Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 Pro Reviews

Lenovo's IdeaTab A2109A is a 9in Android tablet running Ice Cream Sandwich 4.1.1. It's a useful size for those for whom a 10in tablet is too big, and a 7in slate too small, and attractively priced at £199. But do the extra couple of inches of screen space make it a better buy than the £40 cheaper Google Nexus 7? Read our review to find out.

The Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 is a typical midrange Android tablet that does little to distinguish itself from the pack, save for its in-between 9-inch screen size.

When up against its predecessor, the IdeaTab A2109A has scaled well by offering faster hardware and more features without sacrificing too much battery life in order to stay on a level playing field against more recently released tablets. Combined with the less boxy chassis, brighter display, noticeably improved speakers, hardened construction, and an HDMI-out port, the A2 series has taken many appropriate steps over the original. The weight, size, and super-glossy display position the device more of an indoor tablet than one suited for consistent outdoor use. Perhaps the most condemning aspect of the tablet is its subpar viewing angles. The average picture quality and subdued colors are forgivable, but when viewing angles are so narrow that it essentially limits use to landscape mode only, we find it hard to recommend the $299 A2109A over current generation tablets such as the Nexus 7 or Galaxy Tab 2. As stated earlier in the review, the fact that auto-rotation is disabled by default and even grayed out in the quick access menu can be considered warnings flags about the viewing angles of the device. Tablets should be usable in any screen orientation and be easily shared between close by friends and family, something that can be a challenge with the A2109A. On the bright side, Lenovo also sells the IdeaTab S2109, a similar tablet to the IdeaTab A2109 but with a larger 10.1-inch IPS screen free from the constricting viewing angles for about $100 more (depending on the reseller). The vast amount of increasingly cost-competitive Android tablets out there will give the A2109 a run for its money.

While it’s true that the Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 is reasonably priced and its CPU makes it a breeze to handle, there are too many cons that hold the device back. The screen is unimpressive despite its high resolution, the camera lags too much, and it has a thick profile. Instead, consider a tablet like the Google Nexus 7. Though its screen is 2 inches smaller, it’s only going for about $200 and delivers a richer, more high-end experience. Or if you’re a patient soul, you can wait and see what the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 or the Nook HD+ will have to offer. Both will be available during the upcoming holiday season, will fall into roughly the same range as the A2109’s current pricing, and sport higher specs that may be worth checking out before jumping the gun on the A2109.

This device is a good effort from Lenovo, but put up in a competition against the rest of the Tegra 3 tablets we’ve seen, it’s just a bit lacking. If you’re looking for a 9-inch tablet with NVIDIA processing power inside it, this is your best bet, that’s for certain – especially if you just want it to be your radio all on its own: the speakers are really worth a listen. The A2109 really does have the power to run next-generation apps too, and you’ll have full access to the NVIDIA TegraZone app collection as well.

Being a relatively new player in the Android tablet space, Lenovo clearly has the formula in conjuring up a respectable tablet – albeit, they still have a lot to learn before being regarded as a contender. When we think of value, there's no denying that plenty of it is found with the Lenovo IdeaTab A2109, thanks partly to its contemporary hardware and competitive price point of $300. Obviously, it'll garner quite a few looks in the process, but when it's competing to stand head above water over things like the Apple iPad 3, Google Nexus 7, and Asus Transformer Pad 300 to name a few, it's got an uphill battle to establish itself. In the end, there is still room for improvement in a variety of aspects with the tablet to make it a sure fire selection over its rivals, but it may prove as worthy look for those on a tight budget.