Skip to main content

Is this the best cheap Android tablet of CES 2024?

Someone holding the Lenovo Tab M11.
Digital Trends

Lenovo is adding a new Android tablet to its tablet portfolio, and this one is targeted at content consumption and classrooms. Dubbed the “Tab M11” and announced at CES 2024, the midrange tablet features an 11-inch screen with a Full HD resolution (1920 x 1200 pixels). Notably, Lenovo has put a 90Hz refresh rate screen on its budget tablet, which is a neat addition given its appeal as a reading and scribbling device.

The company is offering the Tab M11 in a trio of configurations, and once again, they play to the core use-case scenario for each buyer. The base variant combines 4GB of RAM with either 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage, which is not too shabby if you are predominantly into streaming videos.

The high-end configuration bumps up the RAM capacity to 8GB while keeping the local storage locked at 128GB. Thankfully, Lenovo has left the doors open for storage expansion. The Tab M11 can take microSD cards of up to 1TB storage capacity.

Someone holding the Lenovo Tab M11.
Digital Trends

For video-watching needs, Lenovo has armed the Tab M11 with a quad-speaker array tuned for Dolby Atmos output and says the display is ready for watching high-resolution Netflix content. It draws power from MediaTek’s Helio G88 chip and runs Android 13 out of the box.

Unfortunately, the low-cost slate will only get OS updates until Android 15, which is disappointing as Android 14 is already out. However, Lenovo assures that the Tab M11 will get security updates through January 2028. A 7,040 mAh battery keeps the lights on, and it is said to offer enough juice for 10 hours of video watching on a single charge.

A pair of 8-megapixel cameras sits at the back, while selfie and video calling duties have been deputed to a 13MP front camera. Support for stylus input is also part of the package.

Someone holding the Lenovo Tab M11.
Digital Trends

The tablet comes pre-installed with a bunch of education-centric tools such as Nebo for converting scribbles into text notes, MyScript Calculator 2 for solving mathematical questions, and the WPS suite of productivity software. There’s also a dedicated reading mode that lets users pick between color and monochrome display modes.

Lenovo says the Tab M11 will hit the shelves in April, carrying a starting price of $180 in the U.S. market. The company hasn’t detailed plans about its international availability yet, but an announcement will likely be made soon.

Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem is a tech journalist who started reading about cool smartphone tech out of curiosity and soon started writing…
This cool new Android tablet is hiding a very big secret
The Poco Pad tablet in different colors

If you know the Poco brand, it’s because of its brightly colored, reasonably priced, often gaming-focused smartphones. Now, the company has branched out into the world of Android tablets with the launch of the Poco Pad. The Poco Pad is a big-screen slate that, despite being only 7.5mm thick, hides a very big secret inside: a whopping 10,000mAh battery for those extended periods when you're away from the charger.

A battery capacity like this sets it apart from many other Android tablets. The Google Pixel Tablet’s 7,020mAh battery sounds positively small by comparison, and Poco pad's battery also improves on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9’s 8,400mAh battery — and even the OnePlus Pad's 9.510mAh cell. To get a larger capacity battery in a tablet, you’ll need to look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus or the pricey Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.

Read more
Every Android tablet we’re expecting in 2024
The home screen on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.

It’s an exciting time for Android tablets. Into the vacuum left in 2023 by Apple’s first-ever dearth of new iPads stepped two new contenders offering distinct takes on what a tablet should be, while Samsung’s venerable Tab S9 lineup raised the bar by cementing the position of its largest tablet and bringing AMOLED screens to the entire family.

There’s no reason to believe that this year will be any less interesting as Samsung continues to up its game while Google and OnePlus try to refine their initial first-generation efforts into more mature products.

Read more
Samsung’s newest Android tablet is a perfect iPad alternative
A render of the front of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2024.

Samsung has just launched a refreshed Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) for the U.S. exclusively through Amazon. This comes after Samsung recently launched the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) internationally.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) is the latest entry in Samsung’s midrange tablet lineup that made its debut in 2020. This newest iteration has the same overall design, S Pen integration, screen, and just 4GB RAM. However, it now has a new Exynos processor and comes with Android 14 right out of the box.

Read more