Review. Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 review: Stands out with a stand

It wasn’t long ago that we reviewed the Realme Pad and that was followed more recently by the Nokia T20 tablet. And now we have another entry from Lenovo. The Yoga Tab 11 is both affordable and uniquely designed. And it makes for a refreshing change to come across a tablet that has something distinctive to it because, just as with smartphones, they can tend to be rather similar.

Yoga Tab 11’s claim to uniqueness is all thanks to its very interesting kickstand located at the back of the tablet. This folds in to rest against the back when in closed position and and stops at various angles when open, all the way to the edge of the tablet. This means you can stand the tablet up at various angles and finally, when the stand is all the way out, even hang the tablet on something that safely protrudes — like a handle or a long strong nail on the wall.

Various positions: The stand is both an advantage and a drawback. It lets you position the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 creatively, even taking it to the bathroom or kitchen. Be careful of damage from water or cooking exhaust, of course. You can prop it up to watch movies or make video calls — the camera is in the right position for you to use it in landscape. The drawback is that the stand makes the tablet thick and it’s not enjoyable to use in portrait mode, held in one hand. To me, one of the joys of a tablet is being able to settle back and read a book or maybe shop or browse, but it’s too unwieldy to do that in an upright tablet position.

The back of the tablet is also unusual in that it is partly covered in an elegant grey fabric which makes it look very premium but will need to be saved from grubby hands.

Cylindrical base: Another feature that makes the Yoga Tab 11 look different from other tablets is the cylindrical section that the screen rests on. It’s really this that makes the tablet feel thick in portrait mode. It provides a convenient grip when holding the tablet but also makes it feel heavy and weighted towards the cylinder.

All the same, I’m a big fan of the cylindrical section which Lenovo has previously also used in different ways that are quite creative. It’s been used to house the battery, a projector, speakers and, if I’m not mistaken, a flashlight though don’t quote me on that. It’s an interesting design. It’s on one end of the cylinder that we also have the USB-C slot for charging the tablet. It also doubles up as a speaker grill and has two of them on the inside and two on the sides of the tablet.

The sound is pretty good, making it nicer to consume content.

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is obviously meant to be used in landscape mode because there are no buttons on top. When in position, the power and volume buttons and SIM tray will be on the right edge. There’s no 3.5mm jack.

The cylinder and kickstand have one more advantage. They’re stiff and strong and keep the tablet steady when it’s propped up — and this in turn makes it possible to use the digital pen (which must be purchased separately) without the device wobbling. On the other hand, the cylinder and stand mean that you can never place the tablet completely flat on a surface, though that isn’t a big problem given that there are several other position options.

Optional accessories: The option of using the Lenovo Precision Pen 2 adds functionality to the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 for those who can leverage it but remember that not all software supports hand-written or drawn input. While not as feature filled as Samsung’s S-Pen or fluid and lag-free as Apple’s Pencil, the pen certainly makes this a more versatile device.

You’ll need to wait and see if Lenovo comes up with a keyboard for this tablet. Another tablet, the larger P11, does have a keyboard and cover You’ll find it on Lenovo’s website for ₹5,499. But the Yoga 11 doesn’t have magnetic connectors for it. A third party keyboard, such as from Logitech, can be paired with it via Bluetooth.

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11’s screen is 11.27 inches. It’s a good standard size to work with. The display is an IPS 2000x1200 one and, although not as bright and vibrant as the OLED screens we’re used to on our phones, is pretty good. It goes up to a brightness of 400 nits. Watching videos and movies on it has been quite nice, especially enhanced by the four speakers.

Pretty good battery life: The tablet runs on a MediaTek Helio G90T processor and our unit had 4GB of RAM with 128GB of storage. The battery is a 7,500mAh and it is well tuned to last. Back-up battery life is also good and I’ve often picked up the tablet after days and found the battery level intact. Android 11, with some minimal customisations, runs on the Yoga Tab 11 with no real annoying elements and no bloatware. An upgrade to Android 12 is apparently promised. The cameras are both 8MP and good enough for video calls.

This all-rounder Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is great for basics and specially to hand over to kids. Its stability with the kickstand makes it less likely to be dropped and it can handle light gaming and plenty of media consumption. It also has a kids mode and entertainment space as well as a productivity mode.

At ₹29,999 (the pen costs ₹6,300 and the keyboard will vary) it does come up against the ‘regular’ iPad which rules the tablet world. But Apple’s is a different ecosystem and the Yoga Tab certainly does its bit by adding to the few options in the Android space.

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