Lenovo has drawn some clearly defined lines in its previously rather confused tablet range, launching three new TAB3-branded slates. the largest and most expensive is the Tab3 10 Biz, a tablet firmly aimed at business users, with bulk buyers very much in mind, as you'll be able to tell from the $199 starting price. That equates to 141 ex VAT, so bulk buyers should be happy.
The 10.1in display has a resolution of 1,290x1,200 and uses IPS technology. That means viewing angles are excellent, while colours are relatively vibrant and accurate. What's more, the screen is covered with Gorilla Glass so the occasional tumble probably isn't going to wreck the display. Even better, the TAB3 10 Biz is IP52-certified. This means it's splash proof and dust proof, but it won't stand submersion in water for any period. Still, even this level of waterproofing is comforting.
Lenovo has massively stepped up its build quality this year, with the TAB3 10 Biz in particularly feeling extremely robust, even before you consider its IP52 rating. The back is coated in a quality-feeling, lightly textured black plastic with specks of lighter grey injected throughout. It feels comfortable to hold, too, especially because it only weighs 508g and is just 90mm thick. This is even more impressive considering its huge 7,000mAh battery that Lenovo reckons will power the TAB3 10 Biz for 12 hours.
At the top, there's a line of rear-facing speaker grill holes, which look great, although this is more form than function. The two speakers are Dolby-branded and Dolby Atmos software comes preinstalled, but there's a limit to how much fidelity you'll get out of a pair of tablet speakers. In our hands on - using the Dolby Atmos sample video - I was underwhelmed, with a fairly tinny audio experience. They certainly won't create any 'wow' factor, no matter how much tweaking you do in the Dolby software.
At the front there's a 5MP camera for selfies and video conferencing, while an 8MP camera is found at the rear.
Performance comes from a quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek processor paired with 2GB of RAM. It's no powerhouse and the processor felt the strain almost immediately, with opening apps and switching screens taking a little longer than I'd like, with animations being decidedly jerky. For very basic tasks it'll be fine, but everything else may struggle.
The tablet comes pre installed with Android for Work, which will be great for businesses operating a BYOD policy. Android for Work allows IT admins to separate work accounts from personal ones, meaning apps on the personal side won't interfere - or look at - data on the work side. This also means the work side can be erased remotely. Conversely, the personal side can't be accessed by IT admins, giving users a more private experience.
The TAB3 10 Biz will hit the market in June and, if the US price translates nicely, this could be an appealing budget tablet as long as you can live with the juddery performance.
