Lenovo Smart P10 10.1” Android Tablet

I'm an Android enthusiast. I own several tablets from different manufacturers as well as several phones. I have different needs for these devices so I actually use them all on a regular basis. I become so used to using tablets that I no longer use a Windows 10 laptop. My 10-inch tablet basically became my main computer. Up until this purchase, I've been using an Asus 3S 10 (z500m) and it has been a fine device. I chose it because it had just as many features as an equivalent Samsung at half the price. However, an issue has come up with the screen and I've got to send it back for a warranty repair. So I got that Lenovo Smart Tab P10 (TB-X507F) as I had been doing research define a nice 10 inch tablet at a reasonable price with lots of features. All of my research led me to this device. My friend is quite the shopper and he found it on sale for $177. That price is outstanding so I was compelled to buy one for myself. I am very, very impressed with this device. It has replaced my Asus 3S 10 as my main computer. The first thing I noticed taking it out of the box was that it was beautiful. It has black glass on the top and the bottom so at first glance it's not obvious which side has the screen. It's like a slab of shiny obsidian. It just is impressive even though aesthetics don't really mean anything and long-run. so I mention it because it said it's don't usually impress me like this. What else is important in a tablet? Battery life. 7000 milliamp. That's quite an adequate gas tank. I have yet to run on a battery before I'm done using this thing for the day. Next, the screen. The resolution is true HD and the pixel density is fantastic. In my opinion, the graphics are awesome. Next, speakers. I'm not really an audiophile, but I can definitely tell the difference between this and my other devices. This is meant to give you a nice experience. Listening to music or watching movies on it it's a pleasurable experience. I'm very happy that has a thumbprint sensor although it's in a strange spot compared to my other devices. At first this annoyed me but then I realized that it is just fine where it is and it's just something to get used to. Not only can you use the thumbprint sensor for security but also for gestures like going back and home and things like that. This is basically a 16 by 9 tablet and I like to use it in portrait mode. As such the power button and volume button being at the top is sort of strange to me. Once again, not a big problem, just something to get used to. I have a feeling that Lenovo thanks most people will use it in landscape mode rather than portrait. I use a standard capacitive stylus because I use my tablet to be paperless. I sign documents, I'd design plans, I help my kids with their homework, and I even doodle and draw stupid pictures. One thing that I have noticed is that this screen, also known as a digitizer, responds extremely well to the stylist. Much better than the Asus are Samsung tablets that I use. I can sign my name with ease and I can move the stylus very quickly when I make drawings or wright. My Asus tablet did not have the equivalent sensitivity so I had to move the stylist much slower which was very annoying. And by the way, any capacitive stylus works fine. Don't worry about scratches or anything like that. This is Corning Gorilla Glass. Don't buy a $60 stylus when a $25 stylus will work just fine. I've got to also mention the memory. 4 gigs internal is very nice. But 64 gig internal user memory is fantastic. You can install apps galore without running out of room. Space-wise, it feels very comfortable so to speak. However there is a problem with memory which I will mentioned below with the cons of this tablet. I've used tablets for a while and it's cool to have both front and back facing cameras just like phones. but I've always been very frustrated that tablets don't have a flash like the phones do. Or at least I've never used a tablet with a flash until now. This tablet has a flash. Just like phones, you can take pictures in the dark. I didn't even realize it had this capability until my buddy pointed it out to me. perhaps I'm just easily amused but the fact that this device as a flash makes me very, very happy. It has always irritated me that my other tablets did not have flash. I might also mention that it has an LED light that blinks with different colors depending on what is trying to tell you. That's kind of neat. Also, the device is capable of hepatic feedback which is a feature my Asus ZenPad tablets lack. I really like the touch response so that I know I've actually hid the key on the keyboard. They've basically spared no expense to make sure this device is very nice. This is important so I'm giving in its own line. There will be an upgrade to Android Pie. I've researched this device extensively and one of the primary concerns folks have is that device had no plans for an upgrade past Android Oreo 8.1. That has officially changed. Lenovo's upgrade matrix has been modified to reflect the change. Whereas a month or two ago this device showed no planned upgrade. Now The matrix shows it will be upgraded to Android pie in June of 2019 which is right now as I'm writing this. I think that might be a little bit of an aggressive timetable oh, but the fact that the upgrade it will happen should make people very happy. In many of the reviews, the reviewer can't find many problems with this device. The main issue they have is that there won't be any upgrades. That 'con' can now be taken off the list. Thank you Lenovo for doing this! The bad? Just like most of the reviews oh, it's a very short list. The first thing people don't like you said it runs a Snapdragon 450 chipset and the Android elitists are very unhappy with this. Currently the best Snapdragon chipset is the 855, but I have to question if it's really worth it. This device is not meant to be a Porsche. That being said, I have found the 450 chipset to be just fine. I have not played any games on it myself, but just through regular use I have not found the device to be slow in any way shape or form. The big review guys played games on it and said they found it to be capable just as long as they lowered the graphic quality of the game. The next problem is with the ability to add extra storage space via a microSD card. It will take a 256 gig card. I put the standard Amazon $39.99 SanDisk micro SD card in this device. While it can read the data on the card, it cannot write to it. I've done a bit of research on this and it seems the exfat filesystem that comes on the SanDisk card as a standard file system format is not writable by this device right now. I think Lenovo will probably come out with a fix but until then, there should be a workaround by formatting it to a different filesystem than exfat. Just Google the problem and follow the instructions to fix it. And remember, people still have it in their minds that this tablet will never be upgraded past Android Oreo 8.1. that is no longer a con this device is now officially slated to be upgraded to Android Pie. For thepower users out there, I've got to mention that there currently is no TWRP custom recovery. we are hopeful that somebody will be able to create a version of this device very soon. The bootloader can be unlocked, although those commands aren't evident. You can at least temporarily unlock it but I have not found a command to permanently unlock the bootloader. And all of the above would lead you to believe that the device cannot be rooted however I rooted mine just fine. It's not perfect, though. Without custom recovery I have found it difficult to take on OTA upgrades. Because an OTA update will brick this device, I have not written up a root guide. Once I'm able to get root to be stable, I will submit a guide to XDA. Until then, if your developer you should be able to root this device it without much trouble. Just beware that an OTA update will cause you problems. And without custom recovery, you have to back up there ADB which is a pain. So right now root is not something I recommend for the average user. But rest assured, a root solution does exist as I am using a rooted Lenovo Smart Tab P10 at this very moment. I just feel that we need a couple more things in place before that solution gets released to the entire user community. My final verdict? I got this thing for $177. But now that I've used it, I would it definitely pay the MSRP of $359. I use a lot of devices in this thing is my Cadillac. I'm not disappointed in the Snapdragon 450 chipset at all. And all of the other problems it should soon be fixed. I've read many of the reviews for this tablet here on Amazon and I find that, similar to most technology products, most of the bad reviews are due to user error. Some people just have a technology black thumb and can't get anything to work. Regarding the MSRP price, you should never have to pay that as there are always sales of at least $50 off. So you should be able to find the 64 gig model for about $299 and even for less than that if you are a power shopper. And the dock to make this an Alexa station is included at that price. Speaking of that dock to make the device some sort of Alexa spot. I have not used that functionality at all and the doc is still in the plastic bag that it ships in. That is just gravy for me as I only but this thing to be a tablet. I'm curious to see what the Alexa stuff can do but it just hasn't been a priority for me yet. Some people say it's stupid some people say it's awesome, I can't honestly comment on that functionality yet.