Lenovo IdeaTab S5000

The Lenovo IdeaTab S5000 sits squarely in the mid-range tablet classification both in terms of hardware and build. Although critics find the overall design to be attractive, they also mention that it feels rather cheap as its plastic chassis tends to creak and deform slightly under pressure. The plastic body does however make it very light – it only weighs 244 grams, which is almost 100 grams lighter than the Nexus 7.

With a resolution of 1280×800, the S5000’s display offers a decent pixel density of 215ppi, though it still lags far behind the 323ppi of the Nexus 7. Still, most critics were happy with the sharpness, decent brightness and excellent contrast. The one issue most reviewers had was with its color fidelity in the red and blue spectrum.

Behind the screen lies a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 1GB or RAM. In numerous synthetic benchmark tests, the overall performance scored significantly lower than the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HDX and iPad mini with Retina. Hands-on testing, however, proved that the S5000 was no slouch. Everyday tasks from browsing the web to using apps ran smoothly for experts. When testing out intensive apps like 3D games, reviewers did not experience any lag or stutter during play. Still, TechRadar points out, “…none of this processing grunt has the wow factor.”

Running the show is a 3,450 mAh battery. With moderate usage, the device lasted around 11 hours, which is on par with most tablets. It also features 16GB on internal storage, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.6MP front camera.

In general, the tablet performed decently, however most reviewers were unimpressed. Cool Smart Phone states, “If the Nexus 7 didn’t exist, I’d be giving the Lenovo a reasonably good write-up, but it does, so I’m not…it just can’t compete.”