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Lenovo has been fully committed to delivering Android tablets which double as smart displays. The company first introduced the concept at CES this year with the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 which transformed into an Alexa-powered smart display when placed in its speaker dock. This time around, the company is bringing back its iconic Yoga Tab design which features a built-in kickstand which allows the new Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab to be be used in a variety of different ways.
The Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab isn’t the most powerful Android tablet out there, but it’s still quite capable. The tablet is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 SoC with a 10.1-inch FHD TFT display, 3/4GB of RAM, 32/64G of storage, a substantial 7,000 mAh battery which can deliver up to 10 hours of video playback, an 8MP rear camera, 5MP front-facing camera, IP52 dust and water resistance to keep it somewhat protected in the kitchen, and 2 2W JBL stereo speakers which offer pretty decent sound for a tablet.
Performance is decent and should allow users to play casual games, but it’s mainly intended for web browsing, endless scrolling through social media, and watching videos on YouTube ad Netflix. The stereo speakers make it the perfect device for media consumption but they also do a pretty good job when using the tablet as a smart display to play music. There’s a good amount of bass for the size and the audio could easily go head-to-head with most $20-$30 Bluetooth speakers that people keep insisting on buying.
Using the Yoga Smart Tab as a smart display isn’t any different than using a Nest Home Hub, except for that fact that you can take it with you everywhere you go. It would have been nice if Lenovo paired the tablet with a magnetic charging cable or a mini dock that you could leave in the kitchen or on your nightstand for easy charging, but the 7,000 mAh battery should be more than enough to keep it powered up for 3-4 days if your main use is as a smart display.
At $249.99, the Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s more than a fair price for a 10-inch tablet which also doubles as a smart display. We’re looking forward to reviewing the tablet when it goes on sale later this month. What’s your take on Lenovo’s new dual-purpose tablet and smart display devices? Should more manufacturers be thinking along the same lines?
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