Lenovo’s Idea Tab Pro Is A Near-Perfect Budget Tablet

What do most people want out of a tablet? While I’m sure companies like Samsung and Apple would bet on bright OLED displays, ultra-fast processors, and — of course — plenty of AI, I’m not sure general consumers would agree. The popularity of Samsung’s cheaper Galaxy Tab FE series, not to mention the overwhelming success of Apple’s $329 base model iPad, suggests that your average shopper sees tablets just as they were when the initial iPad launched 15 years ago: a media consumption device first and foremost.

That means any company that pours all of its resources into delivering the biggest, brightest, and cheapest tablet display out there might just win by default, and with the Idea Tab Pro, Lenovo’s done just that. With a massive display and quad speakers, this tablet feels custom-built for binging through Netflix originals while scrolling through whatever social media app you’ve found yourself on lately. And honestly, that might be enough to win you over.

Lenovo Idea Tab Pro

As long as you can accept slightly outdated software paired with a poor update policy, Lenovo’s Idea Tab Pro might be the best bang-for-your-buck tablet you can buy right now.

Pros & Cons

• Big, beautiful display paired with loud stereo speakers
• Stylus included in the box
• Some neat little software tweaks
• Surprisingly affordable!

• Poor software support from Lenovo
• Bulky and heavy compared to more premium tablets
• Display’s viewing angles aren’t perfect

Availability, network, and specs

Cheap and readily available, what’s not to like?

Lenovo’s Idea Tab Pro is available at Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart for $400, though that price seems to vary fairly wildly depending on sales, storage tiers, and more. At Best Buy, the Idea Tab Pro comes with 256GB of storage for that $400 price point, though it’s currently on sale for $60 off. Walmart offers a 128GB model for $290 sold directly by Lenovo, while the Amazon model pairs the 128GB version with a folio case for $380. It comes in just one color, Luna Gray, and does not feature cellular support.

Lenovo knows a great display makes for a great tablet

Even if the design is a little bulky

In isolation, Lenovo’s Idea Tab Pro feels surprisingly premium. It’s wrapped in a metal casing that feels rigid and protective, rather than the plastic you’ll usually find in this price range. Its bezels are far slimmer than its direct competition, including tablets from Apple and Google. If I’m nitpicking, the camera module looks fairly dated — and certainly did not need to stick out from the chassis — but overall, it’s a nice-looking slate.

It’s when you compare this slate to its rivals, however, that a few cracks in Lenovo’s budget-yet-premium facade start to show. For example, this thing is heavy. Compared to something like Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10+, the Idea Tab Pro feels chunky, both in its thickness and in its weight. 6.9mm and 620 grams might not sound heavy for a 13-inch tablet on paper, but Samsung’s flagship slate measures in at 5.6mm and 571 grams, respectively, and it’s absolutely noticeable.

Of course, Samsung’s slate is also more than double the price of this device, which makes the added bulk a whole lot easier to manage. Comparing it to something more in line with this price point — the Tab S10 FE+ — Lenovo’s slate is actually lighter, though it’s still nearly a full millimeter bulkier. This really is one of those observations you can only make when you’re handling dozens of devices each year, though. I’m not sure your general Best Buy shopper will notice any extra heft here, considering how expansive the 12.7-inch display is.

It’s a pretty nice display, too. Unsurprisingly at this price, it’s an LCD panel, but it’s ultra-sharp at 273 PPI and ultra-fast at 144Hz. Compared to the likes of Apple’s entry-level iPad or Google’s Pixel Tablet — both 60Hz — or even Samsung’s 90Hz Tab S10 FE+, it’s just about the best bang-for-your-buck in the tablet space right now. If you’re looking for the equivalent of a portable entertainment system to carry around your house or in the back of a car on a long road trip, I can’t think of anything better at this price point.

There is one big downside to this screen, though, and that’s its viewing angles. Simply put, things start to look pretty distorted once you’re around a 30-degree angle off-axis. It’s not the end of the world, considering tablets are fairly personal devices, but it’s important to note if you plan on watching movies or playing games with another person.

Like the rest of Lenovo’s hardware, the Idea Tab Pro punches well above its weight when it comes to its speaker setup. While the sound is far from the crystal-clear reproduction you’ll find on Samsung’s flagship Galaxy tablets or Apple’s iPad Pro, the four stereo speakers here — two on each side — get really loud, all while staying pretty clear and distortion-free. They’re especially good for YouTube videos or podcasts, but I wouldn’t say no to watching a movie or listening to an album through these. Again, you can absolutely find better speakers on more expensive tablets, but at this price point, it’s unbeatable.

