LENOVO IDEATAB S5000

Lenovo is right in step with the demands of electronics aficionados in its IdeaTab S5000 7” tablet in some key areas: The Android 4.2 operating system is up-to-date and nicely uncluttered with bells and whistles, while the 0.54-pound weight makes it among the lightest in its class. Beyond these outstanding attributes, however, the S5000 ends up decidedly average.

The shortcomings show most obviously in perhaps any tablet’s most important aspects: the processor and the touchscreen resolution. It’s hard to believe any electronics manufacturer would still equip a tablet with a 1.2 GHz CPU, but that’s what’s installed in the Lenovo S5000 – and the WiFi-only version of the device contains an even slightly slower processor.

The touchscreen isn’t horrible per se, but rises barely above the level of generic with disappointing 1280 x 800-pixel resolution – certainly workable but easily topped with the expenditure of just $50 or $100 more.

Otherwise, the specs list is what you’d expect, with decent even results in most areas: Included is Bluetooth 4.0 compatibility as well as the aforementioned WiFi/3G capacity. A Micro USB port and micro SD card slot are here plus two cameras. All in all, the Lenovo IdeaTab S5000 is a middle-of-the-line tablet at a middle-of-the-line price; not exceptionally exciting, is it?