Lenovo is not entirely a new player in the tablet market as it has released a bunch of slates for the past year or so. Most of its models are running on Android though the company has also displayed some bravery in conquering Microsoft's Windows ecosystem as well. With the newest Tab S8, it seems like Android is once again a winner. The soon to be unveiled slate from Lenovo is said to be running on Google's mobile OS.
The Tab S8 is an 8-inch tablet that belongs to the mid-range device category. The display is a full 1920x1200 16:10 IPS panel, not bad for a tablet that is almost as thin as the new Galaxy Tab S 8.4 of Samsung and the iPad mini of Apple. To be more exact, the new Android slate from Lenovo measures 0.31 inch thick which gives it a total weight of 0.65 pounds. This makes it lighter than the iPad and almost as light as the Galaxy Tab S.
The Tab S8's resolution of 1920x1200 pixels gives it a pixel density of 283ppi. For the sake of comparing, Samsung's recent tablets in the 8-inch genre such as the Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 has a pixel density of 189ppi. The 7.9" iPad mini 2 of Apple, on the other hand, has a density of 324ppi.
Perhaps the most appealing feature of the upcoming tablet from Lenovo is its pocket-friendly price tag of $199. At this rate, the Tab S8 costs about half of its counterparts from Apple and Samsung. It even boasts of a decent performance with a 4290mAh Li-ion battery that lasts for seven hours of total usage and a standby time of up to 400 hrs, a rear shutter of 8 megapixels with a f/2.2 sensor, a RAM of 2GB, and a quad-core Intel Atom Z3745 processor which is something first for an Android tablet from Lenovo.
For the software geeks, the new Tab S8 runs an unskinned Android 4.4 KitKat version. However, it won't have full access to the 64-bit architecture of the SoC. It also places the tablet off the hook on software updates at least before Android L launches which is most likely the Lemon Meringue Pie. Perhaps Lenovo will do its best to update the slate's firmware as soon as possible.
Other features of the Lenovo Tab S8 include a dimension size of 8.1 x 4.8 x .31 inches, a front camera of 1.6MP HD fixed focus, Dolby-enhanced dual front speakers and various color options such as white, canary yellow, blue, and ebony. The availability of a color depends on the region. There's also the connectivity option of LTE which can be credited to Intel's homebrewed XMMTM 7160 cellular modem.
"Our latest consumer tablet and PCs give consumers even more choice so they can select the right device that fits best into their mobile lifestyle," said Jeff Meredith, vice president, marketing, Mobile Business Group, Lenovo. "From the super mobile TAB S8 tablet to the Y70 and ERAZER X315 gaming PC, we've optimized each one to meet the diverse needs of customers."
