Lenovo’s $700 Yoga Tab Plus struggles with outdated specs against competitors

Lenovo has released the Yoga Tab Plus, a $700 Android tablet positioning itself as a premium alternative to the iPad Air and Galaxy Tab S11 series. Despite an attractive design and solid build quality, the device suffers from underwhelming AI features, a two-year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, and limited software support that undermines its value proposition in the competitive tablet market.

What you should know: The Yoga Tab Plus offers impressive hardware specs but falls short on performance and longevity for its price point.

• Features a 12.7-inch 3K LCD display with 144Hz refresh rate and comes bundled with accessories including Tab Pen Pro, keyboard pack, folding kickstand, and 45W charger.
• Powered by the aging Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset (Qualcomm’s processor from two years ago) with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, which lags behind competitors like the OnePlus Pad 3’s newer Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.
• Limited to three years of platform updates, receiving only through Android 17 before reaching end-of-life.

The AI disappointment: Lenovo’s marketed AI capabilities prove lackluster compared to established alternatives.

• The primary AI feature, “Lenovo AI Now,” functions more like an enhanced search tool than a true AI assistant, requiring users to manually feed documents for context.
• Cannot perform common AI tasks like trip planning or meal suggestions without pre-existing user documents.
• Does support Google’s Gemini and Circle to Search, effectively relying on Google’s AI ecosystem rather than proprietary innovation.

Competitive landscape: The tablet struggles to justify its premium pricing against established alternatives.

• Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 FE offers similar streaming capabilities with S Pen inclusion at a significantly lower price point.
• Apple’s iPad Air and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S11 provide superior processors, longer software support, and robust ecosystem integration.
• OnePlus Pad 3 delivers better performance with newer silicon at comparable pricing.

Why this matters: The Yoga Tab Plus exemplifies the challenges facing non-ecosystem Android tablets in the premium market.

• Lacks the cross-device integration offered by Samsung’s Galaxy ecosystem or Apple’s seamless connectivity between devices.
• Two-year-old processor and limited update cycle make it a poor long-term investment compared to alternatives.
• Success depends heavily on finding significant discounts, as it’s “currently below $600 at the time of writing, which makes it far more appealing.”

What they’re saying: Android Authority’s Ryan Haines acknowledges the tablet’s travel-friendly qualities while highlighting its fundamental limitations.

• “The Yoga Tab Plus doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Have I enjoyed the tablet? Yes, but that doesn’t mean I think you should rush out and spend money on it.”
• “Making a fully premium, iPad and Galaxy Tab S competitor with no unique selling points, a limited update policy, mediocre specs, and a total lack of a mobile ecosystem is an extremely tough sell.”