Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus review – The Android iPad Air Killer Has Arrived

Here in our hands is the new Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus which sounds like a brand-new lineup, but if you’ve followed our reviews closely, you’ll know that it’s actually the successor to the Lenovo Tab P12. Just check out our Lenovo Tab P12 (TB370FU) review – great build quality and a 3K display.

Yes, both tablets share a 12.7-inch 3K LTPS display, along with a similar design and construction. However, the new Yoga Tab Plus packs several significant yet hidden upgrades that you might miss!

For starters, the “same” 12.7″ 3K screen now boasts twice the brightness – 650 nits typical, 900 nits peak, compared to the Tab P12’s 400 nits. But you’ll also notice that everything looks super smooth. Why? Because it now has a 144Hz refresh rate!

And there’s much more in store so let’s dive in together and uncover all the aces the new Yoga Tab Plus has up its sleeve! Is it ready to rival the iPad Air (detailed review) while being almost half the price?

You can check the current price of Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus here: Buy from Amazon.ca (#CommissionsEarned)

Contents

Specs Sheet, What’s in the box

What’s in the box?

The box is quite large, but as soon as we open it, we immediately understand why. First, we find another box inside… boxception.

Inside it sits the so-called “2-in-1 Keyboard Pack”, which includes a protective back cover for the tablet + a magnetically attached keyboard.

Continuing with the unboxing we find a charging adapter, a Lenovo Tab Pen Pro with an extra tip, and… another box. This one contains the obligatory manuals and additional paperwork.

A charging adapter for some regions is not included in the package, but the model supports a 10V/4.5A (45W) USB-C AC adapter – keep this in mind if you plan to buy one separately.

Design and Construction

Right away, we can already see a major plus for our Pros & Cons section at the end of this review – the super sturdy and stable build of the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus. It features an all-metal body, chamfered edges, and a slim profile – just 8.52 mm thick (or 0.33” in Freedom units). The weight is 640 g (1.41 lbs).

You can choose between two colors:

“Seashell” (cream beige) – previously called “Oat” in the Tab P12.

“Tidal Teal” (blue) – replacing “Storm Gray”.

We’re in a rush to attach the keyboard (we’re LaptopMedia after all) and were surprised by the strong magnetic pull that practically snatched it from our hands to snap it into place. You just need to bring the tablet a few centimeters close, and the keyboard instantly attaches.

The same happens with the protective back panel, which sticks under the camera module. It looks similar to the one on the Tab P12, but this time, the raised part extends along the entire length of the body instead of just around the sensors.

And now, there are two cameras instead of one:

To transform the Yoga Tab into a laptop, you simply need to open the kickstand.

Now, back to the front. The keyboard successfully mimics a notebook keyboard, and despite being super thin, the keys are large and comfortable. Even the Up and Down arrow keys, which usually suffer from reduced size, are larger than those on some bulkier laptops.

The trackpad is also very comfortable to use and supports multi-touch gestures.

Ports

The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus is equipped with just one USB-C (USB 5Gbps) port, but it supports charging & DP Out.

However, this doesn’t mean its sides are empty – we have 6 Harman-Kardon speakers, a power button with built-in fingerprint sensor, volume buttons, and the already mentioned 3-point Pogo pin connector for magnetic attachment.

The wireless support includes future-proofed Wi-Fi 7, 802.11be 2×2 Wi-Fi module and Bluetooth 5.4.

Display and Sound Quality

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (TB520FU)
Diagonal	12.7 inches (32.3 cm)
Panel Type	IPS Touch, with Lenovo Tab Pen Pro
Resolution	2944 x 1840 pixels
Max Refresh Rate	144 Hz
Aspect Ratio	16:10
Pixel Density	273 PPI
‘Retina’ Distance	Greater than or equal to 32 cm

Viewing Angles

Viewing angles are good. We take photos from different angles to evaluate the quality.

Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

Color Coverage

The whole “sail-shaped” map below (Fig. 1) consists of all the colors we can see, while the black crooked line shows all the colors from real-world scenes and nature around us.

Then, we’ve drawn some of the most important and interesting color spaces, compared to the colors the panel of Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (TB520FU) can show:

Standard/For Web: sRGB – widely used color space for most consumer devices, ideal for Web design and development
For Print: AdobeRGB – used in professional photo editing, graphic design, and print
For Photographers/Video Editors: DCI-P3 – used in high-end film production, post-production, and digital cinema
Premium HDR: Rec.2020 – the widest consumer ITU color standard, covering a massive 75.8% of the visible spectrum, a benchmark for premium HDR content

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (TB520FU): the yellow dashed triangle (– – – – – –) represents the range of colors this monitor can display.

