Home Reviews ,,,,, Since last September we have been living with a not insignificant problem: iOS 11 has literally killed our iPad mini 3. The error – for the writer – was wanting to try the new features of the latest operating system on the tablet, which resisted everyone. the latest upgrades with the version of iOS 9.3.5. A strong temptation that we paid dearly: immediately after the update, the tablet became significantly slower, not only in starting the apps but also in using the individual functions.
The moment we realized that the damage was done (in fact there was no turning back because Apple stopped signing iOS 9.3.5 for more than a year), we evaluated the two paths we faced. We could buy iPad mini 4, the only more modern solution (it is a year younger than our mini 3) but probably also the last of the series since Apple, at least for the moment, does not seem to be interested in continuing the development of the line. of 7.9 '' tablets, or turn attention to the Android market.
Here, there are really an infinity of solutions. After a long research and a meticulous selection we have folded on Lenovo TAB4 8 Plus, a tablet that offers approximately the same dimensions as iPad mini, equipped with the latest technologies and sold at a price (purchased on GearBest) tailored to our pockets. Overall, the test had a positive outcome: we have been using it with satisfaction for just over a week and we are ready to tell you what we liked, what we missed and why it can be a valid alternative to the Apple mini series that is unfortunately ready. to reach the terminus.
Package contents: you can do more
In the box there is the bare minimum to be able to use the tablet: in addition to the manuals (in Chinese) there is the USB-C cable for charging the battery and power supply, unfortunately with US plug and therefore incompatible with our sockets. There are two alternatives: buy a travel adapter with universal pass-through socket or rely directly on another power supply that delivers at least 2A to be able to recharge the tablet battery at full power.
As did
The dimensions are very close to those of the iPad mini, even if the form factor changes. Lenovo TAB4 8 Plus is in fact higher and narrower, and consequently also the space made available to the display makes it more like a large smartphone. Initially you find yourself a bit confused but then you immediately become familiar with the new conformation, which among other things improves handling and makes the tablet even more suitable for viewing movies in 16: 9, as they occupy everything. the screen instead of showing the unsightly black bands.
In addition to the front surface, the rear surface is also made of glass. The tablet is thus very elegant and is also much less slippery than the aluminum of the iPad, but it is probably also more delicate (we have spared the drop test). The profile is instead in anodized aluminum on the long sides, while the frames on the short sides are in plastic which is aesthetically confused with the metal profile of the tablet.
The device is quite thin (7mm) and weighs around 300 grams, slightly less in comparison with our iPad mini 3 (331 grams) even if this difference is so small that it is difficult to find in everyday use.
Buttons and sockets are arranged as follows:
Performance
Below we present the summary image with the technical specifications of Lenovo TAB4 8 Plus together with the benchmarks performed with AnTuTu and Geekbench 4 and relative comparison with the other devices currently on the market.
If these are the performances on paper, what we have found using the tablet in everyday life is a very high reactivity of the whole operating system, opening and use of applications included.
The device has never had a hesitation with the applications we use daily (mainly browser, email, chat) and in comparison with iPad mini 3 with iOS 11 there is no match: it is faster in everything, from starting the applications to using them.
We have finally rediscovered the pleasure of watching videos on YouTube, for example. The app starts in less than a second and from the click on the preview to the start of the movie we are in the order of milliseconds. Trying to replicate the same operations on iPad mini 3, connected to the same WiFi network, it took us almost 2 seconds to finish starting the app and from clicking on the preview of the video, about 4 seconds elapsed before it finally started. Lenovo TAB4 8 Plus also proved to be faster in enlarging the movie to full screen, also thanks to the absence of a real animation: the transition is practically instantaneous.
To see him fatigued it takes challenging games like Asphalt 8, which is still playable without major hindrances, but the fluidity is not as excellent as the one found on our iPad . The responsiveness also drops by simply starting the camera app: it opens in a few seconds but in the rapid transitions from a strongly lit scene to a dark one the device struggles to adjust the exposure, taking about a second and proceeding almost in fits and starts.
Camera: if you aim for photos, switch tablets
But the camera isn't unsatisfactory from a performance standpoint alone. Even the quality of the files is not at the levels of our iPad, both in terms of detail and color rendering. The colors are in fact often faded or tending to cold tones, and in low light conditions the white balance takes place with even more difficulty.
