Lenovo ThinkPad Twist review

Almost every laptop manufacturer has marked the release of Windows 8 by unveiling its own "hybrid" device, and Lenovo has some of the most high-profile.

Built like a ThinkPad?

Whether it's used in laptop or tablet modes, the Twist looks like a classic ThinkPad. The entire machine is coated in matte black magnesium alloy and plastic, and the base exhibits several familiar traits. The ThinkPad logo about activity light in the bottom-right corner of the wrist-rest, the trackpoint in the middle of the keyboard, and the set of colour-coded buttons between keyboard and trackpad.

Although the Twists look like a traditional ThinkPad, the plastic construction isn't as sturdy as a laptop, with flex to be found in the screen, base and wrist-rest. It's not a disaster - the Twist should still stand up to the stresses of office use - and at least Lenovo has crammed its hybrid machine into Intel's Ultrabook specification: its 1.57kg weight and 20mm girth are impressive, and ensure that the Twist won't weight down your bag.

The Twist

Lenovo has added several thoughtful features, too: a physical Windows button switches between an open app and the Windows 8 Start screen, and there are volume controls and autorotate buttons around the Lenovo's edges.