Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 Review: Good Hardware, Lacking Software

Lenovo is a brand known for powerful PCs and laptops, but it also makes great tablets for productivity and entertainment on the go. Although the tablet market seems to be largely dominated by the Apple iPad, the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 is a strong contender.

The problem isn't necessarily that Android tablets have poor hardware, but more so than the software, because Android is still optimized for smaller devices like phones and tablets. That goes for the Tab P11 Pro Gen 2. However, Lenovo works well within the limitations of Android 12. As someone who has primarily used iOS and iPadOS for over a decade, the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 is a breath of fresh air. .

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 appearance

The design of the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 is very similar to the first generation, although I confess that I have no experience with this tablet. However, the design of the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 reminds me of an iPad Pro. The sleek aluminum body has flat edges like the iPad Pro (as do most iPad ranges these days), with power buttons. Power and volume at the edges, as well as the speaker grills, microSD card slot and USB-C charging port. The screen is 11.2 inches and the device is incredibly light at around 1 pound.

The back of the tablet has a unique two-tone metallic finish, flanked by a single 13-megapixel camera with LED flash in the corner. While the two-tone metallic finish looks nice in person, it's very susceptible to fingerprints, so I recommend a case. There is a small pill-shaped design on the back that actually holds the magnet. This magnetic strip is used to hold and charge the optional Lenovo Precision 3 pen, which is sold separately.

The front camera placement is interesting, at least to me. Like its predecessor, the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 is oriented in landscape, so the front camera is actually on the long horizontal side. Like the new 10th generation iPad, the front camera has been moved from the top to portrait orientation instead of landscape orientation. This makes sense given that most people use tablets in landscape mode for video calls.

But if you're like me and have never used a tablet with a horizontal camera, it can take some getting used to, especially features like Face Unlock. Still, I think a front-facing camera on a tablet is the next way to go, and I'd like to see it on other devices, especially Apple's iPad line.

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 display and performance

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 has an 11.2-inch 2.5K OLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1536. It also has a 120 Hz refresh rate. The schedule was smooth and responsive. The sharp resolution means things look great, making it a great tablet to consider for your gaming and media consumption. Android 12 on the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 also features an eye-saving mode that reduces the amount of blue light you see while using it. I don't like using it on most devices because it can ruin the colors too much for my liking, but it's useful when your eyes are tired.

The screen is also bright and fingerprint resistant. Of course, that doesn't mean you'll never get fingerprints, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. However, I noticed a few things on my device's screen, so I still recommend a screen protector.

During my time with the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2, I mainly used it for media access since I didn't get an optional keyboard cover with my device. Gaming on the high-definition screen is fantastic, and movies and shows were sharp and full of great detail thanks to Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support.

And the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 features Dolby Atmos Surround Sound with JBL Quad speakers, perfect for an immersive multimedia experience. I could turn the volume down and hear everything perfectly, even at high volumes nothing was distorted.

They sent me the Lenovo Precision Pen 3 with the Tab P11 Pro that I'm testing. The pen's design is similar to the stylus that comes with the Apple Pencil 2 and Amazon's Kindle Scribe, and has a flat side that magnetically attaches to the back of the tablet. At the bottom of the pencil is a single button that you press to open the Quick Memo notepad, and you can double-click the button to quickly switch between the pencil and eraser tools in this app. The Precision 3 pen is also pressure sensitive, so depending on the pressure you apply, it creates light or heavy strokes.

The Lenovo Precision Pen 3 feels like an Apple Pencil, so I get that familiar feeling. I'm not a digital artist so I used it for quick handwritten notes. In my tests, the pen is accurate on the screen and the pressure sensitivity works well, helping me identify strokes on the canvas. I also noticed that the Precision Pen 3 displays an on-screen cursor when the mouse hovers over the screen, similar to the new hover mode on the iPad Pro with M2 and Apple Pencil 2.

But again, I mostly use the stylus to explore and make quick little doodles, nothing heavy or aggressive. However, the Precision Pen 3 has other features including screenshots, a laser pointer, a magnifying glass and a camera scanner. Activating these features can be done quickly by pressing the pen key in some applications.

My Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 has 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, which is tolerable. I've noticed that just switching between apps or navigating sometimes results in animations stuttering, and I think it gets even more annoying when the keyboard cover is on and multitasking on the tablet. Unfortunately, I couldn't use the tablet for work due to the lack of keyboard accessories, but I wouldn't recommend using it as your only work device if possible. If you insist, there's a productivity mode that turns the software into a window, with a taskbar at the bottom and floating windows.

6GB of RAM isn't bad for the price. This model has 128 GB of storage space, and you can expand the storage capacity with a microSD card. But again, if you're looking for a solid tablet that you can use all day for work, I personally think the iPad Pro would be a better choice overall, even if you ditch the tablet and use it as a laptop . .

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 Software

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 comes with Android 12 by default. According to Lenovo's website, the Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 is expected to run the next two versions of Android with Android 14. It will have three years of security updates.

