Lenovo has worked hard to gain a good reputation in the world of PCs. Recently, the company decided to venture into the wild world of mobile technology. It’s had a few missteps so far, but practice makes perfect and Lenovo has continued to try. Its latest effort is the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+, an upgrade of last year’s Yoga Tablet 10 HD.

Over the past couple weeks, we’ve been using the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ and rounding up our thoughts on it. Per our usual review style, we’ve given you several reviews about specific aspects of the device, and now it’s time to sum it all up in a single review.

Read on for our full review of the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+.

1. Hardware

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ is marketed as a mid-range device, and its hardware that reflects that. The Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ features a 10.1-inch 1920×1080 IPS display, 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage plus microSD card slot, 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera, 9000mAh battery, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and stereo speakers.

Overall, the hardware is average. You won’t find anything too special here.

2. Design and Build Quality

This is where the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ stands out. The tablet features an interesting design with a cylindrical battery and kickstand. The combo sounds like an odd concept, but the ergonomics are well thought out. When holding the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ in portrait orientation, the center of gravity sits in your palm to allow for more comfort and less strain on your delicate finger muscles.

With the kickstand out, you can either set the tablet in a slightly tilted mode for typing or stand it up for optimal viewing. I found myself frequently making use of the viewing position because it’s perfect for watching videos. Not having to hold the device increased my happiness by allowing my hands to be free and able to perform other tasks (like writing this review) while still sating my Netflix addiction.

The build quality is good for a mid-range tablet. Lenovo trimmed the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ with an aluminum border and a swath of cheaper, lighter plastic to cover the majority of the back. The combo works well and feels pretty solid, though the plastic has a bit of flex. Overall, props to Lenovo for thinking through the ergonomics of a tablet and making a device that’s exceptionally functional.

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ design and hardware: flawed potential

3. Display

With Lenovo hyping the display as a major upgrade to the original Yoga Tablet 10 HD, we were hoping for more than we received. While the boost to 1080p is nice, the display still isn’t great. Edges appear jaggy, perhaps moreso than other displays of the same resolution. Colors are a bit off as well, with things just not appearing to pop. Text, in particular, was hard to read.

For occasional video watching, the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+’s display works, but we were left unimpressed with it. Perhaps next time around, Lenovo will get the display right.

4. Software

Abysmal. I’m not altogether feeling like going into the deets again, but rest assured, Lenovo’s added software is a mess. Next time, Lenovo should just stick to stock Android and simply work to keep the device up to date. And launching with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean? Not a wise move.

For more software info, check out the link below.

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ software: a not-so-hot mess

5. Performance

We’ve used Snapdragon 400 devices before, and were pretty happy with how they performed. Unfortunately, the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+’s processor just couldn’t keep up with its large 1080p screen, and most everything was choppy and sluggish. Streaming content hummed along, but anything requiring use of the touchscreen and scrolling was on the slow side. Animations also stuttered a lot, making the device much less pleasurable to use. With a bit more power, Lenovo’s tablet would have been much nicer.

Check out the benchmarks below if you’re interested.

Benchmarks

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ performance: benchmarks vs reality

6. Camera

Simply put, it’s a tablet camera. If you really need to use it, it should get the job done, but don’t expect great results. The rear camera isn’t bad for a tablet, as we’ve seen much worse. The front-facing cam will make sure that you don’t win selfie of the year, but it works just fine for video calls and the like.

7. Battery

This is one area where the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ really shines. Its battery is immense at 9000mAh, and it shows in battery life. With light usage and max brightness, the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ made it through a full five days. Screen-on time is anywhere from six to seven hours, making it great for those who don’t like having to frequently charge.

Overall, two thumbs up on the battery for Lenovo.

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+: for those who don’t like charging

The Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ is a mixed bag. If you’re looking for ergonomic hardware and great battery life, then you won’t find much better. But if performance and software are your main interests, go with something else. It was a bit unfortunate to see a design with so much potential get marred by some poor spec and software choices. For $370, the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ can’t do it all, but we do wish that it would have done some things a bit better.

Perhaps next time around, Lenovo should focus on making its tablet high-end rather than creating a mid-range tablet that simply isn’t enjoyable.

If you are looking to purchase, Lenovo has the 16GB model listed on Amazon for just $350.

Gallery

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New apps need lovin’ too, right? Every day there are thousands of additions to the Google Play Store, but many go unnoticed and never receive the attention they deserve. We’ve shown in the past that this community can discover great apps and propel them to new heights. Our weekly Fresh Meat column highlights new apps with fewer than 100,000 installs. Browse our new Android app picks below and let us know which ones you enjoy.

Commandr for Google Now

Description: Google Now Just Got Better. Now you can use Google Now to control your flashlight, toggle settings, control music playback and much more! Google Now Just Got Personal. Add your own custom commands through Tasker to make sure your device fits your lifestyle.

fuseMe By Acision

Description: ‘fuseMe by Acision’ brings the best features from top free chat apps into one single secure place so you can connect with friends and family through voice and video calls, photo share, video share, text chats, location, voice notes and more – from one app! 

Baby Time: Android Wear Lock

Description: An Android Wear app to prevent rugrats from accidentally SMSing China or ordering you a Lyft car when you’re holding them. 

MathKit

Description: MathKit is math formula reference application which contains hundreds of formulas from different areas of mathematics. The application consists of formulas from: Basic Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and Calculus (Standard Derivatives and Integrals)

Wear Aware

Description: Wear Aware acts like a leash between your phone and your Android Wear watch. It is awesome when you are walking away from your phone or your phone is walking away from you!

Radical.FM

Description: Radical.FM is the world’s most accurate personal radio service, built on one of the most comprehensive music libraries available. “If Pandora and Spotify had a baby… it would be Radical.FM.” – The Radio Agency

Motorola Connect

Description: Motorola Connect allows you to see text messages and calls coming into your Connect enabled phone on your computer’s Chrome browser. You can read and respond to texts using your keyboard and even know who’s calling before deciding if you should reach for your phone.

Theftie

Description: Theftie: lock, locate, track, rescue data on your lost phone, stolen phone or misplaced Android, and take a thief’s selfie when suspects. A great feature of Theftie is its ability to send your data to your Google Drive in case you lost your phone.

BraveNewCoin

Description: Brave New Coin provides in-depth market information for a variety of cryptocurrencies including weighted-average price index, market capitalisation and volumes traded from most international exchanges.

Tour de France Live – 2014

Description: All information and results of the Tour de France 2014. Live information for all stages. The 2014 Tour de France will be the 101st edition of the Tour de France. The 2014 Tour de France starts in Leeds on Saturday, July 5, and finishes in Paris on Sunday, July 27.

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If you haven’t heard yet, the TSA recently started cracking down on people bringing discharged electronics on board some international flights. For the safety of everyone, devices that cannot be turned on will not be allowed onto these flights, so you’ll have to make sure all of your mobile devices have a bit of juice left in them. However, it doesn’t end there.

The UK Department for Transport has announced that, just like the US, they will stop allowing uncharged devices onto aircraft.

In line with the US advice, passengers on some routes into and out of the UK may now also be required to show that electronic devices in their hand luggage are powered up or face not being allowed to bring the device onto the aircraft. Passengers flying into or out of the UK are therefore advised to make sure electronic devices being carried in their hand luggage are charged before they travel.UK Department for Transport

Details are scarce, like which flights will be affected, but it looks like this new action will be a common thing. Whether it’s effective or even necessary is up for debate (and it looks like a lot of people think it’s ridiculous). Sound off in the comments with your thoughts on the issue.

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