Lenovo Reveals an Android Tablet That Doubles as a Portable Monitor Leave a comment

For anyone asking themselves about who is still making Android tablets look no further than Lenovo. The company introduced various new Android tablets, one of which features the famed HDMI port that was rumored a while back. The tablet lineup includes the Lenovo Yoga Tab 13, Yoga Tab 11, and Tab P11 Plus. Lenovo also revealed that it updated its affordable tablet lineup, plus there’s a new Lenovo Smart Clock 2 with a wireless charging station.

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 13 is an Android tablet with a micro HDMI port built into the right side of the device. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. There’s a 10,000 mAh battery in there, which should be sizeable enough to use the Yoga Tab 13 as intended—as an external display. The 13-inch display features a 2160 x 1350 resolution and a maximum brightness of 400 nits. There’s a USB-C port for charging and plugging in adapters, but there’s no headphone jack. And though there’s no rear camera, there is a front-facing 8-megapixel camera for video conferencing.

The Yoga Tab 11 is the smaller buddy to the Yoga Tab 13. It hails an 11-inch display with a 2000 x 1200 resolution, plus a MediaTek Helio G90T processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. There’s also a variant with 4GB of memory and 128GB of storage available. The Yoga Tab 11 has a 7700mAh battery and two 8-megapixel rear- and front-facing cameras.

Both new Yoga Tab tablets run Android 11 and are outfitted with soft fabric trim on the back for comfortable handling. They’re compatible with Lenovo’s Precision Pen 2, which is sold separately. There’s also a pop-out aluminum kickstand that lets you position the device in various ways. You can prop it up, extend it out, or even use it to hang the tablets by a hook.

The Lenovo Tab P11 Plus is another Android tablet, though without the built-in kickstand accessory. It has 1n 11-inch IPS LCD display with 2K screen resolution and runs on the same MediaTek Helio G90T Tab processor. There’s a 7700mAh battery inside, and the P11 Plus comes with a keyboard and stylus in the box. It’s available in various configurations, from 4 to 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage.

Lenovo’s entry-level tablets are next in line for a boost. The Lenovo Tab M7 and Tab M8 have officially entered their third generations. The tablets are a bit on the low-end performance spectrum, with the Tab M7 running a MediaTek MT8166 with 2GB of RAM and the Tab M8 running a Media Tek Helio P22T with up to 3GB of RAM. The Tab M8 is available with an optional charging dock, so you can use it as a Google Assistant-led smart display of sorts when you’re not cradling it.

All of the new tablets announced by Lenovo run Google’s Entertainment Space. It’s effectively a launcher that looks and acts like the Google TV interface, with quick access to movies, shows, games, and books in the Play Store. Lenovo was among the manufacturers expected to adopt the content-first layout.

Last but not least in the corral of announcements is the Lenovo Smart Clock 2. It’s a Google Assistant-led smart clock with a 4-inch display and Bluetooth connectivity. There are also hardware buttons on top for muting the microphone and adjusting the volume. Like its predecessor, the Smart Clock 2 is covered in soft fabric and runs only a limited number of commands compared to the full-size Google smart displays. There’s also no camera. There is now a fast-charging wireless charging dock available to pair with it, which will make it a more helpful bedside companion.

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 13 starts at $680 and will be available in July, along with the Tab M7. The Yoga Tab 11 and Tab P11 Plus starts at $320 and $260, respectively, and will be available in August. The Lenovo Tab M8 will arrive in select markets later this year, though not in the U.S. The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 will start at $90 and will be available in September.