Image credit: Josh Kirschner/Techlicious
Over the years, tablets have fallen into a bit of a rut. Not quite a laptop or a smartphone, they’ve been largely relegated to consumption. It’s the screen you grab when you want to read a book, catch up on emails, or watch a show when you don’t feel like engaging your television. Lenovo thinks its new Yoga Tab Plus Gen 2 AI tablet can be more than a consumption device; it can also create. That’s why, when it launches sometime in September ($999.99 starting), the company’s got its eyes focused on artists, designers, and anyone else looking for a creator-centric device.
Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, Lenovo’s positioning the Yoga Tab Plus as the ideal device for collaboration, writing, editing and drawing in addition to your typical productivity tasks. The tablet can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which can be extended to 2TB via the microSD card slot. If you’re unfamiliar with the Snapdragon 8 Elite CPU, you can find it in flagship phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, the OnePlus 13, and the Asus ROG Phone 9 Series.
Pair the Yoga Tab Plus with it the Tab Pen Pro 2 and that brolic Snapdragon chip can easily power through most tasks including creative applications, native AI, and multitasking. The Pen is more than your run-of-the-mill stylus, offering functionality designed to get those creative juices flowing, including Squeeze to Create, Flip to Erase, and Double Tap. A quick click of the Pro 2's tail enables drawing mode, while a double-click will record. Lenovo also includes an optional magnetic clamshell keyboard which introduces even more functionality.
As with most things these days, there’s an AI component in the Tab Plus. Lenovo calls theirs Qira. Described as “Lenovo’s built-in personal ambient intelligence,” Qira can retain relevant context information as well as help artists pick up where they left off in their creative process. Combined with other Lenovo-branded AI software such as Smart AI Input, AI
Creation Tools, AI Note, and Live Transcript, users can expect digital help to keep that creativity flowing. And then you have features like Lenovo Smart Canvas, which is designed to share ideas across Lenovo devices using voice, camera, touch, and pen to bring projects to fruition. Seamless crossover like this mean that you don’t have to start from scratch on a current project, as long as you have a compatible product, that work on your new D&D character's armor isn’t stuck on one device.
And while AI is definitely having its moment with the Tab Plus, I’d be remiss if I didn't mention the 13-inch, 4K PureSight Pro OLED touch display with Dolby Vision that I’m dying to get a look at. With its rich, vibrant colors, sharp details, and deep contrast, sketching, designing, and watching your favorite shows should be sights to behold. Its 144Hz variable refresh rate will ensure smooth image rendering and scrolling. The 3:2 aspect ratio gives artists more real estate to work with, while the 100% DCI-P3 color gamut rating means accurate color reproduction, which will be music to the ears of any creative who works with color. And speaking of music, the Tab Plus has six Harman Kardon speakers that should produce a robust soundstage.
And finally, let’s talk about the rest of the tablet. The Tab Plus looks stunning with its Cosmic Blue chassis. There’s only one USB-C port for charging and the microSD card slot, plus buttons for power and volume, and Pogo connectors for the keyboard. I’m surprised Lenovo opted for only one USB port, since the company’s obviously positioning the Yoga as a creative machine that can also handle productivity. I guess they’re banking on consumers using a bunch of Bluetooth peripherals. The slate is also equipped with two cameras: a 13-megapixel rear-facing shooter and an 8MP front-facing shooter.
On paper, the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus Gen 2 AI tablet sounds like it could be a top-tier slate among many consumers beyond creative professionals. I can see students and modern professionals embracing the Tab Plus. I’m curious to test out Lenovo’s AI solutions and see how effective they are in aiding the creative process. All in all, the Yoga Tab Plus Gen 2 is the first tablet I’ve been interested in for a long time.
