Slowly but surely, work is moving away from the power outlet. Especially for tasks that don’t require much CPU or GPU power such as word-processing, answering emails, and light photo-editing, we can do without having to get our devices plugged in. The Always On Always-Connected PCs (AoAC) powered by Snapdragon take this tradition further by equipping laptops and tablets with power-sipping CPUs. The result is a hybrid between a flagship smartphone’s computing power and a laptop’s work-focused form-factor.
The newly released Lenovo C630 is the second AoAC from the Chinese company. Instead of a tablet like the Miix, this one takes the form of its versatile Yoga line of devices. As such, it has a hinge that lets users rotate the screen 360°.
With a starting price of $730USD and topped out at $849USD, this thing will be an inexpensive entry-level device that's got more value-added goodies than most of its competitors in the market segment that it lives in.
Build Quality and Form Factor Makes It Content Consumption Champ
The hinge lets users orient the device to either the tent or the presentation modes. Both modes are perfect for content consumption.
Speaking of content consumption, sound quality plays a huge part in the way we consume digital multimedia content. The sound, therefore, is crisp and loud on the stereo speakers on this thing. It offers an incredible. Although, it’s important to note that they’re both downward facing when used in laptop mode. It uses the table or whatever surface you’re using the device on. In this orientation, it’s not going to sound very nice if you use it on a soft surface such as your lap or on your bed. In tablet, presentation, and tent modes, however, the sound is quite surprisingly crispy.
The screen also makes a huge impact on content consumption. The 13.3-inch modern ultrabook standard 4K screen goes a long way in this respect. It’s big enough for personal and maybe even movie watching with 2 to 3 people but small enough to still be extremely portable. It’s not the brightest but it’s definitely just as crisp as the best of modern tablets.
Together, these qualities make the C630 a content consumption leader that’s not to be trifled with.
With the kind of versatility that the C630 has, it’s important that it’s durable too. Luckily, Lenovo didn’t skimp on this part as well. It feels like a Thinkpad. If you’ve ever held or just heard of the company’s Thinkpad line of PCs, you’d know that that means it’s built like a tank. If you had to, you’d knock an attacker out cold if you hit them with the C630. Of course, the screen is still breakable but at least you’re safe and unharmed. Furthermore, with the price, it’s not something that find would need pampering like a $1,200USD entry-level MacBook Air.
Windows 10S
It ships with a restrictive Windows 10S but you can easily upgrade to a full version of Microsoft’s OS for free anytime you want it. The scaled-down 10S version, however, gives you the best battery life and quickest in terms of performance. That’s because the OS is optimized specifically for these kinds of devices.
If you do choose to upgrade to the full version of Windows, you’ll still have a snappy experience. The Snapdragon 850 that it ships with is plenty powerful. It can be compared to the fanless Core M versions of the ultrabooks of old such as the Surface Pro 5 and below and the famed Zenbooks. Both of which offered plenty of power for day-to-day use and some light processor and GPU loads.
Performance
The future of personal computing, it seems, lies in the powerful mobile chipsets made by Snapdragon chipsets. They’re power-sipping machines unlike Intel Core chips that are starting look more and more like gas-guzzling monsters next to these AoAC devices.
But, the Snapdragon 850, in particular, seems like a more refined approach. It's noticeably faster than the 845 and 835 chipsets from the same brand. It performs closer to low-end Core I chips from Intel. Which is good news because it's been the leader in entry-level portable computing for the longest time. This means it can play in the big leagues in terms of performance with Intel's significantly more powerful chips.
But where the Snapdragon 850 shines is in the 22-hour battery life promise that Lenovo made. While you can easily get the same battery life from Intel, they need to raise battery size and capacity to do so. Which would, in theory, make their devices a lot more expensive than they are right now. The efficiency of the Snapdragon chips just completely outclasses Intel’s.
It comes in three variants. The RAM options are also extremely pleasing because it starts with a 4gb model and tops out at 8gb. While the 4gb works just fine even with some multitasking, there’s very little you can’t do with the top-tier one. The mid-tier C630 has an 8gb as well but with a diminished 128gb SSD storage.
Speaking of storage, the top-tier is equipped with a 256gb SSD and the cheapest one has only 128gb as well. The best part about these, if you’ve noticed, is that they’re all SSD which means faster data transfers and quicker app loading times.
It’s built for speed but not necessarily for power.
What’s in the Goodie Bag of Extras?
It’s got a Windows Hello equipped fingerprint scanner that lets you into the device in a matter of a few seconds without the hassle of having to actually look at the device’s webcam.
The touch input is extremely useful in content consumption situations but the pen input is just a creator’s dream feature especially with this kind of versatility and portability. Aside from light word-processing and light photo editing, you’d also do well with using this as a digital art creation device.
Who is it for?
These new AoAC has segmented the already-segmented laptop market. Now, we have professional-grade desktop replacement workhorses in gaming laptops, extremely portable yet powerful ultraportables, regular cheap clamshells for those on a budget, and these AoAC devices.
