Lenovo Tab Plus (TB351FU) review – Budget Dream Tablet for Audiophiles

Finding a non-high-end tablet with top-notch sound quality is a hard task. On the flip side, you don’t have to break the bank to get the Lenovo Tab Plus. It’s a pretty large gadget with eight (yes, 8!) JBL Hi-Fi speakers. This means four tweeters alongside four bass units with a combined output power of 26W. Dolby Atmos support is also on board.

The main focus here is the audio but the display doesn’t look bad at all for this price range. It’s a spacious 11.5″ IPS panel with a 2000×1200 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. With a pixel density of 204ppi, it’s not the most sharp-looking display out there but it’s more than okay for the budget category.

This device is powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 which is a mid-range SoC from 2022. Yep, the Tab Plus isn’t exactly a powerhouse but its snapiness is sufficient for Web browsing, light games, and social media. Speaking of which, a popular mobile title like Asphalt Legends UNITE runs decent at native resolution with maxed-out visuals. Because of the IP52 certification, this tablet can withstand light water splashes.

You can check the current price of Lenovo Tab Plus (TB351FU) here: Buy from Amazon.co.uk (#CommissionsEarned)

Contents

Specs Sheet, What’s in the box

What’s in the box?

We found only the tablet itself inside the sturdy glossy box. Some devices are bundled with a 45W charger and accessories such as Moto Buds or a Sleeve.

Design and construction

For the most part, the Lenovo Tab Plus boasts a typical look for a modern tablet with its large screen and nicely rounded edges.

What stands out among the competition’s designs is the protruded bottom side, which houses many JBL audio units, a speaker pox that deals with static noise and boosts clarity, and a kickstand.

The stand provides great stability when using the device for Web browsing or watching videos in landscape mode. In this scenario, even with the stand not folded, the “hump” on the back offers a good amount of grip. The rear bump feels kind of uncomfortable when holding the tablet in portrait mode because one of the sides is significantly thicker than the other which feels unusual.

The big display is surrounded by normally-sized bezels. This minimizes accidental input with your palms during gaming. The front 8MP camera is placed on top of the screen.

The aluminum build is solid. In reality, it’s almost impossible to bend the body. The profile height of 7.77-13.58 mm isn’t among the thinnest we’ve seen and the weight is also hefty – 650 grams.

Ports

On the left, there are speakers and a Type-C USB 2.0 port with charging capabilities. The Power button, another set of four speakers, and an Audio combo jack are on the right.

The top houses Volume buttons, a pair of microphones, and a microSD card slot. The kickstand can be seen on the bottom.

Display and Sound Quality, Get our Profiles

Lenovo Tab Plus
Diagonal	11.5 inches (29.2 cm)
Panel Type	IPS Touch
Resolution	2000 x 1200 pixels
Max Refresh Rate	90 Hz
Aspect Ratio	5:3
Pixel Density	203 PPI
‘Retina’ Distance	Greater than or equal to 43 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 Tab Plus 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 Tab Plus: the yellow dashed triangle (– – – – – –) represents the range of colors this monitor can display.

In our tests, we calculated the total color coverage of the monitor at 90% of the sRGB color gamut and 74% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

(Fig.1) Lenovo Tab Plus covers 90% of the sRGB gamut

Brightness and Contrast

The maximum brightness (Vibrant mode) is 312 cd/m² in the center of the screen and 300 cd/m² averaged across the surface with a maximum deviation of 12%.

The Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) on a white screen at maximum brightness is 6740K.

The contrast ratio is 1400:1.

Uniformity: Luminance, Contrast, and Color Deviation

The figure below shows the results from our uniformity test across different sections of the screen. It’s measured at 184 nits (Windows slider = 76%) — 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 Tab Plus. 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.

Lenovo Tab Plus in its factory condition (Standard mode)

Comparison in the sRGB color space (primaries and D65 white point specified in ITU-R BT.709, sRGB encoding curve).

