Lenovo Tab S8 Tablet Review

Light as a feather. Lenovo's Tab S8 does not even weigh 300 grams but is quite a bargain. It offers a Full HD screen, an 8-megapixel camera, and front-facing speakers for 199 Euros (~$225). Discover whether Lenovo's tight calculation is also worthwhile for the customer in our review.

For the original German review, see here.

Lenovo's new Tab S product line is higher quality than the Tab A line. Our review sample, the Tab S8-50F (59426775), is the first device of the lineup and competes against established models like Samsung's Galaxy Tab S 8.4. Lenovo offersfour different colors for the casing and, when desired, LTE support that our review sample does not feature.

Lenovo's tablet faces the LG G Pad 8.0, Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, Apple iPad Mini 3, and Google Nexus 9 in our test. We also added the aforementioned Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 to the comparison devices.

Case

Ever since Nokia clad its Lumia smartphones in colorful plastic, colors have become highly asked for among some customers. Lenovo answers this call with its Tab S8 and offers the customer a dark-gray, blue or yellow casing back cover. Regardless of the color, it has a rubber-coated surface that cannot be removed. The display part is marginally smaller than the back, which creates non-slip but also partly sharp-edged sides.

The silhouette of 7.9 millimeters is a bit thicker than most other comparison devices; only the equally priced LG's G Pad tablet is considerably thicker. Lenovo's Tab S8 is very light with 299 grams and only the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact undercuts this weight.

The rigidness is unsatisfactory. Pressure from the back is quickly seen on the screen, and the casing can be twisted to quite an extent. A cracking noise also becomes very audible.

      Google Nexus 9       LG G Pad 8.0 V480       Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact       Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4       Lenovo Tab S8       Apple iPad Mini 3

Connectivity

Like the equipment in most comparison models, Lenovo's Tab S8 sports 16 GB of flash memory. The storage can, however, be expanded with an SD card - an advantage over Apple's iPad Mini 3 or Google's Nexus 9. There are no special interfaces. Solely a micro-USB port, micro-SD reader, and the 3.5 mm combo-audio port are installed.

Software

Lenovo uses a virtually unmodified version of Android 4.4.2 as the operating system. Slight changes have only been made in the option menu and in the forms of the widgets on the home screen. Lenovo implements a multimedia overview about the device so that the user can get to know the features of the new tablet.

However, Lenovo preloads a few additional apps. For example, the Chinese manufacturer contributes the Security HD software that provides an app permission manager, an ad blocker, and which speeds up the device when necessary. SHAREit, SYNCit, and CLONEit are programs that allow sharing content, updating via the cloud or copying all data from an old smartphone or tablet. Navigation software is just as available as three browsers. The software bundle is extensive and some are even useful. However, there are also adware apps, and the user will likely have to uninstall some of the programs when not all are needed and thus regain storage capacity.

Localization was quite slow outdoors

Communication & GPS

The GPS module in Lenovo's Tab S8 also supports the Russian Glonass network. We could not establish a connection indoors in a quick test using the GPS Test app. It took quite some time to find enough satellites outdoors, and we were located with an accuracy of approximately ten meters then.

The Wi-Fi module supports network standards up to 802.11 n and Bluetooth 4.0. Reception was rather middling. We only had half the signal strength at a distance of ten meters to the router and through three walls. Nevertheless, websites still opened quite fast. Two more meters and another wall resulted in only one-quarter of the signal strength, and pages opened noticeably slower.

Cameras & Multimedia

An 8-megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash is on the rear. It shootsdecent pictures even in low-light conditions without the flash. The pictures are high-detail and can even be zoomed in bright surroundings. The front-facing camera has a lower resolution of 1.6 megapixels but still makes the best of the situation in good light conditions. It is sufficient for video calls or a quick selfie.

The camera equipment is almost just as good as that of the considerably more expensive comparison devices. For example, the iPad Mini 3 has to be satisfied with only a 5-megapixel camera.

8-megapixel rear-facing camera

1.6-megapixel front-facing camera

Reference: Sony Alpha 77

Accessories & Warranty

Although there are no accessories included apart from the power supply, Lenovo has cleverly formed a part of the box like a tablet stand made of recycled cardboard that can be taken out. A good idea - it does not always have to be plastic. Only a 12-month warranty is included, but a 24-month retailer warranty is applicable in many EU countries.

Input Devices & Controls

Every deep-seated Android user will recognize the virtual keyboard right away. It is the operating system's stock version. Its size on the 8-inch screen is big enough to work comfortably with it using both hands. Besides that, voice dictation and inputting via swipe are also available. Users, who nevertheless do not like the well-structured and clearly arranged keyboard, can find countless alternatives in Google's Play Store.

The touchscreen functions very reliably up into the corners and also usually recognizes multi-touch gestures without problems. The right-hand hardware buttons for standby mode and volume are easy to find and have a decent pressure point and respond reliably.

Keyboard portrait mode

Keyboard landscape mode

Display

Lenovo's Tab S8 sports an IPS screen with a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels, which is slightly higher than Full HD. A higher resolution is only found in the considerably more expensive comparison devices. The equally priced LG G Pad 8.0 can only offer 1280x800 pixels. Full HD looks good on Lenovo's tablet; fonts and logos are sharp, pixelation is not evident even when holding the screen very close to the eyes.

The maximum brightness of 418 cd/m² is rather midfield among the comparison devices but should easily be enough for routine use. The illumination of 85% is homogeneous.