Without a doubt for under 250 euros? Due to its strong features and three-year update policy, the Tab M10 Plus has the potential to become a real bestseller, but only when the price drops. For such a cheap tablet with stylus support, this may seem counterintuitive, but there’s a good reason for it.
Lenovo has added a new low-cost multimedia tablet to its Android lineup with the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3; MSRPs start at 249 Euros ($260). Although having four speakers and a 2K IPS display with a respectable resolution, the third-generation M10 Plus only provides a refresh rate of 60 Hz. In exchange, the display may be utilized with the exclusive Lenovo Stylus, which is difficult to find at this price point.
The Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 comes preinstalled with a MediaTek Helio G80 processor. Lenovo provides it with 3 to 6 GB of RAM and 32 to 128 GB of flash storage, which can be increased by up to 1 TB via a microSD memory card, depending on the model version. There is also an LTE version available, although it uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 Processor rather than the Helio SoC. In addition to the 4G access, this results in additional differences, which we’ll discuss in this review.
Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen3
Cortex-A75/A55 graphics adapter, Mediatek Helio G80 8 x 2 GHz processor Mali-G52 MP2 from ARM 4 GB of memory Native pen support, capacitive touchscreen, IPS LCD, TDDI technology, glossy: yes, 60 Hz storage, 10.61 inch 16:10, 2000 x 1200 pixel 220 PPI 64 GB eMMC Flash with 49 GB of empty space.
Power Supply: 53 g (= 1.87 oz/ 0.12 pounds), Weight: 465 g (16.4 oz/ 1.03 pounds).
Cost249 Euros
Case – Lenovo Tab M10 Plus in two colors
The screen-to-body ratio of Lenovo’s mid-range tablet, which is reasonably priced, is a strong 80.3%. The Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 has many enhancements over the Tab M10 Plus Gen 2, beginning with the appearance. The 2022 model has symmetrical screen bezels on all four sides, and the display’s edges are curved. The Lenovo tablet is also refreshingly light for a 10.6-inch gadget, weighing only 465 g and having a thickness of only 7.5 mm.
Storm Gray and Ice Blue are the two-tone options for the metal case. Lenovo uses a sort of matte surface for the top of the rear, similar to the Tab P11 Plus, which provides a decent grip in addition to being a design element that doesn’t significantly affect the case’s rigidity. Matte brushed aluminum makes up the lowest portion. The manufacturer needs to make changes right away because the sticker-covered portions on the metal case are extremely difficult to clean and leave unsightly residues.
Lenovo does not offer an official IP certification for its Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 in contrast to the Tab P11 series. The tablet shouldn’t be used in the rain as a result.
Connectivity – Lenovo tablet with 3.5 mm audio jack
Storage options for the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 include either eMCP or uMCP. This is because the MediaTek Helio G80 is incompatible with the UFS specification. The Lenovo tablet’s internal eMMC 5.1 storage in our Wi-Fi model has a 64 GB capacity. 49 GB are left behind once the operating system has been removed. Those who require more space can use microSD cards that support exFAT to increase the storage by up to 1 TB. The exFAT file format allows files greater than 4 GB to be saved on the storage medium. Nano SIM cards can also be inserted in the card slot by users who select the LTE version.
The Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 has an FM radio, a 3.5 mm audio connector, and a quad speaker setup in both versions. The Lenovo tablet also supports USB OTG and Wi-Fi Display. The USB Type-C interface can then be used to access data, such as for playing back video content. The Lenovo Tab does not come with the proper adaptor that is necessary for this. Using the USB 2.0 interface, other external peripherals can be be attached, including external keyboards.
reader for microSD cards
The most recent SDHC and SDXC standards are supported in the built-in microSD slot. The performance in the Cross Platform Disk test when used with our Angelbird AV PRO V60 reference card is impressive. The Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 can only copy at a speed of 16 MB/s, which is rather slow.
Software – Lenovo Tab M10 Plus with Android 12
The Lenovo tablet is based on Android 12 and has its own user interface added to it. The security updates are relatively current at the time of testing, being at the level of May 2022. The Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 will receive software support for security fixes through April 2025, per the manufacturer’s update matrix. The quantity of further significant Android updates is not provided by Lenovo. The M-series tablet is anticipated to receive Android 13 next year.
Little bloatware and user account control are features of the software, which is based on vanilla Android. The Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 also provides access to Google Kids Space and Entertainment Space. You can monitor the content that is available and establish screen time restrictions using the parental controls of the Family Link app. The 10.6-inch display can stream content in high resolution thanks to the DRM-L1 certification.
