Lenovo Tab M10 Plus (Gen 3) review: nice and affordable entertainment tablet

During the announcement of the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus (Gen 3), we said to the editors, “this is a tablet to keep an eye on”. The tablet gets better specifications across the board compared to the Tab M10 FHD Plus. In addition, the tablet will immediately appear with Android 12 and will also receive an update to Android 13. I have therefore tested the tablet for a while and in this review you will find out what this third generation of the Lenovo Tab M10 series has to offer. .

Lenovo Tab M10 Plus (Gen 3)

The Lenovo Tab M10 Plus (third generation) is a mid-range tablet and has a 10.6-inch screen, four speakers, an audio jack and two 8 MP cameras. For this review I was allowed to use the variant with 64 GB storage.

Specifications

Screen and design

The third generation of the Tab M10 Plus has a 10.61 inch LCD screen and a Full HD resolution, which is not standard in this price range. So a plus. In addition, the Android tablet comes with fine screen edges and a screen-to-body ratio of 85 percent. The brightness of the panel is 400 nits.

During the test period, I enjoyed reading books, listening to music, watching films and series and playing games on the device, and that works extremely well on the large screen. Don’t expect a premium screen, the pixel density of the LCD screen is only 220 ppi. But for this price range, the screen is more than adequate.

Just like the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook, this Android tablet also has two colors on the back. Not only does it look classy, ​​it also feels good. Furthermore, there are two loudspeakers on the left and right side. The power button is on the left and volume buttons in the top edge on the left. A fingerprint scanner is missing. There is an input for an SD card and a 3.5mm connection for your headphones. This variant does not have 4G support, so you have to make a hotspot with your smartphone on the way to binge watch your favorite series.

Performance and battery life

The Lenovo Tab M10 Plus runs on the MediaTek G80 processor, a logical choice for a tablet from the low price segment. There is a variant with 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB storage. Personally, I would go for at least 64 GB. This way you have enough storage for the coming years.

In daily use, you can use the Tab M10 Plus to watch Netflix, YouTube, browse the internet and edit Google Docs. Thanks to the DRM-L1 certification, you can also stream the content in high resolution on the 10.6-inch screen.

The tablet sometimes has trouble with the somewhat heavier tasks. Then it takes a little longer before you can start an app or save a document. The Tab M10 Plus is no match for graphics-heavy games either. Gamers and multitaskers are better off turning to the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro or Lenovo Tab P12 Pro. But for the aforementioned tasks, and especially streaming, this Android tablet is very suitable.

The tablet can work for 12 hours on a single battery charge and it has a 7700 mAh battery. In practice, the tablet lasted longer, up to about 15 hours. So very good! The supplied 10W charger, on the other hand, disappoints. It takes hours before the tablet is charged again. It is better to purchase a 20W charger.

Sound

The four speakers on the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 support Dolby Atmos sound effects. They are distributed on the left and right sides. This results in true stereo sound with a maximum volume of more than 84 dB. The sound of the Lenovo Tab is delivered over the mids and highs, while the super highs have a harder time. The lower frequencies and basses are also difficult to perceive. For the price range, the sound is adequate across the board.

You can connect headphones via Bluetooth 5.0, via the 3.5mm audio jack or via the USB-C port. The Tab M10 Plus supports AAC, aptX and aptX HD codecs as well as LDAC.

Software

The Lenovo tablet is based on Android 12 and Lenovo combines it with its own user interface. The tablet works with Android’s Entertainment Space for tablets, an app that recommends series and movies from various streaming services, similar to Google TV. You’ll find that app on the leftmost screen and I’ve used it a lot. All films, series, YouTube videos, games, books and music are conveniently arranged here.

Google Kids Space is also present and it is especially for children up to 9 years. Google Kids Space allows children to discover all kinds of things on Android tablets that allow them to be creative and develop. The kids have access to apps, books, and videos geared to their age and interests. You can also count on a standard Android experience without many adjustments, which is very nice.

There are also a number of useful extra apps pre-installed such as the FM radio app, Instant Memo, a sound recorder and a tablet center. Here you will find the user manual, as well as some tips and recommendations. There are also third-party apps, but not many. Amazon Music, YouTube Kids and two Microsoft apps.

Updates

At the time of testing, the tablet is at the May 2022 security level and is quite up to date. Google Play system update is on June 2022.

According to Lenovo’s update schedule, the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 will receive software support for security patches until April 2025. Lenovo also indicates that the tablet can expect an update to Android 13 in 2023.

accessories

The Tab M10 Plus 3rd generation is also compatible with Lenovo’s Precision Pen 2 stylus. If you feel like sketching, drawing and the like, you can purchase these separately for 59 euros. The stylus has 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity. Lenovo has not released a keyboard cover for this device, but a bookcase is coming. You can also store the stylus in it.

Conclusion

Lenovo’s third-generation Tab M10 Plus is a great mid-range Android tablet that you can also use with a stylus. The build quality and appearance are very good, the screen is nice and bright and the quad speaker system is sufficiently loud, with good sound quality. The software is again very user-friendly, which I have come to expect from Lenovo, and the update support is better than expected.

Charging itself is not very fast, but the strong battery life makes up for it. For the gamers and multitaskers, the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 will not be a suitable candidate, but all the more so for those who want to use the tablet as a multimedia device. With the third generation of the Tab M10 Plus, they get a very pleasant entertainment tablet for a great price.

Buy Lenovo Tab M10 Plus (Gen 3)

The Lenovo Tab M10 Plus with Wi-Fi and 32 GB and 64 GB storage costs 199 and 219 euros respectively. The variant with 128 GB storage costs 249 euros. The Tab M10 Plus will be available in April in Storm Gray color. The Lenovo Precision Pen 2 is available separately.