Lenovo Idea Tab Pro review: smart stylus meets serious multitasking

Lenovo Idea Tab Pro was introduced at the CES 2025 as a 12.7-inch tablet for students and everyday users. Lenovo calls it the “ideal learning tablet,” and unlike the previous ‘IdeaTab’ models from over a decade ago, the new mid-range tablet is generously specced. It features a MediaTek Dimensity 8300 processor, a 10,200mAh battery with 45W fast charging, a 3K 144Hz display, a quad JBL speaker setup, and a relatively clean Android UI with several multitasking options and some AI features. Lenovo even bundles a stylus called the Lenovo Tab Pen Plus, which adds further functionality.

Now, the starting price for this bundle is Rs 27,999, and in this 91mobiles’ review of Lenovo Idea Tab Pro, we’ll find out if this package justifies the asking price, and if it lives up to the “ideal learning tablet” claim.

Unboxing

After unpacking the rectangular box, you will find the following items inside:

• the tablet (we have got the 256GB variant)
• the stylus
• Charging adapter
• USB-C to USB-C cable
• Paperwork
• Memory card tray ejector pin

They are all neatly tucked in separate compartments. The quick start guides can help you start using the tablet and stylus. Ensure you charge the stylus before pairing it for the first time. 

Design and stylus

The Lenovo tablet has a simple but sleek design with flat edges, rounded corners, and a professional grey colour.

The tablet has a metallic unibody, and the back does pick up smudges and stains, but they wipe off easily. Regardless, the device feels sturdy and smooth to touch. Lenovo hasn’t revealed specs like IP rating or the type of glass protection. 

Similarly, at 6.9-inch thickness and 620 grams weight, it isn’t the slimmest or lightest tablet out there, but it feels fine in hand. However, its big display, dimensions, and stylus support make it a two-handed device.

And when you reach the buttons on the edges, including the power key, they will feel tactile. 

Another area where you would feel a bit of texture and grip is the narrow band beneath the rear camera island. This band lends a dual-tone finish to an otherwise muted paint job. It also serves as one of the stylus’ parking spots, the other being the longer bottom edge.

The longer bottom edge is where the compatible Lenovo keyboard would attach, but you have to buy it separately. 

The stylus is bundled free, and its magnetic attachment to the tablet is strong, so it won’t fall off easily with jerks. We will talk about its uses in a later section. 

Rest, on the body, you’ll find four speakers, two on both of its shorter sides, a USB-C port, a memory card tray, uniform display bezels, a front-facing camera on one of the longer sides and a single camera plus lens arrangement at the back. The camera island doesn’t protrude much, and the bezels aid in holding the device. Both good things! 

Note that there is no SIM card tray, which means no cellular connectivity. This can be a problem if you are in a no-Wi-Fi zone.

Let’s now check out its audiovisual and imaging capabilities. 

Display, audio, and camera

You can either tap the power button or double-tap on the screen (optional) to turn on the 12.7-inch screen. It is a 16:10 panel and sports 3K resolution (2944 x 1840 pixels), 273 PPI pixel density, and HDR10 support.

The visuals are sharp and pleasant if you play HD content and choose the Vibrant mode. If you set the Standard profile, the colours appear very warm. For this reason, even though I could tweak this colour temperature in the Display Settings, I chose to go with the Vibrant saturation. 

The display offers only 400 nits of brightness, which can be limiting when used outdoors, especially under harsh sunlight or when viewing dark or nighttime content. The glossy panel further hinders visibility. Indoors, it is pretty fine.

And thanks to the 144Hz refresh rate, I could very well make out the fast-paced sequences of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ready Player One, even in dark scenes. More on the refresh rate later.

For now, let’s focus on how it sounds. The quad JBL speaker setup is loud with decent bass. The Dolby Atmos is enabled by default and offers good sound separation and decently wide staging. You need not look for a pair of headphones. The speaker output is enough for even group viewing with a partner. But, if you do prefer earphones or headphones, you’ll need to use either a Type-C wired option or go wireless, as there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack.

Before we move on, let’s take a quick look at the cameras. The rear camera captures acceptable details and colours for a tablet. After all, you’d probably use to take photos of notes or scan documents. But the front camera is a letdown, with its washed-out colours and soft details that aren’t ideal for video calls. I am not sure if Lenovo can fix it through software. That said, I do like what Lenovo has done on the software front.

Performance and software

You get Android 14 OS out of the box. Lenovo promises two years of OS upgrades only, i.e., up to Android 16 and four years of security patches. That’s passable by Android standards, but considering that the iPad 10.2 (9th gen) from 2021 still receives and is set to receive more updates, we wish Lenovo had committed more.

