Lenovo Lenovo Tab Plus - 2024 - Premium Entertainment Review

The Lenovo Tab Plus is a budget entertainment champ with phenomenal speakers. Its eight JBL drivers deliver sound quality that shames tablets twice its price. For around $290, you get a smooth 90Hz screen, decent performance, and a folio case included. Just don't buy it for work. Get it for movies, music, and kicking back.

The Lenovo Tab Plus is a tablet that knows exactly what it wants to be: your personal entertainment hub. It's not trying to be a laptop replacement or a professional art studio. Instead, it's laser-focused on delivering a killer audio-visual experience for movies, music, and casual gaming, all wrapped up in a package that includes a folio case right in the box. That's a refreshingly honest approach in a market full of jack-of-all-trades devices.

This tablet is for the person who wants to kick back on the couch and binge a series with immersive sound, or for someone who wants a dedicated device for streaming music around the house. The included 175-degree kickstand and Bluetooth speaker mode are clear signals that Lenovo wants you to prop this thing up and enjoy it, not tuck it away in a bag. It's built for leisure, not labor.

What makes it interesting is the sheer commitment to audio. Eight JBL speakers with Dolby Atmos isn't just a spec sheet bullet point; it's the core identity of the device. In our database, its social proof score sits in the 91st percentile, which tells us people who buy it really, really like it. For around $290, it's betting that great sound and a solid screen are worth more than raw processing power.

Under the hood, the MediaTek Helio G99 processor and 8GB of RAM are competent, not cutting-edge. Our benchmarks place its CPU and GPU performance in the 68th percentile, which is solidly mid-range. This means it handles everyday tasks like web browsing, social media, and streaming 4K video without a hiccup. The 90Hz refresh rate on the 11.5-inch 2K display makes scrolling feel smooth, which is a nice touch you don't always get at this price.

Where the performance story gets specific is in its entertainment scores. It scored a 54.5 out of 100 for entertainment in our tests, which is its strongest area by far. That number is driven by that excellent speaker system and the decent screen. The flip side is its weakest score: a 32.8 for productivity. So, while it's great for playing a game or watching YouTube, don't expect to smoothly run a dozen Chrome tabs while editing a document. It's built for fun, not multitasking mayhem.

At its current street price of around $290, the Lenovo Tab Plus is playing in a very smart spot. It's significantly cheaper than an entry-level iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, yet it offers a standout feature—that incredible speaker system—that neither of those can match at this price. You're trading some polish and ecosystem for a uniquely good audio experience.

The value proposition is clear: you're paying for a dedicated, high-quality entertainment device, not a general-purpose tablet. The inclusion of the folio case, a 35W charger (according to some reviews), and the long-term promise of software updates and security patches for 4 years adds to the feeling that you're getting a complete package, not a barebones product.

Compared to the Apple iPad (10th gen), you're giving up the silky-smooth iOS experience, the vast app ecosystem, and superior performance for creative tasks. But you're gaining much better speakers, a higher refresh rate screen, and saving a lot of money. The iPad is the better all-rounder; the Tab Plus is the better portable speaker with a screen.

Against the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, it's a similar story. The Samsung has a better stylus experience (if you buy the S Pen) and a more premium build, but it's also more expensive. The Lenovo fights back with its audio superiority and included case. Then there's the sea of generic Android tablets. The Tab Plus stands out by having a recognizable brand, a specific audio-focused identity, and that strong user satisfaction score, which is often a gamble with no-name brands.

Students or professionals who need a tablet for note-taking, document editing, or video calls should skip this. Its low productivity score isn't an accident; the software experience and performance aren't built for that. An older iPad with a keyboard case or a used Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 would be a much better investment. Also, digital artists should look elsewhere. The lack of mention of stylus support and the mid-range processor mean it's not a viable drawing tablet. If your dream is a portable canvas, a Samsung Tab S6 Lite or an iPad with an Apple Pencil is the way to go.

Buy the Lenovo Tab Plus if your primary use case is consuming media at home. If you want a tablet for watching Netflix in the kitchen, listening to music while you cook, playing casual games, or as a smart display for recipes and photos, this is a fantastic and fun choice. The audio alone makes it a joy to use for these things.

Look elsewhere if you need a tablet for work, school, digital art, or heavy multitasking. Its low productivity score is a real warning sign. Also, if you're already invested in the Apple or Samsung ecosystems, the convenience of staying within that walled garden might be worth the extra cash. For pure entertainment on a budget, though, the Tab Plus is a little powerhouse.