Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 tablet review

A tiny affordable tablet let down by a number of fundamental flaws

The Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 targets the same ultra-affordable, mini-tablet space currently dominated by Google's Asus-built Nexus 7.

However, with Lenovo's latest IdeaTab retailing for £150 and packing a less powerful processor than the quad-core Google tablet and featuring a much lower resolution screen, the question is whether it's not just worth shelling out of the extra £20 for the 16GB Nexus 7.

Design and build
Visually the IdeaTab A2107 looks fairly similar to its larger screened sibling the IdeaTab A2109, boasting the same boxy design and measuring in at 192x122x11.5mm.

The 7in IdeaTab's design isn't helped by its weight - it weighs a hefty 400g. That's nearly as heavy as some 10in tablets and a full 60g heavier than the Nexus 7. This meant that in hand we found using the IdeaTab A2107 to be fairly uncomfortable, particularly when using it one handed.

While the IdeaTab A2107 looks dull and feels heavy, it does at least have the redeeming feature of appearing well built - perhaps Lenovo values sturdiness over elegance.

The tablet's chassis is made entirely of polycarbonate and features a detachable top section on its rear that grants access to the devices SIM and microSD card slots. Testing the device on the move the tablet left us fairly confident that the IdeaTab A2107 could survive the odd bump and scrape unscathed.

Screen
Like the IdeaTab A2109 the IdeaTab A2107's screen is by far its most disappointing feature. The tablet features a 7.0in 1024x600 LED display.

Putting the tablet head to head with others in the same price bracket, the IdeaTab A2107's screen looks blurry and dull.

We also had issues using the IdeaTab A2107 outdoors, where we found its glass front is prone to glare, making it all but unusable in bright lighting conditions.

Things are made even worse by the fact that the screen isn't all that responsive and only boasts five-point not 10-point multitouch capabilities. This means that as well as not being that pleasant to look at the screen also isn't very pleasant to use.

Next: Operating system and performance.

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 tablet review

A tiny affordable tablet let down by a number of fundamental flaws

Operating system and software
The IdeaTab A2107 runs using a heavily modified version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, not Google's latest Jelly Bean operating system.

Lenovo's installed a slew of custom applications, widgets and its own custom skin to the IdeaTab A2107. The biggest change to the UI is that Lenovo's tweaked where the OS displays updates. This means that unlike most Android devices where the alert icons are displayed in the top left of the screen, on the IdeaTab A2107 they are displayed on the bottom right. We found the change to be a slight annoyance for those used to using non-Lenovo Android devices.

Lenovo's also added a number of custom rectangular widgets to the UI. The widgets litter the device's home screen and look fairly similar to the windows seen in Microsoft's PC operating system. Each one organises and houses shortcuts to features like the calendar and email.

The IdeaTab A2107 also comes loaded with a host of pre-installed widgets. While most won't be of interest to business users, there are a few positive additions in the pack. These include Docs to Go, ES File Manager, Evernote, GO Text, Hotel Reservation System, Norton Mobile Security, Print Anywhere, Shazam and Skype.

Performance
The Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 comes in Wi-Fi-only and 3G versions. Outside of their connectivity, the only difference between the two is that the Wi-Fi version boasts 512MB of RAM and the 3G a more reasonable 1GB. Both versions run off a MediaTek 6575 1.0GHz Cortex A9 processor.

Not packing the quad-core muscle seen on most tablets, the IdeaTab A2107 can feel sluggish. Even navigating between menu screens, we found the IdeaTab A2107 could stutter and stall. That said, it is usable for basic tasks like web browsing and checking your email and it's only when you try and run intensive apps that the IdeaTab A2107 struggles.

Next: Camera.

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 tablet review

A tiny affordable tablet let down by a number of fundamental flaws

Camera
The IdeaTab A2107 packs a 0.3MP front camera and 2MP rear camera. For video-calling purposes, the front camera is more than adequate, however we strongly wouldn't recommend using either for video- or photo-capture purposes.

Taken on the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107

Testing the tablet's cameras in a variety of lighting conditions, photos universally come out blurry and with poor colour balance.

Battery and storage
Lenovo claims the IdeaTab A2107 boasts a battery life of up to 10 hours of internet browsing over Wi-Fi. We tested the figure by continuously streaming videos over a Wi-Fi network and found that the figure is pretty accurate.

Running the test three times we found the tablet generally ran out of juice at around nine hours, with it lasting 9.5 hours on our first run, nine on our second and eight and a half on our third.

The IdeaTab A2107 is available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB versions. All three models can have their storage upgraded using the IdeaTab A2107's microSD card slot.

Overall
In short, while it is cheap, costing £20 less than its main rival the Nexus 7, we can't really recommend the IdeaTab A2107.

Lenovo has cut too many corners in order to keep its cost down, meaning that the tablet is an underpowered, visually boring device only able to cope with basic tasks.

This combined with its blurry screen mean that to all people interested in the 7in tablet space, we'd really recommend shelling out the extra £20 and getting a Nexus 7.