Many tablet makers have resigned to the fact that isn’t going to be difficult to do better than the iPad. Instead, Lenovo has decided to cook up something much different with the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro.
With a flip stand that makes it like nothing else on the market, but it also manages to fit in a projector too. We know what you’re thinking – it is a little unorthodox.
But if you are up for something a bit unusual, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro really makes a lot of sense. The projector is even more useful than you might expect, and at below $400, it's a surprisingly good deal too. Take a further look below, and hopefully, our Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro review will help you to make your mind up!
The Stand Up Factor
First we have to take a look at the layout. This tablet comes with an in-built stand, allowing you to prop it in many different positions – it’s a bit like the Microsoft Surface Pro.
The rack is metal and opens up smoothly instead of only sitting in two or three pre-set spots like the bigger 8in Yoga Tab 3. This allows the Tab 3 to hold itself up (perhaps on your desk at work) but a handy hole in the flip-out section also allows you to hang the pill on the wall. This means you can put it pretty much wherever you like!
As great as this is, when putting the Tab down it's easy to knock it over due to its weighted build when pressing on the screen. The only logical solution for this would be to make the tab heavier – not an ideal solution.
It already weighs 665g, and combined with all the chunkiness of the standing area, it immediately feels a good deal less portable than something like the iPad. However (and this is the big surprise of this Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro) I think the tab would be way better suited to going on vacation.
Are The Projections on the Tab 3 Up to Scratch?
Why? Two reasons. To begin with, the battery is enormous. The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro includes a 10400mAh unit, larger than just about any other tablet's battery.
Battery life is not quite as fantastic as Lenovo's claim. It says you will Get up to 18 hours; I got 11 when enjoying a locally saved video.
Or you'll get about four hours when using the projector. While that may not sound very long, bear in mind that little standalone pico projectors (such as the Aiptek PocketCinema) only lasts ninety minutes to two hours.
And now we come to just that - the projector. Initially, this may seem like a completely ridiculous feature to have.
Its weak 50-lumen power is miniscule, as even entry-level projectors are capable of 3000-lumen, plus the resolution employs a fraction of the number of pixels onscreen.
Realistically, it ought to be outright dreadful. In rooms with any light, if definitely is. But, there is a certain joy to beaming my favorite film approximately 80in, across one whole wall of my couch. Even though the brightness is pathetic, in a dark room, the image is still relatively good.
The way it works is ingenious too. You turn the projector on by simply long-pressing a button at the end of the hinge.
It then mirrors whatever's onscreen, and utilizes the tablet's accelerometer to judge the angle and also adjusts the image orientation to make it seem correct.
This is a process known as keystone correction and involves distorting the image, cutting into it and therefore further reducing the number of pixels you're seeing. Get it straight in the event that you can.
Lenovo's claim for its Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro projector is that it can stretch around 70in. It may do so, but you also need to consider the way projectors work. The bigger the image receives, the more stretched out it gets.
You want a seriously dark area in order to generate a 70-80in film that is fun to watch.
It's also not much ideal for gaming. Turning on the projector appears to cause a severe performance hit, which makes the display less responsive and produces plenty of lag in 2D games. It’s best to just stream your favorite shows.
In spite of this, I was taken aback at how much the LionYoga Tab 3 Pro projector wasn’t an issue. There is a definite appeal to seeing TV projected on your ceiling as you take it all in, even though it’s not the best quality.
There are definite merits to the Yoga Tab’s projector too, as standalone pico projector can set you back up to $200 on its own.
Sharper Screens on the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3
Back down to the world of good old-fashioned tablets, we have the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro's QHD screen. It measures 10.1in 2560 x 1600 screen, and so is much more 'widescreen' than an iPad – super fashionable.
But the larger screen isn’t just to fit in with the crown. In fact, the larger screen fits this model well. Plus there is an 8in non-Pro variant in case you're desperate for a smaller version (it has a much worse display and no projector).
The screen quality is similar to any high-end LCD. The sharp colors are vibrant, but not too sharp on the eyes, and the angles you can view it from are great.
