Can't decide between a lightweight tablet and a notebook computer? HP attempts to give you both with the SlateBook x2 ($479.99 direct), an Android-powered convertible tablet with an exceptionally comfy keyboard given its small size and weight. Featuring a 10.1-inch, 1080p HD display and Nvidia's latest, screaming-fast 1.8GHz Tegra 4 processor, the SlateBook x2 also has some flaws that prevent it from being a must-have. Our Editors' Choice large-screen tablet remains the fourth-generation Apple iPad, thanks to its much wider app selection and cleaner design, but the SlateBook x2 is still worth a close look.
Design, Keyboard, and Touchpad
When assembled, the SlateBook x2 looks an awful lot like a netbook. It measures 10.16 by 7.63 by 0.81 inches (HWD) with the keyboard attached, and 10.16 by 7.17 by 0.38 inches by itself. It weighs 1.32 pounds, or 2.77 pounds with the keyboard attached; without the keyboard, it's heavier than the Sony Xperia Tablet Z and a bit lighter than the fourth-generation iPad. With the keyboard, it's heavier than some 11.6-inch laptops; it's not bad, but it's certainly no lightweight.
The SlateBook x2 is dark gray on the front, and slightly lighter gray on the back. The rounded edges make the tablet look slimmer than it is and comfortable to hold without the keyboard. It feels well-built and doesn't flex, but it's not quite as svelte or slick-looking as the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700.
The recessed power button on the right and volume buttons on the left are oddly placed; eventually you learn where they are, but they're a bit awkward to press. Ports include a combo audio jack, a USB 2.0 port, a memory card slot, and an HDMI output. The latter is full HDMI, so it doesn't require an adapter, which is very convenient.
The 10.1-inch, 1,920-by-1,200-pixel IPS display is LED-backlit, but it's not a stunner; it's pretty dim at maximum brightness, and viewing angles are just average. The resolution, while high, is still off the pace of the Google Nexus 10 and the Toshiba Excite Write.
The SlateBook is a Wi-Fi-only tablet that connects to 802.11b/g/n networks on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, and it also integrates Bluetooth 4.0. What makes it special, though, is that it's a convertible tablet, and that's where the SlateBook x2 shines. Press the center-mounted release button at the top edge of the keyboard, and you can unhook the tablet, leaving the keyboard behind. The tablet and keyboard both contain batteries. Snap the tablet back in, and it clicks into place securely. It works pretty well, although the center-mounted switch feels a bit chintzy and tough to press.
The keyboard is 91-percent sized; the island-style Chiclet keys have 1.5mm travel, which feels very good while typing. The keyboard also contains dedicated keys for Home, Menu, and task switching. The center-mounted touchpad is quite wide, if not particularly deep, and supports multi-touch gestures. The SlateBook x2's magnetic hinge moves smoothly and holds its place well.
There's no way to buy the SlateBook x2 without the keyboard, the way you can configure a Microsoft Surface RT or an Asus Transformer Pad; HP only sells the SlateBook x2 with the two items packaged together.
Display, Hardware, and Apps
The 1.8GHz Nvidia Tegra 4 is a next-generation CPU; there's also 2GB of 1600MHz DDR3 RAM on board. Just as we found with the Toshiba Excite Write, the first tablet we tested with the Tegra 4, the processor is blazing fast. In this case the SlateBook x2 even beat the Excite Write on GL Benchmark 2.0 ES Taiji, notching almost 60 frames per second to the Excite Write's 40 (most likely thanks to the SlateBook x2's lower screen resolution). Since it's an Nvidia tablet, you get access to TegraZone, which is a good way to find optimized games, although it just takes you to Google Play to buy or download each one. Asphalt 7: Heat and Real Boxing played smoothly and looked sharp, with only occasional stutters, although Asphalt 7 crashed out once. The Nvidia-optimized Riptide GP2 looked superb, with plenty of 3D detail in the water and surrounding backdrops. Suffice to say that if there's an Android game you want to play, this is the tablet you want to do it on.
The SlateBook x2 runs Android 4.2.2 out of the box, and it's barely skinned, so an Android 4.3 update shouldn't be too difficult (although HP hasn't set a date yet). A two-fingered swipe switches between Android home screens. This being an HP tablet, there are a few preloaded apps; for example, you can print from just about any app, and there's a new file manager and media player, both of which look basic but work well—especially the file manager, which makes copying and pasting files between internal memory and a memory card a cinch.
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