At IFA 2014, Lenovo just outed a new pair of Horizon tabletop desktop PCs, dubbed the Horizon 2s, and the Horizon 2e. Here’s a recap of both, starting with the smaller and lighter 2s.
Lenovo Horizon 2s
The S in the Horizon 2s stands for slim, and don’t let the word “desktop” fool you; this rig is quite thin, and measures 0.59 inches thick. It also weighs 5.6 pounds, putting it in mainstream laptop territory from a weight standpoint. Thankfully, Lenovo opted to go with a 19.5-inch display, instead of an unwieldy 27 incher, which is what the older Lenovo Horizon 2 carries. That model also weighs about 10 pounds heavier than the 2s.
The Lenovo Horison 2s is powered by Intel processors that range all the way up to Core i7, though we suspect that those offerings will be limited to Intel’s mobile-class chips. That should still be powerful enough to handle whatever you throw at it, and should save on battery life as well, if that’s the case. Speaking of endurance, Lenovo says that the Horizon 2s will conk out after as much as two and a half hours if you’re streaming HD video over Wi-Fi.
Related: Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon review
At the heart of the Horizon 2s experience is the Aura interface, which makes it easy to share photos, videos, and play games collaboratively with those next to you. The 2s’ 10-point multi-touch display means that multiple people can interact with the display simultaneously, and the system’s tabletop mode makes it ideal for those times when you want to show off photos from your latest vacation, spice up a gathering at your place with a board game, and more.
The Horizon 2s can be configured with a hard drive as large as 500GB, which should suffice for most, though we wish that 1TB were available, especially considering that Lenovo is pitching this as a family PC designed for use by multiple people.
The port selection on the Horizon 2s will consist of multiple USB ports, and though you can connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi, we don’t know whether it will include the 802.11n or 802.11ac type. It will also include a wireless keyboard and mouse. Lenovo will offer an optional metal charging stand which you can use to prop the 2s up while supplying it juice for an extra $90. However, the rig also comes with a built-in stand that you can use to keep it upright.
The Lenovo Horizon 2s will be available sometime this month, and will carry a starting price of $949.
Lenovo Horizon 2e
The Horizon 2e is the 2s’ larger cousin, but don’t worry, it’s still not as beastly as the 27-inch Horizon 2.
The Horizon 2s packs a 21.5-inch 10-point multi-touch 1080p display, and like the 2s, will also feature CPUs that go all the way up to Intel’s Core i7 line. Unlike the 2s, however, the 2e can be had with hard drives as large as 1TB. You could outfit it with a hybrid hard drive, but you’ll be sacrificing storage space for speed, which is what you’re getting with the 2s. It will also be packed with the same Aura software included with the 2s.
As you might expect, the 2e is bulkier than the 2s, fattening up to the tune of 1.1 inches of thickness. It also weighs 10.1 pounds, so you might want to handle this guy with two hands instead of carrying it under your arm when you lug it over to your table. At least you get longer battery life with this bulkier model; Lenovo says that you can get three hours of endurance when streaming HD video via Wi-Fi. That’s a half hour longer than what you’d get on the Horizon 2s.
As is the case with the Horizon 2s, port selection on the Horizon 2e will consist of multiple USB ports, and as-of-yet unspecified Wi-Fi.
Having more room to pack in components also comes with another benefit; reduced price! The Lenovo Horizon 2e will be available starting sometime in October, and will start at $749. That’s $200 less than the Lenovo Horizon 2s’ starting MSRP.
