Lenovo's Leaked High-End Tablet Has An Unusual Name
Despite Google making several efforts at popularizing Android tablets the less-than-optimal large-screen experience on these devices ensured that the category never really took off. The only company to have a sizable presence in the Android tablets space was Samsung. However, even Samsung's high-end tablets were no match for the overall fluidity and user-friendliness of the Apple iPad. At the same time, a large chunk of Android tablets from smaller players fell into the category of mid-range and low-end machines — most of which were infamous for being slow and clunky.
While Android tablet sales were in a state of limbo for a very long time, things changed after the Covid-19 pandemic. A sudden surge in the number of people confined to their homes created a massive demand for tablets. With millions of potential customers at their literal doorstep, Google decided to give Android tablets a shot once again and started working on a tablet-optimized version of Android. It took the company a while to develop it, and the new tablet-focused Operating System — Android 12L — was released to the public in March 2022.
While it is too early to say if Android 12L would lead to a revival of the Android tablets market, there certainly has been an uptick in the number of companies readying new Android tablets. Companies like OPPO, Xiaomi, and OnePlus have already launched new tablets — or are developing new ones. Lenovo is another company that is refocusing its tablet efforts. While the company launched several mid-tier tablets in the past, it seems they are now ready to target the high-end segment with a new Android-powered tablet.
Say hello to the Lenovo Tab Extreme
Folks over at XDA-Developers recently came across references to an unreleased tablet from Lenovo. The device bears the name "Lenovo Tab Extreme" and first appeared on the Google Play Console. In addition to being called the "Lenovo Tab Extreme", the machine also gets an internal model number: TB570FU. The Google Play Console listing also includes a photograph of the tablet and lists some of the machine's hardware specs. Despite the "Extreme" moniker, this new Lenovo tablet doesn't fall into the category of rugged tablets.
From the image, it is evident that the Lenovo Tab Extreme gets a large display with symmetrical bezels. The top bezel houses a front-facing camera, and the device also gets the standard power button and volume rocker combo on the left side. Because the listing did not include photos of the device from the rear quarters, we still do not know what to expect from the rear camera array. However, thanks to the accompanying spec sheet, we know that the device is likely to feature a 3000x1876 resolution display. The machine is also expected to use the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset.
Additionally, the listing also reveals the likelihood of the Lenovo Tab Extreme featuring 8GB of RAM and running Android 13 at launch. While it is too early to comment on a plausible launch date, chances are the Tab Extreme will go official sometime next year. However, with CES 2023 a little over a month away, Lenovo could also opt for an early launch. It would also be interesting to see if Lenovo manages to launch this before Google announces its much-rumored Pixel Tablet — also expected in 2023.