Lenovo Tab P11 Professional Evaluation: The Subsequent Finest Factor

The pill market has successfully been a three-horse race for the previous few years, with Apple’s iPads because the default for most individuals, Amazon’s Fireplace slates serving because the go-to inexpensive choice that’s additionally nice for teenagers and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab line because the pure different for individuals who merely don’t need both of the opposite two.

There are different gamers within the area, although, and Lenovo is seeking to take a bigger slice of the pie if its intentions with the Tab P11 Professional are something to go by.

Design and construct

The Tab P11 Professional encompasses a exactly completed aluminium unibody that’s solely 5.8mm skinny (excluding the digital camera bump). It feels sturdy, regardless of its svelte profile, and presents refined sophistication with a dual-tone again end and polished chamfers round parts like the amount controls and digital camera encompass.

At 485 grams, it’s lighter than even some smaller-screened rivals, making it simpler than you’d count on to wield for prolonged intervals of time, with out having to set it down for wrist breaks.

Name it imitation or inspiration in mild of
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 collection however the bare P11 Professional is a well-built, well-proportioned and smart-looking slate that will work simply as nicely in knowledgeable setting as it will as an on a regular basis tab, round the home.

Equipment

By way of use instances, a part of the P11 Professional’s attraction comes from the extra equipment that Lenovo has paired with its latest pill. The unit I examined was equipped with each the devoted keyboard cowl and the Lenovo Precision Pen 2 however – like
Microsoft’s Floor 2-in-1s – count on to fork out more money to be able to profit from the higher versatility these extras convey.

To Lenovo’s credit score, the keyboard cowl encompasses a thought-about design that, fortunately, doesn’t really feel like an afterthought. The extent of match and end, and the supplies used, complement the P11 Professional’s aesthetics; dressing the Tab in a gray woven fibre that works nicely in opposition to its bead-blasted metallic sheen.

Much less of a case and extra of a sandwich, the keyboard portion magnetically attaches to the pogo-pin connections alongside the Tab’s base and stays in place utilizing but extra magnets; defending the display screen when not in use. The again cowl additionally attaches magnetically however is cleverly designed, letting you utilize sufficient power to bend out the built-in hinged kickstand, with out the entire thing merely coming off in your hand.

The keys supply a satisfying quantity of journey and there’s additionally a responsive multi-touch trackpad on-hand, full with devoted keys that play good with an Android consumer expertise.

Show and audio

The primary speaking level of the P11 Professional is with out query its 11.5in 2K OLED Dolby Imaginative and prescient-capable show.

Contemplating virtually each earlier Lenovo pill has opted for an LCD panel of some kind, the change to each a superior show expertise and a better decision means the viewing expertise, by comparability, is worlds aside. The P11 Professional’s display screen doles out richer colors and higher distinction with true blacks, leading to visuals which are nearer in high quality to that of the aforementioned Tab S7 collection.

The max 500nit brightness show presents nice visibility, even outdoor, with reflectivity being the most important problem in such eventualities. Lenovo didn’t go as far as to drop in a excessive refresh charge expertise – within the vein of Professional Movement as on Apple’s iPads – however regardless of not feeling fairly as cutting-edge in consequence, its absence will solely actually be felt by avid gamers.

Regardless of the elective keyboard cowl, the show’s 16:10 side ratio pushes the needle in direction of leisure over productiveness, with nearly all of movies you’re prone to watch on the Professional filling many of the display screen. These after a slate to make use of as a workhorse before everything could desire the three:2 association favoured by Microsoft’s Surfaces.

The opposite key aspect of the P11 Professional’s display screen is its elective stylus assist. When paired with the smart-looking Precision Pen 2, you get 4096 ranges of stress sensitivity, respectable latency and the pill comes pre-loaded with the likes of Wacom’s Bamboo Paper app.

The collective impact is a slate-and-pen combo that’s outfitted to deal with digital inking of the occasional sketch or the jotting down of a word or two, however whereas this setup would possibly work as a primary artist’s instrument or for rudimentary note-taking, the expertise isn’t anyplace close to as well-executed or refined as that of the Apple Pencil and even the pairing of Samsung Galaxy Tab and S Pen.

Audio

The leisure focus is strengthened by the inclusion of a quad stereo speaker association that doles out a shocking quantity of element all through its vary, full with spectacular bass response (contemplating the pill’s skinny profile) and clear stereo separation.

Total loudness is respectable too, with out concern of distortion on the high finish, and whereas motion pictures and exhibits are seemingly the perfect match for the audio {hardware} on the P11 Professional, issues don’t collapse should you use it to play music or just make and take voice/video calls through the likes of Zoom.

The caveat to the audio commendations right here is the whole lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack. Should you’re in search of a pill to maintain your youngster entertained behind the automobile or when you’re in any other case listening to one thing else (or simply want some peace and quiet), the Lenovo may not be a super match.

Except you’ve additionally paid out for a pair of Bluetooth or USB-C headphones, any current 3.5mm cans or buds would require an adapter, which on a pill like this, looks as if pointless trouble/price.

It’s value mentioning that some further management is afforded to you through the Dolby Atmos app, however to be able to profit from full assist for the expertise, you might want to know the place to look, with solely particular companies like Tidal, providing appropriate content material.

Software program and options

Android as a pill consumer expertise doesn’t have the perfect observe report – it’s horrible, the truth is. For no matter cause, Google has all the time struggled to have Android translate to the bigger, predominantly panorama orientation that the majority tablets accommodate and whereas strides are actively being made to enhance the scenario, there’s nonetheless clearly work to be carried out.

