Most of the premium tablet segment is already dominated by companies like Samsung and Apple. However, there are still a variety of tablets available from different brands in the affordable or mid-range segment. And this is where Lenovo is trying to make a name for itself. The company has brought an excellent lineup of tablets to this segment for different use cases, and the latest puts a special focus on entertainment. The new Lenovo Tab Plus comes with a price tag of Rs 22,999 and brings some out-of-the-box features like eight JBL-powered sound systems, an interesting design language, fast wired charging support, a clean user interface and more. , However, is this enough to make it stand out from the competition? Let’s find out in this in-depth review.
Lenovo Tab Plus design: The built-in kickstand is a win
- Dimensions – 1742.00 x 268.30 x 13.50 mm
- Weight – 650 grams
- Color – Luna Gray
The Lenovo Tab Plus tries to stand out from the crowd with its unique design, which no other tablet in this price segment offers. From the front it looks like a typical affordable tablet. The bezels around the display aren’t the thinnest compared to others, while the dual-tone finish makes it look premium.
The Lenovo Tab Plus offers a built-in kickstand and is available in Luna Gray color options.
However, once you flip it over, you’ll see the real difference. The bottom rear half of the tablet is twice as thick as the top half. The main reason for this is that the company has inserted a Hi-Fi speaker (more on this later) at the bottom along with an in-built kickstand.
The built-in kickstand definitely makes it an interesting proposition here, making it easy to place the screen on a desk and use it like a mini monitor to watch all your favorite content. I like this idea because I’ve always avoided having large screen tablets handy. Additionally, this also eliminates the need to purchase accessories to dock it.
Interestingly, you can flip the kickstand almost 180 degrees, making it easier to take notes or doodle. The good thing here is that it also supports Pen Plus stylus support, although we did not have access to test it with our review unit.
The feel in the hand is a bit awkward due to the thick bottom. The tablet is 13.5mm thick at the bottom, while it’s 7.7mm at its thinnest. The slight bulge at the back helps you hold it comfortably in your hand, but not for long. This tablet is not the lightest in the segment with a weight of 650 grams, but it is manageable.
Lenovo Tab Plus display and audio: good
- Display – 11.5 inch LCD 2K display
- Refresh Rate – 90Hz Refresh Rate
- Brightness – 400nits peak brightness
The most important aspect of this device is that the Lenovo Tab Plus offers a large screen, which is ideal for watching all your favorite content from various OTT apps or YouTube. Although it uses an LCD panel, colors came out vibrant, although deep blacks were decent, if not impressive.
The tablet comes with Widevine L1 support, which means you can stream content in HD quality smoothly. Color reproduction was good. However, the screen is a bit reflective, so you can adjust the level with the help of the kickstand for a glare-free experience.
The Lenovo Tab Plus has a larger display and offers eight JBL-powered speakers.
The 2000 x 1200 resolution makes icons and text sharper, while the 90Hz screen refresh rate makes the overall scrollable experience smoother. It also has a dedicated reading mode that dims the backlight and reduces color saturation to give you a comfortable reading experience.
However, what makes this tablet stand out from the crowd is its JBL-powered sound system. The tablet has four woofers and four tweeters at the bottom of the rear panel. I must say that adding so many speakers to a tablet is a nice feat. The sound quality can actually put some affordable Bluetooth speakers to shame.
Lenovo Tab Plus comes with four woofers and four tweeters powered by JBL
The tablet comes with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio support, making it an all-in-one package for those looking for a tablet solely for entertainment purposes. The sound output fills a small room without losing many details. Apart from this, you can also use the tablet as a Bluetooth speaker by pairing it with any smartphone.
Low-end bass was surprisingly good, while mids and highs were good, providing a pleasant experience while watching movies or playing music. However, when you turn the volume all the way up, you’ll notice some distortion in the highs and mids. But it goes well below 80 percent quantity. I recommend staying at these levels to make best use of its audio capabilities.
Lenovo Tab Plus Software: Clean UI
- Software – ZUI 16
- Version – Android 14
- Update Promise – Two years of Android OS updates and four years of security updates
The ZUI in the Lenovo Tab Plus offers almost a stock Android experience with some minor changes in icons and more. Swiping left will take you to an entertainment page instead of Google Discover. This page is a one-stop destination to get recommendations for various OTT applications installed on your tablet, which is a good thing in my opinion.
