Lenovo Tab M Tab Plus 11.5" MT8781 Helio G99 8-core GB Luna Grey 2023 Review
The Lenovo Tab Plus offers a large screen and impressive eight-speaker sound for media lovers, but its middling performance makes it a hard sell for anything more demanding.
The 30-Second Version
The Lenovo Tab Plus is a one-trick pony, but it's good at its trick. It's a large-screen media tablet with fantastic speakers, included sleeve, and average performance. It's worth buying only if you find it on a deep discount and just want a big screen for Netflix.
Overview
The Lenovo Tab Plus is a big-screen Android tablet that's laser-focused on one thing: media. With an 11.5-inch 2K display and a whopping eight JBL speakers, it's built to be a portable entertainment hub. It comes with a nice sleeve and a kickstand, so you can prop it up and watch movies right out of the box.
Performance
Performance is solidly middle-of-the-pack. The MediaTek Helio G99 chip and 8GB of RAM handle streaming and casual games just fine, but don't expect flagship speed. Our database shows its CPU and GPU scores land around the 40th percentile, meaning it's fine for the basics but will feel sluggish next to pricier tablets. The screen brightness (400 nits) and battery life are also about average, not standout features.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The eight JBL speakers with Dolby Atmos sound fantastic for movies and music. 94th
- Includes a handy sleeve and a built-in kickstand, which is a nice value-add. 75th
- 256GB of base storage is generous for a tablet at this price point. 75th
- The large 11.5-inch screen is great for watching videos. 75th
Cons
- Performance is just average and lags behind most premium tablets.
- Connectivity options are limited and fall behind the competition.
- It's not a productivity machine; our scores show it's weak for work tasks.
- The overall feature set is underwhelming compared to rivals.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | MT8781 Helio G99 (6 nm) |
| GPU | Mali-G57 MC2 |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 8 GB |
| RAM Generation | LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 256 GB |
| Expandable | Yes |
Display
| Size | 11.5" |
| Resolution | 2000 |
| Panel | LCD |
| Brightness | 400 nits |
Connectivity
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Cellular | No |
Features
| Face Unlock | No |
Physical
| Weight | 0.7 kg / 1.4 lbs |
| OS | Android 14 |
Value & Pricing
If you can find it near the lower end of its wild price spread ($159 to $3890), it's a decent value as a dedicated media viewer. At its higher rumored prices, it's a hard sell. You're paying for the big screen and speaker system, not cutting-edge performance or premium build. Shop around, because the right deal makes all the difference here.
vs Competition
It gets smoked by the iPad Pro or Galaxy Tab S10+ in every performance metric, but those cost several times more. Its real competition is other budget big-screen tablets. Compared to something like a base model iPad, it has a bigger screen and better speakers but a much weaker OS for productivity and a slower chip. Think of it as the big, loud TV of the tablet world, not the sleek laptop replacement.
| Spec | Lenovo Tab M Tab Plus 11.5" MT8781 Helio G99 8-core GB | Apple iPad Apple - 11-inch iPad A16 chip with Wi-Fi - 128GB - | Microsoft Surface Pro Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, | Samsung Galaxy Tab S Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ X800 12.4" 256GB Wi-Fi with | Teclast TECLAST T65PLUS 13.4-Inch Android 15 Tablet 2025, | Nexall N90 N90 Android 16 Tablet, 12 inch Tablet 2K FHD+, |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | MT8781 Helio G99 (6 nm) | Apple A16 | Core i7 | 2.5 GHz | 2.2 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
| RAM (GB) | 8 | 6 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 24 |
| Storage (GB) | 256 | 128 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 128 |
| Screen | 11.5" 2000x1200 | 11" 2360x1640 | 12.3" 2736x1824 | 12.4" 2800x1752 | 13.4" 1920x1200 | 12" |
| OS | Android 14 | iPadOS | Windows 11 Home | Android | Android 15 | Android 16 |
| Stylus | false | true | true | true | false | true |
| Cellular | false | false | false | false | true | true |
| Battery (Wh) | - | 29 | - | - | - | - |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Cpu | Gpu | Ram | Screen | Battery | Feature | Storage | User Sentiment | Connectivity | Social Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo Tab M Tab Plus 11.5" MT8781 Helio G99 8-core GB | 74.5 | 75 | 74.9 | 43.4 | 94.2 | 63.1 | 74.7 | 40.3 | 66.1 | 35.7 |
| Apple iPad 11-inch A16 chip Compare | 72 | 72.7 | 66 | 79.1 | 96.6 | 93.2 | 55.7 | 70.4 | 89.6 | 99.3 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Compare | 90.7 | 89.7 | 90.7 | 83.3 | 46.1 | 90 | 84.6 | 0 | 54.2 | 89.6 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8+ X800 12.4" Compare | 78.4 | 78.6 | 74.9 | 92.6 | 46.1 | 90 | 74.7 | 57.7 | 74.3 | 92.5 |
| Teclast T65PLUS 13.4-Inch Android 15 Tablet 2025 Compare | 74.5 | 75 | 74.9 | 45.2 | 94.5 | 24.5 | 74.7 | 70.4 | 92.6 | 95 |
| Nexall N90 N90 Android 16 Compare | 76.3 | 76.7 | 96.2 | 28.1 | 46.1 | 79.3 | 55.7 | 70.4 | 92.6 | 54.8 |
Common Questions
Q: Can you use this tablet for work or school?
Not really. Our performance scores rank its productivity in the bottom quarter, so it's slow for multitasking and lacks desktop-class apps. It's best for entertainment.
Q: How is the battery life?
It's about average. Our data puts battery performance in the 49th percentile, so expect a full day of video playback but not much more.
Q: Is the storage expandable?
Yes, it has a microSD card slot, so you can add more space for movies and music beyond the included 256GB.
Who Should Skip This
Skip this if you need a tablet for anything resembling work. Students, note-takers, or anyone who wants to run multiple apps smoothly should look at an iPad or a Galaxy Tab. The performance and software just aren't there for productivity.
Verdict
Buy this if you want a single-purpose device for watching videos, listening to music, and light web browsing on a large screen. The speaker setup is legitimately great for that. It's a couch tablet, not a workhorse.