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.

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