Lenovo Tab Plus Review: Tablet Built For Entertainment

At a glance

Expert\’s Rating

Pros

• Great screen and speakers
• Useful built-in kickstand
• Battery just keeps going
• Durable, sleek metal body

Cons

• Underwhelming productivity and gaming performance
• Only two major OS updates

Our Verdict

The Lenovo Tab Plus is a versatile tablet with impressive sound, a vibrant display and a practical kickstand. It’s the perfect companion for entertainment when you’re at home or on the go, though it’s not ideal for productivity or gaming.

The Lenovo Tab Plus is an affordable Android tablet designed for entertainment rather than productivity.

At under £280/$290, it’s significantly cheaper than the Google Pixel Tablet (whether you combine it with the dock or not) yet offers similar features. With JBL-tuned speakers and a built-in kickstand, it aims to be a versatile device for both home and on-the-go use.

But how does it fare in real-world usage? I spent a few weeks with the Tab Plus to find out.

Design & Build

• Sturdy metal build
• Useful built-in kickstand
• Up to 13.5mm thick, weighs 650g

The Lenovo Tab Plus has a unique design that integrates a built-in kickstand and eight speakers into its frame. My tablet came in the dark Luna Grey colour option, which looks slick.

Made from metal, the body feels sturdy and more premium than the price tag would suggest.

Connor Jewiss / Foundry

Connor Jewiss / Foundry

Connor Jewiss / Foundry

The bottom half of the tablet is thicker to accommodate these features, which makes the device pretty unstable if you lay it down flat. You’ll almost always want to use this tablet with the kickstand or held in your hand.

The kickstand itself sturdy and can be adjusted to various angles, making it perfect for media consumption and note-taking. Above the speaker, the rest of the body is a sleek 7.7mm thick, while the device isn’t exactly heavy at 650g.

However, it’s worth noting that there’s no official IP rating for water and dust resistance, which is a shame.

Screen & Speakers

• 11.5-inch FHD+ display
• LCD panel with 90Hz refresh rate
• Eight JBL speakers with Dolby Atmos support

The Tab Plus features an 11.5-inch LCD screen with a 2000×1200 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The 2K display is bright and colourful, making it ideal for watching videos and browsing the web.

It manages a 90Hz refresh rate despite the price, meaning all the content looks buttery smooth. This screen is also TUV-certified for eye comfort, which is just what you want from something you’re going to me staring at for long periods of time.

The display is good to look at, and handles blacks quite well. Personally, I’d rather pick an OLED for any kind of content watching, but this screen is almost as good.

Connor Jewiss / Foundry

Connor Jewiss / Foundry

Connor Jewiss / Foundry

The eight JBL speakers deliver impressive 26W sound quality, especially with Dolby Atmos tuning enhancing the audio experience. There are four tweeters and four woofers, offering a balanced overall sound.

When watching Dolby Atmos compatible content, the surround sound effect is noticeable, though you’d get a better experience with a pair of headphones. And, of course, it doesn’t come close to a set of dedicated speakers.

The audio does sound pretty crisp, though, and it’s noticeably better than a regular tablet. It can achieve a much lower bass, but voices in dialogue don’t get lost. Just don’t turn the volume up to full whack, as it starts to lose some clarity.

One nice feature is the auto app volume control, which will turn the volume down when you use other apps such as the browser.

Another cool add-on that’s nice to have is the ability to use the tablet as a Bluetooth speaker, meaning you can hook up other devices and take advantage of the JBL speakers. And for when you want even more control over the sound, the headphone jack supports high-res audio at 24-bit and 96kHz.

Specs & Performance

• MediaTek Helio G99 chip and 8GB of RAM
• Adequate for most tasks, struggles with heavy multitasking
• 128GB storage only option, but Micro-SD expandable

Powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 chipset and 8GB of RAM, the Tab Plus offers decent performance for its price range.

This is tailored for content watching, since that’s the main purpose of this device. You can fire up streaming apps and get started watching in no time at all. With a solid connection, buffering and load times are minimal, and the slate doesn’t struggle if you flick between different shows.

built Entertainment Lenovo Review Tab Tablet