The $259.99 Lenovo Idea Tab Plus makes a compelling case, thanks to its impressive display, appealing design, and respectable performance. It offers expandable storage via memory card support, multiple speakers for multimedia, and basic multitasking for productivity. I wish the battery lasted longer, and the cameras were a little sharper, but neither is a deal-breaker at this price point. If you need a low-cost Android tablet, the Idea Tab Plus is a fine pick. Most people, however, should opt for the more powerful $349 Apple iPad (11th Gen), our Editors' Choice for affordable tablets.

Design: Thick Bezels, Thin Body

The Lenovo Idea Tab Plus is bordered by a chunky frame that some might call a bit dated, but I prefer its thickness. More expensive tablets, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra ($1,199.99), rely on ultra-thin bezels to stand out visually, but I’d rather have a comfortable place to rest my thumbs.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The tablet measures 10.98 by 7.13 by 0.25 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.17 pounds. In comparison, the $399 OnePlus Pad Go 2 (10.47 by 7.59 by 0.27 inches, 1.32 pounds) is shorter, wider, thicker, and heavier. Meanwhile, the 11-inch iPad measures 9.79 by 7.07 by 0.28 inches and weighs 1.02 pounds, making it shorter, narrower, and thicker than the IdeaTab Plus, yet lighter.

The Idea Tab Plus sports a clean, minimalist aesthetic with a Luna Grey finish. It’s also available in Cloud Grey and Sand Rose. The dual-tone back panel features a muted gray colorway with a slightly lighter accent strip.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The tablet features an all-metal aluminum unibody design, but I wouldn’t bring it to the beach or to a poolside lounge chair; it doesn’t have an IP rating for dust or water resistance. The Lenovo tablet’s rivals also lack IP ratings.

Holding the Idea Tab Plus in landscape orientation, you’ll find a selfie shooter on the top bezel as well as a back camera on the top-right corner. On the left is a power button and a pair of Dolby Atmos-tuned speaker grilles.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

On the right side are another pair of speaker grilles and a USB-C (2.0) port. On the top edge, you’ll find two volume buttons and a microSD card slot. The bottom edge features pogo pin connectors, so you can attach Lenovo’s optional Folio Keyboard ($79.99). The tablet is also compatible with a stylus ($49.99).

Display: A Visual Treat

The Idea Tab Plus features a 12.1-inch, 2,560-by-1,600-pixel IPS display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 800 nits. This screen is striking. If you’re in the market for a sub-$300 tablet with an eye-catching display, this Lenovo tablet delivers quite the dazzler.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The richness of the color hypnotized me, whether I was watching cheetahs sprint across the savannah in a high-res YouTube video or feasting my eyes on the burst of colors in The Super Mario Bros. Movie on Peacock. 

I took the tablet outside on a bright, sunny day to test its visibility. The screen is adequately legible for activities like reading articles on PCMag, though I noticed reflectivity from time to time that at times mirrored the trees behind me.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

Similar to the Idea Tab Plus, the Pad Go 2 sports a 12.1-inch display but features a 2,800-by-1,980-pixel LCD. It supports four refresh rates: 30Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz, with a peak brightness of 900 nits. The entry-level iPad, on the other hand, has a smaller 11-inch display on an LED-backlit panel with a resolution of 2,360 by 1,640 pixels. This iPad's screen is limited to just 60Hz and has a lower brightness of 500 nits.

Performance: Capable for Casual Gaming

A MediaTek Dimensity 6400 processor powers the Idea Tab Plus. The tablet comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Lenovo doesn’t offer any upgrade options, but you can expand it with an additional 1TB via microSD.

(Credit: Geekbench/3DMark/PCMag)

I was curious to see how the Lenovo tablet fared against its other competitors, including the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra-packed Pad Go 2 and the A16-powered iPad, so I ran Geekbench 6. The Idea Tab Plus spat out single-core and multi-core scores of 756 and 1,969, respectively. The Pad Go 2 delivered zippier scores of 1,022 and 3,112. The Apple tablet beat them all with beastly single- and multi-core scores of 2,479 and 4,352, respectively.

I also ran the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test. The tablet scored 341 overall at just 2.04 frames per second (fps), significantly lower than its Apple competitor. On the same test, the entry-level iPad scored 2,599 at 15.6fps.

Despite bombing the Wild Life Extreme test, the Lenovo tablet performed reasonably well when I fired up the graphics-intensive Genshin Impact game, though I saw some graphical compromises.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

PCMag’s standard methodology is to run the game at medium settings and 60fps. However, the tablet imposes a 30fps cap on the medium preset. To push the tablet further, I switched to the custom profile to unlock 60fps. Although the resolution took a slight hit, the game ran smoothly without the stuttering typically seen at high-quality graphics presets.

