Review Lenovo IdeaTab A2109A Tablet

Like a traditional ThinkPad, the A2109A houses an internal metal roll cage for additional stability and to provide a more solid quality during use. Compared to the overly plastic IdeaTab K1 tablet, build quality has improved substantially. The casing edges are lined with matte aluminum that when combined with the Gorilla Glass front and curved silver back, makes the entire package appear quite stylish for a budget-midrange device.

The roll cage does come at a bit of a cost, however, in terms of overall thickness. At 11.65 mm thick, the A2109A is thicker than the Nexus 7, Acer Iconia Tab A700, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 and the Asus Transformer Prime. It’s not significantly thicker, mind you, but it is enough to feel the difference with other tablets side-by-side. The back metal casing, though great aesthetically, can be depressed slightly at the center with little force. Accessing the MicroSD slot requires removing a small cover on the back and can feel flimsy and difficult to detach. Fortunately, these have no consequences on the overall quality of the case.

Weight is a bit hefty at 0.580 kg, but direct comparisons with competing tablets can be a bit difficult as not many tablets have 9-inch displays. The Kindle Fire HD and Galaxy Tab 8.9 come closest in terms of size and weigh less at 0.567 kg and 0.470 kg, respectively. The differences are numerically minor, but the discrepancy can still be felt especially during one-handed use. The top portion of the tablet, for example, is slightly heavier than the opposite end due to the location of the internal battery. The uneven weight distribution means certain orientations may be preferable than others for the user.

While we have no major qualms about the build quality of the A2109A, the back casing of our particular review unit did not close all the way near a corner and had a small opening as a result. Fortunately, this is nothing major and certainly not considerably detrimental to the functionality of the device. However, we do caution buyers to check the edges and corners to make sure that the chassis is a tight fit all-around.

The standard b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 are included in the tablet and work without issues or random dropouts. We were able to pair and transfer files and contacts between Bluetooth-enabled devices easily. The GPS functions as intended as well, though we found it to be slower to fix and more sensitive to ceilings and walls than the GPS radio in the Nexus 7. Other wireless radios, such as NFC and WWAN/UMTS, are unavailable. Those interested in 3G connectivity may find the ThinkPad Tablet more appropriate.

Our test unit arrived with Android 4.0.4 ICS and was unable to officially update to 4.1.x Jelly Bean at the time of review. Still, the stock Lenovo UI is uncluttered and easily navigable. A narrow length of the display is always reserved for both the clock and the standard Back/Home/Applications buttons as no dedicated touch controls are present.

Certain aspects of the Home menu could have been improved for better usability. For example, the software does not allow for continuous swiping through the pages of apps and widgets on the Home screen. Thus, users on the left-most page must swipe through all the intermediate pages in order to reach the right-most page of the Home screen. Samsung and HTC devices, including the Galaxy S3 and HTC One X, allow users to easily jump from one end to the other (or anywhere in between) with far fewer touch inputs.

Other aspects of the UI can be more of a headache. Some of the included Lenovo widgets, such as the calendar, notepad, and weather, animate slowly and with unneeded delays. Furthermore, the weather app was only able to recognize certain cities and not others, so we were unable to retrieve forecasts for even large cities such as Sacramento. Lenovo’s own App Shop widget was not functioning at all and we were unable to browse or even launch the Lenovo App Shop from the tablet. Fortunately, and probably more importantly, we ran into no such problems browsing and downloading apps from the extensive Google Play Store.

The auto-rotation option is handled poorly by the software. The actual rotating process works as intended, but the option to turn on/off the feature is always disabled in the quick access menu. Instead, the user can only enable or disable the feature deep in the Settings menu, which requires many more touch inputs. Auto-rotation is even disabled by default, hinting that Lenovo may prefer the tablet to be used in one orientation only.

Cameras on tablets are notorious for being average at best and the A2109A does nothing out of the ordinary to curb the trend. Compared to the previous generation, the A2109A uses a similar 3 MP rear camera with autofocus but with an upgraded 1.3 MP front-facing camera as opposed to the 0.3 MP of the A1. There is no built-in flash as with most tablets.

Picture quality reminds us of older cameraphones where whites can contain visible amounts of noise and browns can appear muddy. We found the cameras to be extra-sensitive to lighting, so both indoor and outdoor shots can be a gamble under even slight to moderate differences in ambient lighting. Similarly, 720p video is very easily blurred with low frame rates, making it less than ideal for fast-moving recordings.

As for video playback, 720p files can play smoothly and without noticeable hiccups with the default video player. 1080p files will generally play fine as well, but don't be surprised if you experience unstable frame rates throughout the video. We played The Avengers in 1080p (~1500 kb/s bitrate) and while the movie was watchable from beginning to end, the varying frame rates can be a bit bothersome. Regardless, dark scenes are reproduced surprisingly well on the tablet, due largely in part to the great contrast ratio.

Maximum brightness was measured at the center with an overall screen average of about 220 nits. The backlight here is slightly more powerful than that of the IdeaTab A1 and is more than satisfactory for indoor use. Contrast is very good, but otherwise muted because of the unimpressive colors. Outdoor use can become much more difficult if brightness is anywhere below maximum due to the ultra-reflective layer of Gorilla Glass. Direct sunlight will cause all sorts of readability and glare problems, so a shade spot is definitely recommended.

Viewing angle stability is typical of a TN panel on a budget notebook, which is below average by tablet standards. The default landscape orientation is the best position for using the tablet as the user will experience less color shifting and brightness issues. Tilting the tablet forward by even a few degrees will almost immediately invert colors and reduce brightness by a significant amount.

The optimum viewing window is reduced even further if the tablet is in a portrait orientation. Even if viewing the device straight on, the distance between the user’s eyes will be enough to notice the color inversions and brightness reduction. This makes viewing pictures and images almost unusable in portrait mode without tilting the tablet at an uncomfortable angle. Consequently, the A2109A is simply not fit for multiple viewers. There is a reason why many mainstream tablets, even some less expensive models, use IPS technology instead of TN and the A2109A is a prime example of what can happen if the display is simply not up to task.

The quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 APU is now the heart of many budget and mainstream tablets despite its presence in only high-end smartphones. More specifically, the A2109A utilizes the lower-end Tegra 3 T30L APU operating at up to 1.2 GHz per core (or 1.3 GHz on a single active core). During our time with the review unit, we experienced no major hitches during normal browsing, although Google Maps and Flash-based pages will naturally experience more snags and pauses every once in a while with heavy scrolling.

Internal storage is available in 8 GB and 16 GB models, though prices vary between retailers anywhere from $259 to $299. Users have the option to add more local storage space with a microSD if the built-in SSD becomes unsatisfactory.

Synthetic benchmarks place the A2109A roughly in line with the Nexus 7 and Acer Iconia A700 and below more expensive tablets like the Exynos-powered Galaxy Note and Transformer Prime with a more powerful Tegra 3. In practice, however, the tablet performs reliably under normal tasks. Expect to run into the occasional slowdown and delays with moderate to heavy multitasking.

The stereo speakers are an upgrade from the monaural speaker of the original and are located on the back edge facing away from the user. Regardless of the positioning, the A2109A offers better than average sound quality with very balanced tones. Volume is loud and produces no distortions when set to high or maximum. Bass could be deeper, of course, though that is but a minor complaint for tablets in general. The device also remains surprisingly stable with little to no lingering vibrations when at high volumes. While headphones are always recommended for better sound quality, we had no issues listening to music or watching videos with just the built-in speakers.

When up against its predecessor, the IdeaTab A2109A has scaled well by offering faster hardware and more features without sacrificing too much battery life in order to stay on a level playing field against more recently released tablets. Combined with the less boxy chassis, brighter display, noticeably improved speakers, hardened construction, and an HDMI-out port, the A2 series has taken many appropriate steps over the original. The weight, size, and super-glossy display position the device more of an indoor tablet than one suited for consistent outdoor use.

Perhaps the most condemning aspect of the tablet is its subpar viewing angles. The average picture quality and subdued colors are forgivable, but when viewing angles are so narrow that it essentially limits use to landscape mode only, we find it hard to recommend the $299 A2109A over current generation tablets such as the Nexus 7 or Galaxy Tab 2. As stated earlier in the review, the fact that auto-rotation is disabled by default and even grayed out in the quick access menu can be considered warnings flags about the viewing angles of the device. Tablets should be usable in any screen orientation and be easily shared between close by friends and family, something that can be a challenge with the A2109A.

On the bright side, Lenovo also sells the IdeaTab S2109, a similar tablet to the IdeaTab A2109 but with a larger 9.7-inch IPS screen free from the constricting viewing angles for about $100 more (depending on the reseller). The vast amount of increasingly cost-competitive Android tablets out there will give the A2109 a run for its money.