Unlike the Yoga Tablet 2, the Lenovo Tab S8 presents a tablet in a standard style that everyone is used to.
Design
The front is dominated by a large 8-inch screen with a resolution of 1200 x 1920 pixels and a pixel density of 283 per inch, which is more than enough for most users. Additional space formed due to a somewhat strange attitude of the parties is reserved for the control keys of the Android OS. On tablets, it has become commonplace to have the back, home, and multitasking buttons. All of them, when pressed, give a strong tactile feedback. Also on both sides of the device there are forward-facing speakers, which came as a pleasant surprise and put the tablet one step higher than the iPad Mini 3 or Air 2.
And finally, on the front panel of the Lenovo Tab S8-50LC is a 1.6-megapixel front camera. It can shoot 720p video and allows you to talk on Skype, but you can’t expect high-quality selfies here.
The back surface is soft and slightly rubberized. Therefore, the tablet is nice to hold, and in the hands it lies a little more reliable. The rear camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels and is capable of shooting HD-video in 1080p format. There is also a LED flash, which is very rare in tablets, so it's nice that Lenovo did not stint on it.
And finally, the Intel logo inside. Yes, that's right, the heart of the tablet is an Intel processor.
Control Keys and Connectors
On the edge, at the top, is a 3.5mm jack for the included standard headset. Headphones from iPhone and Android are suitable for it, but Sony DNC do not work with it. This is insulting, but understandable, since they use a non-standard five-pole plug, in contrast to the usual three-pole.
On the right side of the Lenovo Tab S8 LTE is a button to turn on or activate the screen. Below is the volume key. One end is different from the other, which allows you to feel the difference if necessary.
Closer to the bottom is a microphone and micro-USB port. This is the only way to recharge the battery, as the model’s wireless power supply technology, unfortunately, is not supported.
Finally, on the left side is a microSD card slot. The 4G version also has a SIM slot.
Equipment
The following are some basic tablet specifications:
- display: 8.0 inches, IPS, 1200 x 1920 pixels, 283 dpi;
- chip: quad-core Z3745 Intel Atom, 1.86 GHz;
- ROM, GB: 16;
- RAM, GB: 2;
- memory card: MicroSD with a capacity of up to 32 GB;
- Dolby Digital Plus sound enhancement system;
- Bluetooth version v4.0;
- Battery: Non-removable 4290 mAh Li-Ion
- Geolocation: GPS with A-GPS;
- camera: 3264 x 2448 pixels, 8 megapixels, LED flash, autofocus;
- front camera: 720p, 1.6 MP;
- Wi-Fi 802.11;
- dimensions, mm: 123.8 x 209.8 x 7.9;
- mass, g: 299.
Performance
Tablets with an Intel processor are not so common. And he impresses. The device is quite well positioned among competitors.
This is not a Tegra K1 or Snapdragon 801, but the Intel Atom performance is not inferior to the Snapdragon 400 processor in the Nexus 7, and even a little better. The following are the results of some performance tests:
- Quadrant: 13012.
- Antutu: 31567.
- Sunspider: 761.5 ms.
Thus, the Lenovo Tab S8-50LC shows performance comparable to devices like the Tesco Hudl 2, Xperia Z3, Nexus 9 and Xperia Z3. The closest competitor is a tablet also with a chipset from Intel - Tesco Hudl2. S8 even beat him in the Antutu test. Tab S8 is energetic in every way. Animation runs smoothly. Users playing Real Racing 3 did not experience any delays. This is all good, as some were worried about some delays when playing 1080p video. However, after a reboot, this problem was resolved and never recurred.
Graphics
The screen quality of the Lenovo Tab S8-50LC 8 ”was a bit disappointing. Since this is an IPS display, it is clear that it is not the same everywhere. Viewing the image from the side does not cause problems, but when tilted up or down, a fairly clear white border is noticeable, distorting the graphics. This is a big drawback, although otherwise the screen is very good and, in terms of layout and pixel density, more convenient than the compact Xperia Z3 tablet.
