Android tablets have improved in recent years, and if you prefer Android to iOS, there are quite a few choices. We have been trying the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro for a few weeks, and it offers solid performance, though there are a couple of quibbles.
Clean design
The Lenovo tablet comes with the Tab Pen Plus in the box. A detachable keyboard pack is also available, but it must be purchased separately.
The tablet has a large 12.7-inch LCD display at 2944x1840 resolution with up to 144Hz refresh rate. Only 6.9m thin, it weighs about 620g. There is Wi-Fi 6e and Bluetooth 5.3.
The stylus somewhat reminds me of an Apple Pencil because it comes with USB-C port for charging. It attaches magnetically to the back of the tablet. It would have been more practical had it attached magnetically on top of the tablet (interestingly, it attaches to the bottom bezel where there are pogo pins for connecting a keyboard).
There is a flash next to the rear camera, which is helpful in situations where there is not enough light. The JBL-tuned quad-speaker setup is among the many high points of the tablet.
The tablet is easy to hold, and the bezels are just about perfect. Another helpful option: Facial unlocking. But if you are using the tablet for banking or storing personal files, it’s better to go with fingerprint scanning, which is possible using the power button. The USB-C power port also allows you to connect to an external display.
Lenovo Tab Pen Plus is included with the tablet.
Processing power
The tablet is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 8300 processor and the review unit has 12GB RAM and 256 GB of storage.
The biggest upgrade from previous Lenovo tablets is in terms of performance. The processor can take some serious punches and beats many Xiaomi and OnePlus tablets in real-world performance. In 3DMark scores, you will get better performance than on something like Redmi Pad Pro. As expected, playing Genshin Impact has not been an issue. Thermals also win our hearts as the tablet stays cool even after long gaming sessions. There is great value for gamers who are on a budget.
Lenovo says you will get captivating pictures on its 12.7-inch screen. If you look at the screen from any angle, colour reproduction is good. But the peak brightness could have been more than 400 nits.
What Lenovo does well is offer a stylus free of cost. The pen charges with USB-C and battery life is solid at up to 35 hours of usage. I am not good at drawing, but lines appear smooth. The stylus can also be used as a “remote”. You can pause/play music by pressing a button on it. The pencil tip is smooth enough for writing, but it could have been slightly heavier.
There is some degree of bloatware but it can be deleted.
Make the call
The biggest compromise the tablet makes is in the software department. It comes with Android 14, while you are promised two years of major software updates and four years of security updates. It is quite normal in the world of Android tablets, but Lenovo could have considered putting Android 15 by default or given one more year of software support. Setting up the tablet did not offer the best experience; one has to navigate through a slew of unnecessary apps, but you can delete or not install most of them.
But you can use most Android features, allowing you to have multiple windows. The most interesting feature is Smart Connect, which allows the tablet to be connected to a laptop or desktop either through USB-C cable or over the same Wi-Fi network; it helps with file sharing. The experience is quite good.
The 8MP front camera is what you usually get on a tablet, and enough for video calls. The rear 13MP camera has some auto-sharpening, but it’s usable. There is video recording of up to 4K@30fps.
Battery life? Charging at 45W is quite impressive and is competitive to what Samsung offers. It takes slightly less than two hours to charge from zero to 100 per cent. But battery life is average, offering around eight hours of screen-on time with brightness turned up.
Lenovo Idea Pad Pro’s biggest advantage is the included Pen Plus, and the mid-range tablet doesn’t disappoint casual gamers.
At a glance
Device: Lenovo Idea Pad Pro
Price: ₹27,999
High notes
- Good choice of processor
- Premium finish and excellent sound output
- Stylus comes free with the tablet
- Highly portable
Muffled notes
- Android OS update support could have been longer
- Battery life is average