Lenovo Horizon 2e-F0AS0014US AIO Review

[Redaktion]

Portable AIO. Lenovo's Horizon 2e is a 21.5-inch All-in-One (AIO) system. Thanks to an integrated battery, the "2-in-1 tabletop PC", as Lenovo calls it, is portable enough so it can be toted from room to room as well. What else does the jumbo-sized tablet bring to the table?


http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-Horizon-2e-F0AS0014US-AIO-Review.129077.0.html

[Jaber jaber]

Wow!  Finally a comprehensive review of the Horizon 2e!

There are actually three models of the Horizon 2e that I know about:

The F0AS0014US featured here, with an i3-4030u, Wireless AC, and a 1TB 5400 RPM spinning drive.
This is the model sold by most resellers currently.

Lenovo also carries two models that they sell directly:
F0AS0002US, which is also an i3-4030u, Wireless BGN, and a 1TB Hybrid SSD.
F0AS0003US, which is an i5-4210u, Wireless BGN, and a 1TB Hybrid SSD.

Keep in mind that if you want the i5, you have to purchase from Lenovo, meaning you will not get Wireless AC, but will have a hybrid SSD drive.
The model can be easily upgraded with an Intel 7260AC adapter for better Wireless AC speeds.
You can also upgrade the memory and change the internal keyboard/mouse dongle.

Unlike the Vaio Tap21, there are no other internal MSata slots for a secondary drive.

Review is spot on in terms of brightness, audio, performance, and battery life.

Other things to note:
* The Horizon 2e antiglare screen features better tactile feedback than the Vaio Tap 21.  It is also a fingerprint magnet, and will leave dusty streaks all over the screen.  Lenovo includes a blue cloth for frequent cleaning, as I believe they anticipated this complaint.
* Unlike the Horizon 2 27" model, you don't need to use an external USB port for the keyboard/mouse dongle.  This is great as all three USB3 ports are available, which is something that the other portable AIO options don't offer. 
* The mouse performed horribly from both a tracking and scrolling perspective.  The touch scroll wheel did not work well in my testing. Luckily the internal wireless dongle can be replaced with a 3rd party.
* Lenovo provides good service training videos on opening up the device and replacing modules.
* Audio is tinny and without bass -- It is really a shame.  Much worse than the Tap21.  They do provide a number of Dolby powered software based enhancements which help somewhat, but overall a major disappointment.
* Aura crashed multiple times when changing settings.  It's a gimmick, but good for the show-off factor.
* There are literally dozens of multiplayer games which are included.  These are actually great games for kids, and are not easily attainable.  If you have kids, this may be a significant factor.

[jasonp]

which one should I buy for the same price: F0AS0014US or F0AS0002US?

[remo26]

I haven't been able to find many serious reviews of the Horizon 2. I have been holding out to buy the Horizon 2 27 with i7, but it was never released in the US. Thanksgiving/Black Friday was my cut-off for waiting. It became available in October in Europe, and now I am thinking to buy it from Amazon.co.uk. It comes with an i7-4510u CPU. I just keep thinking that there must be a reason why Lenovo is not selling it in the US. Or, they are going to announce a Horizon 3 already in a month or at CES.

Anyway, I have several questions still with the H2 27 i7. How long will the battery will last? Two hours is fine for me. I have several kids that I am gearing this for, so it is my biggest swaying factor for not buying a different AIO. Do you think the i7 will be more efficient with battery use, or consume it quicker? Another question is the screen resolution/appearance. Is the 1920x1080 screen with the matte finish okay? I was also hoping to get the 2560x1440 like they had originally announced, but that doesn't seem to be available anywhere. It probably would make the battery unusable.

Also, I assume there should be no problem switching Windows from UK English to US English, right? And the final issue is the games. Like I said, I am mainly getting this for my kids, so I am relying on the Lenovo game collection. I assume that the UK model will have the same as the US i5 model. If you have any comments on these points, I would appreciate it.