Battery: Fast Top-Ups That Are Short-Lived

Lenovo equipped the Idea Tab Plus with a 10,200mAh battery, and it supports rapid 45W charging when plugged into a compatible brick.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

In the PCMag battery rundown test, which consists of streaming a 1080p video over Wi-Fi with the screen at full brightness, the Idea Tab Plus delivered the worst battery life of its immediate peers: 6 hours and 19 minutes. The iPad lasted 6 hours and 43 minutes in the same test, while the Pad Go 2 ran the longest at 7 hours.

Charging from 0%, the Idea Pad Plus reached 25% in 15 minutes and 46% in 30 minutes. A full charge took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Compare that figure with the Pad Go 2, which took 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach 100%, and the iPad, which reached 100% in just under 2 hours.

Connections: A Bit Behind

The Idea Tab Plus features Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 5 connectivity, but Lenovo doesn’t offer a cellular configuration.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

If you want newer wireless specs, the Pad Go 2 bumps things up to Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 6, while Apple’s entry-level tablet includes Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6. Unlike the Lenovo and OnePlus tablets, the iPad is also available in a cellular configuration with sub-6GHz 5G and gigabit LTE.

Connected to and held near a Wi-Fi 6 router in the office, the Idea Tab Plus reached maximum download and upload speeds of 169Mbps and 193Mbps, respectively. In weaker coverage areas in the office, those speeds dipped to 129Mbps down and 119Mbps up.

Audio: Serviceable Sound

While holding the Lenovo tablet in landscape orientation, you'll find the Idea Tab Plus' Dolby Atmos-tuned quad speakers on the left and right sides of the chassis.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

I fired up PCMag's test track, The Knife’s "Silent Shout," on Spotify. Although the tablet doesn't get exceptionally loud, it isn’t quiet, either. In my sound test, the quad speakers reach a peak of 84.7dB. Its volume is a decent middle ground for anyone who isn't looking for blaring, ear-bleeding audio.

When I analyzed the sound quality, the Idea Tab Plus encapsulates the very definition of the descriptor "fine." The vocals sound clear enough, and the instrument separation is decent, but the speakers lack the richness and depth you get from more premium tablets. The sound profile is flat, but it's serviceable for casual listening and streaming.

Cameras: Typical Tablet Shooters

Lenovo equipped the Idea Tab Plus with two cameras: an 8MP front camera and a 13MP rear camera.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

I snapped a photo at a nearby park in Long Island, and the image shows unmistakable tablet-camera quality. The processing appears slightly smudgy in some areas, and the results lack fine details. For example, the distant houses and tree branches in the shot below lose some definition. On the plus side, the camera does a solid job at capturing color, including the verdant grass, the red gazebo, and the FedEx logo on the truck.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

I took the main camera for a spin in my town's shopping strip. Once again, it reproduces colors accurately, from the highlighter-green sign advertising a new Italian dessert to the green-and-red awning. Similar to the park photo, however, distant details appear soft.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The 8MP selfie camera is even less impressive. I took photos indoors in a library and outdoors at a park. The library shots exhibit overexposure; the books on the shelves appear washed out and blown out, and are too bright.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

There’s also a slight haze effect across the image as the front camera struggles to handle the overhead fluorescent lighting. Fortunately, the camera prioritizes the main subject (yours truly); it preserves my complexion and captures subtle details on my face.

The outdoor shot suffers similar shortcomings. The background appears splotchy and overexposed, but to my dismay, the selfie camera did not miss my messy eyebrows or the minor imperfections on my skin.

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

I wouldn't recommend using the Idea Tab Plus' cameras for professional work calls—or even for uploading pictures on your social media profile. However, if you just want to take casual photos or hop on video calls with friends and family, the cameras get the job done.

Software: Brief Support

The Idea Tab Plus ships with Android 16. Lenovo promises two years of major OS upgrades, meaning the tablet is expected to stay current through Android 18. The slate also comes with four years of security patches. This support window is short compared with the OnePlus Go 2 (five years of OS updates and six years of security fixes) and the entry-level iPad (an expected minimum of five years of OS and security updates).

(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)

The software experience is intuitive and seamless, offering a choice between two navigation modes: three-button or gesture. Choosing how to secure my device was simple. Out of PIN, password, and face unlock, I went with the biometric authentication—and the setup process was quick and easy. At startup, the Lenovo tablet prompts you to download a bundle of recommended apps. Keep a close eye on this screen: apps like FanDuel, Bingo Blitz, and Toon Blast are selected by default, so you'll need to manually uncheck them to avoid any unwanted bloatware.

Despite skipping all the recommended apps, the tablet still comes loaded with stuff I didn't want, including Candy Crush Saga, Block Blast, Pinterest, and Temu.

On the plus side, one of my favorite features is its split-screen mode. This allows me to juggle two apps side by side. For example, I can take notes on one side and watch YouTube on the other. The tablet also includes a couple of AI features, including Circle to Search and summarization within the Notes app.

You can also check out the Lenovo Vantage app, which gives you details about your device, warranty information, system updates, and more.