Anyways, I only have love for the software on offer. Lenovo ZUI is nearly stock with some added apps and features, mostly to enhance multitasking and stylus use. 

Multitasking is a clear priority here. You get support for split-screen (four windows), floating windows, and taskbar and sidebar-style app switching, all of which work reliably. I was overwhelmed by the options. But I think these can come in handy during study, work, and entertainment. 

Stylus support is another major focus. The bundled Lenovo Tab Pen Plus offers pressure sensitivity and palm rejection, and integrates well with Lenovo’s note-taking and drawing apps. It’s precise, responsive, and there is no perceivable input lag. For instance, brush strokes can change depending on the angle of tilt and the pressure applied. To help you write, draw, annotate and format, the software offers guidance at various places. A small learning curve is required, for sure, but it would be worth it.

The multitasking doesn’t end there. There’s more:

• The tablet supports a keyboard, which would be an additional purchase from Lenovo. You can enable PC Mode from the Settings/Quick Settings panel and get a desktop-like UI.
• You can also mirror the tablet screen to a big monitor screen or use the big screen as an extension to the tablet.
• Also, if you install the Smart Connect app on a Windows PC, you can share files, sync the clipboard, give the tablet’s camera access to the PC as a webcam and open the Android apps on the big screen. 

If you’d like, you can add Gemini AI into the mix and use it for researching, brainstorming, analysing, learning, and even text or image generation. The device does support Circle To Search as well.

And after study or work hours, you can use the Idea Tab Pro to run games, even the high-end ones. In our test, there was no noticeable input lag and motion blur thanks to 360Hz Touch Sampling Rate and 144Hz refresh rate, respectively, while pacing through heavy titles like Carx Street and BGMI. The latter, for instance, can run at very high graphics, and when set to lower graphics, you can even unlock Ultra FPS.

Powering all of these things is a MediaTek Dimensity 8300 SoC, coupled with LPDDR5x RAM and at least UFS 3.1 storage. Our review unit is the UFS 4.0 variant with 256GB ROM and 12GB RAM. The device ran smoothly, except for one instance when I was simultaneously installing, downloading, and multitasking heavily for testing purposes. The device also warmed up slightly during that period.

And when it is pushed to the limit in the Burnout Benchmark test, it could retain only 41.9 percent of its potential performance. Meanwhile, here’s how it fares in other leading synthetic tests:

It scores well ahead of the Redmi Pad Pro, priced at Rs 26,999, and just slightly below the Xiaomi Pad 7, priced at Rs 33,998.

So we know how well it runs, now, let’s check out how long it can run:

Battery and charging

The Lenovo tablet packs a 10,200mAh cell that ran about 10 hours and 42 minutes in a heavy-use day, which is closer to Lenovo’s claim of up to 10 hours in general use. 

However, in the PCMark battery test (with 80 percent brightness), the tablet ran for 5 hours and 54 minutes, which may seem low considering the battery size, but the tablet’s big and high-res screen could be drawing a lot of power.

Even if it goes out of charge, the device takes about 69 minutes only to top up from 20 to 100 percent. That’s plenty fast, I’d say. 

And let’s not forget the smart pen; it also needs to be charged. You can use the same USB-C charger, and it would top up in about an hour. There are LED indicators on its head showing the charging status. 

With that, here are my final thoughts:

Verdict

At Rs 27,999 for the 8+128GB model, the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro is a compelling tablet. It finds a sweet spot between the pricier models like the Xiaomi Pad 7 and more affordable picks like the Redmi Pad Pro. 

Thanks to a big canvas of a screen, several multitasking features, a responsive stylus, and decent battery life, this can be an ideal learning tablet as Lenovo is pitching it to be. 

Moreover, if you want more from it, the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 chip, along with the memory and battery on offer, can run almost everything an everyday user would need. 

There are compromises, of course, like the front camera quality is underwhelming, the display’s outdoor brightness is limited, and software support could be longer. There is no cellular connectivity either. However, we think they are decent trade-offs for the asking price.

So, all in all, the Lenovo Idea Pad Pro is not just a well-rounded package for study, work, and leisure, but also stays true to the value-driven spirit of the company’s Idea lineup.

Editor’s rating: 8/10

Pros

• Good display and audio
• Capable chip and multitasking software
• Responsive Lenovo Tab Pen Plus
• Long battery and fast charging

Cons

• Underwhelming front camera
• Limited brightness