Lenovo’s new $300 tablet is what the Pixel Tablet should’ve been: Best entertainment tablet ever?
2020 was bad in many ways but it helped the tablet market make a strong comeback, and ever since then tablet makers have kept the momentum going. Apparently, the demand is there, so why not!
That being said, as not the biggest tablet fan out there (although I’m currently playing around with the iPad mini), I find it hard to get excited about a tablet.
For example, I recognize that Apple’s new iPad Pro is an engineering marvel with the best display on a consumer-ready product, and the fastest mobile chip, but this doesn’t tempt me to shell out $1,000 for a device I’ll be using only every once in a while.
That being said, I do believe a slightly more innovative twist on the familiar form-factor could turn me into a fan, and so, my big tablet hopes used to lay on Google’s shoulders. More specifically, the shoulders of the Pixel Tablet, which (unfortunately) turned out to be a bit disappointing considering the high expectations for Google’s first truly “Google” Tablet.
In fact, Google messed up a good deal when it came to the design of the only feature supposed to differentiate the Pixel Tablet from the competition - the dedicated speaker dock.
Now, almost exactly a year after the launch of the Pixel Tablet (as if to make a point), Lenovo might have just gone and done what Google couldn’t. Not only that, but the new Lenovo Tab Plus might simply be one of the best-value tablets around. Period.
The cherry on top? It manages to beat Apple’s 13-inch iPad Pro’s in one key area (for me). While costing $1,000 less. What?!
If you were to look at it from the front, the Lenovo Tab Plus looks like any other tablet out there. But with a 90Hz 11.5-inch display, a super flexible, integrated kickstand, and eight (!) JBL speakers, the Lenovo Tab Plus is the ultimate entertainment hub. And nothing comes even close.
See, as somebody who cares about audio quality on portable electronics like phones, tablets, and laptops, you can imagine how thrilled I was to see this tablet break cover.
But here’s more about the monstrous speaker system in the Tab Plus directly from the source:
In a nutshell, the Lenovo Tab Plus simply blows both Samsung and Apple’s tablets away with insane levels of bass for a tablet, reminiscent of the dedicated Bluetooth speaker, which it kinda is - you can actually stream audio from other devices on the speakers of the Tab Plus.
Going back to the Pixel Tablet “comparison” I immediately made in my head, it becomes clear that Lenovo delivered the entertainment tablet Google couldn’t:
The only glaring disadvantage of the Lenovo Tab Plus is that, at 650g, it is relatively heavy compared to the likes of the Pixel Tablet and Galaxy Tab S9 (both weigh around 500g). Of course, Lenovo gives you a slightly larger screen (11.5-inches) compared to 11-inches on the other two, but the majority of the added weight must be due to the built-in Bluetooth speaker system and metal stand. More than a fair trade-off if you ask me
And there it is… The Lenovo Tab Plus costs a whopping $200 less than Google’s Pixel Tablet while being able to do more.
It also costs a head-spinning $1,000 less than Apple’s 13-inch iPad Pro, which no longer has the best tablet speakers on the market - shockingly, beaten by Lenovo’s $300 budget tablet.
For example, I've felt “mainstream” for carrying an iPhone at one point in time myself, but now “mainstream” is no longer “uncool”. It’s just the norm.
Every Android tablet looks like an iPad; several Android phones often take after the iPhone’s design, and overall, cool, innovative ideas on familiar products are extremely rare. In fact, save for Nothing, there’s barely anything exciting going on in the smartphone scene (I don’t count folding phones, which are a different product category).
And sure, there are many advantages to making a “mainstream” device, which looks and works “as expected”. It’s a safe bet, which doesn’t require much research and development cash, and you’re guaranteed to attract at least a handful of users who happen to be shopping around for a reliable device.
Then again, the noticeably lower, super consumer-friendly price of the Lenovo Tab Plus proves you don’t need to invest a lot to make something truly cool, useful and special. As long as you’re thinking outside the box (or the slab).
S**t! Am I about to buy a Lenovo tablet?!