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Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet Review: The Kindle killer with Android Go

Extremely cheap. With the second generation of the Tab M7, Lenovo brings a very low-priced tablet to the market, which, despite its weak hardware, cuts a very fine figure. Thanks to Android Go, there is no unnecessary bloatware, and for only 79 Euros (~$88), the tablet delivers almost everything you can expect from such a device.
Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet

Lenovo is primarily known for its numerous notebooks. This year we reviewed two Lenovo tablets (Tab M10 and Tab P10). They had very good build quality but offered poor system performance. We do not expect the Tab M7 to have great system performance either, because it comes with Android Go and is primarily designed for simple applications

For only 79 Euros (~$88), buyers get a 7-inch tablet with MediaTek’s MT8321 SoC, an ARM Mali-400 MP2 GPU, 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal eMMC flash storage. With this hardware configuration, the Lenovo tablet has to compete against other similarly priced slates. For this review, we selected a number of comparable devices from our database. 

Lenovo Tab M7 (Tab M Series)
Processor
Mediatek MT8321 4 x 1.3 GHz, Cortex-A7
Graphics adapter
Memory
1024 MB 
Display
7.00 inch 16:10, 1024 x 600 pixel 170 PPI, capacitive, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB 
, 12 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack, Card Reader: microSD (FAT, FAT32, exFAT), Sensors: motion sensor
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 8.2 x 176 x 103 ( = 0.32 x 6.93 x 4.06 in)
Battery
3500 mAh Lithium-Polymer
Operating System
Android 9.0 Pie
Camera
Primary Camera: 2 MPix
Secondary Camera: 2 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: 1, Keyboard: onscreen, Keyboard Light: yes, USB charger, MicroUSB cable, 24 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
236 g ( = 8.32 oz / 0.52 pounds), Power Supply: 57 g ( = 2.01 oz / 0.13 pounds)
Price
79 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
75.4 %
12/2019
Lenovo Tab M7
MT8321, Mali-400 MP2
236 g8.2 mm7.00"1024x600
77.7 %
07/2019
Amazon Fire 7 2019
MT8163 V/B 1.3 GHz, Mali-T720 MP2
286 g9.6 mm7.00"1024x600
78.7 %
03/2019
Alldocube M8 T801
MT6797X, Mali-T880 MP4
345 g8.48 mm8.00"1920x1200
83.3 %
05/2018
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
Kirin 960, Mali-G71 MP8
316 g7.3 mm8.40"2560x1600
79.6 %
01/2020
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
SD 429, Adreno 504
345 g8 mm8.00"1280x800

Case - Cheap tablet with small bezels

The Lenovo Tab M7 has a robust metal chassis and comes in three colour schemes. The build quality is very good and there are no defects. The buttons on the right side of the device sit firmly in their cutouts and the microSD card tray does not wobble in its slot. While the back is very susceptible to fingerprints, the front is dominated by the touchscreen. The bezels are not super-small, but they are smaller than those of the Amazon Fire 7. The weight, at 235 grams, is also lower. 

Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet

Size Comparison

215 mm / 8.46 inch 122.9 mm / 4.84 inch 8.48 mm / 0.3339 inch 345 g0.761 lbs212.6 mm / 8.37 inch 124.8 mm / 4.91 inch 7.3 mm / 0.2874 inch 316 g0.697 lbs210 mm / 8.27 inch 124.4 mm / 4.9 inch 8 mm / 0.315 inch 345 g0.761 lbs192 mm / 7.56 inch 115 mm / 4.53 inch 9.6 mm / 0.378 inch 286 g0.631 lbs176 mm / 6.93 inch 103 mm / 4.06 inch 8.2 mm / 0.3228 inch 236 g0.52 lbs210 mm / 8.27 inch 148 mm / 5.83 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 2.9 g0.00639 lbs

Connectivity - Lenovo Tab M7 has a microSD card slot

The Lenovo Tab M7 comes with the low-priced MediaTek MT8321 chipset, an ARM Mali-400 MP2 graphics unit, 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of eMMC memory. According to the specifications sheet, there is also a version with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. In addition to a microUSB port and a 3.5-mm headphone jack, there is also a microSD card reader.

Top: 3.5-mm headphone jack
Top: 3.5-mm headphone jack
Bottom: microphone, microUSB port
Bottom: microphone, microUSB port
Left side: microSD card slot
Left side: microSD card slot

Software - Tablet from Lenovo with Android Go

The Lenovo Tab M7 runs the Go version of Android 9. The security patches were last updated on October 5, 2019. Thanks to Android Go, the system feels responsive even on low-spec hardware. There are no preinstalled third-party applications. While multi-tasking, you can run into occasional stutters. In this case, the Lenovo Vantage application can come in handy, because it allows users to free up RAM and close unused applications.

The Camera2 API is only supported in a “limited” fashion, and because there is no support for Widevine L1 DRM, it is impossible to stream Full HD content from Netflix, Amazon Prime or Maxdome.

Software of the Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Software of the Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Software of the Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Software of the Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Software of the Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Software of the Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Software of the Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet
Software of the Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet

Communication and GPS - Slow Wi-Fi on the Tab M7

The Tab M7 cannot operate in any mobile networks. The Lenovo tablet only supports the following IEEE 802.11 standards: b, g, and n. It also supports Bluetooth 4.2. With a 1x1 MIMO antenna, our review device achieves an upload speed of 48.2 Mb/s and a download speed of 59.7 Mb/s with our reference-grade router Linksys EA8500.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
Mali-G71 MP8, Kirin 960, 32 GB eMMC Flash
205 MBit/s +325%
Alldocube M8 T801
Mali-T880 MP4, MT6797X, 32 GB eMMC Flash
195 MBit/s +305%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
Adreno 504, SD 429, 32 GB eMMC Flash
115 (109min - 121max) MBit/s +139%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
Mali-T720 MP2, MT8163 V/B 1.3 GHz, 16 GB eMMC Flash
91 (44min - 103max) MBit/s +89%
Lenovo Tab M7
Mali-400 MP2, MT8321, 16 GB eMMC Flash
48.2 (34min - 61max) MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Alldocube M8 T801
Mali-T880 MP4, MT6797X, 32 GB eMMC Flash
235 MBit/s +294%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
Mali-G71 MP8, Kirin 960, 32 GB eMMC Flash
203 MBit/s +240%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
Adreno 504, SD 429, 32 GB eMMC Flash
101 (86min - 107max) MBit/s +69%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
Mali-T720 MP2, MT8163 V/B 1.3 GHz, 16 GB eMMC Flash
97 (20min - 109max) MBit/s +62%
Lenovo Tab M7
Mali-400 MP2, MT8321, 16 GB eMMC Flash
59.7 (41min - 56max) MBit/s
051015202530354045505560Tooltip
Lenovo Tab M7; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø53 (41-56)
Lenovo Tab M7; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø48.1 (34-61)
GPS Test indoors
GPS Test indoors
GPS Test outdoors
GPS Test outdoors

We use the GPS Test application to examine how well the Lenovo Tab M7 does when it comes to geolocation. The Lenovo tablet supports the following geolocation systems: GPS and SBAS. Outdoors, our review device has a margin of error of up to three metres. Indoors, the Tab M7 fails to connect to the satellites.

In order to determine how accurate our review device is when it comes to geolocation, we take it with us on a bike ride. On this bike ride we are also accompanied by the professional navigator Garmin Edge 500. The Tab M7 recorded the route that we took quite accurately. The tablet only had trouble keeping up with the Garmin Edge 500 at sharp turns, which is where the larger deviations come from.

GNSS - Lenovo Tab M7
GNSS - Lenovo Tab M7
GNSS - Lenovo Tab M7
GNSS - Lenovo Tab M7
GNSS - Lenovo Tab M7
GNSS - Lenovo Tab M7
GNSS - Garmin Edge 500
GNSS - Garmin Edge 500
GNSS - Garmin Edge 500
GNSS - Garmin Edge 500
GNSS - Garmin Edge 500
GNSS - Garmin Edge 500

Cameras - Not fit even for snapshots

Selfie
Selfie

The Lenovo Tab M7 features a 2 MP main camera and a 2 MP front-facing camera. Both cameras produce very poor shots. However, the front-facing camera produces somewhat duller colours than the rear camera. The panoramic shots appear blurry, and the finer structures are barely discernible. All in all, the images are very grainy. In the camera settings, users can adjust the ISO, white balance and the exposure. There is also the so-called “Scene mode”.

The main camera takes very blurry photos in low-light environments. Because the images are so grainy, the structures and details are hard to discern. Surfaces and objects in the background also look grainy. Under poor lighting conditions, the image quality becomes even worse. Objects are hard to recognise and the whole image is very noisy. There is also a “beauty mode”, which allows users to apply various colour filters.

The video shot with the main camera offers a similar level of quality as the photos. Motion appears somewhat blurry, but stabilisation works well when the camera is not shaking too much. Video can be recorded in either 480p or 720p. The Lenovo tablet does not offer a high frame-rate mode or anything like that.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3

We use the ColorChecker Passport tool to assess the colour accuracy of the Tab M7’s camera. Most of the colours appear too bright. Yellow tones are reproduced especially poorly. Under an illuminance level of 1 lux, our colour chart is no longer recognisable. 

Under controlled lighting conditions, the Tab M7 takes better shots of our test chart. However, the images are still quite grainy. Fine details and structures are also recognisable, but the sharpness is lower at the edges of the image. Moreover, the bottom corners of the image appear washed-out. Under an illuminance level of 1 lux, our test chart is no longer recognisable.

ColorChecker
4.2 ∆E
4 ∆E
7.4 ∆E
5.8 ∆E
6 ∆E
3 ∆E
3.6 ∆E
10.2 ∆E
3.2 ∆E
4.4 ∆E
4.1 ∆E
4.3 ∆E
7.1 ∆E
3.3 ∆E
4 ∆E
2.1 ∆E
1.3 ∆E
7.3 ∆E
4.7 ∆E
3.6 ∆E
5.6 ∆E
7.6 ∆E
10.1 ∆E
10.3 ∆E
ColorChecker Lenovo Tab M7: 5.29 ∆E min: 1.35 - max: 10.3 ∆E
ColorChecker
30 ∆E
55.5 ∆E
40.2 ∆E
35.3 ∆E
46.1 ∆E
62.8 ∆E
54.2 ∆E
36.5 ∆E
44.6 ∆E
29.4 ∆E
65.5 ∆E
64.5 ∆E
31.9 ∆E
48.1 ∆E
38.2 ∆E
77.1 ∆E
45 ∆E
42.5 ∆E
94.8 ∆E
71.7 ∆E
52.9 ∆E
37.5 ∆E
24.4 ∆E
13.9 ∆E
ColorChecker Lenovo Tab M7: 47.61 ∆E min: 13.91 - max: 94.84 ∆E
Lenovo Tab M7 - Test chart
Lenovo Tab M7 - Test chart (detail)
Lenovo Tab M7 - Test chart (1 Lux)

Accessories and Warranty - 24 months for Lenovo tablets

The box contains a USB charger with a microUSB cable and a SIM card removal tool. Lenovo does not offer any additional accessories for the Tab M7.

The Lenovo slate comes with a 24-month warranty. 

Input Devices & Handling - Good touchscreen in the Tab M7

Google’s GBoard is used as the default virtual keyboard, which is why typing longer sentences in portrait mode is quite easy. The touchscreen is very responsive. When it comes to larger drag-and-drop gestures, the touchscreen puts up too much resistance. The motion sensor recognises when the device is rotated very fast.

You can use a PIN code, a pattern or face recognition to unlock the device. Face recognition works well under good lighting conditions. 

Lenovo Tab M7 - Input devices
Lenovo Tab M7 - Input devices

Display - Lenovo Tab M7 offers a bright but reflective screen

Pixel arrangement
Pixel arrangement

The Lenovo Tab M7 comes with a 7-inch, IPS screen with a native resolution of 1024x600. The average brightness of 449 cd/m² is the highest in our comparison chart, whereas the brightness distribution of 86% is only mediocre. The brightness can be lowered to 4.52 cd/m². There is no ambient light sensor. In the APL50 test, the brightness peaks at 455 cd/m². 

According to our measurements, Lenovo does not utilise PWM for brightness control. 

490
cd/m²
448
cd/m²
429
cd/m²
478
cd/m²
447
cd/m²
419
cd/m²
480
cd/m²
429
cd/m²
424
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 490 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 449.3 cd/m² Minimum: 4.52 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 447 cd/m²
Contrast: 1788:1 (Black: 0.25 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 7.1 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 8.1 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
68.1% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.07
Lenovo Tab M7
IPS, 1024x600, 7.00
Amazon Fire 7 2019
IPS, 1024x600, 7.00
Alldocube M8 T801
IPS, 1920x1200, 8.00
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
IPS, 2560x1600, 8.40
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
TFT, 1280x800, 8.00
Screen
11%
-17%
-21%
1%
Brightness middle
447
391
-13%
317.5
-29%
405
-9%
377
-16%
Brightness
449
385
-14%
320
-29%
392
-13%
372
-17%
Brightness Distribution
86
75
-13%
94
9%
92
7%
87
1%
Black Level *
0.25
0.15
40%
0.5
-100%
0.67
-168%
0.29
-16%
Contrast
1788
2607
46%
635
-64%
604
-66%
1300
-27%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
7.1
6.3
11%
6.12
14%
5.78
19%
6.1
14%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
20.6
19.3
6%
13.72
33%
9.82
52%
10.9
47%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
8.1
6.1
25%
5.8
28%
7.2
11%
6.6
19%
Gamma
2.07 106%
2.22 99%
2.12 104%
2.278 97%
2.13 103%
CCT
8255 79%
8069 81%
7633 85%
8405 77%
7861 83%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The Tab M7 has a very good contrast ratio and a somewhat elevated black value of 0.25 cd/m². This is why the Lenovo tablet takes second place in our comparison chart and is only beaten by the Amazon Fire 7. In the APL50 test, the black value (0.45 cd/m²) is much worse.


The CalMAN analysis reveals that the colours appear too cold. You can choose between three colour profiles (normal, warm, and cold) or you can use a slider to adjust the colours to your liking. The Night Light can be configured to turn on at a specific time, which makes the colours appear much warmer.

CalMAN - colour-space coverage
CalMAN - colour-space coverage
CalMAN - colour accuracy
CalMAN - colour accuracy
CalMAN - grayscale
CalMAN - grayscale
CalMAN - saturation
CalMAN - saturation

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
34.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 17.6 ms rise
↘ 17.2 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 91 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
50.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 29.2 ms rise
↘ 21.2 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 85 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Outdoors, the Lenovo tablet is usable in the shade. While the screen content is easy to recognise when looking at the display straight on, the reflections start to crop up when looking at the screen at an angle. 

Lenovo Tab M7 outdoors
Lenovo Tab M7 outdoors
Lenovo Tab M7 outdoors
Lenovo Tab M7 outdoors

The IPS panel of the Lenovo Tab M7 has very good viewing angles. The screen content can be read from any angle without distortions.

Lenovo Tab M7 - viewing angles
Lenovo Tab M7 - viewing angles
Lenovo Tab M7 - viewing angles
Lenovo Tab M7 - viewing angles

Performance - Only fit for simple applications

The Lenovo Tab M7 features the MediaTek MT8321, which is a very simple SoC. Due to 1 GB of RAM, the results in the benchmarks are not very good. The ARM Mali-400 MP2 graphics unit is only fit for non-demanding applications. 

The Tab M7 does not do very well in the benchmarks. It takes last place in almost every category. Some benchmarks, such as PCMark 2.0, complete successfully but give out a score of 0 points. Especially demanding graphics benchmarks cannot be performed, because some graphics APIs are not supported.

Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Tablet (745 - 5713, n=14, last 2 years)
2670 Points +519%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
1896 Points +340%
Alldocube M8 T801
1352 Points +214%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
648 Points +50%
Lenovo Tab M7
431 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (429 - 431, n=2)
430 Points 0%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Tablet (1418 - 15310, n=14, last 2 years)
7691 Points +582%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
6509 Points +478%
Alldocube M8 T801
3590 Points +219%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
1797 Points +59%
Lenovo Tab M7
1127 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (1106 - 1127, n=2)
1117 Points -1%
Compute RenderScript Score
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
11539 Points +1274%
Average of class Tablet (2128 - 9945, n=10, last 2 years)
6573 Points +683%
Alldocube M8 T801
2843 Points +238%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
1077 Points +28%
Average Mediatek MT8321 (840 - 862, n=2)
851 Points +1%
Lenovo Tab M7
840 Points
PCMark for Android
Work performance score
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
7053 Points +159%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
5986 Points +120%
Alldocube M8 T801
5984 Points +120%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
4685 Points +72%
Lenovo Tab M7
2719 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (2529 - 2719, n=2)
2624 Points -3%
Work 2.0 performance score
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
6006 Points
Alldocube M8 T801
4695 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
4267 Points
Amazon Fire 7 2019
3361 Points
Lenovo Tab M7
0 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321
0 Points
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score
Alldocube M8 T801
12895 Points +344%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
7879 Points +172%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
6194 Points +113%
Average Mediatek MT8321 (2902 - 2913, n=2)
2908 Points 0%
Lenovo Tab M7
2902 Points
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score
Alldocube M8 T801
14192 Points +475%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
6897 Points +179%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
5562 Points +125%
Lenovo Tab M7
2468 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (2468 - 2468, n=2)
2468 Points 0%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
15709 Points +108%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
10290 Points +36%
Alldocube M8 T801
9771 Points +29%
Average Mediatek MT8321 (7561 - 7924, n=2)
7743 Points +2%
Lenovo Tab M7
7561 Points
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen
Average of class Tablet (14 - 120, n=56, last 2 years)
58.3 fps +495%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
51 fps +420%
Alldocube M8 T801
35 fps +257%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
22 fps +124%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
17 fps +73%
Lenovo Tab M7
9.8 fps
Average Mediatek MT8321 (4.4 - 9.8, n=2)
7.1 fps -28%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
Average of class Tablet (15 - 873, n=56, last 2 years)
144.9 fps +3193%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
78 fps +1673%
Alldocube M8 T801
39 fps +786%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
11 fps +150%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
10 fps +127%
Average Mediatek MT8321 (4.4 - 7.8, n=2)
6.1 fps +39%
Lenovo Tab M7
4.4 fps
AnTuTu v7 - Total Score
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
181614 Points +726%
Alldocube M8 T801
105872 Points +382%
Lenovo Tab M7
21974 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (20856 - 21974, n=2)
21415 Points -3%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
Points -100%
BaseMark OS II
Overall
Average of class Tablet (444 - 8886, n=50, last 2 years)
3556 Points +2165%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
2982 Points +1799%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
987 Points +529%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
681 Points +334%
Lenovo Tab M7
157 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (150 - 157, n=2)
153.5 Points -2%
System
Average of class Tablet (1103 - 14097, n=50, last 2 years)
6376 Points +574%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
3940 Points +316%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
1945 Points +106%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
1225 Points +29%
Lenovo Tab M7
946 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (945 - 946, n=2)
946 Points 0%
Memory
Average of class Tablet (916 - 8890, n=50, last 2 years)
4217 Points +809%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
3985 Points +759%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
1258 Points +171%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
745 Points +61%
Lenovo Tab M7
464 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (397 - 464, n=2)
431 Points -7%
Graphics
Average of class Tablet (580 - 31738, n=50, last 2 years)
6471 Points +4425%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
4143 Points +2797%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
487 Points +241%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
338 Points +136%
Lenovo Tab M7
143 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (142 - 143, n=2)
142.5 Points 0%
Web
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
1215 Points +12050%
Average of class Tablet (10 - 1907, n=50, last 2 years)
1196 Points +11860%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
809 Points +7990%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
698 Points +6880%
Lenovo Tab M7
10 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (10 - 10, n=2)
10 Points 0%

Legend

 
Lenovo Tab M7 Mediatek MT8321, ARM Mali-400 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Amazon Fire 7 2019 MediaTek MT8163 V/B 1.3 GHz, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Alldocube M8 T801 MediaTek Helio X27 MT6797X, ARM Mali-T880 MP4, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 HiSilicon Kirin 960, ARM Mali-G71 MP8, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429, Qualcomm Adreno 504, 32 GB eMMC Flash

In the browser benchmarks, the Tab M7 achieves only mediocre results. Scrolling on common websites is smooth. However, media content takes a while to load.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Tablet (57.3 - 436, n=6, last 2 years)
143.8 Points +1184%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 (Chrome 66)
56.8 Points +407%
Alldocube M8 T801 (Chrome 72.0.3626.105)
30.35 Points +171%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79)
25.07 Points +124%
Amazon Fire 7 2019 (Silk Browser 70.3.1)
16.22 Points +45%
Lenovo Tab M7 (Chrome 79)
11.2 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321 (10.9 - 11.2, n=2)
11.1 Points -1%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Average of class Tablet (34 - 342, n=41, last 2 years)
121.7 Points +836%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 (Chrome 66)
72 Points +454%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79)
32 Points +146%
Amazon Fire 7 2019
23 Points +77%
Lenovo Tab M7 (Chrome 79)
13 Points
Average Mediatek MT8321
13 Points 0%
Speedometer 2.0 - Result
Average of class Tablet (14.7 - 376, n=51, last 2 years)
78.5 runs/min +1282%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79)
13.5 runs/min +138%
Amazon Fire 7 2019 (Silk Browser 70.3.1)
11.11 runs/min +96%
Lenovo Tab M7 (Chrome 79)
5.68 runs/min
Average Mediatek MT8321
5.68 runs/min 0%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Tablet (2672 - 74614, n=69, last 2 years)
23270 Points +1259%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 (Chrome 66)
11338 Points +562%
Alldocube M8 T801 (Chrome 72.0.3626.105)
5909 Points +245%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79)
4297 Points +151%
Amazon Fire 7 2019 (Silk Browser 70.3.1)
2871 Points +68%
Average Mediatek MT8321 (1712 - 1718, n=2)
1715 Points 0%
Lenovo Tab M7 (Chrome 79)
1712 Points
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Lenovo Tab M7 (Chrome 79)
19212 ms *
Average Mediatek MT8321 (19085 - 19212, n=2)
19149 ms * -0%
Amazon Fire 7 2019 (Silk Browser 70.3.1)
13853 ms * +28%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79)
10655 ms * +45%
Alldocube M8 T801 (Chrome 72.0.3626.105)
7429 ms * +61%
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4 (Chrome 66)
3734 ms * +81%
Average of class Tablet (451 - 34733, n=58, last 2 years)
3237 ms * +83%

* ... smaller is better

Our review device has 16 GB of eMMC flash storage. It achieves slightly worse read and write speeds than most other devices with 16 GB of eMMC memory.

The SD card reader of the Lenovo Tab M7 delivers very poor write and read rates with our reference-grade SD card Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 and therefore performs worse than all devices that we included in this review. 

Lenovo Tab M7Amazon Fire 7 2019Alldocube M8 T801Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290Average 16 GB eMMC FlashAverage of class Tablet
AndroBench 3-5
4%
8%
164%
90%
-2%
722%
Sequential Read 256KB
155.7
164.9
6%
142.8
-8%
268.6
73%
291.9
87%
164.5 ?(9.66 - 294, n=256)
6%
831 ?(163 - 3414, n=64, last 2 years)
434%
Sequential Write 256KB
53.1
77.3
46%
103
94%
132.2
149%
108.5
104%
43 ?(8.74 - 106.3, n=256)
-19%
526 ?(78.2 - 2528, n=64, last 2 years)
891%
Random Read 4KB
31.39
24.98
-20%
19.5
-38%
62.8
100%
57.8
84%
21.7 ?(2.49 - 62.1, n=256)
-31%
165.3 ?(18.4 - 451, n=64, last 2 years)
427%
Random Write 4KB
11.96
5.83
-51%
10.01
-16%
65.1
444%
16.89
41%
8.08 ?(0.49 - 44.9, n=256)
-32%
147.6 ?(8.23 - 503, n=64, last 2 years)
1134%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
38.97 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
59.2 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
52%
84.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
118%
87.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
124%
59.1 ?(8.1 - 87.7, n=137)
52%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
35.21 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
32.05 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-9%
70.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
101%
69.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
99%
39.8 ?(6.38 - 65.8, n=137)
13%

Gaming - Casual games are playable

The ARM Mali-400 MP2 is ill-suited for gaming. Casual games work fine, but more-demanding titles are plagued by stuttering. Some games do not work at all, because not all graphics APIs are supported.

In Arena of Valor, the menu felt very laggy and the game itself did not run smoothly. Asphalt 9: Legends crashed as soon as we launched it. Simpler games such as Temple Run 2 ran smoothly.

Temple Run 2
Temple Run 2
Arena of Valor
Arena of Valor

Emissions - Lenovo Tab M7 does not get hot

Temperature

According to our measurements, the surface temperatures of the Lenovo Tab M7 reach up to 30.9 °C when idle and 31.2 °C under load. The tablet never feels hot to the touch.

Max. Load
 27.5 °C
82 F
27.8 °C
82 F
30.9 °C
88 F
 
 27.7 °C
82 F
25.9 °C
79 F
31.2 °C
88 F
 
 26.8 °C
80 F
27.3 °C
81 F
28.9 °C
84 F
 
Maximum: 31.2 °C = 88 F
Average: 28.2 °C = 83 F
26.1 °C
79 F
26.2 °C
79 F
27.5 °C
82 F
26.2 °C
79 F
26.2 °C
79 F
27.5 °C
82 F
26.3 °C
79 F
26.6 °C
80 F
27.4 °C
81 F
Maximum: 27.5 °C = 82 F
Average: 26.7 °C = 80 F
Power Supply (max.)  29 °C = 84 F | Room Temperature 21.7 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 28.2 °C / 83 F, compared to the average of 30 °C / 86 F for the devices in the class Tablet.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 31.2 °C / 88 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 27.5 °C / 82 F, compared to the average of 33.3 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.4 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.
Heat distribution - front
Heat distribution - front
Heat distribution - back
Heat distribution - back

Speakers

Frequency response graph
Frequency response graph

The speaker of the Tab M7 offers a high volume with the exaggerated highs. Media content sounds tinny, and the sound stage is not very wide. We recommend using external speakers or headphones. The headphones can be connected to the Lenovo slate via the 3.5-mm audio jack.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2029.831.32525.226.93121.624.84024.724.85029.630.76322.521.58025.118.810020.120.512519.926.416020.83420017.636.225017.640.531517.446.540016.151.650013.956.963014.56180016.168.3100014.574.9125014.478160013.673.4200013.975.1250014.573.8315014.474.2400014.873.9500014.775.7630014.876.7800014.972.21000015.170.1125001568.41600015.154.5SPL26.986.1N0.962.8median 14.9median 68.4Delta1.613.242.239.931.233.627.227.523.725.83132.722.72222.821.824.423.820.923.520.327.919.134.916.440.41646.317.651.315.258.314.663.915.470.114.873.115.272.615.669.114.869.114.667.814.370.214.670.214.772.115.369.515.36914.968.615.36615.654.927.381.90.950.6median 15.3median 67.81.211.1hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo Tab M7Amazon Fire 7 2019
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Lenovo Tab M7 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 34.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.4% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 77% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 20% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 23%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 75% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 19% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Amazon Fire 7 2019 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (81.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 35% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.8% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 68% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 23%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 67% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management - Battery life could be better

