Lenovo Idea Tablet S2109 9.7-Inch Tablet PC – 16GB (Black)

Lenovo Idea Tablet S2109 9.7-Inch Tablet PC Features

The tablet PC battle is now hotter than ever. There are many impressive models available from mainstream consumer tablets, to business-oriented models, to innovative combinations of both. There are high-end tablets with similar specs and similar price points, like the New Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Toshiba Excite, as well as budget tablets that offer a compromising combination of price, performance, and features, like the Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7. The Lenovo Idea Tablet S2109 comes between high-end and low-end tablets, offering Android Ice Cream Sandwich, dual-core processor, 16GB, a front camera and IPS screen. It is a mid-range tablet that can serve you well for most apps and tasks, but in comparison with the flagship tablet like the Asus Transformer Pad TF300, the IdeaTab S2109 lacks the bells and whistle of a feature-rich tablet.

The IdeaTab S2109 has a rather nice design and features, its four corners are slightly inwardly curved, making the IdeaTab look stylish and slimmer than it is. It is not a light tablet, weighting 580g and measuring 9.7 x 7.3 x 0.35 inches. It does not feels as light as ten-inch tablets like the new iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, but it is definitely thinner and lighter than the Transformer Pad TF300. The chassis of the IdeaTab S2109 is made of plastic, but it feels solid in hand, and the grey backplate looks classy. Lenovo has included a good range of expansion options. There are Power and Volume buttons, a 3.5mm headphone jack, micro USB and micro HDMI ports, and a microSD card slot which can be used to boost the 16GB of built-in storage. The four speakers sit on the back corners of the tablet ready to play sounds at your command, they are unique features on the IdeaTab as other tablets offer only one or two speakers. Lenovo has equipped the IdeaTab S2109 with SRS Trumedia audio enhancements. The audio quality is up to standard, the speakers are definitely loud enough for users to share their videos with a group of people.

The screen is a 1024×768 pixel, 9.7-inch display and it is bright, light, and perfectly matches the iPad and iPad 2′s size and sharpness. Additionally, you can find the same resolution from more affordable Coby Kyros MID9742, but its 4:3 aspect ratio is not ideal for Android tablets, text looks pixelated, and could affect compatibility with third-party apps. Honestly, the 1,280×800 pixel resolution looks pretty standard for large-screen tablets to begin with, so the IdeaTab S2109′s screen looks inferior to other premium tablet PCs like the New iPad’s 2,048×1,536 pixel Retina display and the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700’s 1,920×1,200 pixel display.

There is a 1.3MP front-facing camera to enable video calling on the IdeaTab, but there is no rear-facing camera, however given the typical quality of tablet cameras in this price range, this is probably a non-factor. Most users normally take pictures with digital cameras not tablets.

On the plus side, Lenovo has not stinted on the specifications which include Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n networks, so linking to the web is a breeze. Other features include Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, HDMI output, and either 8GB or 16GB of built-in storage. There is a microSD card slot for adding more memory which accepts cards up to 64GB.

There is a custom virtual keyboard, however the on-screen keys are not well designed, making your typing less comfortable on the IdeaTab than on the stock Android tablet keyboard. The tablet is packed to the gills with useful pre-loaded apps to support your business needs, including AccuWeather, Documents To Go, and Sugarsync. With a copy of Documents To Go pre-installed you can use this device for work purposes. Lenovo also includes Lenovo App Shop and Google Play, which allow you to access thousands of apps, but only some of the apps are Lenovo tablet optimized.

As you delve into the specifications of the IdeaTab S2109 you realise that this is not a leading-edge tablet. The 1GHz Cortex A9 processor is dual core and its 1GB of RAM helps it move quickly, swiping through home pages and scrolling through websites is smooth on the IdeaTab S2109. Running multiple apps is fast and smooth. The big screen and decent processor make gaming a pleasure on this device, but the S2109 just cannot beat the newer Tegra 3 powered tablets. Most notable in this respect is the powerful quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip found in the TF300, Transformer Prime, and the Nexus 7, that is soaking up all the speed plaudits at present. Best of all, the Lenovo Idea Tablet S2109 runs Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, this is a huge plus point. With all the talk currently being about ICS, any Android tablet shipping without it is immediately starting off on the back foot.

The dual-core processor can handle media playback on the S2109, and a good range of video formats is supported in the video player including Xvid, DivX, MPEG4, H.264, and AVI videos at resolutions up to 1080p. With support for full HD playback the tablet is a useful tool for watching video on the go. MP3, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WAV, and WMA audio files all played fine.

