Lenovo XiaoXin Pad Plus: 11″ Tablet for $278

11-inch display – but no AMOLED

Why exactly the name “Plus” was chosen for this tablet is questionable in view of the size. The display diagonal of 11 inches is just as big as the display of the normal XiaoXin Pad and slightly smaller than the XiaoXin Pad Pro. Just like the normal XiaoXin Pad, known globally as the Lenovo Tab P11, it uses an IPS display with a resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels, which results in a pixel density of 212 ppi. The brightness is 400 nits, which is 100 nits darker than the Xiaomi Pad 5.

The entire front is also reminiscent of Lenovo’s XiaoXin Pad Pro, and the comparison to the iPad Pro is obvious with its thin screen edges. Meanwhile, all tablets look like this, except for the normal iPad. The back is available in Lenovo’s dual-tone design, where it is basically white-silver. Besides a CE label, Lenovo logo and Dolby Vision logo, the camera module can be found here. The weight of 520 g turns out a bit heavier than some other devices, and the dimensions are 258.4 x 163 x 7.9 mm. Impressions of the build quality of Lenovo tablets can be found in our review of the XiaoXin Pad Pro.

Significantly better processor

The “Plus” apparently refers to the extra performance that the tablet offers compared to its smaller brother, the Lenovo XiaoXin Pad. With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G, the Pad Plus gets the same octa-core chip as the OnePlus NORD CE or the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. The CPU is energy-efficient and powerful thanks to the 8nm manufacturing process, which puts it in the upper class. In addition, there are 6 GB of working memory and 128 GB of mass storage, which can even be expanded via microSD card if necessary.

The cameras with 8 MP megapixels on the front and 13 MP on the back. The other equipment package includes two microphones and four JBL speakers that are supposed to provide Dolby Atmos sound. Dual-band ax Wi-Fi is installed for Internet connectivity, but LTE is not available. However, there is GPS and Bluetooth 5.1. The USB-C 3.1 port on the bottom is particularly pleasing and should support a monitor. The battery of 7,700 mAh is just as large as in the normal XiaoXin Pad and should also provide a solid runtime in this case, especially because of the processor.

Is the import worth it?

As with the other XiaoXin Pads, this is a Chinese version. It supports several languages, and is equipped with the Google Play Store, but unfortunately you cannot perform OTA updates and Widevine Level 1 is also missing. This is different for the Lenovo XiaoXin Pad Pro. Banggood flashes the Global ROM here and you can also enjoy Netflix in Full HD, but that does not seem to work for the XiaoXin Pad Plus. We are currently working on a review of the Lenovo XiaoXin Pad Pro 2021, which seems to have the same problem. If you have a solution or a workaround, please post it in the comments.

Assessment

If you exclude the lack of Widevine Level 1 support, the Lenovo XiaoXin Pad Plus is an interesting tablet. However, it is basically the regular XiaoXin Pad with the Snapdragon 750G processor, which has significantly more power than the SD 662. This puts it in a weird in-between position, as it has better performance compared to the Lenovo XiaoXin Pad Pro, but no OLED display. Besides, the XiaoXin Pad Pro just has the Global ROM and is worth importing for that. Unfortunately, the XiaoXin Pad Plus is only worth importing if you want to do without HD resolution for video streaming and updates. However, hardly anyone wants that. Do they?