Lenovo’s Miix 320 costs the same as a low-end Chromebook but offers some nicer features and, of course, full-fledged Windows.
Lenovo’s Miix 320 is a $199 Windows laptop that could have a chance of combating cheap Chromebooks. While HP’s Stream devices are a decent stab at the same effort, the Miix 320 includes various features that help it feel a little special, even if it’s still a pretty bare-bones machine. Announced Monday at Mobile World Congress, the laptop will ship in April, with a pen-enabled version coming in July.
The Miix 320’s best feature is its form factor: a 2-in-1 detachable laptop, which doesn’t exist among Chromebooks (the ones with 360-degree hinges don’t count). There’s a secure, but easily released magnetic joint between the display and keyboard halves, and the 10.1-inch display is light enough to hold easily as a tablet. The screen is a little smaller than the typical Chromebook’s 11-inch display, but its 1920×1200 resolution is noticeably finer than the crummy old 1366×768 spec you find on most of those larger screens.
The display half of Lenovo’s Miix 320 includes a USB-C port (and don’t worry, there are USB-A ports in the keyboard half).
I didn’t have much time to use the keyboard, but my first impression is that it might be a step up from the worst Chromebook keyboards, whose hard plastic buttons make me feel like I’m typing on rocks.