The user interface comes with some bloatware, but it’s not overly impressive. The company has added some interesting modes to make the user interface even smoother. To start, YouTube has a PC mode that turns your tablet UI into a desktop-style window, allowing you to add a keyboard and start performing basic tasks.
Lenovo Tab Plus brings split-screen support.
Then, a standby mode slides show or displays the time while you charge them. The user interface also has a dedicated reading mode that changes the display to black and white for easy late-night reading sessions. You also have the usual split screen and floating windows.
The company had promised to provide two years of Android OS updates and four years of security patches till January 2028. That said, the user interface is clean and offers a smooth experience overall.
Lenovo Tab Plus performance: not a powerhouse
- Processor – MediaTek Helio G99 SoC
- Memory – 8 GB RAM
- Storage – 128GB (expandable up to 1TB)
This is one area where the Lenovo Tab Plus lags a little. The MediaTek Helio G99 can be considered an outdated chipset at this point. To be honest, it is not one of the strong performers in the company’s portfolio. This is reflected on this tablet as well.
Although you can scroll through the user interface smoothly (partly thanks to the 90Hz refresh rate), you still notice some stutters or pauses here and there. The tablet will perform well in general use, like playing a track on Apple Music while scrolling through Chrome. But when it comes to heavy multitasking the chipset starts showing signs.
| benchmark | lenovo tab plus |
|---|---|
| geekbench 6 single core | 731 |
| geekbench 6 multi core | 2014 |
| AnTuTu v10 | 408,302 |
| 3d mark wild life | 1238 |
| 3D Mark Wildlife Unlimited | 1228 |
| 3d mark slingshot | 3404 |
| 3D Mark Slingshot Extreme | 2571 |
| gfxbench car chase | 14 |
| GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 | 24 |
| gfxbench t-rex | 56 |
As said, casual gaming can be done on it. I tried playing Temple Run 2 and Minion Rush games on it and it ran without any lag. However, when you put it in landscape mode, the experience is not as good.
On the other hand, while playing heavy games like Call of Duty Mobile, you may notice some lag and stuttering. The game offers only medium graphic quality and a maximum high frame rate. However, the game can only be played with medium settings.
Lenovo Tab Plus cameras: usable
- Rear – 8 megapixel primary rear camera
- Front – 8 Megapixel Selfie Unit
- Features – Document Scanner option in Camera UI
The cameras on the Lenovo Tab Plus are usable to the max. The 8-megapixel rear camera delivers good results in daylight shots with some natural color reproduction, although details are not as good. Performance is good even in low light. The front camera also does an average job while clicking selfies. So, yes, the camera is definitely not one of the strengths of the device.
Lenovo Tab Plus Battery: Awesome Backup
- Battery Capacity – 8,600mAh Battery
- Wired Charging – 45W fast charging support
- Charger – 45W (charger included)
In real-life use, the tablet delivered several days of battery life with somewhat conservative use. We watched a few episodes of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba along with some videos on YouTube and got about two days of battery life. Under heavy usage, which included playing games, using a Bluetooth keyboard to type a story, and playing music in the background, the tablet comfortably lasted a day.
Lenovo Tab Plus has a large battery of 8,600mAh.
The tablet also performed well in our HD battery loop test, lasting 22 hours and 10 minutes. However, the 45W fast charging support is really helpful in charging the device quickly. With the charger provided with the box, the tablet got 50 percent charged in 30 minutes and went to full charge in an hour and 15 minutes.
Verdict on Lenovo Tab Plus
In conclusion, the Lenovo Tab Plus is a great tablet for consuming content at home or on the go. The design is different from your usual tablet and the built-in kickstand makes it quite easy to place on your bed to watch your favorite movie or series without having to hold it. The display delivers good results, but the audio will definitely put any budget Bluetooth speaker to shame with its output. That said, the tablet still has some shortcomings and the older Helio G99 SoC can be blamed for it. A slightly better chipset would have been better as it would have provided users with a complete package.
That said, tablets still face a lot of competition in this price segment. You have the OnePlus Pad 2, Xiaomi Pad 6 (Review), Realme Pad 2 (Review) and more, which offer great performance and a sleeker design than this tablet in this price segment. So, if you are someone who likes to watch videos on a big screen like a tablet while on the go or at home and want great sound and ease of use, then you can easily choose this.
