Lenovo Tab M10 HD (2020) Review
Overview
We purchased a Lenovo Tab M10 HD (2020) for our reviewer to test. Continue reading to get the full review of the product.
The Tab M10 HD is one of two Android tablets from Lenovo's second generation of affordably priced M-series tablets (2020). It comes with a large 10-inch display, a stylish metal body, and the choice to buy it with a docking station that turns it into a kind of smart display.
Unfortunately, the charging dock is not available as a separate purchase, so you must decide whether or not you want it before buying the device. The most notable feature is support for Google Kids Space, which gives parents the option to essentially child-proof the tablet by loading it with tens of thousands of pre-approved games, books, and videos.
Although there is a lot of competition in the market for inexpensive Android tablets, Lenovo's first generation of the M-series sold well enough for me to be interested in where it would go with the next.
My second-generation Tab M10 HD, which I recently unpacked and used for about a week for everything from email and web browsing to video conferencing and streaming movies from apps like Netflix and HBO Max, was unpacked. I evaluated the device's overall performance, video and audio quality, wireless speeds, and a number of other features to see if the low-cost Android tablet was worth the asking price.
Pricing
2019 saw the initial release of the Lenovo Tab M10. Android 8.1 was already preinstalled, and the MSRP was just under $200. Lenovo decided to focus on a more budget-friendly market segment with the second generation of hardware, as is immediately clear.
Even with that choice, the second generation has a nearly 10% faster and more energy-efficient processor. Additionally, the battery is slightly larger, and the cameras are marginally better.
Unfortunately, the second-generation Tab M10's screen resolution was decreased. In contrast to the first generation's full HD 1920 x 1200 resolution, the second generation Tab M10 only has a resolution of 1280 x 800.
With an MSRP of $129.99 for the 2GB version and $169.99 for the 4GB version, the Lenovo Tab HD (2020) is reasonably priced for a mid-range Android tablet. Even though I highly recommend the 4GB version, the 2GB version is a fantastic deal at just $129.99, especially as a children's tablet.
If you want a family tablet that your kids can use, this model is a fantastic option that is unquestionably affordable. Although the 4GB version is somewhat expensive, the extra RAM makes a significant enough difference that I hesitate to call it overpriced.
Features
Design: Attractive metal body and solid build quality
The Tab M10 HD has a large 10-inch display, solid metal construction, and a great look and feel for a low-cost tablet. The metal body is smooth to the touch, uniformly gray in color, and divided into cut-outs for various inputs and speakers on the top and bottom.
The bottom has a USB-C input and a second speaker grill, while the top has a speaker grill and a 3.5-millimeter audio input. If you choose a Tab M10 HD that has the extra feature, you'll find the power button, volume rocker, and a drawer on the right side that can hold a microSD card and a SIM card.
The docking port connector for Lenovo is located on the left. Unfortunately, if you don't purchase the tablet version that includes a dock, there is no way to use this connector.
The dock is not offered by Lenovo as an extra accessory that can be purchased later. It's possible that customers will be disappointed as a result of Lenovo's somewhat dubious choice.
If you purchased a used dock, it might function as a charging connector, but Lenovo actually ships the two versions of this tablet with different firmware, locking out the additional dock functionality in this version.
The bottom line is that you must purchase the Smart Tab M10 HD, which comes with the dock, if you want the docking functionality.
Aside from the aforementioned cut-outs, the tablet's back has few features. There is only one rear-facing camera, which is situated in the upper left corner. It looks and feels more luxurious than you might anticipate given the price because of the metal construction.
Audio: Decent stereo sound with support for Dolby Atmos
The Tab M10 HD has stereo speakers and is Dolby Atmos compatible. Although it doesn't have the best audio quality I've ever heard from a tablet, it sounds excellent for a device in this price range.
The stereo speakers are placed on the tablet's opposite sides, which I love because it provides a much better listening experience than devices that place both speakers on the same side.
Although the sound is a little tinny and lacks bass, that is to be expected. It is more than loud enough to fill a room, but I found that lowering the volume significantly made for a more enjoyable listening experience.
I actually didn't need to use headphones to watch Netflix movies before bed because I could hear the dialog clearly and there was never any annoying distortion.
Regarding audio and headphones, the Tab M10 HD has an FM radio that is built-in and uses your headphones as the antenna. I loaded up an FM radio app, plugged in my preferred earbuds, and was able to receive a respectable amount of local FM radio stations.
Even though the hardware can technically support it, this is a feature that isn't always used, making it a convenient add-on you can rely on even if your internet connection is down.
Battery: It might be larger
The 5,000 mAh battery in the Tab M10 HD offers a respectable amount of battery life, but it could be bigger. A battery that works well for a small-screened phone simply doesn't last as long when it's powering a 10-inch display.
I've tested a lot of mid-range phones that manage to pack a 5,000 mAh battery into significantly smaller packages. Even though you could probably get two days of lighter use out of the tablet, I found myself always charging it.
I turned the screen brightness all the way up and played HD YouTube videos endlessly to test the battery. The Tab M10 HD lasted just over six hours in that condition.
This is clearly an area where Lenovo could improve if they make a third pass at the hardware because that's less than half the run time I've observed from phones with this size battery.
While it won't last all day and you'll probably need to charge it every day, six hours is more than enough time to watch your favorite show in bed at night or keep the kids occupied in the backseat of the car on a long trip.
Is it worth using
Display: It looks good, but it could use a higher resolution
For a low-cost Android tablet, the 10-inch screen is encircled by bezels that are relatively thin, with a screen to body ratio of about 82 percent. The aspect ratio, which is 16:10, is very similar to the 16:9 widescreen ratio. It strikes a good balance between being excellent for media and functional for email and web browsing.
Although the colors are nice and vivid and the display is bright and clear, the resolution is a little bit low for a screen this size. The original Tab M10 hardware featured a full HD display, but the current model's large 10-inch IPS LCD screen only offers a resolution of 800 x 1280, for a pitiful pixel density of about 149 ppi.
When held at arm's length, it appears fine, but as you get closer, you can see the individual pixels on the tablet as though you were looking through a screen door.
Depending on the configuration you purchase, performance
The Tab M10 HD (2020) has a Mediatek MT6767 Helio P22T processor, which is average for modern hardware but adequate for a low-cost Android tablet in this price range. Additionally, you can choose between 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM or 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM.
The version I'd suggest aiming for has 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, just like my test unit did. Although I wasn't able to use the other configuration firsthand, I have tested other tablets that had the MT6767 paired with 2GB of RAM and had a less-than-pleasant experience.
Remember that all of my benchmarks and personal observations only apply to the 4GB version of the hardware if you decide to purchase the 2GB version.
The second generation Tab M10 HD is generally quick and responsive when using menus and starting most apps. I had no trouble watching videos on Netflix and YouTube, browsing the web, sending emails, and even joining a few Discord calls.
Genshin Impact, my preferred test game for tablets and phones, couldn't be installed because the hardware wasn't really made for gaming.
Asphalt 9 played decently enough after I installed it and participated in a few races. I had no trouble obtaining nitro power-ups and winning the race against an AI opponent. I didn't experience any frame drops or other problems, and it sounded fantastic.
I ran a few benchmarks in addition to my personal experience to get some concrete data. To start, I downloaded PCMark, installed it, and ran the Work 2.0 benchmark to see how well the Tab M10 HD performed in work-related tasks. Its overall test score of 4,753 is respectable for a tablet in this price range.
While the writing score of 4,508 and the data manipulation score of 3,969 were both quite good, the web browsing score of 3,117 was a little on the low side. Although I didn't experience any significant problems while browsing the web, a score like that suggests you might experience some sluggishness if you have a lot of tabs or resource-demanding websites open.
I also used GFXBench to run a few graphics tests that measure how well a tablet should be able to run games. Their Car Chase benchmark, which is a game-like benchmark that evaluates physics, lighting, and other capabilities, was the first one I ran.
In that test, it received a terrible low FPS score of 3.4, which is lower than many other devices in this category that I have looked at. With a score of only 21 FPS in the T-Rex benchmark, it also performed poorly in the second benchmark I ran.
These results aren't all that surprising, but they do show that playing challenging games on this tablet is probably not going to be a great experience for you. The majority of those games will run on most tablets fairly well if you're looking for one to use with Google Kids Space.
Keep looking if you want to play anything that requires a lot of graphics power. Even Lenovo's Tab M10 FHD Plus performs noticeably better in this area despite having similar hardware.
Software: Google Kids Space and stock Android 10
Lenovo doesn't mess around a lot with stock Android, and the Tab M10 HD ships with a very clean, very stock Android 10 experience already installed. The only extra apps it forces you to use are the Lenovo Tips app, an FM radio app, and Dolby Atmos. It performs exactly as you would expect an Android 10 stock device to perform.
The biggest news is that the second-generation Tab M10 HD comes with the Google Kids Space app, which is great if you have kids and turns the tablet into a source of entertainment for them.
There are many pre-approved options, so you won't have to worry about choosing age-appropriate apps, books, or videos. The Google Family Link app is integrated with it as well, giving you remote control over limitations on screen time, bedtimes, and other things.
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