The gadgets you use at the office aren’t always the best choice when working from home. A computer is a must, but a capable tablet can give you a lot of flexibility in attending meetings, checking emails, and consuming entertainment after a long day. The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is one of several new Android tablets to have hit the market recently, signaling increased interest in a category that has stagnated for years.

The Tab 11 wins points with a built-in kickstand that allows you to prop it up for a movie session or hang it from the kitchen wall while you’re cooking a meal. Pair this with the great quad-speaker setup and a decent display, and the Yoga Tab 11 is well-suited as a media tablet, but just don’t expect it to go beyond.

Design, hardware, what's in the box

This is a ∼$300 tablet, but it sure punches above its weight when it comes to the design and build quality. The tablet has a polycarbonate frame, which feels solid and wraps halfway around the back. The rest is covered by a dark grey fabric that offers great grip and a nice contrast to the matte polycarb finish.

To accommodate the built-in stainless steel kickstand, the device’s bottom had to be made cylindrical. While this does make it difficult to squeeze it in sleeves and compartments meant for tablets, it’s worth the tradeoff. The Yoga Tab 11 is hefty, but the versatile stand lets you place it almost anywhere. It allowed me to use the Tab around the house, be it while I’m chopping vegetables on the kitchen platform, or trying to fall asleep in bed. I even hung it on wall hooks next to my dryer so I could catch an episode of The Simpsons while doing laundry.

The stand is solid, and it seems like it’ll hold up well over time. There’s a handy rubber grip attached to provide friction on smooth surfaces like glass and prevent any scratches. The length of the stand also lets you prop the tablet at steep angles.

The 11-inch 2K LCD, along with the powerful quad-speaker setup and the kickstand, convinced me to give up rewatching The Office on my phone—now I’m using the Tab 11. It's a bummer that despite the thick bulbous side, Lenovo couldn't include a 3.5mm headphone jack. The display is far from perfect too. The viewing angles are decent, but it’s not bright enough to be used outdoors.

The volume and power buttons (in portrait orientation) sit on the bottom side, which I still haven’t gotten used to. They’re bothersome even when the tablet is held in landscape mode as it leads to accidental clicks. There’s no fingerprint sensor to be found, and unfortunately, the camera-based face unlock rarely works. There’s an automatic screen light-up feature but it’s a hit-and-miss affair and doesn’t make the unlocking as seamless as it could’ve been.

There are two 8MP cameras onboard here, one on either side. While I have never needed a rear-facing tablet camera, it sure could come in handy if you wanted to scan some documents and jot notes on them. The front camera can hold its own in decent lighting and is suitable for Zoom calls.

Lenovo does include a 20W charging brick (a rare luxury indeed) and a Type-A to Type-C cable in the box.

Software, performance, and battery

The Yoga Tab 11 runs Android 11 out of the box with a touch of Lenovo’s UI on the top. I’ll be honest; I’m not a fan. The skin doesn’t do much apart from tweak the visuals, and even that it doesn’t do well. The default icon pack enlarges icons and crops out some key elements, making the homescreen look half-baked. There’s some bloatware present, too, but you can uninstall most of it.

Google’s Entertainment Space is prominently featured here and can be conjured with a simple swipe right from the home screen. It identifies all streaming apps and suggests things to watch. However, apart from YouTube, most recommendations are not targeted, so I didn’t find myself using it that often. The Space also has separate tabs for gaming and reading content.

If you’re entrenched in the Google ecosystem, you might be happy to learn that the tab also supports Ambient Mode. When enabled, you can turn it into a digital photo frame (via Google Photos) or control your connected devices (via Google Home). It only works when the tablet is connected to a power source, but it’s a neat addition that essentially turns your tablet into a smart display when idle.

If you’re looking to jot notes or draw, the Yoga Tab 11 is compatible with the Lenovo Precision Pen 2 (sold separately) and comes pre-installed with a couple of suitable apps. While I didn’t have the pen to test, the Yoga Tab’s chunky build isn’t ideal for on-the-go use. I had a hard time fitting it in my laptop compartment.

I don’t have any major performance complaints with the Helio G90T processor and 4GB of RAM, but that’s mostly because I don’t play many mobile games or push the tablet with multitasking. It’s not the most responsive budget tablet I’ve used, but given the media focus of the Tab 11, I think that’s perfectly acceptable.

With a 7,500mAh unit powering the unit, the battery life is great. I’ve gotten over eight hours of screen on time over four days of use with video streaming, casual browsing, and the occasional Kindle reading sessions. Lenovo has bundled a 20W charger that takes about three hours to charge the tablet — not bad at all.

Should you buy it?

Yes, if you’re looking for a budget entertainment tablet that will stay at home. The built-in kickstand is the crucial consideration here. If you see value in propping the tablet up around the house, the Tab 11 will be a delight to use — I’ve taken a lot of liberty in how I use it. But the added bulk does get in the way of portability and storage convenience.

The tablet proves to be a good media tablet with its good display, the loud speakers, and excellent battery life. Google’s Ambient Mode is a handy addition too that turns the tablet into a passable “smart display.” If you’re not sold on the Yoga Tab 11 and are looking for something worthwhile in this segment, be on the lookout for our review on the Nokia Tab T20.

Buy it if…

• You’re looking for a stay-at-home tablet.
• You consume a lot of media.

Don’t buy it if…

• Frequent software and security updates matter to you.
• If the lack of a headphone jack is a deal-breaker.