ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Lenovo Tab Plus retails for $330, however is at present on sale for $195.
- Opposite to its small measurement, the mannequin homes a booming eight-speaker system and a long-lasting battery.
- The MediaTek Helio chipset and dim show will not be successful any awards.
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Should you’re available in the market for a brand new pill that will not break the financial institution, might I like to recommend the Lenovo Tab Plus? That is one in all Lenovo’s most transportable tablets, able to doubling as a mini-home theater. It has all the things you might need in a cell leisure system, and it is on sale by means of Black Friday for $195.
The Lenovo Tab Plus is compact, measuring 11.5 inches and weighing about 1.4 kilos. It is related in measurement to an iPad Air, however not like Apple’s machine, this pill would not have a clean again as the underside half juts out.
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The decrease part measures 13.58 mm thick, whereas the higher half is barely 7.7mm. There is a good cause Lenovo designed its pill with this distinctive look, as the underside half homes two of the mannequin’s excellent options.
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First, the built-in kickstand sits flush with the pill’s rear. Popping it out supplies a secure base and lets the machine tilt as much as 175 levels. Praising a kickstand could appear foolish, however keep in mind that most tablets — with out the addition of a protecting case — do not have a approach to prop themselves up. It is an incredible quality-of-life characteristic that enhances the viewing expertise, and one I want different producers would capitalize on.
Moreover, the Tab Plus also can function a strong Bluetooth speaker when paired with a smartphone.
Talking of audio, the sound system is my favourite characteristic of the Tab Plus. It options eight JBL audio system, with 4 serving as tweeters and 4 as woofers, all fine-tuned by Dolby Atmos. As compared, the M4 iPad Professional, Apple’s present premium pill, solely has 4 audio system.
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I discovered the system’s audio efficiency excellent. As a part of the testing, I watched the complete second season of Arcane on Netflix. From the primary episode to the final, I loved crystal-clear sounds highly effective sufficient to fill a room. That mentioned, the bass is a bit missing — it is nowhere close to as punchy because the bass from a soundbar.
The display screen high quality is nice, too. It encompasses a 2K show working at a 90Hz refresh charge, delivering shiny colours and clean animations. It carried out nicely throughout most functions. Nonetheless, I did not like how dim it seemed. The display screen’s brightness peaks at 400 nits, which is appropriate for indoor viewing however inadequate for out of doors use. The show struggled to shine in a shiny atmosphere.
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Beneath the hood is the MediaTek Helio G99 SoC (system-on-chip), together with 8GB of RAM — {hardware} sometimes present in funds units. The G99 is not a really highly effective chipset. It is just a few years outdated, but it surely will get the job performed. I by no means skilled efficiency drops whereas casually looking with Google Chrome or enjoying cell video games.
The Lenovo Tab Plus features decently nicely as a piece pill. You possibly can join equipment like keyboards by way of Bluetooth. Due to Android 14, there is a desktop mode for mimicking desktop setups.
The working system additionally delivers participating gesture controls. My favourite is the place swiping up sends you to a carousel of open apps, and you’ll hop between any one in all them. Smartphones have related performance.
Android 14 brings with it years of updates. Lenovo has pledged to constantly roll out safety patches to the Tab Plus till June 2028.
A number of equipment can be found, however even with all these devices geared up, do not anticipate Lenovo’s machine to be a powerhouse. On the time of this writing, the Tab Plus at present ranks forty fifth on UL Options’ Finest Smartphones and Tablets listing for April 2025. It outperforms many midrange fashions however falls behind contemporaries just like the Google Pixel Pill and OnePlus Pad 2.
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These numbers recommend that the Tab Plus might not excel at dealing with demanding duties like video enhancing, but it surely will not be horrible both. {Hardware} efficiency could also be middling, however the battery certain is not. On common, the pill lasts 15 hours on a single cost. I left it working one afternoon and was pleasantly stunned to see it nonetheless enjoying the take a look at livestream the next morning.
The space for storing is unsurprisingly small, at 256 GB. It might’ve been good to have entry to a much bigger drive, however with a pill this low-cost, it’s important to anticipate some cuts. Fortunately, you possibly can develop storage by inserting a 1TB microSD card into the slot on the prime.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Lenovo Tab Plus, with 256GB of storage, sometimes retails for $330 at Finest Purchase and Lenovo’s official web site nevertheless, it is at present discounted to $195 by means of Black Friday. For the cash, it is a unbelievable machine for individuals who get pleasure from watching the most recent exhibits on Netflix or need a multimedia pill.
The MediaTek Helio G99 is not the perfect work machine, but it surely’s adequate for finishing most clerical duties. These in search of a pill with extra muscle ought to try Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. The OnePlus Pad 2 is one other stable, midrange choice for individuals who do not thoughts spending additional money.
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