Versatile in All of the Proper Methods

In 2022, Android tablets are making one thing of a comeback, after roughly 5 years of stagnation some competitors has returned. From Xiaomi to Samsung, Nokia to Realme, plainly each producer is attempting its hand at constructing the right slate.

Lenovo has been quietly retaining them coming and has experimented greater than most in attempting not solely to seek out the most effective mixture of specs but in addition of fashion and use case.

Enter the Yoga Tab 11, which has a design like no different available on the market, save for different ‘Yoga’ branded tablets. It has a bulge at its rear, which homes audio system and a battery, together with a robust kickstand that may be rotated 180 levels.

It is a pill that’s marketed as becoming in anyplace, as an actual all-rounder and prices solely £299/US$319. However with sturdy competitors on the worth level from all corners, does the Yoga Tab 11 do sufficient to earn a suggestion? Learn our full assessment to seek out out.

Design & Construct

Versatile design with kickstand
Mixture of metallic and material
No headphone jack

Lenovo has been constructing tablets underneath the ‘Yoga’ sub-brand for a while now, every of the units displaying the identical quirk. That’s to say, they give the impression of being barely like {a magazine}, held with pages folded beneath.

This ‘fold’ is the only space the place there’s any depth to the gadget, and as such pulls heavy responsibility in concealing the battery, audio system and kickstand. It means the load is predominantly in your hand when holding it in a portrait orientation.

The kickstand itself is constructed from aluminium and affords loads of resistance in any respect ranges, which means it’s doable to regulate to any angle you may like.

Generally use, this implies the pill will match properly in your lap, on a desk or actually anyplace else that’s each flat and accessible. The place it actually comes into its personal nevertheless is when it may be hung, whether or not from a wall, the again of a chair or in any other case. Irrespective of the scenario, the Yoga Tab 11 stays extra helpful than many tablets, and all with out exterior support.

Whereas the shape issue is a particular win, construct high quality is rather less inspiring, sadly. Generally, the gadget feels stable however inserting strain on the casing causes it to really feel barely distorted.

Mixed with the skinny bezels and angular design, which means the Yoga Tab 11 doesn’t really feel greatest positioned to face up to the final assaults of life, and certainly this was my expertise.

Following a tumble from round waist peak courtesy of an overactive toddler, I used to be sadly blessed with an online of cracks throughout the display screen – this can be a pill that may want a protecting case except you might have a home made of rubber.

At 655g the pill is substantial within the hand and it affords a sole USB-C port, for audio, data-transfer and charging. No 3.5mm jack is current, which is an oversight on a tool that’s primarily focused for media consumption and leisure.

Display screen & Audio system

11in LCD IPS
2K decision
Vibrant however reflective

Any pill, no matter its kind issue, is barely as sturdy as its display screen, and it’s considerably unlucky then that the story of the Yoga Tab 11 is one among two halves.

The primary, constructive, half principally considerations the decision. At 2K decision, this can be a show with sharpness to spare, which means that content material seems crisp and clear regardless of how shut you get. Whereas that is actually factor for video, it’s particularly good for individuals who wish to learn on their pill, retaining the whole lot completely legible.

From a color standpoint, the constructive impressions proceed. As an LCD IPS show, the Yoga Tab 11 could lack the pop of some OLED outfitted rivals, however we discovered the show to be tuned effectively. Blues aren’t too sturdy, and it doesn’t skew too heat, this can be a impartial display screen that’s form to most styles of content material.

Now for the second, much less constructive, half, the refresh price and brightness. On the subject of the previous, the show on the Yoga Tab 11 refreshes at 60Hz, and usually use, that is no obstacle. Because the competitors begins to maneuver to shows with quicker refresh charges, it leaves the pill feeling a bit of stale and sluggish by comparability, though it is uncommon at this type of worth for tablets.

The brightness is a extra vital difficulty, nevertheless. Reaching an marketed restrict of 400 nits proved to be no difficulty, nevertheless, this degree wasn’t sufficient to maintain the pill usable in sturdy daylight. Whereas few show to be able to this feat, the problem on the Yoga Tab 11 is compounded by its comparatively reflective panel and so its usefulness is restricted considerably as a consequence.

On the subject of audio efficiency, I used to be pleasantly stunned. Boasting ‘quad audio system’ which can be ‘tuned by JBL’, the advertising actually talks an enormous sport, and that is principally borne out usually use.

Possessing sufficient quantity to fill a room, the sound on the Yoga Tab 11 is beefy although not fairly sufficient to exchange a devoted Bluetooth speaker. Bass is heat and effectively rounded and there’s a trace of stereo separation. For listening to most genres of music and positively for watching films, this can be a stable possibility as a consequence.

Specs & Efficiency

MediaTek Helio G90T processor
4GB RAM
128GB storage with microSD slot

It has turn into one thing of a cliche to say, however tablets are typically used for ‘pill’ issues. That is to say that the final use instances for the shape issue, and notably with bigger units, typically revolve round being in and across the dwelling.

They’re for watching TV, studying, internet shopping and maybe writing the odd phrase doc, they’re extra mundane in some ways than their smartphone brethren.

As such, producers deal with areas apart from sheer efficiency, a development on full show within the Yoga Tab 11. Working an octa-core MediaTek Helio G90T paired with 4GB of RAM, it has sufficient energy to make it via most each day duties with out an excessive amount of of a fuss.

Navigating via the interface and switching between apps is usually painless, although the latter process, specifically, offers the pill pause. An 8GB RAM model is accessible, which can probably resolve this difficulty.

In benchmarking the gadget scored equally to the Snapdragon 845 sporting Pocophone F1 in each single and multi-core efficiency, which means it isn’t fairly as highly effective as the most effective available on the market in the present day, however that it has the flexibility to make it via most duties with relative ease.

