Here are my initial thoughts after listening to various songs on the Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2.
It's worth noting that the Tab Plus Gen 2 gets seriously loud.
As mentioned, the Tab Plus Gen 2 can get incredibly loud, making it excellent for get-togethers and house parties.
The Tab Plus Gen 2 comes with two cameras: an 8MP selfie shooter and a 13MP rear lens.
Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 AvailabilityLenovo didn't give me a specific date for when the $399.99 Tab Plus Gen 2 will hit store shelves, but reps assured me it will launch later this year.
Table of Contents Compare Specs: Our Picks Side by Side Window-Shattering Max Volume It Also Doubles as a Bluetooth Speaker But What About the Actual Tablet? The Weight Is Hard to Ignore The 360-Degree Kickstand Handle Is Clever Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 Availability
Lenovo is no stranger to showing off bizarre designs, from its transparent laptop to the screen-spinning ThinkBook VertiFlex. The latest funky gadget from the Beijing-based tech giant is an Android tablet that looks like a boombox—and it can even moonlight as a Bluetooth speaker.
However, unlike the aforementioned concepts, this quirky slate is actually real. The company invited me to check out its new $399.99 Tab Plus Gen 2 tablet, a showstopping upgrade over its already excellent predecessor, which has a smaller, 11.5-inch screen flanked by eight JBL speakers that bulk up the sides of the tablet.
This time around, Lenovo made a dramatic change: It moved the speaker system to the tablet's backside and bumped the speaker count to nine.
Here are my initial thoughts after listening to various songs on the Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2.
Window-Shattering Max Volume
My perception of JBL, a veteran and respected audio brand, is that it's not always class-leading, but it delivers solid, bass-forward, punchy sound quality, whether blasting from a Bluetooth speaker like the Flip 7 or blaring from headphones via the Live 780NC.
My opinion remained more or less the same after putting the tablet’s JBL audio system—a nine-driver setup with two passive radiators, three woofers, and four tweeters—to the test. Which is saying a lot for a tablet.
(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)
Vocals came through crisp and clear, whether I was listening to Adele’s “Someone Like You" or Owl City's "Fireflies." Bass-heavy tracks like Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” delivered a satisfying punch without sounding muddy or overwhelming. Of course, due to the limitations of a thin chassis, you won't get room-shaking bass, but it still delivers hearty thumps you would not expect from a tablet.
More complex songs, like Sleep Token’s “Gethsemane,” remained well balanced, allowing me to distinguish the drums, vocals, cymbals, and guitars without dissolving into a discordant blur.
Navigating to the settings app, I toyed around with different music sound profiles: Dynamic, Movie, and Music. The latter had sub-presets, including Detailed, Balanced, and Warm. After trying all three, Warm was my favorite, transforming tracks into a smoother, richer sound.
On top of that, the speakers remained clear even at full blast, making the Tab Plus Gen 2 one of the best-sounding tablets I’ve tested. It's worth noting that the Tab Plus Gen 2 gets seriously loud. When I cranked it up to the max, my ears were screaming. Give this to your kid, and you'll kiss any semblance of peace and quiet goodbye. You’ve been warned.
It Also Doubles as a Bluetooth Speaker
Lenovo boasts that the Tab Plus Gen 2 can pull double duty as a Bluetooth speaker. In other words, instead of using your phone to send music to a dedicated speaker like the JBL Charge 6 or the Bose Lifestyle Ultra, you can beam it to the Lenovo tablet's nine-speaker system.
(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)
However, I couldn't help but wonder: Why would I use my phone when I can just navigate to Spotify via the tablet's display? The feature struck me as gimmicky at first, but there's a compelling use case, especially for hosts who love to entertain. As mentioned, the Tab Plus Gen 2 can get incredibly loud, making it excellent for get-togethers and house parties. After pairing the iPhone 17 Pro Max to the Lenovo tablet, I used it as a remote to pause, skip tracks, or queue up a new playlist—all while being several rooms away.
But What About the Actual Tablet?
Yes, the nine-unit JBL speaker setup is the star of the show, but let's not forget that the Tab Plus Gen 2 is also a tablet. (Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)
The Lenovo slate features a 12.1-inch, 2,560-by-1,600-pixel screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 800 nits of brightness. On the tablet, I watched a few videos from our PCMag YouTube channel and an episode of Landman on Paramount+. I enjoyed the colorful, vivid display, which supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
Lenovo claims the Tab Plus Gen 2 offers up to 15 hours of YouTube video streaming, but we'll be the judge of that when we run the PCMag battery life test. Inside is a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 processor, up to 12GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage, depending on the configuration. Plus, it's got a microSD card slot that lets you add more space if the built-in capacity isn't enough.
The Tab Plus Gen 2 comes with two cameras: an 8MP selfie shooter and a 13MP rear lens. It's clear these are afterthoughts, as Lenovo poured all its love into the display and speaker system.
The Weight Is Hard to Ignore
The biggest gripe I have with the Tab Plus Gen 2 is that it's too heavy; that audio system on the back weighs it down significantly. It's a 1.7-pound slate that gets tiring only after a few seconds of holding it. (Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)
If you're a one-handed tablet reader, the Tab Plus Gen 2 isn't for you. Fortunately, similar to its predecessor, the Tab Plus Gen 2 comes with a kickstand that lets you prop it up on a surface.
The 360-Degree Kickstand Handle Is Clever
Next to the JBL audio system, another selling point is the Tab Plus Gen 2's 360-degree rotating kickstand, which doubles as a handle.
You can pull out the handle to switch it between landscape and portrait mode. Plus, the kickstand is designed as a loop, so you can rotate it to the top, stick your wrist through, and carry it around like a tote bag. (Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)
The metal ring isn't the most comfortable, but it's convenient for quickly hauling the tablet from room to room.
Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 Availability
Lenovo didn't give me a specific date for when the $399.99 Tab Plus Gen 2 will hit store shelves, but reps assured me it will launch later this year. Stay tuned for our official review, packed with performance benchmarks, a battery test, and real-world impressions, for a more in-depth look at the eccentric tablet.
