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Over the last couple of years, Lenovo has gone from being that company that makes the ThinkPad to a force to be reckoned with in the mobile space. While here in the West they might not have taken off quite the same as they have in China and the rest of Asia, the company still sells more smartphones and tablets than they do PCs and Laptops. During IFA 2014 in Berlin this week, the company is announcing one more tablet to their already considerably lineup. This time around, we’re looking at the $199 8-inch Tab S8, but just what do you get for your money?
As it turns out, quite a bit, with the Tab S8 you’d be getting an 8-inch Full HD (1920 x 1200) IPS display that’s built using a One Glass solution to bring the display closer to the touchscreen. More than a great screen however, there’s a 64-bit quad-core Intel Atom Z3745 and 2GB of RAM powering Android 4.4 KitKat onboard with some pre-installed software from Lenovo, like SHAREit, that allows users to share things even easier than before. There’s a 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera for video-calling and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. At 0.65 pounds and 0.31-inches thick, the Tab S8 is a sleek device considering its price tag. While WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and the usual suspects are all accounted for here, there is also a 4G version that’s to be available for those looking to get online no matter where they are.
For $200, you could certainly do a lot worse and it seems that Lenovo have gotten the balance between price and performance pretty much spot-on here. After all, while Full HD displays are being phased out for the likes of 2K displays on tablets these days, a good Full HD IPS display is better than a so-so 2560 x 1600 panel. The 64-bit Intel Atom should provide decent performance while at the same time giving users 7-hours or so of battery life. All-in-all, the package might not be perfect, but it’s a lot better than other tablets available for more than $199. The Tab S8 will be available starting September from both Lenovo as well as major retailers like Best Buy, with no word on whether or not the 4G version will be available right-away.
