Lenovo Tab P11 11 Inch 2K Tablet (Octa-Core 2.0GHz, 4GB RAM

 

After using the Lenovo P11 (Gen 2) tablet for about a month, I can honestly say that it met my expectations as a budget multimedia device. Now, I didn’t expect it to perform like those fancy thousand-pound phones, especially since I snagged it for just 189 on Prime Day. So, let’s not compare apples to oranges here.

The screen is decent for an IPS (LCD) panel and bright enough for indoor use. GPS works just as fast as my phone, no complaints there. And can we talk about the specs? 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (expandable with an SD card) for this price range is pretty darn good, if you ask me. As for the battery, I can’t say much because I usually leave it plugged in when I’m not using it.

Now, the speakers are loud and perfect for watching movies and videos. However, they don’t quite hit the mark for music lovers like myself. The bass is lacking, but hey, at this price point, I can live with it.

For those who are complaining about the software experience, let me tell you that the Android version on this tablet is pretty much stock Android 12L. No bloatware to be found here. Just a couple of Lenovo apps for warranty and PC screen sharing, but everything else is as stock as it gets. I personally use gestures on my phone, and they work just fine on the tablet as well. Once you get the hang of it, the gestures work like a charm.

I haven’t had any issues with charging or disconnections with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi either. Everything has been working reliably thus far. Now, if I had to nitpick, I’d say that the Wi-Fi speeds aren’t mind-blowing. The tablet supports Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6, but it won’t reach full speeds on either. With Wi-Fi 5, it maxes out at around 250Mbps, and with Wi-Fi 6, it goes just a bit above at 350Mbps. It’s not fantastic, but it’s definitely good enough for streaming, even at Wi-Fi 5.

My main gripe with this tablet is when it comes to watching videos that were encoded on my PC at 4K, to later transfer and play them on the tablet. You need to be careful about the resolution and codec you’re using. 4K is a no-go, unless you’re carefully choosing a CPU-friendly codec. I’ve had some luck with a few h264 variations, but h265 doesn’t work with 4K movies on this tablet (video and audio just stutter). However, since the tablet’s screen resolution is slightly below 2K, any movie with any codec will work just fine at 2K resolution. Just don’t push it beyond that. Oh, and streaming videos from YouTube work perfectly fine up to 2K (1440p) resolution.

It is a bit on the heavy side as well (550g), but that is the drawback about wanting a big screen. I’m ok with that, but if you’d like to have a light tablet, go for 10″ or even 8″ screens.

All in all, the Lenovo P11 (Gen 2) tablet has been a solid companion for my multimedia needs on a budget. It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done. If you’re looking for a reliable tablet that won’t break the bank, this one is worth considering.

PS: Photos on this review have a tempered glass screen protector applied and the official Lenovo folio case.

 

Bought to replace a Samsung Tab 2 that gave up the ghost. This is quite a meaty beast with a few idiosyncrasies. Everything works as it should for me. I use for simple tasks: no games and it gives me what I need. It would be considered a bit heavy by some but sitting in its third party case it suits me.
The software is nearly Android default but Lenovo have made a few errors in their installation routines as the tablet sometimes thinks it is a phone!
It connects easily with my network and TV screens when necessary, sound is fine but documentation is not great. There are barely 30 pages compared to 180+ with the Samsung so trial and error is a good way to learn. Personally I find the keyboard layout a little troubling: I am still looking for an easy equivalent of a hard press on the space-bar to move the cursor without deleting stuff!
It has taken apks from external sources using X-plore without a problem and the recent Android update to version 11 went smoothly. So if you are not too fussed about being seen with a tablet that is not Samsung nor Apple this represents good value