Larry Magid: Lenovo tablet challenges iPad, but so do cheaper tablets

There are plenty of good alternatives to these high-end tablets for those who want a highly portable media consumption device at an affordable price.

Let me start out by admitting that, in my 40 years as a tech journalist, I’ve been wrong at least a few times. For example, in 2010 I wrote that “The iPad is underwhelming” in my CBS News column. Even though the iPad in particular and tablets in general still haven’t overtaken PCs, as Steve Jobs famously predicted in 2010, they do pretty well.

One of the reasons I was underwhelmed at the time was because laptops kept getting lighter and phones kept on getting bigger so it wasn’t clear to me how useful tablets would be. For the most part, I still believe that, which is why I’m not as bullish on tablets as some reviewers. I do think they make a great deal of sense for young children, though I would suggest you consider an inexpensive option such as an Amazon Fire Tablet, which starts at under $60, or a ruggedized Amazon Fire Kids tablet starting at under $70. Even Amazon’s top-of-the-line 10.1-inch Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet costs less than $200.

Over the years, I’ve owned a number of tablets, but most of them wound up in a drawer or donated to a school or non-profit. Then, a couple of months ago, I bought an iPad Air to help me with a work project. As I wrote in a previous column, I found the iPad useful once I equipped it with an optional keyboard that, essentially, turned it into a laptop.

As much as I liked the hardware, I was bothered by the iPad’s software. I know that there are many who will disagree, but I prefer Android’s user-interface to Apple’s iOS, which is the basis for its iPad operating system. I may even be in a minority here — at least in the U.S., where iOS products outsell Android — but I prefer the way Android allows you to quickly scroll up to see all of your apps in alphabetical order. I won’t belabor the point and respect that many will disagree, as did many of my friends and followers when I made this point on Facebook. Regardless of what I prefer, if you own an iPhone or even a Mac, you’re likely to feel right at home with an iPad and appreciate the way Apple integrates its product lines, including making it easy to switch between Apple devices. So, if you’re squarely and happily in Apple’s camp, you probably should stay there.

But I go back and forth between iPhones and Androids and wondered  what it would be like to try a tablet that had hardware nearly equal to that of an iPad Air or iPad Pro that used Android software.

There are plenty of Android tablets available, but I opted to try one from Lenovo that is built and priced to compare with the iPad Air. Lenovo makes a number of tablets, starting at under $100 with premium large screen models, including the 11.2-inch Tab P11 Pro Gen 2, which sells for about $250. But the company sent me their high-end model, the Tab P12 Pro, which sells for about $700 for the one with 128 GB of storage. This should by adequate for most people. There’s also a 256 GB version for $750. I’m testing the $829 bundle with the 256 GB tablet, a keyboard case and a stylus. By comparison, a 256 GB iPad Air ($749) would cost $1,127 when you add the $249 Apple Magic Keyboard case and the $129 stylus. Though, to be fair, there are excellent third-party keyboards and styluses available for a lot less, which could reduce your total cost to be about the same as the Lenovo. Both products are sometimes sold for less, so shop around. You can also save by buying models with less storage that may still be adequate for your needs. And there are less expensive but still very good tablets from both Lenovo and Apple.

Price issues aside, I find myself preferring the Lenovo option to the iPad Air. The larger screen, with its 16.1 aspect ratio and vivid colors, is great for watching movies and TV shows. The quad stereo speakers are also very good. I have a TV in my exercise room but prefer watching video on the tablet by propping it on my elliptical. The bundled keyboard case is also excellent with a nearly full-size keyboard and a built-in trackpad. I like how both the keyboard case and stylus magnetically attach to the tablet.

Lenovo doesn’t have the cache or name recognition as Apple, so don’t expect it or any other Android tablet maker to take a huge bite out of Apple’s market share. That won’t even happen when Google releases its highly anticipated tablet later this year. But competition is what prompts every company to improve its products, and Apple definitely has some very worthy competitors.

As I mentioned earlier, not everyone needs a tablet and not every tablet needs to cost hundreds of dollars. There are plenty of good alternatives to these high-end tablets for those who want a highly portable media consumption device at an affordable price.

Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist.