Lenovo Tab Plus in the test: tablet with a stand for movies, series and video chat

Inexpensive tablets like the Lenovo Tab Plus are particularly suitable for mobile media consumption. The tablet particularly scores points with its integrated stand and powerful JBL speakers, which deliver a great sound experience, similar to the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 (test report). This makes the tablet an ideal companion while traveling or in the living room at home. In this test report we explain how well the Tab Plus performs in the test and where the weaknesses lie.

The Lenovo Tab Plus features an unusual design. In a way, this is a new edition of the 2021 Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 (Test Report) concept. The bottom part of the tablet is nubby shaped. It has two powerful JBL speakers and an integrated stand. You can easily fold the tablet by pulling the flap at the bottom. The angle of the stand can be chosen freely.

The housing is made of 100 percent recycled aluminum and cleanly processed. The upper part is shaped like a pill and is about 7.7 mm thick. However, the Tab Plus is significantly more massive at the bottom with a thickness of 13.58 mm. The width is 268.3 mm and height is 174.25 mm. At 650 grams, it is quite heavy compared to other tablets of this size. Overall, the design seems a bit clunky, but useful while traveling.

Also practical: the power button is on the smaller side, on the left. The two volume buttons are located at the top of the long side. It is impossible to accidentally press the power button while adjusting the volume.

The display with an IPS panel and a refresh rate of 90Hz measures 11.5 inches diagonally with an aspect ratio of 5:3. The edges of the display are narrow, but the screen to case size ratio does not exceed 80 percent. The Honor Pad 9 (test report) achieves around 88 percent.

The resolution is 2000×1200 pixels. Although it’s good enough for Full HD playback, it’s not exactly huge compared to the size of the display. A higher resolution would have been appropriate. With a pixel density of around 200 ppi, the pixels can’t be seen with the naked eye at first glance – especially since you tend to hold tablets further away from your eyes than smartphones.

The screen delivers a high-contrast image with high color fidelity. The stability of the viewing angle is also very clear. There is some room for improvement in terms of brightness, which peaks at around 415 cd/m². For outdoor use, this is not enough to be readable in sunlight. Furthermore, the surface is highly reflective.

As is typical for this price range, the camera lenses on the Lenovo Tab Plus are pretty simple. There are two 8-megapixel lenses on the front and back, which deliver only mediocre photo quality. Image detail and dynamic range are low, and image noise in the dark is very high. Video is possible at least in Full HD with the front lens.

One weakness of Lenovo’s affordable tablets has always been their mediocre performance. This is not the case with the Lenovo Tab Plus. The Mediatek Helio G99 offers adequate performance for normal everyday tasks. In PCMark, the Tab Plus scored nearly 12,000 points – a more than solid performance. The operating system runs smoothly in everyday life. It’s less suitable for serious gaming with complex graphics: 3Dmark’s “Wild Life” score of 1200 points is in the bottom third of our benchmarks.

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The Lenovo Tab Plus is available with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB or 256 GB internal storage. There is a slot for a microSD card for expansion. The input for a 3.5 mm jack plug is also practical. It also has a USB-C port, which only supports the slower USB 2.0 transmission standard – like all tablets in this price range. Rather rare: the Tab Plus supports the use of the Lenovo input pen, but you have to buy it separately.

Wi-Fi 5 for WLAN connections is also not exactly up to date anymore. There is no version for mobile communications, nor is there NFC. However, GNSS positioning is possible through GPS and GLONASS. Bluetooth 5.2 is available for wireless devices.

A certification for Widevine Level 1 is available, which allows streaming in Full HD with Netflix, Prime Video or Disney Plus. The biggest special feature, apart from the stand, is the powerful sound – as already mentioned. A total of eight speakers deliver massive and powerful sound that is better than most tablets.

Lenovo Tab Plus runs Android 14. The manufacturer promises four years of security updates and two major OS upgrades to Android 16 by 2028. It is much better than before. However, quarterly updates are more likely, so at the time of testing in October the security patch was from July.

Lenovo has expanded the operating system to include some additional functions, such as split-screen view and independently positioned windows for compatible apps like Chrome. During setup, users decide whether they want to control the interface exclusively with gestures or with three icons. Lenovo also packs some apps on the tablet, like WPS Office or Opera as well as several casual games.

Battery capacity is 8600 mAh. Although this is less than other tablets, battery life is still one of the great strengths of the Lenovo Tab Plus: In the PCMark battery test, the tablet achieved about 11.5 hours – a top value in this category. The tablet charges fairly quickly, at up to 45W in 90 minutes – but you’ll have to supply your own power.

Lenovo Tab Plus is already available with 8/128 GB 279 eurosThe tablet was sometimes available for 240 euros. The 8/256GB model including the protective cover costs around ₹100,000 direct from Lenovo 319 eurosThere is only one color variant, dark brown.

The Lenovo Tab Plus is aimed at users looking for an affordable tablet for media consumption. The biggest strengths are the integrated stand and powerful sound. This makes the tablet interesting for holidays or travel. But the battery life and display are also reassuring – even if the brightness and resolution could be a little higher. With a MediaTek Helio G99, the tablet runs smoothly in everyday life, but lacks the power for graphics-intensive games. As a practical media tablet, the Lenovo Tab Plus is an affordable and practical solution.