microsoft over the next quarter and at this price you’ll see a lot of interest, news and sales. Profits are another matter but for Microsoft right now, numbers are more important than profits if they want to really boost the economics of developing those important high-quality apps for the Modern UI. We’ve got a hands-on video with the Transformer Book T100 here with full specifications and more information here.
Dell Venue 8 ProTwo Dell tablets were launched this week but we got a sneak preview of the Dell Venue 8 at IDF. The Venue 8 offers a digitzer and is clearly aimed at the pro market. Or is it? The $299 entry-level model is clearly aimed at consumers, just like the other 8-inch tablets. It’s one of the first of the 8-inch tablets that we’ve had detailed specifications for and it’s interesting to see the battery size. 18Wh is a very small battery indeed (we remember 2 hours of battery life on 7-inch Windows XP tablets that have batteries twice that size) so the first battery life tests are going to be something to watch-out for. We suspect a minimum of 3hrs in heavy use and up to about 8 hours of tablet-style usage. Remember this is an always-on Windows product though so with screen-off, you’ll probably be able to get through a day of basic tablet use. Don’t expect battery life records to be broken with the Venue 8 but because it’s under 400 grams in weight Dell have a product that will be very mobile indeed. There’s no video output port but it looks like you’ve got WiDi/Miracast for a potential full-HD output. That’s good enough for putting videos on a large screen, basic web-working and powerpoint presentations as long as you buy a $50 WiDi adaptor. [Intel should really be encouraging OEMs to make a $30 Chromecast-style adaptor. When I asked at IDF in Sept. they couldn’t give me an answer.] There’s a range of accesories but we’ll have to wait to see how much those, and the digitizer-enabled version are priced. Full specifications here. Our hands-on video here.
Dell Venue 11 ProThe Dell Venue 11 Pro is a 10.8-inch FullHD tablet (not 11.6-inch) with matching keyboard and case accessories that make it look like the Surface Pro or Tap 11. One of those keyboards includes a battery so you’ve got a product that spans a range of uses. The 726 gram tablet should be light enough, like the Sony Tap 11, for casual sofa-based usage but should also be big enough to provide a quality table-based productivity experience. There’s a digitizer (this could be an option as on the Venue 8 Pro.) The tablet, without any included keyboard, will start at $499 so anyone looking at the Surface Pro 2 should also be considering this, especially as Dell are offering slightly thicker, heavier and more expensive versions with Pentium and Core CPU options. The battery in the tablet is rated at 30Wh which is similar to the the battery in the ASUS Transformer Book T100. ASUS are saying that you’ll get 11 hours out of that. Full specifications here.
Toshiba Encore WT8The second of the 8-inch Windows tablet options in this list is the Toshiba Encore WT8. With its dual-array mics it’s going to be a good contender for a quality Skype experience but apart from that it’s much the same as the other Windows 8 tablets. The 349 Euro 64GB version is likely to be a better seller than the 299 Euro entry-level 32GB version. It’s slightly heavier than the Dell Venue 8 Pro but it does have an HDMI-out port. A full version of Office is included. Full specifications and further links, including our video overview, can be found in our database.
Acer were the first to launch an 8-inch Windows 8 tablet. The Acer Iconia W3 was available earlier this year and it used the Clovertrail platform. The product was pretty good and well-priced but it has a poor screen and wasn’t treated well in reviews. The W4 should fix that screen problem, add more performance and ride on Windows 8.1 improvements. Again, there’s not much difference in specifications compared to the other 8-inch offerings but there’s an HDMI port and Acer may also carry over their low-cost keyboard/case option from the W3. Pricing is unconfirmed but Acer were always competitive in that area so keep an eye on it. More information, including a video, in this article.
With a slant toward business and education the Omni 10 brings 1900×1200 to Baytrail in a 10-inch screen. An optional digitizer (not officially confirmed) and 3G/4G modem option makes it attractive for on-the-road work. There’s a Bluetooth keyboard and stand/charging station too. HP are saying this will run for 9 hours. The price is an interesting 399 Euro (32GB version) and there’s a 31Wh battery inside. Weight is 650 grams. The HP Omni 10 will be available in November. All specifications here.
HP Pavilion 11 x2A fanless, detachable 11.6-inch tablet powered by the ‘latest’ Intel BayTrail SOC. It’s going to enter at $599. A 1366×768 screen isn’t that impressive but should be comfortable for work on the 11-inch screen. 4GB RAM will be an option with 64 or 128GB of eMMC storage, unless this is a Baytrail-M device in which case it could be a more exciting SATA drive. 500GB of drive in the keyboard along with an extra battery sounds too good to be true for the price but let’s wait to see exactly what the $599 is going to bring. Availability is said to be Nov 17th 2013 for the US market with three colors: Pearl White, Flyer Red and Sparkling Black.
Sharp Mebius PadThis one is unlikely to be a global product but it got a very interesting set of specifications. Using an IGZO screen it offers 2560×1600 resolution on 10-inches! For some desktop apps that will be a problem; The GPU will have to work extra hard too. Yes we think it’s overkill but if it works, and if IGZO brings promised battery life advantages then let’s give it a chance. It’s due in early 2014.
Update: This has now been announced as the Miix2.
Finally, a Baytrail tablet from Lenovo that hasn’t been launched yet. Intel held up the Miix 8 at Computex this year and then again at Intel’s IDF event. (Mike Cane has a good set of screen grabs here.) It’s an 8-inch tablet and that’s all we know right now but we’re fully expecting this one to launch in the next few weeks so stay tuned for more information.
We’re expecting LG to launch something soon and Samsung have been suspiciously quiet with Windows tablet announcements too. Sony have already launched the Tap 11 which uses a Haswell CPU so although there’s space in their portfolio for a Baytrail 10 or 8-inch tablet, we’re not expecting it in 2013.
Baytrail-M devices could be on the horizon but it doesn’t look like that will happen in 2013. For an overview of what’s possible with Baytrail-M, see this article.
8, 10 or 11-inch devices are ready to ship when Windows 8.1 launches on the 18th October and you’ll have a choice starting at $299. The first 2-in-1 devices start at just $349 and it looks like we’re going to get something for productive table-top fans with the Dell Venue Pro 11 and HP Pavilion 11 X2. Windows and touch have been available for a year now but it’s devices like these, at prices like these, that will start to change the numbers in the important consumer segment. It’s a great line-up for Q3 2013. Which one have you got your eyes on?
Although it could be a month or more before the Toshiba Encore 8-inch Windows 8 tablet is availble, pre-order is now live at Amazon in Germany. It’s called the Encore WT8 (model number PDW09E) and the price and specs are as expected. Our Toshiba Encore WT8 specification page was nearly correct apart from the omission of the GPS module. We’ve updated it now.
299 Euro gets you the 32GB version. $349 Euro for the 64GB version (which is likely to be more popular.)
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