The latest all-in-ones look a lot like huge tablets, right? An internal battery adds portability to Lenovo's 27” IdeaCentre Horizon, but is this cool concept still functional as a desktop, or does the push toward mobility sacrifice too much performance?
The rapid uptake of touch-based interfaces is leading to so many new form factors. We're seeing smartphone screens grow, Ultrabooks turn into convertibles (to give them that tablet-like feel), and all-in-one desktops struggle to find their place in the world. After all, who really wants to reach up and touch their monitor when a keyboard and mouse does the job just fine?
Realizing this, Lenovo set out to do something a little different with its IdeaCentre Horizon, building an all-in-one with a 27" 1080p display and calling it a Table PC. Naturally, this thing's too big to be considered a tablet, and at close to 20 pounds, it's not something you'd want to haul around with you. Nevertheless, Lenovo arms two of its four Horizon SKUs with a built-in battery and carrying bag. The extent to which we see ourselves moving a machine this large around would probably be from the kitchen to the backyard, or maybe from a bedroom to the living room for family-night gaming. It probably wouldn't leave through the front door, despite its modest weight and impressive 1.3-inch thickness. But that seems to be the point; you get a nice big surface you can relocate at will, for any number of reasons.

Before we dig further into Lenovo’s vision of the ultimate all-in-one desktop, let's have a look at the machine's specifications in comparison to Dell's previously-tested XPS One 27 Touch.
| Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon 57315058 | Dell XPS One Touch 27" (2710) | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Intel BGA 1023, HM76 Express, Embedded PCIe Graphics | Intel LGA 1155, H77 Express, Embedded PCIe Graphics |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-3337U (Ivy Bridge, 1.8-2.7 GHz, 3 MB Shared L3 Cache, 17 W Max TDP) | Intel Core i7-3770S (Ivy Bridge, 3.1-3.9 GHz, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, 65 W Max TDP) |
| RAM | 2 x Ramaxel RMT3160ED58E9W1600 (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM, CL11 | 2x Nanya NT8GC64B8HB0NS-DI (2 x 8 GB) DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM, CL11 |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GT 620M: 625 MHz, 2 GB GDDR5-3600 | Nvidia GeForce GT 640M: 645 MHz, 2 GB GDDR5-4000 |
| Display | 10-Point Multi-Touch 27" LED Backlit Glossy LCD, 1920x1080 | Capacitive Touch 27" LED Backlit Glossy LCD, 2560x1440 |
| Webcam | 720p (0.9 Megapixel) w/dual array microphone | 2.0 Megapixel w/dual microphone and sliding cover |
| Audio | Realtek Integrated HD Audio with Dolby Home Theatre V4 | Realtek Integrated HD Audio with WAVES MAXXAudio 4 |
| Security | Kensington Security Slot | Kensington Security Slot |
| Storage | ||
| Hard Drive | Samsung Spinpoint ST1000LM024: 1 TB 5400 RPM 8 MB Cache, SATA 3Gb/s | Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001: 2 TB 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache, SATA 6Gb/s Samsung MZMPC032HBCD-00000 32 GB MLC Cache Drive, mSATA 6Gb/s |
| Optical Drive | None | HL-DS 8x Slot-Loading DVD Burner/BDR Combo HL-DT-ST DVDRWBD CT40N |
| Media Drive | 6-in-1 SDXC/MMC/MS flash media interface | 8-in-1 SDXC/MMC/MS/xD flash media interface |
| Networking | ||
| Wireless LAN | Realtek RTL8188CD 802.11n PCIe | Intel Advanced-N 6235 802.11n PCIe |
| Wireless PAN | Integrated Bluetooth Transceiver on Wireless Combo Card | Integrated Bluetooth Transceiver on Wireless Combo Card |
| Gigabit Network | None | Atheros AR8161 PCIe 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None |
| Telephony | None | None |
| Peripheral Interfaces | ||
| USB | 2 x USB 3.0 | 6 x USB 3.0 (4-rear, 2-side) |
| Expansion Card | None | 1 x empty Mini PCIe (for optional TV tuner) |
| External HDD | USB-only | USB-only |
| Audio | Headphone, Microphone | Headphone, Microphone, Rear Out, S/PDIF |
| Video | HDMI In (Display-Only) | HDMI Out, HDMI In (Display-Only) |
| General Stats | ||
| Weight | PC 18.4 lbs, peripherals 2.8 lbs, Total 21.2 pounds | PC 34.4 lbs, peripherals 1.6 lbs, Total 36 pounds |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit, OEM | Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64-bit Edition, OEM |
| Warranty | One-year parts non-transferable | One-year parts/Labor w/In-Home Service |
The pricey Dell unit employs more performance-oriented parts, including a 2560x1440 screen, to justify its higher price. Alternatively, Lenovo counters Dell with portability in the form of lower weight and an integrated battery, adding to the attractiveness of saving several hundred pounds. Still, these two all-in-ones are the most closely-matched from a component perspective of any we’ve tested.
- Lenovo's Table-Sized IdeaCentre Horizon PC
- What Is A Table PC Used For, Anyway?
- Getting To Know The IdeaCentre Horizon
- Brightness, Contrast, Uniformity, And Gamma
- Color Gamut, Accuracy, And Calibration
- Test Settings And Benchmarks
- Results: 3DMark And PCMark
- Results: Sandra And TouchXPRT
- Results: Battlefield 3 And Far Cry 3
- Results: Skyrim And F1 2012
- Results: Audio And Video Encoding
- Results: Adobe Creative Suite
- Results: Productivity
- Results: File Compression
- Energy, Heat, And Battery Life
- The Overall Efficiency And Value Of Lenovo's IdeaCentre Horizon