The detail of landscape photos is quite good while at home, in addition to the noise of the film, sometimes the images are not very defined. To get an even clearer idea, simply browse the following gallery:
photo on the Mac screen 
Landscape photo with digital zoom 
Macro photo 
Macro photo 
Photo with front camera 
Photos in the house 
Photo at the keyboard 
Photo of a detail of the diary 
Landscape photo
It must be said that you hardly buy a tablet as the main device for dabbling in photography. At least the writer has always pulled it out only when it was necessary to digitize a document in PDF and in this perspective Lenovo TAB4 8 Plus behaves even better than iPad mini 3 for the simple fact that, although the sensor is less effective, the rear camera is still accompanied by an LED flash which greatly improves the resolution of scanned documents especially in the evening, when the room light was not often sufficient to adequately illuminate the documents to be digitized on the iPad.
Good autonomy but not surprising
The autonomy of the tablet is very good: just like with our iPad we can easily cover two days type, which in our case means surfing the Internet, management emails, documents, a few moments of relaxation with games that are not demanding in terms of performance.
For example, 54% of energy, i.e. just over a day of use, was mainly used for about 2 hours of browsing on Google Chrome and the same amount with Firefox (we use two browsers to separate the activities – and the access codes – of work. from personal ones), 30 minutes of chat on Telegram, 20 minutes of reading and sending emails on Gmail, 40 minutes of video playback on YouTube, 1 hour of reading articles via Feedly, 30 minutes of playing with Governor of Poker 3 and about 15 Standby hours.
Dolby Atmos stereo audio
One of the features we appreciated most is the sound performance of the speakers. In addition to the fact that they are stereo (we have one for each short side of the frame) they are positioned to spread to the sides of the user, creating a three-dimensional sound. The pre-installed Dolby app allows you to configure different profiles to adapt the equalization according to your preferences for music, movies, games and more. There are also some demos that show the muscles of the system, with sounds that for example pass from one speaker to another simulating the movement of a bird chirping around the user.
At maximum volume the sound is never distorted and is really powerful (much more than iPad mini 3). We have practically given up on combining the small speaker that we usually used when watching movies and videos on YouTube as the double speaker is more than enough for an audio reproduction that envelops the viewer almost isolating it from any small external noise.
Other features and impressions of use
One of the peculiarities of this device lies in the fingerprint sensor integrated in the Standby button. This is a new position especially for Apple users, accustomed to the front sensor. The position of the key is not uncomfortable and the scan always takes place rather quickly (it failed a few times requiring a second scan) even if the sensor is sometimes too sensitive. In fact, on more than one occasion it has happened to us to hold the tablet sideways and start reading by simply touching the palm of the hand with the sensor.
The display is very good even if the color rendering is not excellent. Again, if you compare it to iPad mini 3, you notice a lower color accuracy, especially for green colors that have a greater component of blue and a lesser of yellow. However, it is a detail that can only be noticed when viewing the same image on both devices: taken individually it is still a good screen with good color fidelity.
The tablet then provides a function that we have not used thoroughly but which can actually make it even more attractive to a group of users. In fact, Lenovo offers the possibility to activate the multi-user to adapt the tablet to more members of the family. You can activate restrictions for children and create different setups for each user, which will be recognized individually thanks to the different scan of the fingerprint.
Conclusions
Lenovo TAB4 8 Plus is a great product and for those who write the platform transition (from iPad mini 3 with iO S 11 to Android 7.1 Nougat) was less drastic than one might think. With this in mind, Android has made great strides in recent years and Lenovo's optimization is such as to make the use of the device very similar to that of an iPad. In fact, it is possible to take advantage of one or more pages of the lock screen to collect the most used applications, creating folders and using the lower bar to have the most important apps always at hand.
The speed and reactivity of the system is such as to make you forget all those small gaps that it has in comparison with the old iPad mini, especially if the main use is not that of video games. In everyday use, it made us rediscover the pleasure of answering an email or searching the Internet on the go, which takes place without waiting or slowing down.
In our opinion, it should then be preferred to an Apple product, especially if you are looking for a rear LED flash for scanning documents in any light condition and if you prefer to store documents and images on an external media. We have combined it with a 32GB microSD which, combined with the 64GB of capacity available in the tablet, has allowed us to transform it into an all-rounder for work and personal documents.
Price to the public
Lenovo TAB4 8 Plus is on sale on GearBest at the price of 241 euros but these days with the code MacityTAB4 you can pay 233 euros. As for the shipment, in our case it was started in a few hours from the completion of the order, with the delivery – without any addition in terms of taxes and customs duties – completed in advance, i.e. after only 2 days from the purchase. (previously the courier, DHL, estimated delivery within 4 working days of purchase).
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