Lenovo unveils a new gaming tablet with a shocking price and a lower-cost 13-inch mid-ranger
I certainly did not expect the Legion Tab Gen 5 to be that expensive, but the Idea Tab Pro Gen 2's bang for buck sounds fair.
This is quite a handsome and distinctive-looking tablet. | Image by Lenovo
Lenovo might not be the world's most successful tablet vendor (just yet), but it is one of the most prolific ones, dishing out new Android-powered models like few other companies, especially at events like the Mobile World Congress.
At this year's glamorous trade show in Barcelona, Lenovo took the wraps off an insanely powerful new gaming slate everyone knew was coming, as well as a slightly less impressive, cheaper, but also larger "multipurpose" device you could have easily predicted was scheduled for a release this spring.
Why in the world is the Legion Tab Gen 5 so expensive?
- 8.8-inch 3K PureSight display with 165Hz refresh rate technology;
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor;
- Android 16;
- Up to 16GB RAM;
- Up to 512GB internal storage space;
- 9,000mAh battery;
- Two USB-C ports;
- 360 grams weight;
- Eclipse Black, Glacier White, and Surge color options.
Look, those are clearly the kind of outstanding specs that will propel this thing among the best Android tablets money can buy in 2026, but with the Legion Tab Gen 3 typically priced at $549.99 and frequently marked down to $419.99 or $399.99 in the US nowadays, it's hard to comprehend why the latest addition to Lenovo's hardcore gaming-centric product roster needs to start at €999 in Europe.
All three of those colors are neat, but the Surge hue is... something special. | Image by Lenovo
That equates to a jaw-dropping $1,170 or so, and although the Legion Tab Gen 5 is expected to cost "only" $850 stateside, that's still a lot higher than 550 bucks. And yes, the upgrades are pretty substantial, starting with a state-of-the-art Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC in lieu of an outdated Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and a higher-res display, but with the 11-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 normally fetching $800 and up, it's sure going to be difficult to recommend spending more to get significantly less screen real estate.
Then again, if you like to spend hours and hours on end gaming on the go, you'll undoubtedly appreciate the updated Legion Coldfront Vapor cooling technology and the bonkers 9,000mAh battery of the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5. Also, the convenience and versatility enabled by the two USB-C ports present on this exquisitely lightweight 8.8-inch slate, as well as the AI-powered noise cancellation and audio enhancements that will further enrich your gaming (and content streaming) experience.
Will you buy the Legion Tab Gen 5?
Oh, and that "Surge" (read lime green) colorway is absolutely gorgeous, especially with the RGB accents around the rear-facing camera module. April is when this costly beaut (in all color options) is set to go on sale in Europe, with US availability remaining under wraps for the time being.
The Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 is more mass-oriented
- 13-inch 3.5K PureSight Pro display with Dolby Vision;
- 10,200mAh battery;
- 45W charging support;
- Quad JBL speaker system with Dolby Atmos;
- Under 600 grams weight;
- 6.2mm profile;
- Luna Grey, Cloud Grey, and Jelly Mint color options.
If you want your next Android tablet to be (a lot) larger than the Legion Tab Gen 5 and yet also considerably cheaper than a Galaxy Tab S11, Tab S11 Ultra, or iPad Pro (2025), you should keep an eye out for the Idea Tab Pro Gen 2's release later this month at a starting price of €549 on the old continent.
This is a slightly less distinctive design, but it's certainly not bad either. | Image by Lenovo
That's unlikely to break the $500 barrier in the US, although it's also unlikely to drop to the $389.99 level of the first-gen Idea Tab Pro. Compared to that, the new version is bigger, sharper, thinner, and lighter, with the latter two improvements of course made possible by a lack of progress in the battery capacity department.
Still, this sounds like a very well-balanced Android mid-ranger with (reportedly) a more than respectable Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor under its hood too, and "later in 2026", full Lenovo Qira integration promising to combine "AI-driven intelligence with powerful performance in a single purpose-built device."
Should you buy Lenovo's new Android tablets?
I obviously can't assess the complete real-world value propositions of the Legion Tab Gen 5 and Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 before properly testing the devices, but on paper, these look like very solid iPad Air and iPad Pro alternatives... that may have been hit a little hard by inflation and the industry-wide rising chip prices.
I'm afraid this is just the beginning of a cavalcade of tablet announcements at higher prices than last year from virtually all major brands, so with that in mind, maybe the Legion Tab Gen 5's bang for buck is right after all. What do you think?
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