[CLOSED] Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus review/giveaway: An affordable tablet and smart display option

Android tablets have been given a whole new life now that Google Assistant is around. That new life is a smart display. While you could use most Android tablets as a smart display, it really works well when a dock is part of the equation. The Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus is the latest from Lenovo, and it’s affordable.

These gadgets work well as a tablet form factor for mobile use and a smart display for counter use. Read on for the full review of the Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus. Scroll down to the bottom of this review for the giveaway rules!

Specifications

The Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus has the following features and specifications:

• Operating System: Android 9
• Processor: MediaTek Helio P22T Tab, Octa-Core, 4 x A53 @ 2.3 GHz, 4 x A53 @ 1.8 GHz
• Display: 10.3″ FHD (1920 x 1200) IPS, TDDI, touchscreen, 220 PPI, 330 nits
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB or 128GB eMMC
• Speakers: 2 x Side Speakers, Tuned with Dolby Atmos; Dual Microphones (with dedicated DSP)
• Cameras:
  • Rear: 8 MP auto-focus
  • Front: 5 MP fixed-focus
• Connectivity:
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (1 x 1)

What’s In The Box

• Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus
• USB-C cable
• Wall Charger
• Dock
• Manuals and Documentation

Design

The Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus aesthetic design is pretty minimal and basic. The chassis is made of high-quality aluminum, and the front is Gorilla glass. The build quality on this tablet is near premium. This surprised me, given the price.

This is one of the best, if not the best built Android tablets in this price range that I’ve seen in a while. It feels nice in hand, not only comfortable but slim and easy to handle.

The front of the Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus looks like most tablets, all glass with black bezels. The bezels aren’t super slim, but they’re also not huge; they’re a good balance. I would have like to see slimmer bezels, but these aren’t all that bad.

The back of the Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus has a single camera with a slightly raised bump. There is a subtle Lenovo logo towards the bottom and a sticker with the serial number and other info.

The right side (when held in portrait mode) houses the volume rocker, power button, SIM card tray, and two microphones. The left side of the Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus houses the dock pins and holes. The top houses the AUX port and a speaker. The bottom houses the other speaker and USB-C port.

The dock is also made of aluminum and is super slim and light. It’s also small and takes up very little room on a desk or table. I love that Lenovo made the dock this small; not everyone wants to take up a lot of space with a docking station.

Overall, this is a very well designed, great looking, and premium feeling tablet at this price point. The dock is well designed as well and fits nicely on any desk or table.

Display

The display on the Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus comes in at a resolution of 1920 x 1200, which is slightly better than full HD. Honestly, I think FHD+ screens are perfect for tablets like this.

Videos and games all look crisp and clear on this display. Colors are vibrant but not too punchy. Blacks are good, not the best out there but acceptable for a tablet at this price point. Whites are clean, no yellowing here, and text is crisp and easy to read.

Touch responsiveness is accurate, and I didn’t notice any lag or stutter when navigating and using the tablet as normal. Games look good on display, but I did not push the processor with intensive gaming; this tablet just isn’t made for that type of gaming experience. Most games will play just fine on it, but serious mobile gamers should look into the Lenovo Legion phone. That device took an Editor’s Choice award home for being so awesome.

Overall, the display is accurate, reproduces colors well, has good blacks, clean whites, it’s bright enough in most situations, and it’s an overall great display for a tablet priced at just over US$200.

Software/Ecosystem

The Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus is running Android 9, which makes it a bit behind. Android 9 runs great on this tablet, but it would have been nice to see Android 10 here. We’re not sure if this tablet will see an upgrade to more current software, but Android tablets generally lag behind a version or two.

Android is still not optimized for tablets, and many apps still don’t look so good on these tablets. That doesn’t make it useless, many apps have improved, and at least the most popular apps are mostly up to snuff and optimized for tablet performance.

Google Assistant is built into this tablet, and that’s a great thing as it turns this tablet into a smart screen when you have it docked. I loved Lenovo’s smart displays, and we found them to be very functional and useful, especially in the kitchen.

This gives you the best of both worlds. A small tablet to take to the couch, browse the web, watch videos, and play games. Plus, you have a smart screen that you can use to get recipes, weather, and other useful information.

Overall, I would have liked this tablet to have come with Android 10. I fear that it may never see Android 10, and that’s a shame, but you never know; it may come at a later date. The software experience is still decent with Android 9, though Android is still not optimized too well for tablet use.

Performance

The Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus is using a MediaTek Helio P22T as its CPU, which is decent but not a great performer. It handles most tasks just fine, and I think it is up to snuff for most users. Heavy gaming is out, and you shouldn’t expect to run heavy games on it. Not that it won’t run heavy games, it just won’t run them optimally.

As I already mentioned, touch and responsiveness are good. I saw no lag or stutter in the apps I was in or in the settings interface. Overall, for what it is, the Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus performs fine.

Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus Gallery

Speakers/Sound

The Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus does have dual speakers, and the company says it has Dolby Atmos sound. The speakers sound fine, nothing spectacular, and not up to par as the more premium tablet offerings out there. Remember, though; this is a US$219 tablet.

The sound is decent enough, actually good enough to watch some movies and listen to them comfortably. The lows and mids could be better, as most tablet speakers sound a bit tinny. Still, not the worst I’ve heard, but headphones are probably your better bet. It does well for YouTube videos that are strictly talk based, instructional videos, and the like.

Overall, speakers not bad, not super awesome, mostly just okay and passable for most people.

Camera

I’m no fan of cameras on tablets. Front-facing cameras, sure, those are great for video chat and whatnot. Rear cameras, not so much. The rear camera on here isn’t really made for great photos. Don’t buy this expecting to get great photos and you’ll be happy.

Overall, tablet cameras in general are awful, it’s just how it is.

Battery Life

Battery life is decent; if you’re not doing a lot of heavy media consumption, the Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus should give you a few days of solid use. Heavier media consumption will drain it faster. The nice thing is that the dock serves as a charging station, so drop it on there and pick it up later. Good to go.

Price/Value

Prices start at US$219 for the 64GB version, and really, that’s about all anyone needs for something like this. Unless you’re going to use it to store mp3’s and movies. I think, for what you get, there’s plenty of value here. Having a tablet and a smart screen in one is good to have and gives you some versatility.

Wrap Up

If you’re looking for an Android tablet that won’t break the bank but offers up a good build quality and versatility then the Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus is a great choice. We do wish that they would have installed Android 10 on this but Android 9 works just fine.

Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus Giveaway Rules

We’ve teamed up with Lenovo to giveaway, not one, but THREE Lenovo Smart TAB M10 FHD Plus tablets to three of our lucky U.S. readers (sorry, unfortunately, this is a U.S.-only giveaway). The ONLY way to win is to follow these instructions and enter BY USING the Rafflecopter Widget. The first step on the Rafflecopter Widget is MANDATORY; all the other steps are just bonus entries. Please only comment ONCE, and again, if you do not use the Rafflcopter Widget to record your entry with your comment below, you will not be entered! PLEASE READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ON THE RAFFLECOPTER WIDGET.

The giveaway will close on 11/9/20 at 12am CST at which time the winners will be drawn. GOOD LUCK!

Use this Rafflecopter Widget below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Last Updated on February 3, 2021.