Hands On: Lenovo's Giant, Projector

Lenovo trotted out three new Yoga Tablets for this year, and while the unorthodox design remains unchanged, the company introduced a clever trick for the newest flexible Android slate. The familiar 8- and 10-inch models make a return, but the newest member of the Yoga Tablet family ventures out into the still unproven world of plus-sized tablets. With a 13-inch screen and a built-in pico projector, the new Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is ready to be your all-in-one home theater tablet. Read on for our first impressions.

All three Yoga Tablets are based on the same Intel foundation, a quad-core Atom Z3745 chip to be more specific. The tapered design with a bulbous end and built-in, swivel-out kickstand remains virtually unchanged. It still requires a bit of force to twist out, but holds an endless array of positions and orientations with ease. One new addition to all three is a punched-out hole in the kickstand that lets you easily hang the tablet, granted you have a sturdy hook or nail handy.

Both the 8- and 10-inch model feature full HD resolution LCDs, ported speakers under the display, and 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras. They'll also run Android 4.4 out of the box, and Lenovo promises up to 18 hours of battery life. We'll put that claim to the test when we get the tablets into our labs.

But you didn't come for the 8- and 10-inch models-the audaciously large 13-inch Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is the headliner here. The expansive display touts UHD resolution and Lenovo added 8-watt speakers and a JBL subwoofer for powerful audio performance. Those alone are potent multimedia features, but Lenovo takes things one step further with a crazy, built-in pico projector. The DLP chip pumps out 40-50 lumens with a native WGA resolution, which Lenovo claims is good for a 50-inch projected image. While far from HD, the projected videos in our demo looked good with the lights off, and the tablet's speakers were impressive, even though they predictably lacked the oomph of a proper set.

Lenovo isn't the first to try its hand at oversized Android tablets, but the multimedia play is a compelling one. It's a portable, personal TV for your next Netflix binge, but the projector and speakers make it a potential home theater hub for less demanding users. It has an appeal not unlike ZTE's crazy projector-packing mobile hotspot.

The 13-inch model starts at $499 with 32GB of internal storage, which is an aggressive price point considering the features. The 8- and 10-inch models will start at $249 and $299, respectively. Stay tuned for full reviews once we have a chance to test the trio in our labs.