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.”
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...