 "Lenovo Tab Plus review: A big screen tablet with focus on audio and design")
China's Lenovo announced a new addition to its tablet portfolio, the Lenovo Tab Plus. This Android tablet boasts an eight-speaker audio system, which it said is developed in collaboration with American audio brand JBL. The audio system supports Dolby Atmos and high-res audio (24-bit and 96kHz frequency) when using headphones. The tablet boasts an 8,600mAh battery and runs on Android 14. Is the device as good as it appears on-paper? Let us find out:
Design
The Lenovo Tab Plus boasts a sleek and modern design with a premium build quality. Its slim profile and lightweight build make it portable, while the aluminium body provides durability. At 7.7mm thick, the tablet is easy to hold and has a built-in kickstand – for easy mount on the tablet-top. Its large screen gives you a notebook-like feel. The camera sits atop the rear. The right side of the frame accommodates a volume button near the top and a microSD tray towards the bottom. At the top, the tablet houses speaker grills and the power button. The bottom side features another speaker grill and a USB-C port on the left side. The audio jack is at the leftmost edge of the top side. The tablet effectively resists fingerprint marks and smudges. The weight distribution is balanced and allows for comfortable handling.
Display
The Lenovo Tab Plus sports an 11.5-inch 2K LCD display of 90Hz refresh rate. The display is supported by add-on features such as reading mode, auto-brightness, and eye protection mode. The display supports up to 400 nits of brightness, making it sufficiently bright for indoor use and moderately bright environments outdoors. The Lenovo Tab Plus offers wide viewing angles with minimal colour shift when viewed from different angles. With 90Hz refresh rate, the display ensures smooth scrolling.
Audio
Audio is one of the highlights of the Lenovo Tab Plus. The tablet boasts four tweeters and four force-balanced woofers housed in four-speaker boxes and offers 26W of stereo sound. The eight JBL Hi-Fi speakers and Dolby Atmos support offer an immersive surround sound experience. The sound is crisp and clear and room filling. The Lenovo Tab Plus has a 3.5mm headphone jack and supports Bluetooth 5.2 for connecting wireless headphones or speakers. The tablet offers high resolution audio support with wired headphones.
As for the quality, the audio does not get distorted when volume is turned to the maximum. The speakers produce clear and balanced sound with a good amount of bass, which is often lacking in tablet speakers. The tablet can be used as a Bluetooth speaker for the connected smartphone. The audio output maintains its richness and loudness even when outdoors and has the ability to cut through the noise.
One does realise the exceptionality of the audio at full volume and the balance between bass, treble and midrange is maintained. The mids and highs are also well-represented, ensuring vocals and dialogues are crisp and clear. It is one of the best sound quality currently offered in a tablet.
Lenovo Tab Plus speaker
Battery and performance
The device boasts an 8,600mAh battery and supports 45W wired charging. The charger takes short of two hours to charge the battery, which lasts for a full-day on moderate usage. Powered by MediaTek Helio G99, the tablet offers a balance of performance and power efficiency. Though the chip is capable of handling routine everyday workloads without hiccups, it is not a performance powerhouse. That said, the tablet is best used as a companion device for basic chores because it does not have the performance to handle power-and-graphic intensive workloads.
Camera
The Lenovo Tab Plus has 8-megapixel camera sensors on the front and back. Cameras are not the strongest suite for tablets, and it is the same case here – quality is average and will fulfil the purpose of video calls and clear document scanning.
Verdict
Priced at Rs 22,999 (8GB RAM + 256GB storage), the Lenovo Tab Plus offers a well-rounded multimedia experience. Its combination of sleek design, high-quality audio and impressive battery life makes it a competitive contender in the tablet market, especially for the entertainment segment. For those looking for a utility focused tablet with remarkable sound quality, the Lenovo Tab Plus can be an option to be considered. Performance is not its forte, and therefore, look otherwise if that is essential.