In our tests, we calculated the total color coverage of the display at 98% of the sRGB color gamut and 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (TB520FU) emulates Display P3 and sRGB color spaces.

Brightness and Contrast

The maximum brightness is 651 cd/m² in the center of the screen and 613 cd/m² averaged across the surface with a maximum deviation of 11%.

The Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) on a white screen at maximum brightness is 6210K in „Standard/Standard“ Screen color mode and 7560K in „Vibrant/Standard“ mode.

The contrast ratio is 1130:1 („Vibrant/Standard“ mode).

The figure below shows the results from our uniformity test across different sections of the screen. It’s measured at 175 nits (Windows slider = 27%) — a brightness level we consider typical for standard working conditions.

DeltaE values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users. For those working with colors, screens with DeltaE values no higher than 2.0 are recommended.

Color Accuracy

Let’s check the difference between real colors and those you’ll see on the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (TB520FU). We measure that distance in DeltaE – the higher the number, the more different they look.

Values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users, while values below 2.0 are suitable for color-sensitive work. A value below 1.0 means the difference is indistinguishable to the naked eye.

For the next graph, we’ve selected 24 common colors, including dark/light skin, blue sky, green grass, etc.

Below are the results of the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (TB520FU) in its factory condition (HDR off) compared to Display P3 and sRGB color spaces.

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (TB520FU) in Display P3 („Vibrant“ screen color mode)

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (TB520FU) in sRGB („Standard“ screen color mode)

Response time (Gaming capabilities)

We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.

We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 15.6 ms. Short pixel response time is a prerequisite for a smooth picture in dynamic scenes.

After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude.

Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering)

Some use PWM to regulate their brightness, which means that instead of reducing the light intensity, they pulse or flicker. Our brain merges the image, so it appears darker, but this strains both it and our vision, especially when the frequency of the pulses is low. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

In the graph below, you see the intensity of light at different brightness levels—on the vertical axis is the brightness of the emitted light, and on the horizontal axis—time.

The light from the backlight of the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (TB520FU) display is not pulse-width modulated, providing visual comfort in the discussed aspect.

Health Impact: Screen Reflectance

Glossy-coated displays can cause eye fatigue in high ambient light conditions due to reflections. We measure the level of screen reflection with the display turned off, at a 60° angle.

The reflectance of the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (TB520FU)’s screen is 45.7 GU. This is a very good score, thanks to the anti-reflective coating.

High Gloss: >70 GU
Medium Gloss: 30 – 70 GU
Low Gloss: <30 GU

Sound

When we listen to a sound file through the built-in Harman Kardon speakers of the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus TB520FU, which features 2 tweeters plus 4 SLS subwoofers, and Dolby Atmos Audio, the sound quality is impressive. The low, mid, and high frequencies are distinct and well-balanced.

Performance: CPU, GPU, Gaming, Storage

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus has an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC with a Cortex-X4 for peak performance in short bursts, 5x Cortex-A720 cores for high performance in sustained workloads, and 2x Cortex-A520 efficiency cores focused on maximizing battery life. It sounds complicated but that’s what ARM DynamIQ is for – it manages the tasks and appoints them to the right cores.

The GPU is Qualcomm Adreno 750. It has up to 25% higher GPU performance, and up to 25% better power efficiency, compared to Adreno 740. It supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, enabling more realistic lighting and reflections in mobile games. The Adreno 750 is also optimized for AI-enhanced graphics, offering features like AI Super Resolution for upscaling and smoother gameplay.

CPU Performance

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus is 12% faster than the iPad Air in the Geekbench 6 Single-Core test which we consider more important for a tablet as it better represents most of the tasks you’re going to do on it. The Multi-core test is important for heavy work-related workloads that are rarely conducted on such devices. In the multi-core test, iPad Air is 40% faster.

Compared to its predecessor, Yoga Tab Plus is 3x faster in both the single and multi-core tests.

GPU Performance

For GPU performance measurements we use 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme and Steel Nomad Light tests.

Real Gaming

For the Real-Life gaming test we use Asphalt Legends Unite which runs smoothly even when we set the graphics settings to the max. No surprises here as the Qualcomm Adreno 750 is really powerful.

AI Performance

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) and can deliver up to 20 TOPS of AI performance.

Here’s a Geekbench AI ran with the QNN backend:

Storage Performance

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus is equipped with either 256GB or 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage which cannot be expanded due to the lack of a microSD slot.

The storage performance is high. The PCMark Storage 2 showed 2903 MB/sec sequential read, and 2950 MB/sec sequential write speeds.