Communication and GNSS – Lenovo Tablet with Wi-Fi 5
The Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 Wi-Fi variant we are testing is outfitted with Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 5. In addition to LTE CAT13 and Bluetooth 5.1, the 4G version features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X11 modem. With either tablet model, contactless payments via NFC are not feasible. The Lenovo Tab and the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 work together to deliver a maximum transfer rate of roughly 350 Mb/s, which is acceptable but not very quick.
Cameras – Lenovo Tab M10 Plus with single camera
For owners of the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3, there is a front 8 MP lens with a fixed focus. The front-facing camera is placed above the display, but aside from video calls, you shouldn’t expect much from it. Selfies are fairly soft, and the exposure sometimes doesn’t function properly – notably in portraits. The affordable mid-range tablet’s inability to reproduce fine detail in images is a result of its poor resolution.
Due to its focusing, the rear-facing 8 MP camera with no LED flash offers sharper images, but it is best suited for taking pictures of papers and memos during normal use. Although the photos’ edges are blurry, the center of the images still has decent basic sharpness. The hues didn’t always make an impression on us either. The 8 MP camera’s pictures occasionally have a noticeable red tint.
Although both cameras have the same resolution, the rear-facing lens can capture films at 1080p and 30 frames per second while the selfie camera only offers HD.
Accessories and warranty – Lenovo tablet with charger
A USB cord and a 10-watt modular power converter are included with the midrange tablet. For the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3, Lenovo also provides an optional 20-watt power adaptor. For about 50 Euros (about $52), you can purchase the compatible Lenovo Precision Pen 2 with its 4,096 pressure levels separately. For the cost-effective Tab M variant, a keyboard bundle with a keyboard and trackpad is not offered.
Lenovo offers a 24-month warranty on its tablet in Germany. Additionally, the warranty can be extended for a total of three years, and you can spend roughly 155 euros ($162) to acquire Lenovo Accidental Damage Protection. The latter protects against operational and structural harm brought on by mishaps like drops or liquid spills.
Input devices and handling – Lenovo Tab M10 Plus with stylus support
The screen on the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 supports 10-point multitouch. On the 10.6-inch IPS panel, finger inputs are swiftly implemented. Animations don’t appear as fluid on displays with 60 Hz as they do on those with 90 Hz or more. The experience of typing and drawing also “suffers” from the low refresh rate, in addition to the presentation of material. Lenovo claims that the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 is compatible with the Precision Pen 2 stylus, yet the Lenovo Active Pen 3 is also mentioned in the spec sheet. We are unable to evaluate the performance of the low-cost Lenovo Tab’s stylus input because neither of them are part of our review sample.
Sadly, there is no fingerprint reader on the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3. Nonetheless, under decent lighting, unlocking by biometric facial identification functions consistently and frequently enough. Facial recognition is, however, incredibly unsafe due to the 2D technique, which only functions with the front-facing camera.
Performance – Lenovo tablet with MediaTek SoC
The MediaTek Helio G80, which was created using a 12 nm FinFET manufacturing method, is installed in the non-LTE Tab M10 Plus Gen 3. The chipset contains an ARM Mali-G52 MP2 that operates at up to 950 MHz and has 8 CPU cores split into two clusters (Cortex-A75, Cortex-A55).
Notwithstanding minor stutters during the testing period, the mid-range tablet leaves a good impression in everyday use. Also, despite having 4 GB of RAM, the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 quickly releases opened apps from memory. The M10 model, in contrast, doesn’t have the shoddy performance flaws that the Tab P11 Plus did; overall, Lenovo seems to have done a better job with the Android 12 port this year than it did last.
The budget-friendly mid-range tablet scores admirably in our CPU benchmark suite, but the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 falls short of the performance of the Helio G90T in the Tab P11 Plus, which is its twin. With regard to our comparative devices, the Helio G80 often falls into the lower midrange. The system benchmark for PCMark is also lower than on the Tab P11 Plus by around 30%.
Verdict on the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus
The third-generation Tab M10 Plus from Lenovo is an excellent mid-range Android tablet that supports stylus input. The monitor is lovely and bright, the quad-speaker system is loud enough, and it has a solid build quality and feel. It also has good audio quality. The 7,500 mAh battery contributes to the extremely competitive battery runtimes.
The Tab P11 Plus, which is substantially more powerful, has a richer collection of features, and provides a wider selection of accessories like a keyboard cover, is the primary “issue” with the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3. Nonetheless, the prices of the two Lenovo tablets are comparable. While the Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 does not now exhibit the rough performance deficiencies of the Tab P11 Plus (running Android 11), we believe Lenovo did a better job overall with the Android 12 port and that these disparities are not present.
