When it comes to Apple products, I’ve never been a fan. I don’t like iPhones, MacBooks, iMacs, or even Apple as a company. However, there has always been one Apple product I found tempting—the iPad. The iPad Mini, in particular, caught my attention due to its compact size, but I always hesitated to buy it. The main reasons? First, do I really need a tablet when I already have a laptop and a phone? Second, the iPad Mini costs around 50,000, which is quite expensive for me.

So, when Lenovo released the Legion Tab, I initially thought it was just another Android tablet. But after using it, I realized it’s more than that—it’s a serious competitor to the iPad Mini, offering more power, better features, and a lower price. Built by Lenovo, a well-known laptop manufacturer, this tablet is designed for gamers and productivity enthusiasts alike. Let’s dive into what makes the Lenovo Legion Tab so special.

Unboxing and First Impressions

The unboxing experience is straightforward. Inside the box, you get:

• The Lenovo Legion Tab
• A 45W fast charger (PD charger, a great addition)
• A Type-C to Type-C cable
• A SIM ejector tool (for microSD card expansion)

One of the standout features of this tablet is the microSD card slot, allowing for expanded storage. We’ll discuss this more later.

Build Quality and Display

The Lenovo Legion Tab is an 8.8-inch tablet, making it highly portable and even pocketable in some cases. Weighing just 350 grams, it features a premium all-metal build, ensuring durability and a premium feel.

The display offers a 2560 x 1600 resolution with a 144Hz refresh rate, making it significantly smoother than the iPad Mini’s 60Hz display. The high refresh rate enhances the user experience, with apps, web browsing, and even gaming feeling incredibly fluid. Every app, from Chrome to YouTube, runs at 144Hz, providing a seamless experience.

However, there’s one downside—the 16:10 aspect ratio. This means that when watching content on YouTube, Netflix, or Prime Video, you’ll notice black bars, requiring you to zoom in, which leads to a slight crop.

Audio Experience

The Lenovo Legion Tab comes with dual speakers, providing an immersive audio experience. The sound separation is excellent—you can distinctly hear different audio elements in movies and games. Lenovo has even included a background sound option, allowing you to play ocean waves or rain sounds for relaxation, a thoughtful feature for meditation or focus.

Performance and Gaming Experience

Performance is one of the biggest highlights of this tablet. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, which, while not the latest processor, is still a powerhouse. It comes with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, ensuring smooth multitasking and fast app loading times.

For gaming, the Lenovo Legion Tab excels. It supports multiple performance modes, including:

• Energy-saving mode
• Balanced mode
• Beast mode (which overclocks the CPU and GPU for maximum performance)

In real-world gaming, Genshin Impact runs at 60FPS, while Devil May Cry pushes up to 144FPS. Additionally, it supports emulators, so you can play classic PC and console games with ease. Plus, the dual USB-C ports allow you to connect an external controller for a more console-like experience.

One of these ports is USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, meaning you can connect the tablet to an external display via HDMI, turning it into a portable gaming console or workstation.

Software and User Experience

The Lenovo Legion Tab runs on Android 14, but the software experience is a mixed bag. Lenovo promises only one year of software updates, which is disappointing. Additionally, the UI feels slightly outdated, and some features, like split-screen mode, are not as intuitive.

However, Lenovo has added some unique features, such as PC Mode, which transforms the tablet into a laptop-like experience. When connected to a keyboard and mouse, it functions like a mini laptop, complete with scalable windows and a full cursor experience.

Lenovo’s Freestyle app allows you to use the tablet as a secondary display for your laptop. Additionally, Smart Connect enables wireless casting to any MiraCast-supported TV or monitor.

Battery Life and Charging

The Legion Tab packs a 6,550mAh battery, which provides 2-3 days of moderate use (including gaming and media consumption). Since tablets aren’t used as frequently as smartphones, battery life lasts longer. Charging is handled by a 45W fast charger, which can be used on either of the USB-C ports.

Price and Final Verdict

The Lenovo Legion Tab is priced at ₹34,999 on Flipkart, but during sales and discounts, you can grab it for under ₹30,000, making it a great deal. Lenovo’s attempt at creating a gaming tablet is impressive. It offers premium build quality, a high-refresh-rate display, strong performance, and excellent speakers.

However, the limited software updates are a concern for long-term use. If Lenovo provided 2-3 years of updates, this tablet would be nearly perfect.

If you’re looking for a powerful, compact Android tablet for gaming, media consumption, or productivity, the Lenovo Legion Tab is a fantastic option. Let us know if you’d like a detailed comparison of the best tablets in different price ranges!

Final Thoughts: The Lenovo Legion Tab is a compelling choice for gamers and tech enthusiasts. While it isn’t perfect, it offers great value for money, especially if you can grab it at a discount. Would you consider buying one?