The $469.99 Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 is a compact tablet designed for gamers who want top-tier performance in an easy-to-carry device. It packs a powerful processor into an appealing 8.8-inch design with good battery life, fast radios, solid audio, and even good cameras. We wish the screen were a little brighter and that it came with more storage, but the Tab Gen 3 is still a great option if you're looking for a small, dedicated gaming machine. For a little more money, however, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE (starting at $499.99) delivers a better all-around experience thanks to its larger and brighter screen, excellent software, and included stylus, making it a bit more universally appealing and our Editors' Choice winner in this price range.

Design: A Sleek Metal Chassis

The Legion Tab Gen 3 measures 5.10 by 8.21 by 0.31 inches (HWD) and weighs 0.77 pounds. Those numbers put it close to the $499 Apple iPad mini (5.30 by 7.69 by 0.25 inches, 0.65 pounds), but smaller than the Tab S10 FE (6.53 by 10.01 by 0.24 inches, 1.09 pounds) and the $499 RedMagic Nova gaming tablet (6.48 by 9.97 by 0.29 inches, 1.17 pounds), both of which have bigger 10.9-inch screens.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

With an aluminum alloy case and Gorilla Glass 5 covering the screen, the Legion Tab has a sleek, sturdy build that feels light in the hand. It’s easy to hold and remains comfortable no matter how you carry it. The tablet is also rated IP52, which means it is resistant to dust and water drops. By comparison, the S10 FE has an IP68 rating, making it fully waterproof, while the iPad mini and Nova tablet aren't IP-rated at all.

Looking at the front of the Legion Tab, the long sides have thin bezels, and the short sides have thicker ones. The front-facing camera sits in the short bezel on the left side, which unfortunately makes it easy to obscure when holding the tablet in landscape orientation.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

The reverse side of the tablet is black (Eclipse Black is the only color it comes in) with the shiny Legion wordmark embossed in the center. On the back you'll also find the rear camera module, a raised rectangle with two lenses and a flash. Two Dolby Atmos speakers push sound out of grilles embedded in the left and right side edges.

Also on the right side, you'll find a USB-C (v2.0) port for charging and data transfer, while the bottom rail holds a USB-C (v3.2 Gen 2) port for charging, data transfer, and display out. The tablet supports bypass charging at both USB ports to protect the battery while plugged in. A volume rocker and textured power button are at the top left edge. The tablet lacks a fingerprint sensor, but you can unlock it with facial recognition.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Lenovo includes a folio case and a glass screen protector kit in the box. The case can act as a kickstand and features a matrix of holes to help keep the device cool. It has bumpers in the corners to protect against drops, but the case doesn't cover any buttons or ports.

Display: Smooth Animantions, But It Could Be Brighter

The Lenovo Legion Tab features an 8.8-inch LCD with a resolution of 2,560 by 1,600 pixels, a typical brightness of 500 nits (900 nits peak), and a refresh rate up to 165Hz. Animations look silky smooth, and the screen responds quickly to touch input thanks to its 165Hz sampling rate. The display is easy to see indoors, but its reflective glass surface and limited brightness make it difficult to use outdoors.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

By comparison, the Tab S10 FE has a 10.9-inch LCD with a resolution of 2,304 by 1,440 pixels, brightness of 800 nits, and a refresh rate of 90Hz. The Nova also has a 10.9-inch LCD, with a resolution of 2,880 by 1,800 pixels, a standard output of 550 nits, a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, and a faster 840Hz touch sampling rate. Meanwhile, the iPad mini uses an 8.3-inch LCD at a resolution of 2,266 by 1,488 pixels, a maximum brightness of 500 nits, and a static 60Hz refresh rate.

Performance: Plenty of Power

Lenovo uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor to power the Legion Tab, which has 12GB of LPDDR5X memory and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. And that's all the storage you'll get: There's no microSD card slot, and this is the only model available.

(Credit: Geekbench/PCMark/GFXBench/PCMag)

In Geekbench 6, which measures raw CPU output, the Lenovo scored 2,266 on the single-core test and 7,126 on the multi-core test. This puts the device ahead of the Nova tablet (2,214 and 6,989) and the Tab S10 FE (1,358, 3,886), but behind the iPad mini (2,972 and 7,362).

On the PCMark Work 3.0 test, which measures general mobile tasks, the Legion Tab scored an impressive 25,228, outperforming the Nova's rating of 21,106 and the Tab S10 FE's 13,361. This test does not run on Apple devices.