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 = 20.8 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 Tab Plus 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 Tab Plus’s screen is 99.2 GU.

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

Sound

When we subjectively listen to a sound file through the built-in speakers (8x JBL speakers tuned with Dolby Atmos), the sound quality offered by Lenovo Tab Plus is good.

Software, Video of the interface, Camera

Software

This device has Android 14 with Lenovo ZUI 16 skin on top.

The software is rich in features. You can set different Dolby Audio presets, Dark mode to preserve battery life or use quick gestures to ease your daily routine because of functions like “Double tap to lock”.

If the autonomous life is important for you, set the refresh rate to 60Hz or at least leave it on “Auto”. However, the 90Hz option provides more smoothness during work. There is also a Pen mode for those who have purchased an optional Lenovo stylus. “PC Mode” is useful when you want to transform the tablet into a desktop replacement and connect an external mouse and keyboard to it. If you like to multitask, you can use the “Split screen” option.

You can also find “Battery Saver” and “Charging protection” modes in the menus. The device comes with many preinstalled themes, wallpapers, and icon packs.

Camera

The camera app isn’t exactly rich in goodies. The two 8MP snappers in the front and rear need perfect lighting conditions to take decently good photos.

We took some pictures before dawn with a few clouds in the sky. Yes, the cameras struggle a lot in this scenario. The resolved quality is sub-par at best. Still, HDR helps to restore some details in the shadows and it also reduces overexposure (take a look at the church on the left).

HDR Off

HDR On

The right picture, enhanced by HDR, reveals greater detail, slightly increased sharpness, and improved contrast compared to the left image.

HDR Off

HDR On

Selfies aren’t impressive since the skin tones and the overall quality seem washed out.

Still, with a bit more light in front of the sensor, you can take photos with above-average detail еspecially when a lazy cat needs attention.

The rear camera can shoot 1080p@30FPS videos. At first sight, there is no stabilization while the overall quality seems okay-ish for such a resolution. The bitrate is around 15MB/s.

Performance: CPU, GPU, Storage

CPU options

The MediaTek Helio G99 isn’t going to top any performance charts and that’s visible from the table below.

GPU options

The Mali-G57 MC2 GPU provides enough power for light gaming.

Storage

Our device has 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. The sequential write and read speeds aren’t bad at all.

Stress test stability, Battery Life, Thermals

The sustained power seems great!  The performance drop in 3DMark Wild Life is almost non-existent after torturing the machine with 20 benchmark loops.

Comfort during full load

When gaming, the hotspot on the front is close to the left screen bezel and it reaches 36°C. The back is barely warm.

Battery

The battery life is very good thanks to the big 8600mAh unit. Its capacity is enough for 12 hours and 16 minutes of video playback.

Verdict

The Lenovo Tab Plus is a well-built tablet with a large 11.5″ 90Hz screen. The latter has a good 90% sRGB color coverage and a 312 nit max brightness. The IPS screen is also PWM-free which is important if you plan to use the device for long hours of work or watching videos. Still, the 204ppi of the screen isn’t optimal and some pixels start to pop, which is visible when gaming.

The audio quality is simply great, especially for a tablet in this price range. Games, movies, music, you name it – the capable eight speakers always enhance the user experience. Yep, the audiophiles should be happy.

The performance isn’t top tier which is expected given the modest SoC under the hood. Still, the eight-core CPU is just fine for daily tasks and casual mobile gaming. The modest chip doesn’t dissipate much heat and that’s why the external side of the shell barely warms up even during benchmarking.

The Lenovo Tab Plus (TB351FU) impresses us with its long battery life, good comfort under load, superb sound quality, and solid metal build.

You can check the current price of Lenovo Tab Plus (TB351FU) here: Buy from Amazon.co.uk (#CommissionsEarned)

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Dorry

1 month ago

I just purchased one. Was still setting it up ..next time I went to get on it .a message appeared saying do not shut down uploading important update won’t charge now have to keep it plugged in and after 5 days still says loading update .help

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