This is my favorite Android tablet of less than $ 400

Buying an affordable Android tablet in 2025 is… less than ideal. We are at a point where Samsung and Amazon largely maintain the market for afloat budget tablets, associated with infinite options of unnamed brands, of which none is worth your time or attention. This can make your choices feel quite limited, but you have the choice between more.

The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro is such a choice. It was announced in CES in January and struck the stores of stores in April, all of this does with very little fanfare. The price of $ 390 is at the upper end of the Android budgetary tablet space, but it is more attractive than flagship products of $ 500 +. The equipment looks good too, but the silent and discreet launch gives the impression that Lenovo lacks confidence in the tablet.

Curious to discover it for myself, I spent the last few weeks to test the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro, and that is not at all what I expected. Lenovo’s TEPID launch strategy could lead you to believe that there is nothing special here, but having used and lived with the tab pro idea, I think it is one of the best budget Android tablets that you can buy now.

There are many things that can go wrong with tablets at a lower cost. Whether it is material, display, performance, battery life, load speeds or software, one of these things usually takes a rear seat to adapt to a low price. But, amazing, this is not the case with the Tab Pro idea.

The quality of construction is what struck me first. The whole body of the tab tab pro idea is constructed in aluminum, and it seems and feels exceptional. It is cool to the touch, the profile of 6.9 mm means that it is easy to grasp, and the frame has shown no signs of flexion or creaking – something that is not always given with cheaper tablets like this.

I was also very happy to find a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button. This is a characteristic that many budgetary Android tablets often give up (even the Pad OnePlus of $ 700 3), but Lenovo has managed to include one in the Tab Pro idea. And it’s great! It is fast, reliable and facilitates unlocking of the tablet or access to a password / bank application manager. Entering a pin for these things is not the end of the world, but I prefer to have a fingerprint sensor for them, and I am happy to have one here.

The screen is even more impressive than the fingerprint sensor. Although I don’t like the size of 12.7 inches (more about it later), all the rest of the screen is excellent. The resolution 2944 x 1840 is sharp, the LCD panel produces pleasant colors and the 400 nits of maximum brightness are sufficient for normal use.

You will probably not want to use the tab pro idea in direct sunlight, but sitting in a brilliantly lit coffee just through a window, I had no visibility problems. The angles of vision outside axis are not the best, but as long as you do not watch a film at the corner, they should not be a serious problem.

Also seeming to understand that a good display is as good as the speakers that accompany him, Lenovo has piled up a shocking audio experience in the Tab Pro idea. You get a Quad speaker configuration (two on the left setting, two on the right), and it is legitimately incredible for a tablet of less than $ 400. The speakers get Really Loud, so strong that if I have the tablet only 50% volume, I can easily hear it at the opposite end of my 1,000 square feet apartment. At the maximum volume, the tab pro idea looks like a portable bluetooth speaker – and with surprisingly little audio distortion. It’s honestly incredible.

I did not know what to expect from the Mediatek Dimensity 8300 and 8 GB of RAM chip, but the tab pro idea was surprisingly interpreted. Its CPU references under the Legion Tab Gen 3 and OnePlus Pad 3, which is to be expected by considering the two are more expensive. The tab pro idea also marks the weakest GPU stress test in wildlife, but it is also interesting, it was also much cooler throughout.

These weak numbers may seem worrying, but unless you are actively trying to push the tab pro idea to the limit, I don’t think you will have serious performance complaints. The applications open and run without problem, multitasking is not a problem and the YouTube 2160p videos play without a hitch. Even by playing a few laps of Call of Duty: mobile to very high graphics and high image frequency parameters, the tab pro idea manages it as a champion.

And the battery? The use of tablets may vary madly from person to person. As a person who enters the Idea Pro tab a handful of times a day to watch a video, scroll Reddit or play a few laps: mobile, I can generally spend five days before having to charge.

Watching a 2160p Youtube video is drained at 10% after an hour, while the IDEA tab barely loses a battery of 1% while being inactive during the night. And when it is time for recharging, the 45W wirmed load speeds mean that you return to a full battery in about two hours with a compatible USB -C power delivery charger – not at all too shabby.

I have slightly more mixed feelings about Lenovo Idea Tab Tab Pro software, although most is a positive experience. Lenovo’s Zui skin has some visual adjustments compared to Android “Stock”, but for the most part, it is a clean and familiar interface. Google’s entertainment space lives on the left of your main home screen, there is a shared and floating screen multitasking, and you can slide up to see the platform of your application at any time.

I was also surprised by the quantity of additional (and useful) goodies that Lenovo throws on the original Android experience. My favorite is the PC mode, which transforms the usual Android user interface into an office arrangement in the same style as Samsung Dex. It is well appointed, allows a more advanced multitasking and is an excellent option to have if you plan to use the Tab Pro idea with a keyboard accessory.

This “take” mentioned above is Lenovo’s update policy. The tab pro idea is shipped with Android 14 of the box, is now upgraded to Android 15, and will end up be updated on Android 16. But once Android 16 arrives, it is the last upgrade of the operating system that the IDEA tab will never be seen. You will get security fixes longer (four years in total), but that does not excuse the limited number of updates to the Android operating system.

At the bare minimum, the tab pro idea should be supported via Android 17, and, if we are honest, even Android 18. Calling it after updating the pro tab to the Android version of this year is not an adequate support and is objectively the worst thing about the tablet differently of Lenovo.

Although this update policy is the biggest objective problem with the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro, I have a more personal problem that I want to mention before concluding things. The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro has a 12.7 -inch screen and weighs 620 grams. If you ask me, it’s too large and too heavy for the ideal tablet shape factor.

Although the big screen is ideal for watching movies, it can make certain game commands on the screen a little clumsy, and this makes Android applications not optimized all the more obvious and irritating to interact. And for a context of weight, the body of 620 grams is much heavier than the tablets such as the Galaxy Tab S10 Fe and Google Pixel tablet (497 grams and 493 grams, respectively) – and you feel it after keeping the Tab Pro idea for too long.

I don’t think it’s a dealbraker for the tablet, but it’s something to keep in mind. A slightly smaller screen and a lighter construction would greatly contribute to the tab pro idea a more comfortable and welcoming tablet, and I hope it is something that Lenovo addresses if it releases a second generation model.

Even with bulky design and update policy, I have always been really satisfied with the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro. It is a well-made Android tablet with an excellent screen, exceptional speakers, solid performance, reliable battery life, fast load and good software experience. It is even delivered with a free and sensitive stylus to the pressure at the back of the tablet.

The TAB Pro Pro Idea will cost you $ 390 if you buy directly from Lenovo, but if you get it on Amazon, it is available for $ 380 and is delivered with a free folio case. Given all that the tab pro idea has is a fairly exceptional price.

What are your alternatives? The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 Plus ($ 219.99 on Amazon) is a little cheaper, but it also has a lower quality screen, a lower chipset, less internal storage and a much slower load. This is a solid option for the price, but you also get what you pay.

Tab legion of Lenovo Gen 3 ($ 549.99 in Lenovo) is also worth considered. It is more expensive, but it also has a much smaller display, a more manageable design and much more power. If you want a compact and powerful Android tablet, it is one of the best options on the market, but it is not as well suited to watch television / films, and it is a lower overall value proposition.

If you want a large Android tablet of less than $ 400 with an excellent display, noisy speakers and good performance and a battery life, I cannot think of any other tablet which is a better deal than the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro. It may not be perfect, but at this price, it’s damn close.