Lenovo Tab A8 hands-on

Nowadays, we’re increasingly seeing more and more smartphones pushing the boundaries with their sizes. With today’s modern ‘phablets,’ most 7-inch tablets might seem too small for people to adopt, so that’s probably why some feel that 8-inch tablets are going to offer more of a separation. Well, with the Lenovo Tab A8, it should attract those who have a penchant for meaningful value in a small package.

Design

To tell you the truth folks, there’s a consistent pattern that’s obvious with Lenovo’s newly announced A-series tablet – they all have the same design language, but they’re different in size. Essentially, the Tab A8 looks exactly like its 7-inch sibling in the Tab A7, so its body is constructed from plastic with a subtle soft touch matter finish. For the entry-level pricing and all, there aren’t too many compromises seen with the design, as its blends a balance between decent construction and a comfortable feel in the hand.

Display

As the screen sizes with each model in the A-series increases, we find that the pixel density figures decrease – mainly due to the fact that they all stick to the same resolution of 800 x 1280 pixels. Taking its 8-inch size into account, it delivers a yawn inducing pixel density tally of 189 pixels per inch. Indeed, it’s not spectacular, but we can’t be too critical because it suffices for basic things that don’t require us to squint a whole lot. Looking at the overall package, the screen isn’t its highlight attractions – more so with its weak viewing angles and subdued color reproduction.

Interface

In contrast to the sleek and modern styles of some customized Android experiences, the one we’re seeing here with the Lenovo Tab A8 isn’t as profound or extravagant. Running the same Lenovo customized UI on top of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, it’s both outdated and unflattering with its cartoony-like presentation. Demanding users won’t find a whole lot of secondary features here, instead, you’re only going to be presented with only the foundational features of Android.

Processor and memory

Lenovo isn’t known to employ intensive and prized hardware with its devices, so it doesn’t surprise us to find a quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek MTK8121 processor with 1GB of RAM under the hood of this tablet. For most hardened Android users, they won’t find this piece of silicon impressive, but quite frankly, we’re at least humbled to see it running smoothly with basic operations. Intensive operations on the other hand, don’t expect a consistency with its performance.

Camera

Generally speaking, entry-level tablets sometimes omit having any cameras from their bodies. Lucky for this one, Lenovo is kind to include some basic ones – a 2-megapixel front facing one, and a 5-megapixel rear one. Who knows how they actually perform, seeing that snapping a few from our brief time with it didn’t produce anything too spectacular looking at the samples on its screen, but we can imagine that they’re not going to be class leading.

Conclusion

Naturally, there are plenty of options to look at if you’re in the market for an 8-inch tablet. Lenovo, for one, is a company that maintains a stringent code for producing entry-level models that deliver the goods in areas vital for basic users. Donning a retail price point of $180, it’s aggressively priced enough to probably catch the attention of consumers who are strapped for cash and don’t want to settle for a compromised performance.