Lenovo Tab Plus review: great for media consumption
The Lenovo Tab Plus comes with JBL's octa-speaker setup, which elevates its multimedia experience significantly
The Lenovo Tab Plus is the latest mid-range tablet by the brand that’s priced just below the Tab P12. The new slate incorporates a more modest chipset but offers a unique octa-speaker setup that can easily outperform an entry-level Bluetooth speaker. It also comes with a built-in kickstand that comes in extremely handy in a variety of situations. I’ve had my hands on the device for some time now, and here’s what I think about it.
Table of Contents
Verdict
The Lenovo Tab Plus is an easy recommendation if you want a portable multimedia powerhouse with a high-resolution display and impressive audio output. The main drawbacks of the tablet include its performance, which is limited, and it being somewhat bulky.
Audio
The standout feature of this tablet is its amazing octa-core sound system, so it’s only natural that I start by talking about it. The device comes with eight JBL speakers (4 woofers + 4 tweeters), all tuned by Dolby Atmos, and Hi-Fi audio support. The tablet gets loud enough to exceed the volume levels of some cheaper Bluetooth speakers without any of the accompanying static.
The sound is slightly bass-heavy but has good clarity for mid and high frequencies. At the maximum volume level, the high and mids can get a bit muffled by the bass, so it’s best to keep the volume at sensible levels. The tablet can also function as a speaker with the Bluetooth Speaker mode.
Design
| Lenovo Tab Plus | OnePlus Pad Go | Xiaomi Pad 6 | |
| Thickness | 7.77mm (top) / 13.58mm (bottom) | 6.89mm | 6.51mm |
| Weight | 650g | 532g | 490g |
The Lenovo Tab Plus does not follow the conventional tablet design, featuring a bottom half that’s almost twice as thick as the top portion. The top measures 7.77mm in thickness, while the bottom touches 13.58mm in thickness. The thickness is due to the presence of the octa-speaker setup consisting of four woofers and four tweeters that output 26W of stereo sound.
The tablet is a bit hefty at 650g, which makes it slightly awkward to hold for long durations. I’m extremely fond of the tablet’s design and a big part of it is the built-in kickstand. The stand eliminates the need for a case and makes the device quite portable. You can carry the tablet with you anywhere you desire, pop the kickstand and enjoy watching content, browsing the web, playing music or reading a book.
Display and cameras
| Lenovo Tab Plus | OnePlus Pad Go | Xiaomi Pad 6 | |
| Display size | 11.5-inch | 11.3-inch | 11-inch |
| Peak brightness | 400nits | 400nits | 550nits |
The Lenovo Tab Plus comes with an 11.5-inch IPS display with 2K resolution (2,000 x 1,200p), 400nits of peak brightness and 90Hz refresh rate. The high-resolution panel, paired with its amazing sound system, ensures a top-notch multimedia experience. The screen is sufficiently bright for indoor use but struggles outdoors. The 90Hz refresh rate ensures the viewing experience remains smooth, though there are a few hiccups in general day-to-day use, which can be attributed to the limiting hardware.
There’s a dedicated reading mode, which makes the display profile warmer and you can even go for a black and white effect if that’s what you fancy. Reading mode was perhaps the feature I’ve used most often and it helps create a fantastic reading experience when switched to the grayscale effect.
The tablet features an 8MP primary camera on the rear panel and a similar 8MP front camera for selfies and video calls. The cameras on this tablet are designed from a utility perspective for scanning documents, attending meetings or making video calls. The daylight images appear quite soft but with good colour accuracy.
Performance and software
The MediaTek Helio G99 chipset powers the tablet and is paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. The storage is expandable up to 1TB with a microSD card. The chipset is not quite powerful enough and is best suited for casual day-to-day use, slight multitasking and multimedia usage. Jumping between apps isn’t totally stutter-free, and you can play some moderately demanding games like COD: Mobile at medium graphic settings and Real Racing 3 comfortably. Here’s how the tablet performed in benchmark tests:
| AnTuTu benchmark | Geekbench 6 benchmark | Burnout (CPU throttling) | |
| Score | 4,06,977 | Single core – 733 / Multi-core – 2010 | 60.17% (higher is better) |
The tablet comes with Android-14 based ZUI out of the box, which is not all that different from stock Android and is quite clean, so it gets extra points for that. There’s a dedicated entertainment space that replaces Google discover when you swipe left from the main homescreen, and combines all your multimedia content in one space. Towards the bottom, you can find the taskbar, which can be customised to add your favourite apps and comes in quite handy.
The tablet has plenty of screen customisation options and you can even adjust the aspect ratio to accommodate more apps on the homescreen. There’s split screen, floating windows, PC Mode and your regular ensemble of smart features. The Freestyle feature can help you easily transfer files, stream videos and screen share with paired Lenovo devices. Lenovo promises 2 years of major OS upgrades and 4 years of software updates with the Tab Plus.
Battery and charging
An 8,600mAh battery with 45W fast charging support fuels the tablet. The battery life on this machine is quite robust and gave me around 12 hours of screen-on-time. The battery registered 10 hours and 54 minutes on the PCMark battery benchmark test, which is a respectable result. The paired 45W charger takes only an hour to quickly top up the device from 20 percent to 100 percent capacity, which is quite speedy.
Final Verdict
The Lenovo Tab Plus carries a starting price of Rs 22,999 for the 8GB+128GB variant. The tablet is ideal for users looking for a multimedia consumption device with a crisp display and impressive speaker setup. The inclusion of a built-in kickstand improves portability and usability immensely, and the tablet consistently delivers great battery life. The niggles include its modest performance capabilities and bulky frame.
The chief competitors of the tablet include the OnePlus Pad Go (review) and the Xiaomi Pad 6 (review). The former offers a slightly better display and a more lightweight form factor but doesn’t measure up in terms of audio. The Xiaomi Pad 6, despite being slightly pricier at Rs 24,999, outperforms the Lenovo Tab Plus in nearly every aspect. However, if your primary use case includes content consumption and you want a capable multimedia device, the Lenovo Tab Plus is a choice worth exploring.
Editor’s Rating: 7.5 / 10
Reasons to buy:
- The Lenovo Tab Plus features a crisp 2K display with great viewing angles.
- The tablet delivers an exceptional audio experience.
- The built-in hinge is quite sturdy and improves the portability of the device.
- The machine delivers amazing battery life.
Reasons not to buy:
- The tablet’s performance could have been better.
- The device is not as sleek as its rivals and is quite bulky.
