Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Review: Great Hardware Can’t Save Android
Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Tablet
"It's probably the best Android tablet in its price range, but the Tab P11 Pro seriously disappoints with a sub-par software experience."
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Breathtaking design
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Excellent accessories
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Solid performance
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Excellent battery
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Below average software experience
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Android apps on tablets are terrible
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Medium camera
It's difficult to decide on Android tablets these days, especially when they cost more than a few hundred dollars. Sure, some companies make stylish tablets with beautiful displays and top-notch performance, but Android is still holding them back – which is fantastic on phones but not so great on tablets. However, Lenovo believes it cracked the code with the new Lenovo Tab P11 Pro.
It cannot be denied: The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is madness. It's thin, has a gorgeous edge-to-edge display, and offers solid performance thanks to the Snapdragon 730G. At first glance, it's a slightly cheaper alternative to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, which is our first choice for Android tablets.
Ultimately, however, the Android experience is best for the smartphone, and Lenovo cannot change that. Here are our thoughts on the device.
Design and display
Lenovo seems to have gotten to the heart of the design aspect of its tablets. The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is elegant and elegant, looks modern thanks to its borderless display and is made of high-quality materials. It reminds me a lot of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, which is a good thing – I liked the general design and feel of the Tab S7, and while the Tab P11 Pro can reasonably be called a design copy, it still looks great.
As is the trend these days, the tablet has nicely rounded corners with a metal unibody structure. There is a slate gray color scheme on the back, reminiscent of Apple's Space Gray, with an antenna line at the top and a dual-sensor camera. The camera module sticks out quite a bit from the back of the tablet, but with the included back cover, it's no big deal. We'll go into the included accessories a little later.
When you hold the tablet in portrait orientation, the on / off switch (with integrated fingerprint sensor) is on the top right and the volume rocker right next to it on the right. There is a USB-C port at the bottom. There is no headphone jack on the Tab P11 Pro.
On the right there are also a number of sensors and cameras that can be used for face recognition. Unfortunately, in my experience, facial recognition doesn't work that well, and you should opt for the fingerprint sensor instead. The face recognition worked exactly. It only took a few seconds for the device to actually unlock. The fingerprint sensor worked quickly and accurately most of the time.
With a thickness of only 6.9 mm, the Tab P11 Pro fits comfortably in the hand. At just over a pound, it's not overly heavy and the bezels are the perfect size – they leave just enough room to hold the device without accidentally touching the screen. You don't want them to get tighter.
Speaking of the screen, it's a sucker. The Tab P11 Pro has an 11.5-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1,600 x 2,560 and a brightness of up to 500 nits. It is wonderful. The text is nice and sharp, the colors are vivid and bright, and the tablet is perfect for watching movies and games. But it's not perfect. As someone who regularly uses an iPad Pro, I would have liked a high refresh rate here, but it's hard to reckon that the tablet won't have a high refresh rate due to its price range.
Our first Tab P11 Pro immediately had a screen burn-in issue, and Lenovo quickly replaced the review unit. If you experience a similar problem, it should be under the manufacturer's limited warranty.
Power, battery and camera
The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is slightly cheaper than the Galaxy Tab S7, and one way to cut costs is with a slightly cheaper processor. However, this does not mean that the tablet does not have enough power. Still, thanks to the Snapdragon 730G processor, which comes with 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, it can do most of the tasks that you can.
In all honesty, it's more than powerful enough. No, the Snapdragon 730G isn't as powerful as the Snapdragon 865, but it can handle multitasking, gaming, and more. Playing Call of Duty: Mobile was a good experience with few jumps and good load times. The tablet generally handled multitasking well, including surfing the web, sending emails, using Microsoft Word, and so on.
That doesn't mean it's a performance beast. It still has its limits. If you want to use it as a replacement for a laptop, for example, you will reach these limits. We recommend the 6GB RAM model if you can afford it and if you don't want to use your tablet just for media consumption. It's only $ 50 more and makes for a smoother experience.
In all honesty, it's more than powerful enough. No, the Snapdragon 730G isn't as powerful as the Snapdragon 865, but it can still handle solid multitasking, gaming, and more.
The battery life of the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is excellent. The tablet comes with a massive 8,600 mAh battery that is more than enough to last for days of use. If you charge it and don't use it for a few days, you can expect over 90% of the battery remaining. If you use your tablet frequently, it should be a few days before you need to charge it.
Unlike a smartphone, the tablet's rear-facing camera isn't as important as the front-facing camera, as you will likely use your tablet more for video chatting than for taking photos. Unfortunately, none of the P11 Pro's cameras work great.
On the back of the device is a dual camera setup with a 13-megapixel main camera and a 5-megapixel ultrawide. There are two 8-megapixel cameras on the front, one for photos and one for face recognition. Both of them do their job in adequate lighting, but they add complexity to your photo or video and you are likely to run into problems.
software
The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro has a stunning design, display and battery life. Ultimately, however, it doesn't matter how good the hardware is if the software isn't up to the task. Unfortunately, this is not the case in this case.
