[Device Reviews and Information] Jupit3r:
The good:

1. Solid build quality.

2. Vibrant, clear and sharp display.

3. MicroSD card support.

4. Amazing battery life.

5. Productivity Mode (PC Mode) is good for office tasks.

The bad:

1. Performance isn’t the best.

2. No fingerprint reader on the Tab P11.

Yes, Android tablet is still a thing in 2020, and we’ve seen a variety of slates being released this year. From solid entry-level slates like the Alldocube iPlay30, to versatile midrange devices like the Honor V6, then to the most cutting-edge powerhouses like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, consumers with different budgets could all find the right tablet for themselves.

Lenovo released two Android tablets recently: Lenovo Tab P11 and Tab P11 Pro. The Pro Edition was clearly more celebrated because of its fabulous 11.5-inch OLED display, quad JBL speakers and Snapdragon 730G processor. But both of them come with decent specs for their price tags, and have the potential of being real contenders.

Before we start, I have to say that I bought both tablets, one for myself, and the other for my partner, as they are extremely cheap here in China: the P11 Pro retails for RMB1,999.00 ($305), and the P11 is as cheap as RMB1,299.00($198). So, this review is NOT paid or sponsored in any way, and everything I have written here is based on my real experience.

Impressive design

Both the Tab P11 and Tab P11 pro look neat and elegant. The metallic rear and slim build give the slates an air of luxury.

The P11 has bigger bezels, and is also thicker than the P11 Pro does, but both still look like 2020 tablets which could easily blow the Huawei Matepad 10.8 out of the water in terms of aesthetics.

The Tab P11 Pro has a frosted aluminum back, which makes it feel much more premium than its tag would suggest. Apart from the Dolby Atomos Logo, the camera lens and LED are the only distractions. It’s incredibly clean, simple, and stylish. The P11’s back side looks a little bit more interesting, as half of it is actually plastic. According to Lenovo, the main goal of this design is to allow better WiFi reception, rather than saving cost.

Both tablets have 3 physical buttons: power/standby, volume+, volume-. The power key of the Tab P11 Pro also serves as a fingerprint reader, which makes unlocking the screen a lot easier. Both tablets support 2D face unlock, which is almost as fast as fingerprint recognition, although definitely less secure. The P11 Pro has an infrared camera, which works like a charm in low light conditions. The standard P11 doesn’t have one and, as a result, its front camera often struggles to recognize my partner’s face in low light, and he constantly has to turn to PIN to unlock the screen.

Both tablets have a multi-function USB-C port, which can be used for charging, data transmission, video and audio output. The P11 Pro’s Type-C port is of USB3.1 standard, which allows faster data transfer than the USB2.0 Type-C port on the P11. Also, both of them have a MicroSD card slot which supports cards up to 512GB. Neither tablet has a 3.5mm audio jack, if you intend on using wired headphones on them, you will need an adapter. Fortunately, the Tab P11 Pro comes with one, while the cheaper Tab P11 does not.

The P11 and P11 Pro each has a pogo pin port on its bottom side, which can be connected to their respective official keyboard case. The tablets also support stylus with 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity. I haven’t got one yet because both the official pen and keyboards are out of stock in China.

The build quality of the Tab P11 Pro is extremely solid, and could even rival much more expensive slates such as the iPad Air 4, the Galaxy Tab S7, and the Huawei MatePad Pro. The P11 does feel less premium than the Pro edition, due to its bigger bezels and slightly thicker body, but it still feels a lot studier than other tablets in the same price range, such as the Honor Pad 6 and Teclast M40.

Screen and Sound

Both tablets have wonderful displays.

The Tab P11 Pro sports a gorgeous 11.5-inch OLED display with Dolby Vision and HDR10. Resolution clocks in at 2,560 by 1,600, for 214 pixels per inch (PenTile). With deep, inky blacks and rich colors, the display is really a joy to look at, and the screen has a brightness level of up to 500nit.

The Tab P11’s 11-inch, 2000*1200px IPS LCD panel is undoubtedly less impressive when compared to the Pro edition, but it’s still a good-enough display for almost any scenario. Somehow I even find the P11’s display better suited for reading.

Both tablets come with quad speakers, but the P11 Pro’s JBL certified speakers are not only louder, but offer deeper bass, fuller and more layered midrange, and brighter treble. With that said, even the built-in speakers of the standard P11 can easily beat average laptops in terms of volume and overall sound quality. Even my HP Elitebook 745G, which sported a Bang&Olufsen speaker, delivers smaller and tinnier sound than the Tab P11.