Hands-on review: IFA 2016: Lenovo Miix 510

Lenovo's IdeaPad Miix 700 was one of the more promising contenders for the Surface Pro 4's hybrid tablet crown. Few 2-in-1s came close to matching Microsoft's device for style, but the Miix managed it thanks to its classy watchband-style hinges that are now synonymous with the company's laptops and tablets.

Like its predecessor, the Miix 510 is a Surface clone - but a damn good one. It's thin and light but feels reassuringly solid in the hand. Its two watchband-style hinges connect to a stand that allows the tablet to recline at various angles for comfortable viewing. They're made from 280 individual pieces of stainless steel and add a real glitzy element to the Miix that catches the eye.

The desktop wallpaper loaded onto our review unit showed off the display's inky blacks and bold, vibrant colors. The Miix 510 uses an IPS display, and viewing angles are superb whether you're ogling it from above, below or the sides.

There's a little bit more chunk to the 12.2-inch display's bezels compared to the Surface Pro 4, but they aren't off-putting and certainly not a deal-breaker. With Lenovo introducing Dell XPS-style display bezels to its Yoga 910, perhaps the company's tablets will benefit from the tech soon.

As for specs, the Miix 510 comes with Intel's 7th-generation Kaby Lake processor under the hood, up to 1TB of SSD storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and optional LTE for accessing the internet on the go.

There's a real business-style charm to the Miix 510's backlit keyboard cover, which is covered in a faux leather material and feels great to grip in the hand. It's a more premium-feeling and mature affair than Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 Type Cover, which isn't included for free, unlike Lenovo's attachment.

The Lenovo keyboard cover is good to type on, but not best-in-class. It sports Lenovo's AccuType-style keys, which are slightly curved along the bottom edge. They're sufficient in size but don't possess quite as much travel as the Surface Pro 4 cover, and this may make long typing sessions less comfortable in comparison.

Like previous iterations, the latest Miix hybrid comes with a digital pen that recently gained more functionality thanks to Windows 10's Anniversary Update, which introduces a new integrated doodling feature called Windows Ink.

Weighing 880 grams (without the keyboard cover), the Miix 510 is light enough to hold in a single hand to draw or write on the display without your wrist cramping up. Writing detection is responsive enough to jot down notes swiftly, and the pen itself is slim enough to remain comfortable for long periods.

The Miix 510 starts at £699.99 (around $920) including the keyboard cover and digital pen, and will be available worldwide from October.

This is a flash hands on review to give you the chance to see what the tablet is all about as soon as possible. Stay tuned as we'll be expanding and upgrading this review very shortly with more info.