The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11: A Family Entertainment Tablet With a Unique Twist?
The Android tablet market has been struggling to regain its momentum, with fewer manufacturers focusing on this segment. However, Lenovo is pushing forward with its Yoga Tab series, designed for entertainment and family use. The latest addition, the Yoga Tab 11, features a unique design, powerful quad speakers, and a large 2K display. But does it deliver on its promise of an immersive entertainment experience? We put the Yoga Tab 11 through its paces to see if it’s worth its price tag.
Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 Price and Variants
The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is currently available in India in a single configuration: 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. It comes in just one color, Storm Gray. The tablet has an MRP of Rs. 40,000, but it’s often available for Rs. 29,999.
The top half of the Yoga Tab 11’s back panel features a fabric material, adding a unique tactile texture.
Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 Design
The Yoga Tab series is known for its distinctive design, and the Yoga Tab 11 continues this trend. The tablet resembles an open book folded over from the side, echoing the design of previous models. This unique shape allows for a cylindrical element at the bottom when held in landscape mode, providing a secure grip in either hand. The cylindrical element features a mesh design and houses two speakers.
The back also features an integrated kickstand, a welcome addition as many tablets require aftermarket accessories for this functionality. The kickstand offers a wide range of angles, making it easy to position the Yoga Tab 11 on a table or other surfaces.
The integrated kickstand provides convenience, allowing the Yoga Tab 11 to be propped up at any angle.
The right side of the tablet houses a USB Type-C port, power and volume buttons, and a Nano-SIM slot for cellular connectivity. Lenovo thoughtfully distinguishes the power button from the volume buttons by adding a textured finish. The tablet also features two additional speakers (one on each side), bringing the total to four. Two microphones are located at the top, near the 8-megapixel selfie camera. The 11-inch display has uniform bezels, which are large enough to provide a comfortable grip without accidentally touching the screen.
The back of the tablet has a two-tone design: the top half is covered with fabric material, while the bottom half is made of plastic. The fabric section houses the single 8-megapixel camera. The Yoga Tab 11 weighs around 650g, making its weight noticeable when holding it.
Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 Specifications and Software
The Yoga Tab 11 boasts a large 11-inch display with a 2000×1200 pixel resolution. It uses an IPS TDDI panel with 400 nits of brightness and support for Dolby Vision, offering a vibrant and immersive viewing experience.
The right side of the tablet houses all the buttons and ports.
Powering the Yoga Tab 11 is the MediaTek Helio G90T processor, paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which can be expanded using a microSD card. While an 8GB RAM variant with 256GB of storage is available internationally, it’s not currently available in India.
Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, and Wi-Fi. The Yoga Tab 11 packs a large 7,500mAh battery and includes a 20W charger in the box.
The tablet runs Android 11 with minimal customization from Lenovo. It was running the July Android security patch at the time of review, which is somewhat outdated. The tablet comes pre-loaded with a few Google and Microsoft apps, along with Netflix. Google’s Entertainment Space and Kids’ Space apps are also available, providing dedicated environments for entertainment and children’s content.
Entertainment Space can be accessed with a simple swipe right from the home screen. It features three tabs: Watch, Games, and Read. The Watch tab pulls content from supported apps, allowing users to discover new content without navigating individual apps. While YouTube and Amazon Prime are included, Netflix is currently missing from Entertainment Space. The Games tab provides shortcuts to preinstalled games and suggests other games from the Play Store. The Read tab offers recommendations for content from Google Play Books.
The tablet has gesture navigation enabled by default, but users can choose to use the standard three-button navigation layout instead. The Yoga Tab 11 also features face recognition, albeit with inconsistent performance.
Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 Performance and Battery Life
Lenovo’s UI feels clean and smooth during use. I didn’t experience any lag while navigating the Yoga Tab 11. App loading times were acceptable, and multitasking between a few apps was manageable. However, sometimes apps would reload upon opening, indicating that they didn’t stay in memory in the background.
The display boasts good viewing angles and sufficient brightness for indoor use. Users can adjust the color output and color temperature to their preference. The quad speaker system with Dolby Audio was impressively loud, filling a small room with sound, and delivering surprisingly good bass.
The Yoga Tab 11 features four powerful speakers.
The stainless steel kickstand, though not visually appealing at first, proved immensely practical for watching videos. The Yoga Tab 11 could be propped up at multiple angles on a table or even a bed, offering flexibility for comfortable viewing. This feature is a significant advantage for those seeking a tablet primarily for entertainment.
Benchmarks reveal the Yoga Tab 11’s performance capabilities. It scored 290,180 points in AnTuTu and achieved 470 and 1,608 in Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. In 3DMark’s graphics benchmark, the Yoga Tab 11 scored 3,297 points, indicating adequate performance for casual gaming.
I tested the tablet’s gaming capabilities by running Battlegrounds Mobile India. The game ran smoothly at HD graphics and high frame rate settings, without any lag or stutter. However, the large size of the tablet makes it less comfortable for extended gaming sessions. After 23 minutes of gameplay, the battery level dropped by 6%, which is acceptable for this level of performance.
The Yoga Tab 11 features an 8-megapixel primary camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. While the camera app is basic, offering only a few shooting modes, the selfie camera boasts a wide field of view, making it ideal for video calls. The rear camera captures photos of average quality.
Battery life on the Yoga Tab 11 was excellent, lasting for 3-4 days per full charge. My daily usage consisted of watching YouTube videos, browsing Reddit, and playing casual games for about three hours. The tablet’s low idle power drain significantly contributes to its long battery life. The supplied 20W charger charges the tablet to 25% in half an hour and 50% in an hour. It takes just over two hours for a full charge.
Verdict
The Yoga Tab 11 launched in India shortly after the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro, targeting a different segment of the tablet market. The Yoga Tab 11 offers a solid foundation, with a crisp display, powerful speakers, and a long-lasting battery. While the integrated kickstand might seem like a gimmick, it proves surprisingly useful in real-world scenarios.
For those seeking a tablet for entertainment purposes, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is a strong contender. It excels in providing an immersive multimedia experience and performs admirably for casual gaming.
However, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, which is priced similarly, presents a viable alternative and includes a stylus. For users within the Apple ecosystem, the Apple iPad (9th Gen) should also be considered.
Ultimately, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is a good option for those looking for a tablet that offers entertainment features in a unique and practical package.
