Combining a laptop's productivity with the consumption capability of a tablet, hybrid devices known as 2-in-1s are now in heavy demand in the Indian market. Joining the bandwagon is homegrown player Smartron with its t.book -- aiming to give consumers the best of both worlds.
Priced at Rs 42,999, t.book sports a dual-tone colour scheme in an all-metal body housing, and runs on the Windows 10 operating system.
Here is what works for the device.
Packing a larger screen size, t.book is slightly heavy and comes with a flip-out stand that allows users to perform a quick switch from one mode to another, letting them view the device in an upright position for web browsing or for typing or viewing movies in the landscape mode.
The device integrates a magnetic pogo pin keyboard. The connecting and disconnecting of the tablet and keyboard is smooth.
The 12.2-inch multi-touch display with 2560x1600 resolution projects superior-quality graphics and colours, and comes with oleophobic coating, providing a certain amount of finger smudge resistance to the screen.
The touch response is good while zooming and swiping, and the opening of app tabs is smooth.
Armed with an Intel Core M 64 bit processor paired up with 4GB of RAM, the t.book runs multiple apps without any lags. The 10,000mAh battery promises non-stop entertainment and runs for approximately eight hours and 20 minutes.
The typing experience on the keyboard is good. The speaker delivers enough sound to keep you entertained during music playback or watching movies.
The device has 128GB SSD on board and offers unlimited storage with t.cloud. For connectivity, the t.book offers two USB 3.0, micro-HDMI, USB Type C with USB 3.0 ports.
What does not work?
The track pad on the device is tiny and, at times, we ended up pressing the button while moving the cursor, which was annoying. You might find yourself struggling a bit to register the desired input.
The screen is not amazing to use outdoors. The camera performance -- both rear and front -- delivers average results.
Conclusion: The Smartron t.book is a well-built 2-in-1 and is capable for both entertainment and office tasks.