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Journalism of Courage
The mid-range tablet market, especially those under Rs 30,000, has become incredibly competitive over the last two years. With newcomers like OnePlus, Poco and Lenovo challenging long-time leaders Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi, picking the right tablet is tougher than ever. But Lenovo’s Idea Tab Pro cuts through the noise with premium features at a price that doesn’t hurt. After spending a couple of weeks with it, I’m convinced it might just be the most impressive mid-range big-screen tablet you can buy in 2025.
Mid-range and budget tablets usually deliver good value by often compromising on build quality, but Lenovo has gone the other way with the Idea Tab Pro. The tablet not only includes a stylus in the box but also features a premium aluminium frame and back that both look and feel high-end.
Like most tablets, you get considerable bezels on the front, but they don’t ruin the viewing experience. In fact, they make the large 12.7-inch display easier to hold and help prevent accidental touches – something I appreciated while carrying it around the house. The rear panel has a clean, minimal design with the Lenovo branding in the centre. On the top-left corner is a rectangular camera module housing the camera, while a section along the upper edge doubles as a magnetic holder for the stylus.
I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus for two years, and its 12.4-inch screen always felt large, that is, until I switched to the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro. On paper, the jump to 12.7 inches doesn’t seem significant, but in real-world use, the difference is striking. Whether I was watching videos, working, browsing or doing anything else, the Idea Tab Pro often felt more like a laptop than a tablet.
The large LCD panel offers excellent viewing angles and supports a 144Hz refresh rate, which makes gaming and even simple UI navigation feel noticeably smoother and more enjoyable. Another thing I liked about the tablet is that Lenovo has managed to pack in a fingerprint scanner in the power button, something the majority of mid-range tablets don’t have. For some, the fingerprint scanner may not matter that much, but it is quite useful when trying to unlock such a huge tablet on the go.
The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 chipset, which has an AnTuTu score of about 1.4 million. This isn’t the fastest tablet in the segment, but the chipset does make everything buttery smooth. Be it playing games, watching videos in picture-in-picture mode, browsing the internet or juggling between multiple apps, the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro doesn’t lag at all. Also, the thermals on this one are pretty great, and not once did I feel like it was heating up or stuttering.
However, Lenovo’s ZUI skin is something I don’t like as it looks a bit dated. Don’t get me wrong – the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro is packed to the brim with numerous useful features which are pretty simple to find, but the biggest gripe I still have is the app drawer. For reasons unknown, it isn’t full screen. This is something that has annoyed me a bit, especially when you have a ton of apps installed. But if you are someone who just wants to use it for browsing, playing games, watching videos or working, the user interface won’t come in the way.
Another downside is that despite launching in 2025, the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro ships with Android 14 and is promised only two major OS updates. This means it will reach the end of its update cycle with Android 16. If staying on the latest Android version matters to you, this might be a drawback.
On the battery front, the Idea Tab Pro packs a large 10,400mAh battery with support for 45W wired charging. The charging speeds aren’t the fastest, but the battery life more than makes up for it as it easily lasts up to two days, even with regular gaming or video streaming.
The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro enters an extremely crowded and competitive mid-range segment, yet still manages to shine with its beautiful large display, JBL-tuned speakers, strong performance and excellent battery life. And while the dated-looking user interface and short update commitment hold it back slightly, overall, it is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a reliable, versatile tablet that can handle just about anything you throw at it.