Users who have previously had experience with the Intel Atom microprocessor with Windows 8.1 previously note that it interacts much better with the Android OS. This indicates that Intel has worked hard to ensure that the transition to a new platform is successful.
Speakers
Support for Dolby software for the two front speakers suggests that Lenovo can produce decent sound. And this is true, though with some reservations. The maximum volume is good, but the speakers quickly begin to sound “overloaded”. The bass is palpable and audible, and apparent weakness at mid frequencies can be balanced with the Dolby equalizer. Thus, you can still achieve very good sound.
Power consumption
The minimum power consumption of the Lenovo S8 is relatively large and equal to 1.9 watts. Sony's Xperia Z3 only consumes 0.6 watts, for example. But in general, the tablet is more unpretentious than its competitors. Maximum power consumption does not exceed 7.2 watts.
The battery has a much lower capacity than some of the more expensive devices: 16.3 watts-hours is rather scarce compared to the 25 watts of the Nexus 9 battery. Nevertheless, Lenovo provides a longer battery life than the Google tablet, because it has a smaller screen and overall energy efficiency works better. The absolute winner in this comparison is the Xperia Z3, whose battery life is 28% longer than the model in question. However, the S8 allows over 10 hours of web surfing via Wi-Fi.
Software
Despite the availability of good hardware, one simple thing can destroy everything, and this is software. The Lenovo Tab S8 tablet runs on Android 4.4.2 without a clearly specified update method. However, with the acquisition of Motorola, this is probably not the case. In addition, on top of the operating system, Lenovo decided to add a heavy user interface that significantly changes the look of the tablet. Owners who previously had a sad experience with similar GUIs did not experience enthusiasm. Nevertheless, he has a number of features.
Lenovo's user interface provides several benefits. For example, the video player has interesting controls that allow you to adjust the brightness and volume by moving your finger across the screen to the left or right. It's nice. But there are many duplicate applications. A prime example is browsers. There are three of them: ASOP, Chrome and UC Browser. There is no need for this, because they do not add anything new, but only interfere. There is also an “app” Games app, which is actually just a link to access the Play Store. The Lenovo Tab S8-50LC 16GB calendar has also been duplicated - the user version, in comparison with the Google program, does not give anything new. Only a few programs turned out to be really useful. One of them is the file manager, which allows you to optimize the data storage on the microSD card. However, if you do not want to use the Lenovo Tab S8 interface, you can always install another one.
Cameras
The Lenovo Tab S8 16GB tablet has two cameras. The front resolution of 2 megapixels allows you to record HD-video format 720p. Back - with 8 megapixels and the ability to shoot video in 1080p format. She does everything that can be expected from modern optics on a tablet. The camera interface is Google’s clean software, so it’s very easy to use, but if you really need to take something off, it’s better to do yourself a favor and use the phone.
According to the owners of the tablet, the shooting results are rather mediocre and are not capable of shaking anything. They are suitable for Facebook and other social networks, but for printing are not very high quality.
Verdict
In general, users positively evaluate the Lenovo Tab S8 tablet. It really packs a lot at a relatively low price. The device looks great and feels in the hand, it has a clear screen, excellent performance, decent battery life, front-oriented speakers and low cost. At the same time, the tablet does not have an oleophobic coating, the screen has a yellowish tint, and the data transfer speed via the USB port leaves much to be desired.
Of course, the Tesco Hudl 2 costs less. But Lenovo offers slightly better specs in terms of cameras and sizes. If the screen was better, then the gadget could compete with some higher-end devices, such as Samsung S Tab 8.4 or Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.
If you need an inexpensive and lightweight tablet, then the owners recommend purchasing the Lenovo Tab S8, despite the availability of other, cheaper options. You just need to be prepared to change the user interface.