Performance Stability

What would happen if you game on this tablet continuously? Tablets have limited cooling structures as there’s not enough space for laptop-like system, and of course, active (fan-based) solutions aren’t viable. This is why we do stress testing measuring the performance in the beginning of the test, and how does it change every minute after.

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus’ Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 starts at pretty high performance level in the Wild Life test – 15 997 points for the first run. Then the performance degrades with every run, going down to 12 809.

Compared to iPad Air, the Yoga Tab Plus has much less stability but even the slowest run on it (12 809) is still faster than the highest one on the iPad Air (10 020).

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus

Apple iPad Air (2024)

Battery Life

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus has a Li-Polymer battery with a capacity of 10 200 mAh.

In our custom video playback test, the Yoga Tab Plus lasted for almost 15 hours on a single charge, 180 cd/m2 screen brightness. This is a great result considering the large display with 3K resolution.

You’ll notice that Tab P12 has exactly 3 times longer battery life while gaming. That’s the cost of Yoga Tab Plus’ GPU being 7 times more powerful.

Camera

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus sports a total of three cameras – 13.0 MP with fixed focus and face unlock on the front, and 13.0 MP with autofocus plus 2.0 MP with fixed focus for macro shots on the back.

MAIN (BACK) CAMERA

Good Light

Good Light

Limited Light (indoor)

Close-up, Limited Light (indoor)

As you see, the close-up shots are pretty good but let’s compare them to the “real” Macro camera:

Main Camera, Close-Up

Macro camera

Video Recording
Resolution: 3840 × 2160
Data Size: 216,9 MB
Data Rate: 63,41 Mbit/s
Audio Format: MPEG-4 AAC, 48000 Hz
Aspect Ratio: 16:9

FRONT (SELFIE) CAMERA

Good Light

Limited Light (indoor)

Software

Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus works with Android 14, covered by Lenovo ZUI 16.

Lenovo promises updates until at least Android 17 so that means at least 3 major Android releases + four years of security patches.

The UI looks great and runs smoothly.

 

 

   

When connected to the keyboard, Yoga Tab Plus automatically starts its “PC Mode” which is a comfortable way to work with the touchpad instead of the touchscreen.

Also, there are some interesting “Advanced features” which could be useful for you but keep in mind that they’re recently created so you may find bugs here and there.

Verdict

The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus arrives not merely as an iteration of the Tab P12, but as a substantial upgrade aiming for the premium end of the Android tablet market. It packs a formidable combination of a stunningly bright, high-refresh-rate 3K display and the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset into a sleek, well-constructed metal body. The inclusion of both a keyboard cover and an active stylus directly in the box significantly enhances its value proposition, positioning it as a versatile tool for productivity, entertainment, and even serious gaming right from the start.

Undoubtedly, the star of the show is the 12.7-inch LTPS display. Its combination of sharp 3K resolution, buttery-smooth 144Hz refresh rate, exceptional peak brightness, and wide DCI-P3 color gamut coverage delivers a truly impressive visual experience. Adding to its strengths are the PWM-free backlight for eye comfort and a commendably low level of screen reflectance, making it practical across different environments. Performance largely lives up to the flagship processor inside, offering snappy responsiveness in daily use and handling demanding games smoothly, backed by fast UFS 4.0 storage. The build quality feels reassuringly solid, and the magnetically attached keyboard and pen integrate well, especially with Lenovo’s PC Mode offering a more desktop-like experience. Furthermore, the six-speaker Harman Kardon system provides remarkably rich and clear audio for a tablet.

However, this ambitious package isn’t without its compromises. While the tablet boasts impressive peak performance, it does exhibit noticeable throttling under prolonged heavy workloads, although its performance floor remains quite high. The powerful internals also impact battery life during intensive activities like gaming, which drains the large 10200mAh battery relatively quickly, contrasting sharply with its excellent endurance during video playback. Lastly, while functional, the cameras are just adequate and won’t compete with high-end smartphone photography.

Ultimately, the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus stands as a highly capable and feature-packed premium Android tablet. It delivers strongly on its core promises of a best-in-class display, powerful performance, excellent audio, and added value through included accessories, all wrapped in a premium chassis.

Is it good enough to beat the iPad Air though? In our opinion – Yes! Design-wise it’s just as great. Performance-wise, it’s even better in the most important metric for a tablet – the single-core power. The display is exceptional, the sound system is top-notch. And if you count all the accessories you get in the bundle, it’s half the price of the iPad Air.

You can check the current price of Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus here: Buy from Amazon.ca (#CommissionsEarned)

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