Android 10 (word, not the newest launch of model 11) because it exists on the Tab P11 Professional operates in two states; the usual Android expertise and what Lenovo calls ‘Productiveness Mode’ which prompts mechanically when connecting the keyboard cowl to the pill, in any other case it may be manually switched on throughout the slate’s settings.

Productiveness mode is basically Lenovo’s try at “fixing” the Android pill consumer expertise by making it behave extra like Home windows or Mac OS. There’s a taskbar that exhibits working functions and newly-opened apps launch in floating home windows that may be dragged across the display screen; should you’ve encountered something like Samsung’s DeX expertise, Lenovo’s taken an analogous strategy right here.

The problems that come up are partly because of Android’s personal foibles as a pill OS however some blame additionally lands on Lenovo’s shoulders. Collectively, whereas the idea is stable, some apps simply don’t work nicely on an Android slate, both refusing to rotate, scaling incorrectly or just bugging out in use.

There are additionally bugs and formatting points that appear particular to productiveness mode, which undermine the great intentions Lenovo clearly had with the characteristic.

Past its quirks, the P11 Professional is not less than set-up out the field to function as a household pill, with youngster sign-up constructed into the preliminary setup course of and the likes of the Google Children app pre-installed.

Efficiency

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 730G SoC runs the present, paired with 6GB of RAM. It’s collectively middle-of-the-road {hardware} meaning the P11 Professional isn’t outfitted for high-end cell gaming however nonetheless delivers sufficient clout to energy the windowed multitasking of Productiveness Mode with out fear.

The mannequin examined additionally consists of 4G LTE mobile connectivity – should you determine to pair it with a appropriate SIM – which could attraction to these after just a little mild productiveness on-the-go.

Battery life

As for longevity, there’s an 8600mAh battery tucked away contained in the P11 Professional’s skinny body. Lenovo guarantees as much as 15 hours of use on a full cost, however as ever, pill utilization can differ wildly below real-world situations, to not point out the Professional’s proclivity for media consumption will seemingly end in a shorter lifespan than acknowledged.

In testing, the slate’s battery dropped 23% throughout a two-hour Zoom name, with the show fastened at 50% brightness. Factoring in microphone and digital camera utilization on high of the show having to stay on would prolong to a complete of eight hours name time on a single cost, which means Lenovo’s quoted most longevity doesn’t appear fully outlandish, if just a little formidable.

Whereas the pill comes bundled with a 20W USB-C charger, the system itself really tops out at 18W quick charging, which means half-hour plugged in fills the cells again as much as round 25%, with an entire recharge taking roughly two hours and quarter-hour.

With all this in thoughts, the Lenovo Tab P11 Professional would seemingly see most customers by a day of common use; checking emails, watching movies and permitting for some gentle productiveness, however seemingly gained’t have the stones battery-wise to permit customers to go away the charger at dwelling.

Digicam

Generally, taking photographs utilizing a pill is a technological fake pas, particularly when there’s each probability the snappers on the cellphone in your pocket are prone to be markedly superior.

With the P11 Professional, Lenovo has slapped a shocking quantity of sensors on each the back and front, with a pair of lenses on both sides: twin 8Mp fastened focus cameras on the entrance and a 13Mp autofocus unit on the again, accompanied by a 5Mp fixed-focus module.

The entrance sensors are competent sufficient for video calls however shouldn’t be relied upon for Instagram-worthy selfies, whereas the rear digital camera system is purposeful in all however low mild. There’s additionally a notable white steadiness shift when shifting to the ultrawide sensor, which undermines its usefulness considerably.

As a part of the pill’s “AI Expertise Middle” characteristic set, the twin front-facers ought to facilitate synthetic background blur in supported apps throughout video calls, nonetheless, in follow, it was unclear learn how to even activate this characteristic, or uncover which apps have been appropriate with it.

Video tops out at Full HD at 60fps, for these which are curious, with the entire setup’s most beneficial asset being the built-in document-scanning mod – an unexciting however purposeful inclusion.

Value and availability

In an analogous vein to Microsoft’s Floor line, if you wish to leverage all that the Lenovo Tab P11 Professional has to supply, you’ll must fork out for the extra keyboard cowl (£84.99, when bought individually) and Precision Pen 2 (£47.99, when bought individually), on high of the pill’s personal £499.99 asking value.

Should you’re available in the market for a stable media pill, then Samsung’s extra inexpensive Galaxy Tab choices will seemingly match the invoice for much less money, whereas forking out on the additional equipment would finest be carried out with a extra succesful (though admittedly dearer) slate, like Apple’s iPad Air or both entry within the Galaxy Tab S7 household.

Should you’re not a fan of the options, nonetheless, the Tab P11 Professional is accessible proper now from
Lenovo’s personal web site, though you’ll have to purchase the equipment individually. Fortunately,
Amazon has simply began promoting the bundle examined right here, which incorporates the keyboard and pen for £599.99.

Verdict

Lenovo has tried to place the Tab P11 Professional as its all-singing, all-dancing flagship slate and throughout the confines of the corporate’s different present tablets, it’s definitely that, however in opposition to opponents from a wider web, its attraction turns into just a little extra area of interest.

Regardless of providing a characteristic set to facilitate leisure, productiveness and inventive use, in addition to serving itself up as a kid-friendly slate on the facet, its pure strengths are unquestionably in media consumption before everything.

Decide up the Tab P11 Professional for its excellent show, stable quad-speaker setup and its respectable battery life, however keep away from it should you’re unprepared to take care of its problematic consumer expertise quirks, weak stylus performance and the added price of the additional equipment that unlock its full potential.