It's not all Lenovo's fault. Android is a great operating system, but it's not really tablet-friendly, and even the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7's software experience isn't the best. It really is a shame and frustrating that, despite its mature operating system, Android still isn't the productivity powerhouse it could be.
Not to mention the fact that Android apps aren't really optimized for use with tablets. Twitter on the tablet is basically just an expanded version of the smartphone app, and it looks terrible. In comparison, the iPad app is divided into columns that really take advantage of the large screen's footprint. That's Twitter's fault, of course, but it underscores the fact that Android tablets have really been forgotten – and Android tablet makers look bad because of it.
As you'd expect, Lenovo is building its own features into the Tab P11 Pro's software. The tablet can be used in two different modes – a normal Android tablet mode and a so-called “productivity mode”. Productivity mode is activated by default when you connect the device to the supplied keyboard. However, you can also turn it on without a keyboard.
Productivity mode is similar to Lenovo's in terms of Samsung DeX, but without years of refinement. Apps are displayed with windows instead of the full screen. A number of the latest multitasking apps are displayed at the bottom of the screen. It's a good approach, but it feels very unfinished. For example, apps don't snap to the edge of the screen and load in a tiny window the first time they are opened. It's really not very well implemented, and you might be more productive in normal mode.
But I wouldn't turn to the Tab P11 Pro primarily for productivity gains, or at least not for its primary purpose. The device works well for casual jobs and, given the solid keyboard, can also be useful for things like replying to emails or writing in a word processor without the need for multitasking. However, don't expect to be more productive and still keep your sanity.
All of this is made worse by the fact that the tablet ships with Android 10, which is now over a year old. Given Lenovo's track record with Android updates, it's entirely possible that the tablet will never get Android 11 or even Android 12. However, I would be happy if I turned out to be wrong.
Keyboard and pen
The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro comes with a number of accessories that support different uses, and these accessories are really beautiful. That said, it's a shame the tablet's software wasn't really designed with productivity in mind.
To protect the tablet, there is a back cover and a keyboard that can be used separately. In the end, I just kept the back cover of the tablet the whole time. It has a nice textile appearance and the stand makes it easy to put a tablet on the table when needed. The stand is infinitely adjustable so you can adjust it to the angle you want. The only frustration I have with the back cover is that the hinge creates a bump in the middle, which means it can't lie flat on its back.
The keyboard corresponds to the design of the back cover and is magnetically attached to the underside of the tablet. Once attached, it works pretty well. It's not the keyboard with the best feel, but it's not bad for a free, included accessory. Keys could use a little more travel to see them, but that's a minor complaint and I still generally enjoyed typing on it … but only on a table. The kickstand design means this isn't the best device for your lap.
The tablet also comes with a pen. While it's not bad, I haven't used it much. In contrast to the Galaxy Tab S7, the pen is not magnetically attached to the tablet itself. Instead, a sleeve is supplied that you can attach to the device with an adhesive. However, this is a pretty permanent approach. Alternatively, you can attach the sleeve to a keychain. Neither is a good solution.
Price and availability
The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro starts at $ 500. However, as mentioned earlier, if you want to use the tablet for any kind of productivity or multitasking, I recommend upgrading to the $ 550 6GB RAM model. It is available directly from the Lenovo website.
Our opinion
The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is a tough sell. It's probably the best Android tablet in its price range thanks to its great hardware and the fact that there isn't a lot of competition – unless the Galaxy Tab S7 goes on sale. In this case, it's a better option. Unfortunately, the Tab P11 Pro is seriously disappointed with a sub-par software experience, making it difficult to recommend to anyone who wants to achieve more than just basic media usage and very basic productivity.
Is there a better alternative?
If you want to stay in the Android ecosystem, there are a few alternatives you should consider. Perhaps the most notable is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, which was available for $ 550 at the time of this writing. The Tab S7 software experience is still not perfect, but it is better than the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro and offers improved performance thanks to the Snapdragon 865+.
If you're not keen on Android, the iPad Air is our top pick for the best tablet out there – and for good reason. It also has a stunning modern design and great performance, as well as a premium software experience for work or leisure. It's a far better product in almost every way except you have to pay extra for accessories like a keyboard and pen. Even the entry-level iPad is worth considering, and while it doesn't look as premium, it still offers a better overall experience than the Tab P11 Pro.
How long it will take?
The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is made of metal and should be able to be used for at least two years without physical damage or major slowdowns. If you take good care of it, you might be able to use it for three or four years. Be aware, however, that the software slows down and the software feels pretty out of date.
Should you buy it?
Get an iPad Air or Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 instead.
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