Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 review: The tablet that travels to work - Inquirer Technology
The Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 is the latest mid-range enterprise tablet from Lenovo. Released only this year, it refreshes and refines the specs and functions that came to define its predecessor. At a time when budgets are getting tighter and value for money is being pushed as the main impetus to buying devices, the Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 fits these needs. Designed by a company with a credible history in enterprise-grade portables like the ThinkPad, this is more than just a tablet: it’s a portable desktop replacement that’s mostly for work, but secretly also for play.
The second generation Idea Tab Pro is a great size for both travel and desktop use. At 13 inches and 1.31 lbs, it makes for a good laptop replacement, especially for the busy-body me that enjoys traveling light and boarding flights only with hand carry luggage. It fits most of my EDC sling bags — Aer, Crumpler, Alpaka — without forcing anything. The form and weight hit the right in-betweens: not a heavy laptop, but also not a mini tablet.
It comes with a full-sized magnetic keyboard attachment, meaning you don’t have to feel cramped while typing. It’s a natural fit for the hands, so you can go from your desktop keyboard to this device without having to adjust your fingers.
The Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 comes with a beautiful — and large — 13-inch screen at a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. It utilizes paper matte technology removing screen glare.
Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 Mobile Platform running Android 16. Lenovo doesn’t pretend to overqualify this device: it’s a solid mid-ranger made for daily work and entertainment on a huge screen. It feels great to have, and to hold. My eyes were not squinting the way they usually do on other tablets at the standard 11 inches. On moderate work, I can get on-and-off two days out of the 10,200 mAh battery with 45W charging. In fact, I’m writing this review on this very tablet right now while playing music in the background, and we’re barely noticing a dip. To conserve battery life, I usually keep this on Intelligent mode, letting the on-device AI adjust refresh rates depending on what I’m doing.
The Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 comes with a feature called Desk Mode — for when you want a full desktop experience by connecting the tablet to an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard. This has become quite useful in open workspaces where hot desking is more common. Plug in your tablet, enable the mode, and Android reskins itself with a bottom taskbar and resizable multitasking windows, not unlike Windows or macOS.
The stylus rounds out the productivity story. I’ve come to appreciate the Tab Pen Plus for signing off on PDF documents and doodling on notepad apps. It charges via USB-C — a decision I actively appreciate, since other brands still use battery cells, which can be a hassle to replace mid-trip. The Tab Pen Plus connects automatically via Bluetooth, displays battery charge, and has contextual shortcuts depending on how you press the button near the nib. Pen gestures can be programmed to take screenshots, open quick notes, and more. It also functions as a remote control, which comes in handy during slideshow presentations.
There are other key features that shape this device into its corporate mold with face unlock for security and WiFi 7 support for faster browsing and downloads. Lenovo also supports four years worth of security updates until Android 18.
The front camera is designed primarily for video calls — 1080p at 30fps, which covers the webcam use case adequately. The rear 8MP camera goes up to 4K video at 30fps. The standout feature here is the built-in AI document scanner. Point it at a receipt or a paper document and it analyzes angles and reflections, producing a clean, legible copy. Useful for documenting service invoices come liquidation time.
I’ve been consistently surprised by Lenovo’s audio tuning across its device lineup. For context, I’ve been using a Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition laptop for the better part of 24 months, and despite it being super thin, its Dolby Atmos tuning gives it a solid, full-sounding bass. The Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 carries that same sensibility. It comes with four JBL speakers — two on each side in landscape orientation — and sounds fuller than most tablets I’ve reviewed. Whenever I travel, a Lenovo portable tends to become my default hotel room soundbar for ambient music, precisely because of that bass. Lenovo did not scrimp on the multimedia experience here.
The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 comes in two variants. The 128GB model is priced at P36,995 while the 256GB model will cost P39,995. I do have to point out that this device comes with a microSD slot, capable of expanding memory up to 2TB of storage.
The Lenovo Tab Pro Gen 2 comes in two colorways – Luna Gray and Cloud Gray.
