Lenovo Tab Plus review: The tablet for watching movies

With the Tab Plus, Lenovo has released a tablet whose housing shape alone shows what it is made for: watching TV, movies and videos and listening to music. I think it is great that Lenovo positions the device so clearly. Everyone else wants to be the jack of all trades. Lenovo says: you want to watch videos and movies, here is the tablet for that. I love clear statements.

Eight JBL speakers

The most important feature is the eight JBL speakers with Dolby Atmos support. Most tablets have one to four speakers, and they often sound anywhere from okay to mediocre to not good at all. On the Tab Plus they sound great, and listening to music and watching movies is really fun.

For that, the lower half of the tablet is thickened. It gets a bit bulkier and needs more room in a handbag or laptop bag, but it stays handy enough to take along. With headphones, it supports high-resolution audio, and there is a headphone jack on the side. That is practical on the train or on a plane.

In Bluetooth speaker mode, you pair your smartphone, for example, and use the tablet like an external speaker. I think that is a smart idea.

Built-in stand and weight

There is a stand in the thickened part. Normally you need a separate case for that. Here you unfold it and set the tablet up at flexible angles, for movies or video calls.

The Tab Plus weighs 650 g. For comparison:

Device	Weight	Special feature
Lenovo Tab Plus (11.5 inches)	650 g	eight speakers, stand
Huawei MatePad 11.5 inches	499 g	four speakers, no stand
iPad Pro 11 inches	444 g	half an inch smaller

I am surprised that it is not much heavier. In my opinion, it could have been a lot heavier.

Entertainment Space

If you swipe right from the home screen, you get the Entertainment Space instead of Google News. It suggests content that matches what you otherwise watch, across providers. So you do not have to open every app to see what is new on Netflix or Prime Video. As so often, that is a blessing and a curse at the same time.

Display

The display is an 11.5-inch LCD with 2K resolution and 90 Hz. It gets up to 400 nits bright, which is enough indoors. In sunlight, reading it gets harder. The picture is good but cannot keep up with an OLED display. I wonder why they did not install a better one when you hang the “multimedia tablet” sign around your neck. Here we get to the question of price. The screen is TÜV-certified, low in blue light and flicker-free.

The price is €299 RRP for 128 GB of storage. I find that surprisingly moderate. The 11-inch Galaxy Tab A9+ in the 128 GB variant also costs €299 RRP, but offers much worse sound quality and no built-in stand.

Battery

The 8,600 mAh battery lasts up to 12 hours of movies and videos. That is 13 episodes of Bridgerton in a row.

Ad: Imou Cell 3C

Ad: In the middle of the video, I present the Cell 3C security camera from Imou. That is not part of the tablet test.

Software, stylus and features

The Tab Plus runs Android 14 with Lenovo’s interface. I like it a lot in terms of font, shapes and controls; it is a mix of old stock Android and modern elements from Samsung’s One UI. It includes lots of customization options and split screen.

• Stylus and keyboard are supported but not included. I find that a real shame. The Lenovo Tab Pen Plus costs €59 RRP, still moderate compared to other manufacturers. That makes the tablet suitable for work and studying too.
• Storage: 128 GB or 256 GB, expandable with an SD card.
• Standby mode: always-on display with a clock or a digital picture frame.
• Cameras: 8 megapixels at the front for video calls, 8 megapixels at the back, enough for scanning documents.
• Performance: MediaTek Helio G99 and 8 GB of RAM. The tablet runs smoothly without stuttering. It is not meant for photo or video editing, which I did not expect at this price either.
• Updates: only two years of OS upgrades, I had not expected that. Samsung and others deliver much longer. In addition, there are four years of security updates, so you can use the tablet for another two years without a security risk.

Verdict

The Lenovo Tab Plus is a really successful multimedia tablet that deserves its name. The focus is on what matters for that: eight speakers, stand, Bluetooth speaker function, a good display and long battery life. Stylus and keyboard support come on top. I find the €299 RRP just about reasonable. If the tablet costs €50 less, it is an absolute no-brainer for me.