Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus review

Verdict

The Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus is more proof of how little tablets have progressed in the last few years. It’s slightly thinner then old models, has a current chipset and newer software.

But it also lacks most of the exciting features seen in new phones, or in Apple’s pricier iPads.

However, it’s the sort of larger tablet that will satisfy the more discerning buyer. Thanks to its higher-quality, sharper screen, it’s a lot better than most models that cost $120/£100/AU$150 less.

Who’s this for?

The Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus is for people who don’t want a new iPad, but do want a tablet of comparable quality at a similar price.

Should you buy it?

If the Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus were slightly cheaper, it’d be easy to recommend. Thanks to competition from the new iPad and the lower-cost Amazon Fire HD 10 (2017), it’s in a tricky spot.

Amazon’s Fire HD sounds like the better choice for bargain hunters. However, its build is far more utilitarian, the cameras are much worse and the Fire OS software will put off a lot of people. But it’s half the price. Half. The. Price.

With $329/£339/AU$469 to spend we’d probably pick the new iPad over the Lenovo. However, if a large, widescreen Android tablet is what you want, the Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus is a good solution.

We’re partly to blame for the lack of progress and price-aggressiveness of tablets like this too. If Lenovo believed it would sell millions of this model it could probably afford to reduce the price. But people, it seems, just aren’t buying that many high-quality tablets anymore.

The Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus is a good iPad alternative for those who prefer Android and want a more widescreen display, but there are other options, such as the following three.

New iPad

The basic iPad is the supermarket own-brand cereal of the tablet world. It may not get everyone excited, but it's good value, and gets you much the same basic experience as more expensive options.

It has a sharper screen than the Tab 4 10 Plus, along with lots more graphics power and a seam-free metal case. However, the Lenovo’s widescreen aspect ratio is better for movies.

• Read our new iPad review

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2017)

Until this year, Amazon’s low-cost 10-inch tablet had a low-res screen just like all the other bargain basement models. Now that Amazon has upgraded the resolution to 1,200 x 1,920, it gets uncomfortably close to the Lenovo for half the price.

The three ways it falls behind are: build, software and camera quality. Kindle Fire tablets are actually very well-made, designed to avoid as many customer returns as possible.

But they are plastic: not a feast for the fingers. The software is ad-packed too, and feels slower than standard Android. Amazon has also saved pennies on the camera tech, making the snappers borderline useless for anything but throwaway fun.

• Read our hands on Amazon Fire HD 10 (2017) review

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S3 isn’t really a competitor for the Lenovo audience as it’s twice the price. The older Galaxy S2 8.0 is, though.

It has a much higher-res screen than the Lenovo, and is far sharper as the display is smaller too. It’s an 8-inch screen with a shape more like an iPad mini’s. As it’s so much smaller the experience of using it is rather different, but we’d pick the Samsung over the Lenovo for all-portable use.

• Read our Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 review

First reviewed: September 2017