Lenovo 8 Tab 4 8 Plus 16gb Tablet Review

Verdict

Pros

• Great size
• Decent brandish
• Perfect for Nexus 7 fans

Cons

• Old version of Android
• Far from rugged

Key Specifications

• Review Price: £199
• 8-inch brandish
• Snadragon CPU
• 4GB + 64GB storage
• Android 7.1

What is the Lenovo Tab iv viii Plus?

Fans of the iconic Nexus 7 tablet have been calling on Google for years to resurrect the miniature slate. Only until nosotros finally encounter a new version of arguably the single-most 'fantastic' tablet running Android, we'll have to accept the alternatives.

One of the better choices is Lenovo's Tab 4 8 Plus. Information technology's a meaty tablet that'south perfect for throwing into a purse for your daily commute or a flying, and at £200, it won't break the bank.

Lenovo Tab 4 eight Plus – Design

Similar its larger sibling, the Tab four 10 Plus, the 8 Plus design isn't based on an iPad. Instead, it features a total glass-covered front and rear, with a metallic rim running between the ii.

My review unit was a argent/white combo and information technology seems to be the only readily available option currently.

I'm a fan of the glass back, but I'm not sure it's always the best fit for tablets. One drop on a hard floor could easily result in a shattered panel. For a device I often just slip in my purse without thinking twice, information technology possibly isn't the best.

If this tablet it likely to exist used by a child, or fifty-fifty if you're a impuissant adult, you'd exist wise to invest in a example or sleeve.

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Around the edges of the device are a headphone jack (yes, Huawei, these still need to be on tablets), a flap for a microSD card and a USB-C port for charging.

At that place'due south as well a lock button with an integrated fingerprint scanner. This button is very like to those used past Sony on its Xperia devices, with a very flat surface. Combining the lock and fingerprint into i push button is smart: ane printing unlocks the device and takes you to directly to the homescreen.

Lenovo Tab 4 viii Plus – Screen

As the name suggests, this Lenovo tablet has an 8-inch brandish. The 1920 x 1200 resolution isn't the highest out in that location and can't match the iPad Mini. Still, it's a decent IPS LCD panel offer up vivid colours and proficient contrast.

If yous go looking, y'all'll be able to spot the private pixels in the panel. From further abroad, though, it'southward fine. Watching movies from Netflix is a good experience, and even when I used the tablet outside for reading, in that location was enough effulgence to combat the rays.

There'south no support for fancy new standards such as HDR – you'll still demand to pay top dollar for this.

Lenovo Tab 4 8 Plus – Operation and camera

Cheap tablets are often letdown equally a result of poor performance. The utilise of low-end mobile chips paired with a bigger screens can lead to lag and a poor feel overall. Amazon's Fire tablets – albeit much cheaper – are constantly plagued by such problems.

Inside the Lenovo Tab four 8 Plus is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM, and this combo makes for a smooth and more often than not quick tablet. It's on a par with a lower-cease phone in my opinion, so you lot'll accept no problem with the majority of tasks.

Watching Netflix videos, knocking out emails in Gmail and web-browsing are all washed with ease. Information technology's sufficient for gaming, as well, with titles such as Asphalt eight playing with only a couple of dropped frames. Loading times are noticeably slower than college-end tablets such as the iPad Mini, however.

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Dolby has helped tune the speakers and there's a practiced striking of volume if yous're watching music without plugging in a pair of headphones.

I'm far from the biggest fan of tablet photography, fifty-fifty on smaller tablets such as this 8-inch version. In an platonic world, Lenovo would have ditched the camera and replaced it with more storage. This is probably never going to happen, though.

The rear-facing eight-megapixel takes average snaps in bright sunlight, just very picayune else. There'due south a v-megapixel camera effectually the forepart, too, and this is fine for video chats.

Lenovo Tab 4 8 Plus – Software

The tweaked version of Android 7 running on the Lenovo Tab 4 eight Plus is very much like a super-sized phone UI. Lenovo hasn't made too many alterations to  stock Android aside from adding a few new icons and, of course, a bunch of its own apps.

Apps themselves display just like telephone apps, even if they do accept a tablet version available and information technology often doesn't feel like they're making proper use of the eight-inch display. Android but doesn't fit tablets equally well as iOS does.

Lenovo has installed the Microsoft Office suite for you, which is fine since it's really rather good, along with some more useless apps. Thankfully, there isn't a load of bloatware here. Also, unlike on Amazon's Fire tablets, in that location's proper access to the Google Play Shop.

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My biggest issue with the software is updates. This tablet is still running Android 7, which has already been superseded past Android 8 Oreo. To makes things worse, Android ix P is arriving in only a few months. Whether Oreo or P will come up to the Tab four eight Plus remains to exist seen.

Lenovo Tab four eight Plus – Battery life

Tablets, unlike phones, are devices that are meant to final days rather than requiring a charge every nighttime.

During my time with the Lenovo Tab four eight Plus, I establish the bombardment life to be pretty much as I'd expect of a smaller tablet. The 8 Plus isn't an endurance king; it'due south probably more comparable to a large phone rather than a big tablet. The 5000mAh battery is a bigger unit than y'all'd come across in a phone, but you also take that larger screen to accept into account.

If you utilise the tablet to read a book on your commute, mayhap to spotter an episode of Netflix in bed and for a bit of browsing, you lot should comfortably get a few days of use earlier having to reach for the charger. Like most tablets, standby time is decent. Leave the device in your bag for a week and it will still have juice when you come dorsum to it.

There's a USB-C port along the bottom edge for charging, which doesn't seem to integrate any form of fast-charging.

Why buy the Lenovo Tab 4 8 Plus?

For £199, the Lenovo Tab four 8 Plus is a good choice if your Nexus 7 has finally gone to tablet heaven. It'southward compact enough to throw in your bag, just still offers strong performance and a decent screen. A higher-resolution panel would accept been nice, though.

If you're not keen on the iPad Mini, find Amazon's tablets as well restrictive, or aren't prepared to pay for Huawei's more luxurious MediaPad, then the Lenovo Tab iv 8 Plus should happily fit the bill.

Verdict

A solid minor tablet at a fair price.

How we test tablets

We test every tablet nosotros review thoroughly. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly and nosotros use the tablet as our principal device over the review period. We'll always tell you lot what we find and we never, always, take money to review a product.

Find out more most how we examination in our ethics policy.

Used as our main tablet for the review flow

Reviewed using respected industry benchmarks

Ongoing real world testing

Tested with various games, apps and services

Trusted Score

Score in detail

• Performance 7

• Value 8

• Blueprint seven

• Software & Apps 7

• Sound Quality 8

• Screen Quality 7

• Battery Life 7

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Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/lenovo-tab-4-8-plus

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