There is an Android 12 L version optimized for larger devices. According to Lenovo, the Tab P11 Pro will be the first tablet to receive the Android 12L update, but not until next year. So for now the Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 is still running Android 12.

Simply put, Android 12 isn't super optimized for large screens. Some apps have multiple components and take advantage of the wider screen space, but there are plenty of apps in the Google Play Store that just don't look right or are just exaggerated phone versions that take up too much space. The screen.

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 also has Face Unlock, which I enabled because I use Face ID a lot on my iPhone and iPad Pro, but I noticed that when the option is enabled, the tablet immediately detects a face. When the screen wakes up.

When I took pictures for this review, even when I recorded the back of the tablet, the screen kept scanning the front. Or if I pick up the tablet just to move it, it automatically detects a face.

It has haptic feedback to let you know if no faces are detected. This directly applies to the unlock slide and settings. Coming back without any immediately recognizable faces is more frustrating than anything else. I wish it worked like iOS, where you can "wake up" the screen but not turn it on immediately. It might just be an Android 12 thing, but it seems pretty sensitive to face unlock.

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 Cameras

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 cameras are nothing special. It has a 13MP selfie camera on the back and an 8MP selfie camera on the front. I've never liked using a tablet to take photos, but the 13-megapixel camera is great for quickly scanning a document or snapping a photo to share with someone.

However, the 8 MP front camera is very weak, especially compared to other modern tablets like the iPad. For starters, it's low-res and fixed-focus, so you can't adjust it if it looks terrible (and it does). I noticed it evened out my skin tone a bit and made my lower lip a bright orange-pink, which is ridiculous compared to real life.

If you absolutely must use the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 for things like video calls or quick photos, it technically works, just don't expect it to look good.

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 Battery Life

Lenovo has included an 8000mAh battery in the Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 and claims that the tablet can last up to 14 hours on a single charge. Since I couldn't use it as a work machine, I tested it mainly as a recreational device.

With light use, the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 can last several days before requiring a charge. It lasts all day if I play and play a lot, but overnight charging is better.

Lenovo tablets can show the remaining battery life in the status bar, but it also tells you how much time you can use on the current charge. However, this may not be accurate depending on how the tablet is used, so don't rely too much on it.

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 Price and Availability

You can get the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for the base model. The model I received for review with 6GB of RAM costs a bit more at $430. However, you can easily find it on sale for a small amount of money.

The optional Lenovo Precision Pen 3 stylus that works with the Tab P11 Pro costs $70 separately. The Lenovo Keyboard Bundle, which adds a protective back cover to the tablet along with a stand and keyboard, costs $100. Both accessories are also available on Lenovo's website.

Honestly, it's hard to find good Android tablets in a market largely dominated by Apple's iPad. If you're looking for an Android tablet primarily for multimedia and perhaps as a smart home hub, you should consider Lenovo's older Yoga Smart Tab. Performance is excellent with the Snapdragon 439 processor and you get two JBL Hi-Fi speakers with Dolby Atmos support. The Yoga Smart Tab also has a built-in stand, so if you want to set it up and watch a movie, you don't need any extra accessories – you can even close it! It's also relatively inexpensive, usually under $300.

Samsung also offers budget tablets like the Galaxy Tab A8. The 10.5-inch size is portable and you get good mid-range performance from the Unisoc Tiger T618. It's light, thin and has good battery life too. But if you want the best overall Android tablet, check out the less expensive Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus. It's a little big at 12.4 inches, but it has a 120Hz AMOLED display, a fingerprint sensor, a 12-megapixel front-facing camera, and more. It's $700 more expensive, but overall a much better tablet.

Of course, for the price, I think the iPad is a better buy overall. The iPad Air tops our list of the best tablets, but you can also consider the latest entry-level iPad, which is similar in some features and price to the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2.

If you really want a horizontal front-facing camera, the iPad has better quality, and Center Stage is a nice feature that always keeps it in the center of the frame.

A good Android tablet, but not great.

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 is by no means a bad tablet. In fact, for an average price, it is very good. It's a bit limited due to the recent inclusion of Android 12 - the Android 12L update won't arrive until 2023. I didn't have a built-in keyboard, so my use was a bit hampered, so I couldn't. For a short time to check what you usually use a tablet for a full working day.

Its sharp 11.2-inch 2.5K OLED display with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ is pretty good for a media-consuming device. And with a four-speaker system with Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio, you can immerse yourself in whatever you're watching. In this part, there is nothing wrong with the large size, which is good for a tablet.

For the price, the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 is a great travel companion or entertainment user device. Additional accessories complete the experience, but are sold separately and add to the total cost. The hardware is good and mostly feels premium (minus the front-facing camera) and the only thing holding the tablet back from being great is the software.

Ultimately though, I think there are better options out there, especially when you look at Apple's iPad range. This has been the case for many cheap Android tablets, and the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 doesn't change that.