The story in fact adjustments on the subject of gaming. Pushing a pixel-dense show whereas additionally offering high graphical constancy proved to be an excessive amount of for the pill, particularly on graphically intense titles. For those who notably worth gaming efficiency in your pill, there are different extra highly effective choices accessible.

On a happier observe, the bottom degree of 128GB of storage offers loads of room to put in apps and obtain video, and the flexibility to develop storage through MicroSD is more and more uncommon whereas remaining persistently helpful.

On the subject of multimedia efficiency, we had been notably impressed with the audio system. Although they couldn’t create something near a encompass sound impact, they had been nonetheless full-bodied and will output sufficient quantity to fill a small room, making the expertise of watching video that little bit extra immersive.

Cameras

8Mp rear digital camera
8Mp entrance digital camera

There isn’t a pill in existence marketed as ‘camera-first’, and the Tab 11 Professional isn’t any exception to this rule. Sporting an 8Mp sensor on the rear with auto-focus, and an 8Mp on the entrance with out, it has the naked minimal required in 2022.

Predictably, photographs from these two sensors aren’t notably good, however then they’re primarily there to take fast snapshots of paperwork and permit video calls. For these two use instances, they’re fully ample.

As is likely to be anticipated, dynamic vary, element and extra will not be their sturdy fits, however for video calls particularly the Yoga Tab 11 works effectively, aided by its distinctive kind issue.

Battery Life & Charging

7500mAh
20W charging
Adapter included

Although the likes of the Yoga Tab 11 may primarily be used at dwelling, they nonetheless have to sport lengthy battery life with a purpose to earn a suggestion.

At 7500mAh, the battery included isn’t the largest available on the market, however as it’s paired with a 60Hz display screen and an environment friendly processor the elements are there to realize one thing a minimum of satisfactory, and usually use, this proved to be the case.

Utilizing the pill on and off to browse the net, hearken to music, watch video and meet up with emails noticed it final for round three days on common, with round two hours of use every day.

I often noticed between six and eight hours of display screen on time, which is nice sufficient for a pill if not difficult the most effective of the most effective. In our standard PCMark Work 3.zero check, the Tab 11 managed a good 9 hours and 17 minutes.

Fortunately, with 20W quick charging on board, topping up proved to be a breeze. I discovered that in 30 minutes the Yoga Tab 11 might acquire round 42% in cost on common, which is greater than sufficient to be helpful compared to normal 5- or 10W charging choices.

Software program

Android 11
Leisure House
Productiveness mode

Since Android for tablets first formally launched round a decade in the past, it has slowly however certainly grown and matured as a platform. From considerably janky origins, it has solely improved however the unlucky fact stays, that Android for tablets has by no means been as much as the identical normal as Apple’s iPad.

This isn’t me saying it’s unusable, as this actually isn’t the case, as an alternative it means that there’s a lack of cohesive thought and design current all through. The place an app on iPadOS will as a rule scale correctly, on Android it’s pot-luck whether or not the identical will likely be true.

Whereas the likes of the Google Suite work fantastic, video games and extra that had been meant for use on a cellphone with portrait orientation work poorly.

There may be clearly some future considering going down nevertheless, on the a part of each Google and Lenovo. The previous has included its ‘Leisure House’, which aggregates content material from varied video apps in the identical method because the TV app for iOS. As for the latter, it has blessed the Yoga Tab 11 with its ‘Productiveness’ mode.

This kicks in when a Bluetooth keyboard or different such accent is connected and adjustments the dock on the principle display screen, specifically, making it doable to make use of the pill as a quasi-work machine – with the entire above caveats round scaling in thoughts.

In all, the software program on the Yoga Tab 11 is at greatest simple to disregard and at worst an inconvenience. It’s removed from a deal-breaker, however with the likes of the bottom degree iPad promoting for the same worth, those that need to use their pill for work could also be greatest to look elsewhere.

Android 12L, a brand new model of Google’s OS optimised for bigger screens of foldable telephones and tablets is on the way in which however it’s unclear whether or not the Yoga Tab 11 will get it. I would not wager a lot cash on it.

Worth & Availability

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is accessible now for £299.99 from Lenovo and Very. Costs at Amazon are increased on the time of writing.

Within the US, the pill begins at $319.99 and you should purchase it from Lenovo in addition to retailers like Newegg.

At an identical worth the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 affords a extra highly effective processor and a extra premium display screen, however no related kickstand. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is accessible once more for a bit of extra, with a barely stronger processor.

If Android is not a should then the common Apple iPad 10.2 is not rather more cash and affords a superior expertise general.

Tablets at decrease costs embrace the Nokia T20 pill which is round two-thirds of the worth, with a premium design however a weak processor. Then there’s the Galaxy Tab A8 which may be very low cost however has a weak TFT display screen.

See extra choices in our greatest tablets chart in addition to particular greatest Android tablets chart.

Verdict

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is a pill that bets huge on one characteristic, an revolutionary kickstand, and for probably the most half, it’s a wager that pays off. It’s a supremely versatile gadget that matches into nearly any scenario or use-case.

That it boasts a well-rounded set of specs for an affordable worth is icing on the cake. However for higher construct high quality, a barely extra premium display screen or a quicker processor it could be an instantaneous suggestion, as an alternative, it’s a stable possibility for many consumers.

Specs
Lenovo Yoga Tab 11: Specs

Android 11

11in 2K (2000 x 1200) LCD IPS, 400 nits

MediaTek Helio G90T processor

4/8GB RAM

128/256GB inner storage

microSD card slot

8MP auto-focus rear digital camera

8MP mounted focus selfie digital camera

Twin-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Bluetooth 5.2

GPS: A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO