Three things to know about the Lenovo TAB 2 A8

Yesterday we reviewed Lenovo's second-generation 8-inch TAB tablet, the Lenovo TAB 2 A8. This Android slate runs Lollipop and enjoys some improvements over the previous version, including a slimmer build and more angular edges, a newer version of Android, and better audio software. If you happened to miss that review, be sure to check it out for a full run down of the specs and features — in the meantime, we have a tl;dr summary for you. Here are three things to know about the second generation update.

1. It doesn't feel cheap

The first A8 felt cheap, and no one wants a gadget that seems like it belongs to a lower tier than it actually does. The TAB 2 A8 has very modest updates to the design, but those updates do wonders for the tablet's feel — the round edges have been flattened out and the profile is a touch slimmer, and this makes a big difference.

2. There's a bigger version, too

If the 8-inch display isn't to your liking, Lenovo also updated the A10 version of the tablet, which features a 10-inch display. This one has a somewhat larger price tag at $199 USD, and unfortunately runs Android 4.4 rather than 5.0. It does, however, have more powerful hardware than the smaller version, including a better processor and extra gig of RAM.

3. It is moderately powerful

The TAB 2 A8 is priced at about $130 USD, and so the price alone lets consumers know that they're getting a mid-tier tablet. This isn't something you can connect to an external display and use as a makeshift desktop, and it isn't going to do some heavy duty data processing. It will, however, meet your every need if your expectation is to do regular tablet things: surf the web, play some mobile games, maybe even shirk convention and snap a couple pics with the rear camera.

Check out more in our Tablet Reviews portal!