For some reason, I really want Lenovo’s new, smaller Android tablet, and I’m not alone

One of the new pieces of hardware shown off at CES 2025 was Lenovo’s new, higher-end, smaller tablet – the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3. For all those who still hold Google’s Nexus 7 tablets as favorites (perhaps nostalgically), this smaller 8.8-inch tablet from Lenovo likely hits a bit different.

Instead of being a small, low-powered device, the Legion Tab Gen 3 plays on the gaming nature of Lenovo’s Legion lineup and actually delivers incredible specs for the money. Starting at $499, you get an 8.8-inch 2560×1600 (16:10) device with a 165Hz refresh rate, 288Hz touch sampling rate, max brightness of 900 nits, and HDR10 support. That’s a solid start.

Inside, we’re looking at the tested, very-fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. With a massive 6550 mAh battery and 45W charging, you’ll have plenty of battery to power through longer gaming or viewing sessions as well.

On top of that, Lenovo has added a “14% larger ColdFront Vapor Chamber gen-to-gen and a 3D heat dissipation structure keep heat away from your grip, ensuring balanced temperatures for comfortable, long-term play. Game longer, stay cooler, and maintain top -tier performance in every session.”

The fully metal chassis isn’t gaudy like some gaming devices tend towards, and the 350g weight means it should be easy to hold for longer periods and basically slip in a pocket or bag generally unnoticed. With Dual USB-C ports and pass-through charging (for playing while plugged in), the Legion Tab Gen 3 has most of the equation solved as a robust, gaming/entertainment companion.

Lenovo is also touting dual X-axis haptic motors and what they are referring to as “super linear speakers” for enhanced audio. Mix that with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and all the other specs we’ve just mentioned, and you have a powerhouse tablet in a small form factor. At least on paper, that is.

A bit of pent-up demand seems to be at play

I’ve always been a fan of smaller tablets that are big enough to be a real upgrade over doing things on my phone, but not so big that gaming and reading feel like a chore. The Nexus 7 was that for me, and the iPad Mini 4 as well. But it’s been quite some time since an Android tablet combined both a smaller size and bigger performance inside.

Generally, the smaller tablets get lesser specs and that has pushed me to try a few 10/11-inch tablets out as gaming/watching/reading devices to complement my phone. And every time I try, I can’t find the right flow with them. With my phone always on me, I just tend to grab it for my entertainment needs.

But a smaller tablet feels more realistic to tote around with me more often. If it’s nearby, I’ll use it for most things, and smaller tablets have done that well for me in the past. And as I’m getting a bit older, having larger text to stare at more often is much easier on my eyes and the larger canvas for videos, games, and books is a win all around.

It would seem I’m not the only one who feels this way. Within 48 hours of putting the tablet quietly up for sale, it was completely sold out. We fully expect availability to resurface in very short order, and there’s a good chance Lenovo may have only had a few ready at the start; but that tells me there is some serious pent-up demand for a powerful tablet in this form factor.

And I have to fully admit that I’m in that crowd. Anyone that hangs around this site or our YouTube channel knows full well that I don’t consider myself a tablet guy. But I have some pretty fond memories of 7/8-inch tablets, and this new one from Lenovo is really calling my name. In the US market, there’s not much out there like it right now. And of all the things introduced at CES 2025, who knew one of the more popular items would be a simple 8-inch tablet? I sure didn’t, but I’m pretty excited to get my hands on one.