The battery life of the S2109 is rated up to 10 hours of video playback. The battery struggles a bit in such a function-rich device, which plays a video with screen brightness set to max and Wi-Fi on, the tablet can survive 5-6 hours, while the TF300 is rated 7-8 hours of the same usage.

Overall, The Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 is not a bad performer, it is not quite as good as it gets, but as good as you will likely need. However, you are able to get a device with a more powerful processor that delivers better performance at the similarly priced or even cheaper alternatives. The Asus Transformer Pad TF300 can perform better than the IdeaTab S2109 in every aspect. For budget devices, the Nexus 7 features better specs in most areas at half the price, while the Coby Kyros MID9742 offers similar specs but lacks of Google Play at a lower price. While the IdeaTab S2109 does not do anything especially new, it is a very solid implementation of a ten-inch Android tablet. It has a good mix of specs with a touch expensive, so shop around for a good deal.

Lenovo Idea Tablet S2109 9.7-Inch Tablet PC Specifications

Operating System	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Processor	Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 HS (Cortex A9, Dual Core 1GHz)
Memory	1GB LPDDR2 RAM
Storage	16GB (eMMC)
Display	9.7-Inch 1024×768 in-plane switching (IPS) display
Display Resolution	1024×758
Wireless LAN	802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 3.0
Audio	4 speakers, including 2 x 1.5cc bass SRS TruMedia
Camera	1.3MP fixed-focus 720p HD webcam (front-mounted, still and video) For video chats
Ports	Micro HDMI (D type) Micro-AB USB MicroSD card slot DC jack
Pre-Loaded Apps	Accuweather, Docs to Go, Evernote, Lenovo App Store, News Republic, Norton Tablet Security, ooVoo, Print Anywhere, Skype, Sugarsync, Toupal, Zinio Note: Software may vary by region.
Email	Dedicated email app
Web Browser	Yes
Flash Support	Yes
GPS	Yes
Music Playback Formats	AAC, FLAC, MP3, WAV, WMA
Photo Formats	BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PSD, PNG, GIF, RAW
Video Formats	AVI, DivX, MPEG4, H.264, XVid
Dimensions (W x D x H)	9.7 x 7.3 x 0.35 Inches
Weight	0.58 kgs (1.28lbs)
Power/Battery	Up to 10 hours
Color	Black

Lenovo Idea Tablet S2109 9.7-Inch Tablet PC: Customer Reviews

Pros:

The IPS screen is the best selling point on this tablet. The IPS and high resolution screen is great for watching movies. The pictures are sharp and clear. The touchscreen is very responsive.

The device is quite light and thin. Android Ice Cream Sandwich is on board. It is great for home media use with four speakers at the back and SRS sound, which is the best sound you have ever heard on a tablet.

FM radio, Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi are on board.

There is a full version of Documents To Go, so you can view, create, and edit Word, Excel, PowerPoint documents on the go.

The screen has good contrast and nice aspect ratio, which is great for reading, text is clear and sharp.

The 1.3MP front facing camera is great for video calling like Skype and Google Talk.

There is a microSD card slot for memory expansion, a microUSB and HDMI ports, and a charging port on the right short edge. The volume control sits on top long edge, it is easy to control and easy to use. A power button and headphone jack are on the left short edge. Buttons are well placed and very functional. You can use the micro HDMI to connect it to your TV.

The tablet has a solid feel of design, a silicon sleeve protects it well.

The performance is smooth and fast. Multiple apps can run simultaneously, this is a pleasure. Major advantage is having the Chrome browser in ICS.

Setup is easy, connecting Wi-Fi is easy. Download updates quickly. Apps run quickly and old familiar activities became more satisfying instantly.

Cons:

The $449 for 16GB is a bit pricey, but It is now on sale on Amazon at $349, which is a great price. You are able to get a great deal through Amazon that really increased the value of your purchase. For spec conscious customers, you can pay $449 for quad-core tablets.

Unfortunately, there is no camera on the back, but okay.

Conclusion:

Overall, at this price $449, there is a lot of competition on the market. You can get quad-core tablets like Toshiba Excite 10 or Asus Transformer TF300 with a sharp IPS display. It is absolutely worth your hard earned money and delivers what it promises. The spec is not amazing, but good enough, it has everything you really need.