The Idea Tab Pro does support an optional keyboard accessory through the pogo pins found on the bottom of its frame, but I did not receive that unit for review. It does come with a bundled stylus, however, which I found about on par with Samsung’s typical S Pen. I still think something like Apple’s Pencil Pro is the gold standard for modern tablet styli, but it’s great to see in the box for just $400. Likewise, the inclusion of a microSD card slot means you can skip out on storage upgrades at checkout, saving you some cash down the road.

A clean Android build with solid performance and speed

But Lenovo needs to step up its update promise

While I might be over the moon about Lenovo’s hardware experience here, the software side of the Idea Tab Pro is just fine. It’s running a very lightly modified version of Android, with most of Lenovo’s changes coming down to slight visual tweaks instead of an entirely new launcher. The company clearly knows this device is perfect for entertainment, implementing Google’s “Entertainment Space” launcher to the left of the home screen for suggested movies and TV shows. It turns this slate into a portable Google TV-esque device, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Still, there are some surprisingly neat additions here. “PC Mode” mirrors what you might expect to find in DeX on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab series, offering a Windows experience that pairs best with a dedicated keyboard. In my admittedly limited experience — again, no keyboard — it felt as robust as DeX, with a clean visual look that made it easy to feel right at home. Lenovo is aiming this slate at students in its marketing, and it’s not hard to see why. This could make for a really solid laptop replacement if all you need is something basic for browsing the web and taking notes.

Related

In fact, that theme continues with some of the software elements Lenovo has built into its version of Android. In addition to the usual array of Gemini-themed tools — including Circle to Search — the Idea Tab Pro includes a reading mode that eliminates color and other distractions, along with built-in instrumental tracks to reduce distractions. Obviously, any number of apps or YouTube videos can provide this same effect, but it’s nice to have something available without ads right from the quick settings menu, even when offline.

The biggest problem with the Idea Tab Pro is the same problem that affects practically every Lenovo device: software support. This tablet ships with Android 14, though it received an update to Android 15 during my review period. Unfortunately, it’ll only get one additional major push to Android 16 — which is this year’s upgrade — along with four total years of security patches, for what amounts to a pretty disappointing software schedule.

Even at this price point, there’s no reason Lenovo couldn’t deliver promised OS upgrades through, say, 2027. That’s setting the bar on the floor, and it’s still a miss.

Under the hood, its Dimensity 8300 SoC is far from a powerhouse, but I didn’t notice any lag in day-to-day performance. If you’re a true-blue mobile gamer, you’re probably going to need a little more horsepower than what the Idea Tab Pro can provide. Games like those various Hoyoverse titles can run here, but you’re looking at low settings across the board to get a stable framerate, and on a screen this large, that’s just no good. Thankfully, more casual titles like Balatro run without a hitch.

I struggle to think of a tablet that doesn’t have solid battery life these days, but in case you were worried the Idea Tab Pro would be the exception to that rule, let me put your fears at rest. On average, I’ve only had to top up this tablet once or twice per week, depending on how often I’m using it. Standby time is great, and 45W support is great for powering up such a large battery in under 2 hours. Lenovo even includes a compatible charger in the box, which is something you won’t find on devices that cost twice as much.

As with practically every tablet, I have absolutely nothing of worth to say about the Idea Tab Pro’s cameras. They’re here, there’s one on each side, and they’ll do fine for video calls or scanning documents. Just use your phone for everything else.

Related

Should you buy it?

Honestly, I’m sort of shocked by the value proposition offered by the Idea Tab Pro here. For $400 — or far less, depending on where you buy it — Lenovo has built a tablet that is basically ideal for streaming movies, watching YouTube videos, taking notes or doodling in class, and even listening to music. It’s basically exactly what I want out of a cheap tablet: a big, bright display with specs just powerful enough to meet your expectations and not much else. Sure, if you’re a big-time mobile gamer, this might not be the device for you, but otherwise, I’m pretty impressed.

The real downside is software longevity. Lenovo, like its subsidiary Motorola, really struggles to keep its devices up to date, and post-purchase OS support is practically non-existent. This is a 2025 tablet that will stop receiving upgrades after Google’s 2025 Android release, and that really stinks. Then again, I’ve made the argument plenty of times that OS upgrades matter less than ever. Considering the overall excellent bang-for-your-buck, I’m inclined to still recommend it for the vast majority of casual tablet users.

Lenovo Idea Tab Pro

With a gorgeous 12.7-inch display, loud quad stereo speakers, and an included stylus, Lenovo’s Idea Tab Pro is practically everything you could want in a tablet for under $400.