Lenovo introduces $300 Yoga A12 convertible Android tablet with Halo keyboard

Lenovo today is introducing the Yoga A12 convertible tablet, a variation on its $499 Yoga Book with a larger display, stripped-down specs, and a rose gold color option, alongside the more typical gunmetal gray. The device will be available on February 8 through Lenovo’s website, starting at $299.

Whereas the Yoga Book was available with full Windows 10 or Android, the Yoga A12 is only available with Android. (Lenovo has not set a date to bring out a Windows version, a spokesperson told VentureBeat in an email.) And while the Yoga A12 includes the Yoga Book’s controversial flat Halo keyboard — whose keys light up and provide distinctive haptic feedback when tapped — it doesn’t come with the ability to use the keyboard as a writing surface with the included “real pen” and paper for digital capture.

The tablet features an Intel Atom x5 chip, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, two Dolby Atmos speakers, and up to 13 hours of battery life, according to a statement. The Yoga Book, for the sake of comparison, comes with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and up to 15.5 hours of battery life. Like the Yoga Book, the Yoga A12 comes with Android Marshmallow, the spokesperson wrote.

The original Yoga Book’s display measures 10.1 inches and does indeed feel a bit cramped when used in laptop mode, so the Yoga A12, with its 12.2-inch touch-friendly HD display, should feel more accommodating. The new device weighs less than 2.2lbs (1kg) and opens to 5.4mm at its thinnest point, according to the statement.

News of the new Yoga gadget comes a few weeks after the launch of convertible Chromebooks that are optimized for Android apps, including Samsung’s $449 Chromebook Plus and Acer’s Chromebook Spin 11. Lenovo is reportedly planning to release a Chrome OS version of the Yoga Book later this year.

Perhaps the biggest question worth thinking about at this point is whether you prefer Chrome OS or Android itself if you’re in the mood to use Android apps on a tablet with a keyboard. While you think about that, Lenovo is going ahead and providing options for you to choose from, either way.

Update at 12:30 p.m. Pacific: Added comment from Lenovo on the version of Android that the Yoga A12 runs and plans for a Windows version of the device.