Energy Consumption

The Lenovo Tab M7 draws at least 0.85 watts when idle and up to 3.69 watts under load. These results are the lowest in our comparison chart. The Lenovo tablet comes with a 5-watt charger.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.01 / 0.16 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.85 / 2.4 / 2.42 Watt
Load midlight 3.17 / 3.69 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Lenovo Tab M7
3500 mAh
Amazon Fire 7 2019
2980 mAh
Alldocube M8 T801
5500 mAh
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
5100 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
5100 mAh
Power Consumption
-31%
-167%
-106%
-4%
Idle Minimum *
0.85
1.1
-29%
3.4
-300%
2.1
-147%
0.62
27%
Idle Average *
2.4
2.77
-15%
5.1
-113%
3.74
-56%
2.68
-12%
Idle Maximum *
2.42
2.79
-15%
5.3
-119%
4.33
-79%
2.7
-12%
Load Average *
3.17
4.5
-42%
6
-89%
6.32
-99%
3.61
-14%
Load Maximum *
3.69
5.61
-52%
11.5
-212%
9.13
-147%
4
-8%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

In our practically oriented Wi-Fi test, the Tab M7 had a battery runtime of 6 h 42 m, which means that the Amazon Fire 7 lasted longer in this test, even though it has a smaller battery. Other tablets, such as the Alldocube M8, managed to outlast the Tab M7 only by a very small margin, despite the fact that they have much bigger batteries.

The Lenovo tablet does not come with a fast-charger, which is why it takes about 4 h 30 m to fully charge.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
6h 42min
Lenovo Tab M7
3500 mAh
Amazon Fire 7 2019
2980 mAh
Alldocube M8 T801
5500 mAh
Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
5100 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
5100 mAh
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3
402
462
15%
420
4%
627
56%
831
107%

Pros

+ low price
+ rigid chassis
+ small bezels
+ stock Android 9 Go

Cons

- only slow Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
- no USB Type-C port
- poor system performance
- not enough storage

Verdict - Good tablet for simple applications

In review: Lenovo Tab M7. Test device was provided courtesy of: Cyberport
In review: Lenovo Tab M7. Test device was provided courtesy of: Cyberport

The Lenovo Tab M7 is no powerhouse. The benchmark results are not very good, and the Wi-Fi as well as the storage could have been faster. When it comes to battery life, a device with such a low power draw could have squeezed more out of its 3500-mAh battery.  

The Lenovo Tab M7 is an option for anyone who is looking for a simple tablet with a stock Android experience.

At the end of the day, we are very fond of the Tab M7. The build quality is solid, and unlike the Fire 7 from Amazon it does not come with thick, annoying screen bezels. For only 79 Euros (~$88), the stock version of Android Go is a very good alternative to Amazon’s Fire OS, which features many proprietary Amazon applications. Those who are looking for a cheap and small tablet, which will be used primarily for surfing the Internet and occasionally watching videos, the Lenovo Tab M7 represents a comparatively high-quality device with a very reasonable price tag.

Lenovo Tab M7 - 12/27/2019 v7
Mike Wobker

Chassis
83 / 98 → 85%
Keyboard
65 / 80 → 82%
Pointing Device
83%
Connectivity
29 / 70 → 42%
Weight
87 / 40-88 → 99%
Battery
73%
Display
80%
Games Performance
2 / 78 → 3%
Application Performance
14 / 92 → 15%
Temperature
95%
Noise
100%
Audio
70 / 91 → 77%
Camera
32 / 85 → 37%
Average
63%
75%
Tablet - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo Tab M7 Tablet Review: The Kindle killer with Android Go
Mike Wobker, 2019-12-31 (Update: 2019-12-30)