Lenovo's newest tablet is super-affordable, 'ready for Android 13', and... still pretty distant
Lenovo is not waiting for the new year (and 2023's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas) to unveil an expansive lineup of new products including just one Android slate in addition to a whole bunch of laptops powered by Windows and Chrome OS, as well as several premium monitors, one high-end mini PC, and various productivity-enhancing accessories.
As its name suggests, the Lenovo Tab M9 (or Smart Tab M9) joins the latest Tab M7, M8, and M10 editions in the company's mid-range roster rather than adding to a high-end (ish) family composed of a number of different P11 and P12 models.
You should also not be surprised that the new tablet sports a somewhat unusual 9-inch LCD screen with an undeniably modest resolution of 1340 x 800 pixels. That's going to allow Lenovo to charge a fittingly modest $139.99 and up for the Tab M9... starting all the way down in Q2 2023.
That's obviously a little distant to know exactly how the competition will look in the sub-$200 space, but right now, Samsung's 8.7-inch Galaxy Tab A7 Lite seems like the main challenger to beat for the title of best budget tablet out there.
On paper, the Lenovo Tab M9 checks pretty much all the boxes it can physically check at a starting price of under 150 bucks, rocking an almost surprisingly premium (although not necessarily very handsome) dual-tone metal design and packing a reasonably powerful octa-core MediaTek Helio G80 processor in conjunction with up to 4GB RAM.
Unfortunately, that ultra-affordable entry-level configuration is all but guaranteed to pair 3 gigs of memory with 32GB internal storage space, which... is not great by any pricing standards. On the bright side, you will be able to pay extra and get a 64 or 128 gig storage variant, with all other specs and features of course staying unchanged and including a 5,100mAh battery equipped with 15W fast charging capabilities, dual stereo speakers enhanced by Dolby Atmos spatial audio technology, and pre-installed Android 12 software with Android 13 on the way... at some point.
The Lenovo (Smart) Tab M9 could even land in certain markets running the newest OS version out the box, but that's mere speculation on our part based on, well, common sense and the possibility of a commercial debut anytime between April and June 2023.
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