With the first-generation Idea Tab Pro, Lenovo learned the areas they needed to improve, and those changes have been incorporated in the second generation Idea Tab Pro. Several features have undergone major changes.
Slim, lightweight metal construction, quality build.
Lenovo managed to make this generation thinner and lighter. With a thickness of 6.2 mm (camera not included) and a weight of 598 g (both numbers are significantly lower than 6.9 mm and 620 g), it now holds a larger 13-inch display compared to the 12.7-inch display of its predecessor. With really slim bezels, it looks great and contemporary when viewed from the front.
Robustly built and solid metal chassis, IP52 rated for dust protection (water resistant to some extent but NOT recommended for deep submersion or direct spraying).
For the Malaysian market, only Light Gray is available, and Wi-Fi 7 is standard with NO LTE/cellular support. It is offered with either 8/256 GB, 12/256 GB or 12/512 GB of storage, and even includes a microSD card slot, something missing from many of its competitors.
The omission of the fingerprint sensor forces users to rely on a less secure password or 2D facial recognition system via the front-facing camera. On the positive side, the system for facial recognition on the tablet is both quick and reliable. Lenovo’s Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 takes on a more substantive, more traditional appearance once all accessories keyboard, stylus, and protective cover are attached. Lenovo did a very good job with both the keyboard and cover, especially since both are easily attachable. The cover does double duty as a kickstand to turn the tablet into a notebook, while the stylus attaches to the side via magnets to easily and safely stow it away. Lenovo also includes a fast charger for USB-C, as well as a 6ft long dual USB-C cable in the box.
The biggest upgrade on the Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 is the 13 inch display (previously 12.7). My review unit came in “Matte Edition” and it has an anti-glare coating on the screen that does a really great job with fingerprints. It has a slight texture and adds friction to drawing and writing on the screen, which feels a lot like writing with an actual pen on paper.
The screen has an IPS panel, 3504 x 2190 pixels with a density of 318 ppi, and a 16:10 aspect ratio which is great for productivity. Scrolling, browsing, and transitions in UI feel buttery smooth due to the new 144Hz screen refresh rate.
The new screen can get even brighter, and the peak is at 800 nits compared to 600 in the last model. The brightness combined with the screen coating (matte), lets the screen remain clearly visible outdoors, and the automatic brightness also helps so there’s little manual adjustment.
Deep blacks really pop colors and there’s an impressive and natural reproduction of colors that creates a nice balance, perfect for movie watching.
As for the entertainment aspect of it all, the device’s 4 speakers also get quite loud and full-sounding, even down to the bass. Wireless entertainment can also be easily accomplished with the device’s support for various Bluetooth audio codecs.
Performance: Unrivaled power of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4
The performance of the original Idea Tab Pro was rather lackluster. To fix this, Lenovo put in a premium Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip in the Idea Tab Pro 2.
Performance improvement is noticeable, especially for resource heavy apps or games. During my gameplay of the lighter Arena of Valor game, the tablet (which I tested with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage) showed absolutely zero lag. The tablet did heat up after playing for an hour straight, but it was still totally usable.
I ran AnTuTu 5 times and the phone thermally throttled very little. The scores went from 2.61M to 2.56M. This is one of the better performing phones with very little thermal throttling in that test compared to many others.
In addition, with support for the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards, you can quickly download 4K videos or large files with almost no wait.
The battery life easily covers a full day of use, with support for fast charging up to 45 Watts.
For such a slim and lightweight build, it still houses a 10,200 mAh battery capacity similar to the predecessor. My test showed 11 hours of constant playback of YouTube at 70% brightness. I believe it can comfortably support a day of heavy use.
The charger and the charging cable that supports fast charging up to 45W comes included in the box. Using it, the tablet reached 42% battery in 30 minutes, 77% in one hour, and fully charged in 1 hour and 24 minutes, which is really quick.
Tablets typically have tablet mode as well as built in cameras to fit their pragmatic design.
Regarding the hardware of this tablet, the Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 uses Lenovo’s ZUI 18, which is based on Android 16. Lenovo is guaranteeing updates for this tablet up to Android 18 and including 4 years of security updates until 2030. Although that level of software support is better than many tablets on the market today, most tablet companies provide more support than this.
Some tablets now have a mode called “Desktop Mode,” and this one has it as well. It provides a user friendly workspace that resembles Windows. When using it in conjunction with the stylus and keyboard that come with it, you can basically turn this tablet into a full replacement of a laptop for a little while.
As for the camera hardware, both cameras have a practical design and are both good for a tablet. There is a 13MP camera on the rear with an autofocus lens. There is an 8MP camera on the front, and as expected, this camera is good for capturing documents, while the camera on the rear is perfectly good for video calls.
The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 is a significant improvement on an already decent model. Bright 13-inch display, fast processor, updated wireless technology (Wi-Fi 7) and a sleeker body are all very nice additions to an already competent model.
For $500, this is definitely a step in the right direction. There is little reason not to upgrade if you’re in the market for a new tablet.
Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 Tablet + Pen & Folio Case – 13″ 3.5K IPS Touchscreen Display – 144Hz – Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 8s CPU – 8GB Memory – 128GB Storage – Integrated Qualcomm® Adreno™ 825 GPU: Check Availability on Amazon
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