Short test report Lenovo Tab Plus: tablet built for entertainment

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

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

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

Design and construction

• Sturdy metal construction
• Convenient built-in stand
• Up to 13.5mm thick, weighs 650g

The Lenovo Tab Plus has a unique design that integrates a built-in stand and eight speakers into the frame. My tablet came in the dark color Luna Gray, which looks sleek.

The casing is made of metal and feels sturdy and more premium than the price tag suggests.

The bottom half of the tablet is thicker to accommodate these features, making the device quite unstable when you lay it flat. You will almost always want to use this tablet with the stand or hold it in your hand.

The body feels sturdy and more premium than the price tag suggests

The stand itself is sturdy and can be adjusted to different angles, making it perfect for media consumption and note-taking. Above the speaker, the rest of the casing is only 7.7 mm thick, while the device is not exactly heavy at 650 grams.

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

Screen and 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 resolution of 2000×1200 and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. The 2K screen is bright and colorful, making it ideal for watching videos and browsing the web.

Despite the price, it manages a 90Hz refresh rate, which means all content looks buttery smooth. This screen is also TUV certified for eye comfort, which is exactly what you want from something you’ll be looking at for long periods of time.

The screen looks good and handles black tones well. Personally, I’d prefer an OLED for viewing any kind of content, but this screen is almost as good.

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

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

The 2K screen is bright and colorful, making it ideal for watching videos and browsing the web

However, the audio sounds quite clear and is noticeably better than a regular tablet. It can achieve much lower bass, but voices in dialogue are not lost. Just don’t turn the volume all the way up as it will start to lose some clarity.

A nice feature is the automatic app volume control, which turns the volume down when you use other apps such as the browser.

Another nice addition that’s nice to have is the ability to use the tablet as a Bluetooth speaker, meaning you can connect other devices and take advantage of the JBL speakers. And if you want even more control over the sound, the headphone jack supports high-resolution audio at 24-bit and 96 kHz.

Specifications and performance

• MediaTek Helio G99 chip and 8 GB RAM
• Sufficient for most tasks, struggles with heavy multitasking
• 128 GB 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 geared towards content viewing as that is the main purpose of this device. You can launch streaming apps and start watching in no time. With a solid connection, buffering and loading times are minimal, and the slate has no trouble as you browse between different shows.

It can handle most apps well, although heavier tasks and multitasking can cause stuttering. You can tell that the Lenovo Tab Plus isn’t designed with productivity in mind.

That said, you can browse the web and social media with ease. Just don’t try to get into multitasking or gaming as that’s where the device starts to struggle.

The Tab Plus offers decent performance for its price range

As for internal storage, the only available configuration offers 128 GB. If that doesn’t sound enough, don’t worry: the Tab Plus supports expansion via a micro SD card if you need it.

Cameras

• 8 MP front and rear cameras
• Simple but functional photos
• Decent video call quality

On a tablet made for content viewing, the cameras aren’t really a priority. Nevertheless, the Lenovo Tab Plus includes an 8 MP rear camera with autofocus, plus an 8 MP front camera. While not exceptional, these cameras are sufficient for document scanning and video calling.

However, they cannot be compared to the quality found even on budget smartphones. I wouldn’t take photos or videos on this device, especially if you want to review them or share them with friends and family. It’s much better to use your phone for that.

I wouldn’t take photos or videos on this device, especially if you want to review them or share them with friends and family

If you absolutely have to use the camera, you can expect fairly average shots. Images can quickly become grainy and are not particularly clear.

Battery life and charging

• 8600mAh battery
• Provides four to five days with moderate use
• 45W wired charging, no charger in box

The Tab Plus comes equipped with an 8,600mAh battery, which Lenovo claims can deliver up to 12 hours of video playback.

In real-world use, it will comfortably last four to five days with moderate use – think a Netflix show or two a day.

While I haven’t used the Slate on a long-haul flight yet, it’s probably the device I’d take with me to watch movies, as I’m confident the battery will get me through a 12-hour flight.

I’m confident the battery will get me through a 12 hour flight

The 45W charging power is faster than many competitors, although there’s no compatible charger in the box.

Lenovo estimates that you can be completely full again within an hour and a half. In my testing it lasted 91 minutes, so that seems about right. For 50% charging it takes about 38 minutes.

Software and apps

• Android 14 with ZUI skin
• Close to stock Android, but some useful additions
• Two major OS updates, four years of security patches

The tablet runs Android 14 with Lenovo’s ZUI interface over the top.

It’s close to ‘stock’ Android, but you do get a few extra features, like a desktop-style PC mode and a customizable standby mode. However, I imagine most people aren’t too concerned about these features.

The software itself is easy to work around, so it’s ideal for someone unfamiliar with Android tablets. There’s a small amount of pre-installed bloatware that I’m not a fan of – the Opera browser and a calculator app, among others – but nothing too drastic.

In terms of software support, Lenovo promises two major Android OS updates and four years of security patches. The lack of extended software support is annoying, but not a deal breaker for me.

The lack of extended software support is annoying, but not a deal breaker for me

You can run streaming apps on slightly older versions of Android without any problems. And in a few years, you’ll probably want to upgrade to a device with a newer screen and speakers if viewing content is a priority. For this price, I don’t think that’s unreasonable.

Price and availability

The Lenovo Tab Plus costs £279.99 / $289.99.

In the UK you can buy one directly from Lenovo or through Amazon. However, despite an official US price, there doesn’t appear to be any availability in North America at the time of writing.

That price means it’s a budget tablet, although competition from the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (from £239), Xiaomi Poco Pad (around £239) (Google Pixel Tablet (£399 without dock)) is stiff.

Should you buy the Lenovo Tab Plus?

The Lenovo Tab Plus stands out as a versatile and affordable tablet, perfect for entertainment and light daily tasks.

Its video-first features like the built-in stand and JBL-tuned speakers make it an excellent choice for media consumption. At this price, this is probably the device I would choose to watch movies or shows on.

While the performance isn’t top-notch, it offers excellent value for money, especially when compared to more expensive rivals like the Pixel Tablet. As a result, it is relatively easy to recommend.