Lenovo Tab P11 Plus review: Great for families

The Lenovo Tab P11 Plus comes with two useful modes — Kids Space and Entertainment Space — that distinguish it from the competition. As their names may suggest, they are content hubs with recommendations tailored to the user's age or usage. The tablet itself is a sleek mid-range offering that performs well, especially for videos and games. And if you get the optional keyboard accessory (the tablet comes bundled with a stylus), the Tab 11 Plus makes a manful attempt at being a work computer via its desktop-like Productivity Mode.

Quick specs

11-inch (2,000 x 1,200 pixels) IPS touchscreen
MediaTek Helio G90T with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage (microSD card expandable)
490g
7,700mAh battery

Kids Space is a child-friendly mode that shows curated apps, ebooks and videos suitable for the young. The idea itself is not new as Samsung has had a similar Kids Mode for a while now. Kids Space, though, requires the parent to create a Google account for the child. Each child gets a separate user space on the tablet. Parents can also set parental controls (time limits, ability to install apps) via the Family Link app. During the initial setup, the child can choose from certain interests, such as sports, princesses, and stories. The Home Screen is colourful, with recommended content interspersed by factoids and silly jokes: What do cats eat for breakfast? Answer: Mice crispies. There's also a cartoon character on the Home Screen, whose appearance can be customised, something that my son found most amusing.

Meanwhile, older users may find Entertainment Space helpful when they are out of ideas on what to consume. There are three tabs: Watch, Games and Read, each filled with user-specific content recommendations. It also lists recently-opened apps — in my case, the Watch tab shows YouTube and Disney+ while the Read tab have the NLB Mobile and Goodreads apps. Then, there's Productivity Mode, which lets you open multiple apps in their own resizable floating windows and helps to snap two apps into place side by side. Like similar productivity-focused modes in Huawei or Samsung tablets, I found it clunky compared with a Windows PC. But it's usable enough for light work such as emails. And while I didn't get to try the optional keyboard accessory, the fine nib of the Lenovo Precision Pen 2 stylus is handy when moving windows or tapping on the smaller icons in this mode.

Like most Android tablets, the Tab P11 Plus has a widescreen aspect ratio (1.67). It's a bit awkward to hold with one hand in landscape orientation. It doesn't help that the tablet gets warmer than expected when running games or videos. There are several other minor issues. Take the calibration for the volume for example. Now the tablet's quad speakers sound good at maximum volume. But adjust the volume down by just one notch and the sound becomes way too soft for that level of adjustment. The face unlock feature also failed to work one too many times for me.

Battery life is good at just 10 mins shy of 9 hours with the screen set to maximum brightness. Overall, I found the Lenovo Tab P11 Plus to be a good mid-range slate that's suited for families with children. Kids Space, for one, feels more polished than Samsung's version. The hardware itself is generally good except for some niggling issues. You can get the Tab P11 Plus for around S$499 (S$449 for ValueClub members) from Hachi.tech. Or if you don't mind not having local warranty, Amazon US has the tablet for a similar price but with the keyboard.

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Note: Review unit provided by Lenovo.

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