I think it’s quite clear who the C630 is for. It’s for the digital nomad who works away from the power outlet for most of the time. It’s powerful enough to accomplish some light tasks, portable enough to lug around everywhere, and lasts long enough to last you multiple days of work.
The newly released Lenovo C630 is the second AoAC from the Chinese company. Instead of a tablet like the Miix, this one takes the form of its versatile Yoga line of devices. As such, it has a hinge that lets users rotate the screen 360°.
With a starting price of $730USD and topped out at $849USD, this thing will be an inexpensive entry-level device that's got more value-added goodies than most of its competitors in the market segment that it lives in.
Build Quality and Form Factor Makes It Content Consumption Champ
The hinge lets users orient the device to either the tent or the presentation modes. Both modes are perfect for content consumption.
Speaking of content consumption, sound quality plays a huge part in the way we consume digital multimedia content. The sound, therefore, is crisp and loud on the stereo speakers on this thing. It offers an incredible. Although, it’s important to note that they’re both downward facing when used in laptop mode. It uses the table or whatever surface you’re using the device on. In this orientation, it’s not going to sound very nice if you use it on a soft surface such as your lap or on your bed. In tablet, presentation, and tent modes, however, the sound is quite surprisingly crispy.
The screen also makes a huge impact on content consumption. The 13.3-inch modern ultrabook standard 4K screen goes a long way in this respect. It’s big enough for personal and maybe even movie watching with 2 to 3 people but small enough to still be extremely portable. It’s not the brightest but it’s definitely just as crisp as the best of modern tablets.
Together, these qualities make the C630 a content consumption leader that’s not to be trifled with.
With the kind of versatility that the C630 has, it’s important that it’s durable too. Luckily, Lenovo didn’t skimp on this part as well. It feels like a Thinkpad. If you’ve ever held or just heard of the company’s Thinkpad line of PCs, you’d know that that means it’s built like a tank. If you had to, you’d knock an attacker out cold if you hit them with the C630. Of course, the screen is still breakable but at least you’re safe and unharmed. Furthermore, with the price, it’s not something that find would need pampering like a $1,200USD entry-level MacBook Air.
Windows 10S
It ships with a restrictive Windows 10S but you can easily upgrade to a full version of Microsoft’s OS for free anytime you want it. The scaled-down 10S version, however, gives you the best battery life and quickest in terms of performance. That’s because the OS is optimized specifically for these kinds of devices.
If you do choose to upgrade to the full version of Windows, you’ll still have a snappy experience. The Snapdragon 850 that it ships with is plenty powerful. It can be compared to the fanless Core M versions of the ultrabooks of old such as the Surface Pro 5 and below and the famed Zenbooks. Both of which offered plenty of power for day-to-day use and some light processor and GPU loads.
Performance
The future of personal computing, it seems, lies in the powerful mobile chipsets made by Snapdragon chipsets. They’re power-sipping machines unlike Intel Core chips that are starting look more and more like gas-guzzling monsters next to these AoAC devices.
But, the Snapdragon 850, in particular, seems like a more refined approach. It's noticeably faster than the 845 and 835 chipsets from the same brand. It performs closer to low-end Core I chips from Intel. Which is good news because it's been the leader in entry-level portable computing for the longest time. This means it can play in the big leagues in terms of performance with Intel's significantly more powerful chips.
But where the Snapdragon 850 shines is in the 22-hour battery life promise that Lenovo made. While you can easily get the same battery life from Intel, they need to raise battery size and capacity to do so. Which would, in theory, make their devices a lot more expensive than they are right now. The efficiency of the Snapdragon chips just completely outclasses Intel’s.
It comes in three variants. The RAM options are also extremely pleasing because it starts with a 4gb model and tops out at 8gb. While the 4gb works just fine even with some multitasking, there’s very little you can’t do with the top-tier one. The mid-tier C630 has an 8gb as well but with a diminished 128gb SSD storage.
Speaking of storage, the top-tier is equipped with a 256gb SSD and the cheapest one has only 128gb as well. The best part about these, if you’ve noticed, is that they’re all SSD which means faster data transfers and quicker app loading times.
It’s built for speed but not necessarily for power.
What’s in the Goodie Bag of Extras?
It’s got a Windows Hello equipped fingerprint scanner that lets you into the device in a matter of a few seconds without the hassle of having to actually look at the device’s webcam.
The touch input is extremely useful in content consumption situations but the pen input is just a creator’s dream feature especially with this kind of versatility and portability. Aside from light word-processing and light photo editing, you’d also do well with using this as a digital art creation device.
Who is it for?
These new AoAC has segmented the already-segmented laptop market. Now, we have professional-grade desktop replacement workhorses in gaming laptops, extremely portable yet powerful ultraportables, regular cheap clamshells for those on a budget, and these AoAC devices.
I think it’s quite clear who the C630 is for. It’s for the digital nomad who works away from the power outlet for most of the time. It’s powerful enough to accomplish some light tasks, portable enough to lug around everywhere, and lasts long enough to last you multiple days of work.