Lenovo Idea Tab Hits an All-Time Low, Now the Cheapest Android Tablet With Pencil and Case Included

The digital device in pretty much every student’s backpack doesn’t absolutely have to be an expensive laptop computer. The apps and tech that make digital note-taking, research, and AI-assisted writing and coursework has filtered down not just to high-end tablets, but also some of the more affordable models as well. That’s where the Lenovo Idea Tab sits — an 11-inch Android tablet armed with everything a student needs, including Lenovo AI Notes, but without the hefty price tag that comes with a laptop. It’s on Black Friday sale right now at Amazon for just $180 (-25%).

Odds are the Lenovo Idea Tab is going to outperform most if not all other $180 tablets for academic and productivity purposes. It comes with the Lenovo Tab Pen and a folio case, both of which are almost always added expenses with tablets. Google’s Circle to Search feature is built in as well, along with Lenovo’s AI Notes.

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Clear Picture

The Lenovo Idea Tab comes with four apps that are tailor-made for academic performance: Squid, the powerful paper-replacing Android app for handwritten notes, PDF markups, and other tasks; MyScript Notes (formerly Nebo), a great freehand-sketching app; MyScript Calculator, which can solve your handwritten numerical equations; and Lenovo AI Note, which transforms your handwritten notes into AI-generated quizzes, and can also use AI to expand on your notes with greater insight.

Whether you’re working or playing, the 11-inch 2.5K screen on the Lenovo Idea Pad isn’t going to let you down. The MediaTek Dimensity 6300 octa-core processor ensures that the images on that screen come through smoothly, and the seemingly inexhaustible battery is good for up to 12 hours of video playback.

All the Tablet, Without the Price

Everything else you would ask of the tablets in the higher price brackets — fast internet, smooth streaming, quality built-in camera and Dolby Atmos quad speakers for video calls, and total portability (just 6.5 x 10 x 0.28 inches in size and 1.05 pounds in weight) — are here with the Lenovo Idea Pad, and don’t forget the included-in-price Lenovo Tab Pen and folio case.

The Lenovo Idea Pad might be considered to be an “entry-level” tablet by some, and to be fair, we wouldn’t throw it in the ring against the latest iPad Pro or Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. But you’re certainly not getting anywhere near either of those heavyweights for $210, and the differences between them and the Lenovo Idea Pad probably don’t quantify the $1,000-plus price difference. Long story short, you’re getting far more tablet than you would expect for $180 from the Lenovo Idea Pad, so this Amazon Black Friday deal is a solid thumbs-up.

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