Set it up in front of you during a flight and it is a great way to make any flight more bearable. Even more reasons to take it abroad.
The software isn't overly invasive either. There's a custom Lenovo UI, which is easy to use, and feels like Android Lollipop bar the different-looking software menu.
Lenovo has packed-in a couple of added apps too, all of which are too dull to discuss.
It seems more-or-less like Lenovo has allowed Android to stay the same, even If there is a custom UI here.
The Power Inside the Tab 3
The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro features plenty of power too. Its powered by an Intel Atom chip, much like a good deal of the older Lenovo tablet computers, or the 1.4GHz Intel. Even though it’s just a quad-core CPU compared to the standard eight cores nowadays, it still has ample power.
In Snapdragon terms, this means that the Tab’s operating system sits somewhere between the mid-century Snapdragon 617 and the top-end Snapdragon 810.
The performance isn’t perfect, however. As with Several other rather high-power Intel devices that have come before it, its ability to run games isn’t quite on-par with the numbers you see in benchmarks.
Frame speeds in frantic games are noticeably less than 100 percent smooth when those visual effects have been amped up. Even though it performs only a little less than ideal, hard-core gamers will pick it up.
I also stumbled upon a few crashes throughout play also. Bear in mind the less-than-ideal performance when the using the projector as well and you have a tablet that isn't quite as good as you may have thought for gaming.
Honestly, this is mot likely down to a combination of various things. To begin with, Android developers aren't likely to optimize to higher chipsets as they aren’t used as much, and the Tab 3 also has an awful lot of pixels to push, way over a 1080p tablet computer.
The Yoga Tab 3 Sensation
In most scenarios, a slightly smaller, less eclectic tablet computer would be preferable for gaming on the go. The hinge does provide you with something to hold onto if the Tab 3 is held portrait, but it can feel awkward in landscape.
The bottom piece of the Tab 3 is plastic, as well as the hinge, but the remaining portion of the back is made from cushioned fake leather (possibly in an attempt to look upmarket).
While it doesn’t feel like a particularly high-end tablet, it's not as though anyone's likely to attempt to purchase a Yoga Tab 3 Pro believing they are buying the most state-of-the-art tablet in the world (or assume that simply from this Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro review).
Snap Away with the Tab 3
The camera specifications are promising, particularly for a tablet computer. There's a 13-megapixel sensor on the trunk and also a 5-megapixel one up front.
It’s definitely a shame Lenovo couldn’t put their resources together and create a single rotary camera like the one on Lenovo’s 8-inch Tab 3, but it's probably because this model is built from the bod of the previous Yoga Tab 2.
Whilst the specifications hold up, the performance doesn’t bode quite as well. There's a fair deal of lag if you use the back camera, which makes it feel like you have a small wait between pressing the button and the Tab 3 actually taking a picture.
However, picture quality doesn’t quite match what you would on a standard 13-megapixel phone.
It honestly seems like the Tab 3 Pro has a high-res detector to make it appear to be a step up on the Yoga Tab 2 Pro, rather than an indicator of a real concerted effort to allow it to crank out fantastic shots.
Nonetheless, there are tablets with considerably worse cameras out there. They'll do the job for casual shots, and there are definitely tablets that don’t hold up as well as the Tab 3 does in this Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro review.
This is a device build for enjoying media more than anything else. Aside from the 32GB storage (which can also be topped up using a micro SD card), the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro has pretty loud & punchy speakers upfront.
They'll even do the task of providing sound for your projector if you don't have a Bluetooth speaker. The noise does distort somewhat at maximum volume, though. Keep it to 80 percent or lower and you've got an unusually punchy sound.
Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro Specs
Pros
Cons
Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro Review
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The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro isn’t much like your regular tablet. It's fairly heavy, rather chunky and includes a projector build into the body of the machine.
As you might have guessed, it wouldn’t be such a good idea throw your TV out and replace it with this tablet. The projector is plenty of fun to play with but is far from the best if you’re not watching movies in a dark room.
It is most definitely a media powerhouse though, with its stand and decent battery life, you can place it as a tablet in the big leagues.
Quality | Price | Rating |
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