The Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 is a strong
tablet with some good features, but the nine-inch screen is definitely not one
of them
Lenovo’s IdeaTab A2109 is yet another
tablet aiming itself at around the $299 price point. The idea, of course, is
that those who can’t afford top-notch tablets, but want to steer clear of the
kind of rubbish that tends to clog up the very lowest end of the market, will gravitate
around this price point creating plenty of market for different manufacturers.
There’s a logic to the view, but people are also looking for quality products
and as we’ve said before, the Nexus 7 is the target everyone has to shoot at in
this price range.
Lenovo
IdeaTab A2109
Lenovo isn’t perhaps the first name you
would associate with a mid-range Android tablet, but the company has in fact
been around the Android scene for a while, and it brings some interesting
features to its $299 IdeaTab A2109.
“Lenovo brings some interesting
features to its IdeaTab A2109”
Lenovo is quite clear about this being a
tablet aimed at entertainment. To that end, stereo speakers sit on the back of
the device, and SRS TruMedia support is built in. Music quality is certainly
better than many devices we’ve tested recently, and the volume racks up rather
nicely too. There is some distortion at the top volume end, but it’s not a
disaster by any means.
There’s also very welcome micro SD card
support, with the slot sitting under a small, thin, narrow back plate which
surrounds the speakers and camera lens. The back plate is a little tricky to
get off, and some will not like the need to remove it in order to hot-swap
memory, but aesthetically the look is better than having an open micro SD slot
on the edge of the chassis. And having memory expansion means you can boost the
relatively generous 16GB of internal storage.
You don’t always find a camera on these
middle-of-the-road tablets. Here, though, there are two. A front-facing 1.3-megapixel
camera is bolstered by a back-facing three-megapixel offering. This is hardly
cutting-edge stuff, but it is good enough for 720p video recording and will
support video chat too. Performance, as you might expect, is middling, although
it’s unlikely to be a major consideration in your buying decision.
Lenovo
is quite clear about this being a tablet aimed at entertainment
We also like the micro HDMI connector that
sits next to the micro USB slot, and the toggle button which locks screen
rotation that sits next to the volume rocker and headset slot. You’d be
surprised how often locking out auto-screen rotation comes in handy, and it’s
far better to have a hardware solution for this than the software toggle that
is standard with Android.
And we also appreciate the metal back plate
which is tough and solid and a step up from some of the plastic build materials
we’ve seen before. However, the IdeaTab is not light, coming in at 507g. We
weren’t too happy about holding it one-handed for extended periods. In terms of
look the metal is attractive, as are the rounded edges with their silver trim.
On the short edges there’s a neat outward rake towards the back that is barely
noticeable, yet adds a certain style.
The Nvidia Tegra 3 1.2GHz quad-core
processor with 1GB of RAM is punchy enough to see this tablet cope with
demanding tasks, and Android 4.1 is present which means the IdeaTab A2109 just
about passes the ‘up to date’ test. Lenovo adds a fairly large number of apps
to the Android standards, including the Kindle app, Documents To Go, a file
explorer, Evernote, Norton’s Security app, a Lenovo print app, Skype, Sugar
Sync and Zinio. All this is mostly very positive stuff, though we tend to
prefer fewer pre-installed apps, especially when they are in fact free and
widely available through the Google Play store anyway.
But the IdeaTab A2109 has an Achilles heel,
and is let down by a pretty poor display. The nine-inch screen offers 1,280 x
800 pixels – a lowly pixel density of 167ppi – and it lacks vibrancy and punch
to compete with similar devices in this price range. Website text can be
pinched, but it’s not especially easy on the eye, and in general, the screen
lacks the sparkle of bright colors and vivid reproduction that is a key
characteristic of a truly great tablet. While not an absolute deal breaker at
the price point it does serve to reduce the tablet’s effectiveness for
functions that rely heavily on text. You won’t want to use this for lengthy
bouts of eBook reading, for instance.
The
backplate is solid, scratch resistant metal, which feels quite robust but makes
for rather heavy hardware
Overall the IdeaTab A2109 has some good
features, and the processor is a real plus point. As always, a low price point
does mean compromises, and here it is with the screen. Swift performance, HDMI
support and expandable memory might be enough to make up for it though.
Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 information
Price: $299
Website: www.lenovo.com
Performance: 4/5
The processor really packs a punch, and is
able to handle all tasks smoothly
Design: 3/5
Nothing radical in the design but there are
a few extra hardware functions we like
Features: 4/5
Android 4.1 and a range of pre-installed
apps, plus HDMI and SD support impress
Value for money: 4/5
The price is quite appealing for a device
of this specification
Verdict: 3/5
The screen is the only thing that brings
this tablet down. Otherwise, it is an attractive, well-priced all-rounder
Battery life
Battery life is on the high side for a big
tablet, getting you through a few days easily
Good for…
Multimedia out: The micro HDMI slot could be a really useful feature
Gaming: A good processor means gaming fun
is a real prospect
Music: Stereo
speakers are on board and are surprisingly good
Media richness: The large nine-inch screen makes the Lenovo a decent movie player
|
Technical
specs
§ Operating
system: Android 4.1
§ Processor:
Quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 1.2GHz
§ Memory:
16GB storage
§ Dimensions:
259.8 x 178 x 11.65mm
§ Weight:
570g
§ Display
size: 9-inch
§ Display
resolution: 1,280 x 800 pixels
§ Expansion
slot: micro SD
|
