- Leaked renders show upcoming Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2
- Big highlight is massive speaker with JBL logo
- Also has a built-in support leg
You’ve heard of pill-shaped speakers, but what about tablet-shaped ones? This and many more puns come to mind when you see the new tablet-speaker hybrid that Lenovo is said to have on the way – and that speaker? It’s massive.
Longtime and reliable mobile leaker Evan Blass has shared with X (formerly known as “X/Twitter”) a series of renders of the upcoming Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2. The eyeball-grabbing feature, as you’re about to see, is the giant speaker grill on the back of the tablet. Eat your heart out, JBL Authentics 200.
Banish the idea that tablets carry an array of speakers around the edges and are built discreetly into bezels, including those found in the first-generation Tab Plus. No, this is a rather thick, protruding device on the back of the tablet, which, from these leaked 3D images, appears to protrude in a reasonable way.
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Look closely and you’ll also see a JBL logo on the back — yes. The Flip 7 manufacturers apparently had a hand in the sound setting of this device. The previous model boasted eight speakers from the brand, although they were all built into the frame of the slate, and did not stick out at the back.
Two other interesting things to point out in this guided tour of the tablet: a kickstand lets you prop up the board so you don’t end up blasting your tunes straight into an oak table. And the volume rocker and power button are also on the back, which indicates how far the speaker sticks out: normally putting these on the back would be crazy, as you’d be pressing them every time the board was flush on a surface. Obviously, the speaker-and-kickstand system holds the slate so much that this doesn’t happen.
Blass didn’t mention any of the tablet’s specs, but you’re probably here for tires, not specs.
It’s for movies
On the surface, a tablet with a fat speaker on the back might raise eyebrows: it looks a little odd and goes against almost every audio upgrade we’ve seen in tablets to date. Why is Lenovo making this speaker/tablet Frankenstein’s monster? But the brand’s Tab series has been single-minded in its focus, and with that in mind, it makes sense.
Like Amazon’s Fire tablets, those from Lenovo are built for entertainment. Options like the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro and Lenovo Tab P12 Pro have great speakers and screens, and the brand’s Legion tablets are primarily focused on the gaming market.
While many brands offer great screens, it’s the speakers that really put Lenovo’s tablets ahead: the brand puts plenty of them into its devices and often gets brands to tune them up for it.
The huge module isn’t too much of a hindrance either, as the slate is likely designed to be used with the strut. Lenovo is no stranger to this format, as in the Yoga Tab 13, which had a built-in stand as well as micro-HDMI port so you could connect it to other devices.
Don’t expect the Tab Plus Gen 2 to be a speaker-tablet hybrid; expect it to be designed for watching movies and TV series with offensive sound.
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