To assess graphics performance, we use the GFXBench Aztec Ruins high-tier test. The Lenovo ran the test at 60fps, just two frames better than the Nova gaming tablet, while the iPad mini hit 38.8fps.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

For real-world gaming performance, we test devices with the resource-intensive Genshin Impact. The Legion Tab didn't bat an eyelid when running the game at its highest graphics settings at 60fps. Animations and gameplay were smooth while the tablet remained cool to the touch. (Lenovo says the tablet's cooling system is 14% larger than the previous generation to better balance the thermal load.)

Battery: Long-Lasting and Fast-Charging

The Legion Tab features a 6,550mAh battery that charges at up to 68W via either USB-C port. It does not support wireless or reverse wireless charging.

In our standard rundown test, where we stream a 1080p video over Wi-Fi with the screen at full brightness, the tablet lasted 9 hours and 45 minutes. The Nova's 10,100mAh battery charges at up to 80W, but it lasted just 5 hours and 55 minutes, while the iPad mini lasted 7 hours and 23 minutes, and the Tab S10 FE lasted 7 hours and 45 minutes.

Thanks to the included 65W charger, recharging is speedy. When connected, the depleted tablet reached 36% in 15 minutes, 65% in 30 minutes, and 100% in 60 minutes. That's much faster than most tablets, many of which require two or more hours to recharge. Moreover, pass-through charging means you can power the tablet for long gaming sessions via USB-C without simultaneously charging the battery. This protects battery health over time and allows for better gaming performance.

Connections: Fast Wi-Fi

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

For connectivity, the Legion Tab supports Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7, the latest protocols available. When connected to a Wi-Fi 6 access point, the Legion Tab reached peak speeds of 547Mbps down and 19.9Mbps up. A Tab S10 FE reached peak speeds of 415Mbps down and 10.3Mbps up when tested on the same network from the same spot. Both performed well when I took the tablets to the limits of my Wi-Fi network. The Legion Tab reached 291Mbps down and 15.7Mbps up, while the Samsung fared similarly, reaching 308Mbps down and 13.1Mbps up. 

Audio: Full and Loud

I place a decibel meter six inches from the speakers to test loudness. When playing Metallica's "Enter Sandman" at full volume, the Legion Tab reaches 94.9dB, plenty loud for media playback and gaming at home. Though the lowest notes of The Knife's "Silent Shout" are barely audible, the tablet produces well-rounded sound.

As with many tablets, speaker placement can lead to problems: It's all too easy to accidentally obstruct the speakers when holding the device in landscape orientation. You won't find a 3.5mm headphone jack or accessory for connecting headphones, so if you want the best audio, you might want to consider a gaming headset.

Cameras: Above Average for a Tablet

Tablet cameras are usually not a selling point, but the Legion Tab takes solid pictures and video. It features two rear cameras: a 13MP primary shooter and a 2MP macro camera. An 8MP front-facing camera rounds out the lot.

Photos from the main and front-facing cameras deliver accurate color and good detail. The macro camera captures good detail, but the low resolution limits what you can do with these photos. All things considered, these cameras won't compete with flagship phones, but they do the job.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Rear video capture tops out at 4K30, and the Legion Tab does a solid job of brightening shadowy areas. The front-facing camera maxes out at 1080p30. Its video footage is softer but good enough for video conferencing.

Software: A Focus on Gaming

The Legion Tab runs Android 14 and is slated to receive three major OS updates with four years of security patches. That’s a more substantial commitment than the RedMagic gaming tablet, which promises only one OS update and two years of security fixes. The Tab S10 FE, meanwhile, ships with Android 15 and will get seven years of OS and security updates, putting it far ahead of the others in terms of support.

Lenovo enhances the Android experience with several customizations. Standard split-screen multitasking is supported, but the tablet goes further by allowing multiple pop-up apps—up to four in testing—on top of two base apps. This makes it possible to juggle messaging, media, and reference apps all at once. Lenovo’s Vantage app comes preinstalled, too; it offers system tutorials and device and warranty info.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

The Legion Space app is the gaming hub that automatically organizes your games and lets you make performance tweaks. While gaming, a swipeable overlay lets you toggle between Energy Saving, Balanced, and Performance modes, with real-time CPU and GPU stats feedback. You can also use the Legion Space app to adjust system settings, monitor performance, and access your game library.

(Credit: Lenovo/PCMag)

(Credit: Lenovo/PCMag)

Lenovo also includes a desktop-style PC Mode for traditional productivity and Smart Connect for seamless file and app sharing with Lenovo PCs. These multitasking features make the Legion Tab more than a gaming device: They make it a capable work tool.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)