When you put “extreme” in the name of your device, there are going to be expectations. It’s a slightly comedic alternative to the “pro” naming that seems to have afflicted all consumer tech recently, but there’s no avoiding the fact that this is pitched into a space dominated by the Apple iPad Pro.

Even the keyboard design, with that floating display aesthetic, is similar to the iPad. We briefly got some time with the Lenovo Tab Extreme at CES 2023, to see if it really is king of the Android tablets.

Design and build

  • 327.8 x 210.8 x 5.85mm, 470g (tablet only) Storm Grey

Lenovo has put some thought into the design of the Tab Extreme. While there’s only so much you can do with a 14.5 slab, the squared edges have a quality finish to them, with the aluminium casing wrapping around the back. There’s a separate section at the top of the tablet housing the camera lenses. It’s slightly raised, but once you add the keyboard case, it’s a flat finish across the back. That, if nothing else, helps to breakup the slightly boring look that can afflict some tablets.

  • Great display Clever stand and keyboard Storage expansion Multitasking

  • Android apps not always great on tablets Too soon to tell

In terms of size and weight, obviously it’s huge, but still slim - compared to the iPad Pro, it’s a little slimmer and almost the same weight as the iPad Pro 12.9, despite the larger display.

The squared edges have nicely drilled speaker ports, with buttons conveniently placed and again feeling like good quality. The Tab Extreme uses magnets for a number of jobs, to keep the Precision Pen 3 attached to the back and also to attach to the dual-hinge keyboard stand. Cleverly, like the Surface Pro, you can also store the Pen in the keyboard hinge.

As mentioned, the case stand allows the Tab Extreme to hover above the keyboard - like the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard - but the dual mode stand is an interesting piece of design. The central section is separate, so you can effectively remove the keyboard part and just have a simple kickstand - which works both in landscape and portrait orientations. It’s super convenient.

From our initial taps, the keyboard seems to offer a decent keystroke action, while the size is large enough to be a serious productivity keyboard. Naturally we haven’t had the chance to use it properly, but the magnets all felt strong enough to keep this package together.

Exactly what you’ll get when you buy the tablet will depend on where you buy it.

Display and hardware

  • 14.5in OLED, 3000 x 1876, 120Hz Dimensity 9000, 12GB, 256GB + microSD up to 1TB 12,300mAH, 68W

The Tab Extreme is Lenovo’s largest and most powerful tablet to date, turning to MediaTek for the power and offering the Dimensity 9000. This is an octo-core processor, which is backed by 12GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage, with expansion possible up to 1TB thanks to support for microSD.

That’s a powerful loadout, when many tablets opt for lower specs than a typical smartphone, but the Tab Extreme should be every bit as capable. We didn’t get the chance to test its performance during our hands-on session.

There’s a bright and vibrant 14.5-inch OLED display, with a sharp 3000 x 1876 pixels, resulting in 244ppi, slightly lower than the iPad Pro 12.9. It does have a 120Hz refresh rate, however, so will look nice and smooth with all your content. It also support Dolby Vision, so should pack a visual punch with the best content. First impressions are good, but we’ve not had the chance to test this display to any great degree.

Finally there’s the massive battery, promising 12 hours of use, but also supporting 68W fast charging.

Software savvy

  • Android 13, updates to Android 16

The Lenovo Tab Extreme launches on Android 13 and will receive updates to Android 16, which gives you a good few years of support. We didn’t have the chance to explore all the software features, but anyone who has used an Android tablet will know that in many cases there are some great experiences especially if you’re using Microsoft Office apps or Google’s apps.

There’s support for splitscreen working allowing you to open up to four different apps which is a great way to use all that screen space, while you can also have floating apps. You can use the Tab Extreme as an external monitor though the USB-C, so you can expand your desktop or laptop setup.

The camera and mic is also well specced for video conferencing, with the camera able to track you and the microphone able to cut out background noise.

First impressions

The Lenovo Tab Extreme is an obvious choice for anyone looking for a big Android tablet. But there’s no compromise on power here. Although we have not tested the power to any great degree, having experienced this sort of loadout elsewhere, we’re expecting the Tab Extreme to fly.

The clever case and keyboard arrangement offers versatility, so you can practically use this large tablet to get to work, while the software customisations will allow more flexibility than some devices to take advantage of the space.

There’s a lot we don’t know about the performance of this tablet, but first impressions are good. The question is whether the world is ready to accept Android tablets of this type again - or if the iPad Pro will just remain the defacto choice.