Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 comes with the Mediatek Kompanio 1300 SoC (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)

When we all thought tablets were a thing of the past. But then came the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, and one surprise was the re-entry of affordable and good mid-range Android tablets in the market. That’s because there was renewed interest, as many users suddenly needed tablets for their children, especially for online education. And 2022 saw several brands join this segment, from Xiaomi to Redmi to Oppo to Realme. Now when it comes to Android tablets, Lenovo can be considered an underdog, and the brand used to launch Android tablets every once in a while. This all changed in 2022 when the company launched devices like the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 with a great set of features at an interesting price point.

I have been testing the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 as my daily driver for the last few weeks, which retails in India for Rs 44,999 and offers accessories like Precision Pen 3 and a folio case with a built-in keyboard. Is this the best Android tablet to consider for around Rs 45,000 in India? Read our full review to find out the same.

Design

Just like the Xiaomi Pad 5 and the baseline iPad, the Lenovo Tab P11 is a medium-sized tablet, and comes with an 11.2-inch display with a narrow bezel design. The tablet has a plastic back panel and a plastic frame, which is probably a bad thing on a phone. However, for a tablet, these things help the brand significantly reduce the weight of the device. Hence, the P11 Pro Gen 2 just weighs 480 grams, which makes it lighter than the Mi Pad 5.

The tablet has a quad-speaker setup (two on each side), a power button, an USB Type-C port, and a pogo pin connector to attach the keyboard case. Do note there is no fingerprint sensor on the device, and for added security, one must rely on the face unlock (not very safe), pin code, or pattern. The device should have at least had a fingerprint sensor, possibly embedded into the power button.

This is a modern-looking tablet with a decent build, and it also has an SD card slot for additional storage expansion. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack, like most other tablets in this price range.

Display, speakers, and camera

This is where the Lenovo P11 Pro Gen 2 is ahead of the curve. Unlike most tablets, including the 10th Gen iPad and the Xiaomi Pad 5, Lenovo offers an OLED screen with 2.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. This is the standout feature of this tablet, which makes it a great device for content consumption, as OLEDs usually deliver better contrast ratio and punchier colours compared to IPS LCD panels.

Compared to devices like the Xiaomi Pad 5 and the 8th Gen iPad, the display on the P11 Pro Gen 2 is slightly better. However, if you already have either of those devices, you will get a good multimedia experience, as both the iPad and the Xiaomi Pad have good-quality IPS screens.

The quad-speaker setup on the Lenovo P11 Pro Gen 2 is on the same level as the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5’s speaker setup, and gets fairly loud. The Lenovo device is also Dolby Atmos certified. From a tablet standpoint, the device has a decent 13MP primary camera and an 8MP selfie camera, which is good enough for attending office meetings and online classes.

Performance

The MediaTek Kompanio 1300T octa-core processor powers the Lenovo P11 Pro Gen, and it comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Under normal day-to-day usage, the Lenovo P11 Pro Gen 2 feels smooth, with no jitters of any kind. You can even play games like PUBG: New State, CoD Mobile, and Asphalt 9 at medium to high graphics settings without any issues. Even during heavy usage with downloading content in the background and playing a game, I did not notice any sort of heating issue whatsoever.

Software experience

This is where the Lenovo P11 Pro Gen 2 gets my thumbs up. At the time of testing, the tablet ran on stock Android 12 OS, and the company confirmed the device will get both Android 13 and Android 14 updates. As soon as you connect the keyboard folio, the tablet switches to desktop mode, and offers a unique user experience with Windows OS-like UI.

While there are some third-party apps on the tablet, they are most useful and focused on productivity. You can uninstall almost all third-party apps on the Lenovo P11 Pro Gen 2, making it a great device for those who want a clean tablet experience.

Battery life

The Lenovo P11 Pro Gen 2 has an 8,000 mAh battery, and for casual users (who might use the tablet for surfing the web, and watching movies), the tablet can easily last for a few days. For those who want to use this tablet as a primary device, the P11 Pro Gen 2 can deliver an all-day battery life, and can easily deliver over 7 to 8 hours of screen-on-time, given you are not playing games for the entire period.

When it comes to charging, the tablet comes with a 20W fast charger, and it can take a while to fully charge the battery. On the contrary, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 with a slightly larger battery charges slightly more quickly when you pair it with a fast charging adapter.

Verdict: Good mid-range tablet for Android enthusiasts

One can argue that the 10th Gen iPad is more powerful and superior than any of the Android tablets budget, especially for the price. But the Lenovo P11 Pro Gen 2, unlike the 10th Gen iPad, runs on Android OS, which offers more freedom to the user. Just like an iPad, one can also pair it with an external monitor to get a PC-like user experience.

For Rs 45,000, it is more expensive than the Xiaomi Pad 5 and offers features like an OLED display, stock Android UI, and good performance. If you want a decent mid-range tablet with all the aforementioned features, the Lenovo P11 Pro Gen 2 is a great pick and is definitely one of the best mid-tier Android tablets of 2022.