Lenovo's latest IdeaPad is the Miix 520. Said to be a Microsoft Surface clone, it’s also a 2-in-1, with a detachable keyboard, for using it as a tablet, or a full laptop. Inside, you'll find Intel's latest 8th generation CPU, which is said to offer up to 40% more performance. For a starting price of $1,000, this 12.2-inch hybrid is a mid-range option of the Lenovo Miix line, however it's new hardware is great for all sorts of multitasking.

The build of the Miix 520 is quite sturdy, consisting of a sturdy aluminum-alloy chassis, and a weight of 1.1 lbs. Designed to work just like your most stable and functional workstation, the 12.2-inch display bears the lovely 1920 x 1200 touchscreen. As one of the first of Lenovo’s products to receive the latest quad-core Core i7 chip from Intel, it features the 8th-gen i5-8350U CPU at up to 3.4GHz, one that provides ultimate power without slashing all that battery life you want. Graphics-wise, the Miix 520 sports the Intel UHD Graphics 620, clocked with a very high score of 1.150 MHz than the Surface Pro 2017, and the Dell Latitude 5285. This level of graphics will handle multimedia editing, and even decent gaming (such as 25.6fps at low res during Call of Duty, and 17.1 at high res), for those consumers out there that love the option.

For the tablet alone, the device weighs just 1.1 lb. With the keyboard, the whole package weighs 2.8 lb, and starts at $1,000. Also, kickstands are always nice and fun. The Miix 520’s wristband hinge-stand remains uniform, and has a 150 maximum degree-of-freedom. With a lovely, stable keyboard, and the very popular Precision touchpad present, Lenovo also threw in its own Active Pen 2, for both tablet/laptop drawing, and ink on the screen go, with a whopping 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

Storage remains high for the Miix kin, with 256GB of PCIe SSD, and 8GB of DDR4 RAM at 2133 MHz. Ports include both USB-C and USB 3.0, plus a 3.5mm audio jack and Micro SIM card. Connectivity-wise, there is both Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, and the Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 8265. There is even a fingerprint reader, enabling the so-loved, one-touch Windows 10 login (you can also talk to using Cortana!).

When we were used to the smaller and thinner tablets, or even hybrids for that matter, providing next to poor performance, it is so refreshing to continue to see the trend change. The new Intel chips, such as these 8th generation CPUs, are allowing up to 44% of a performance hike in these machines, not only diminishing the compromises that are usually made with a thin device, but becoming the norm. For folks who need a consistent level of functionality, and a well-built machine that will always be on their side (and not cop out with when multiple tabs are open, or even simple programming is occurring), Lenovo has it down. Finally, with a 39 WHr battery, lasting up to 7.5 hours, this is a very good battery life for something so versatile.