Lenovo YOGA Tab 3 10-inch hands-on

For the past couple of years now, Lenovo’s Android-powered YOGA tablets have been pretty good offerings in the entry-level space. Combining versatility in the form of its YOGA-like positions thanks to its kickstand, as well as the attraction that comes with its inexpensive cost, it seems as though folks have taken a liking to them. Well, for those of you who enjoyed Lenovo’s full sized offering, its latest Lenovo YOGAB Tab 3 10-inch model might keep those feelings intact with its updates.

Design

Continuing to employ the same distinctive design that makes the series recognizable in the tablet space, one that leverages an adjustable hinge, the 10-inch version of the Lenovo YOGA Tab 3 is the regarded as the full-sized offering. This makes it great for multimedia consumption, thanks to how the cylindrical hinge allows it to be propped in all sorts of configurations for a hands-free viewing experience. For the most part, the design is unchanged with the exception of how the casing now exhibits a hint of texture – giving it a grippier feel, which also helps to keep it clean looking and smudge-free.

Display

When you’re attached with such an inexpensive price point, you can only go so far with the display. Rightfully so, that’s what we faced here looking at its 10-inch 800 x 1280. While it’s nowhere close to be class-leading in the resolution category, and it technically boasts a lower pixel density count than the 8-inch model, but it’s still effective enough for the simple things – such as browsing the web or reading an e-book. Colors exhibit a punchy, over-saturated look, but that certainly helps to give the screen its iridescent glow. Yes, it’s boring on the specs sheet, but don’t let that take away from its semi-decent attractive look.

Interface

Finally, Lenovo decided to bring back the apps panel with its custom interface running on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop. This is a minor change that we appreciate, because the homescreen doesn’t look as disorganized as before. Beyond that, Lenovo’s tinkering is pretty subtle, which is a good thing partly because it’s a simple and straightforward experience that doesn’t try to overwhelm us with a bunch of features and tools. At the very least, we get basic Android functionality with the experience.

Processor and Memory

For a budget offering, there’s nothing too astounding with the processing hardware in tow with the Lenovo YOGA Tab 3 10-inch. Specifically, it’s paired with a quad-core 1.3GHz Qualcomm APQ8009 chipset with 1GB of RAM. That’s undoubtedly nothing worth getting out of bed in the morning at a moment’s notice, but at the very least while spending a short time with the tablet, it’s effective to handle most basic things – just don’t have high expectations with graphics processing or more demanding operations.

In addition to the 16GB of internal storage on board, that capacity can be supplemented using the available microSD card slot on its back side.

Camera

One of the more notable changes to its design pertains to the camera, which is now a single one housed in the cylindrical hinge – whereas before, we had separate front and rear cameras. Instead, the rotatable 8-megapixel camera allows it to be used for all sorts of occasions. From scenery shots to selfies, the rotating nature of the camera gives it some versatility, much like its kickstand.

Expectations

Needless to say, the specs aren’t something worth bragging about, but to its defense, the YOGA Tab series has generally been positioned as being entry-level offerings – to that end, it’s not intended to compete against the likes of the iPad or Galaxy Tabs. Rather, this is the kind of tablet that offers reasonable value at only $199 when it goes on sale starting in November. The pricing alone will definitely pique the interest of those who are on a budget, mainly because there’s still just a huge disparity in going with a tablet that costs $500.