Lenovo Horizon 2S and 2e

Lenovo did not invent the table computer, but it’s got to be the company to make the genre a real consumer product. The Horizon 2S is a new iteration of the Horizon line of product being presented at IFA. Thinner and lighter, the Horizon 2S is only 0.59-inch thick and weighs 5.5lbs, which is pretty damn light for a 19.5” computer (I think that my old MacBook Pro 15 laptop was 5.5 Lbs). Next, to the 2S (“S” for Slim), the 2e is a 21.5″ Horizon which is more affordable, starting at $749. 

19.5” is the size of the display (the computer is a bit larger) and it supports a full HD 1080p resolution. Because this is a touchscreen monitor, it also uses an IPS display, which has much better viewing angles than many plain TFT LCDs. The touch does not require IPS, but it is fair to say that one of the consequences of having touch displays is that the display quality has risen considerably.

The computer has an internal battery that would let it run without being connected for about 2.5 hours (I assume, playing a video during that time). Your luck will vary depending on the screen brightness and other factors, but Lenovo has probably made it possible to keep kids entertained for the length of a movie.

The Lenovo Horizon S2 has a kickstand in the back that retracts completely into the body to allow using the computer laid down flat, like a small tablet computer. Lenovo has a number of apps and games that have been developed especially for the tablet-computer usage. They aren’t for “hardcore gamers”, but are pretty fun casual games.

When in use, the kickstand provides a more comfortable position to watch movies or play non-touch games. Finally, there is an optional monitor stand which provides the ergonomics of a regular desktop monitor by raising the high of the monitor.

Despite its new industrial design, the Horizon 2S conserves the same kind of usage model as its predecessor. By improving the weight and overall appearance and performance, Lenovo made it faster, lighter and more convenient, which is a very nice evolution of the genre.

Users can pick a configuration that goes as high as Intel’s Core i7, and the price starts at $899. This ships this month, but we will have to wait a bit more to get all the configuration options.

Hubert Nguyen
Categories: Computers
Tags: Horizon 2S, IFA, IFA 2014, Lenovo