Verdict
A stunning display makes the Lenovo Tab P12 a pleasure to fireside up and mess around with. However beneath a comparatively easy multitasking workload, slight slowdowns and little software program bugs can maintain again the concept of it being a laptop computer alternative.
Execs
- Vivid and vibrant display
- Use-expanding software program
- Stylus help
Cons
- Keyboard case isn’t very useful
- Battery life isn’t nice
- Annoying software program quirks
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Nice for YouTube and Netflix bingesThe punchy 12.7-inch show and quad audio system make for a strong content material consumption system. -
Built-in stylus helpWith stylus help, signing paperwork and taking notes have by no means been simpler. -
Intuitive, feature-packed software programNumerous options of Lenovo’s tackle Android 13 can flip the Lenovo Pad P12 right into a handy extension of your laptop computer.
Introduction
A good bit cheaper than its Professional counterpart, the Lenovo Tab P12 is positioned alongside the Microsoft Floor Go, with stiff competitors from Samsung, Honor and Xiaomi within the <£400 value bracket of Android tablets, too.
As is the case with the most affordable iPad on the market proper now, nevertheless, the Lenovo has its display dimension to its benefit, arguably making it a extra apparent selection because the inexpensive transportable workplace.
With a number of software program points plaguing the expertise, nevertheless, I’m not satisfied that this one is kind of as versatile because it needs us to imagine.
The included £50 pen is perhaps sufficient to promote it to those that simply choose to regulate their massive touchscreen gadgets with some type of intrustment, however the non-obligatory keyboard accent is much too costly for the complications it finally brings to the desk you’ll want when you’re to have any hopes of utilizing it successfully.
Design
- Signature glossy Lenovo look
- Quad audio system
- Dock connector and magnetized pen cradle
Tucked away inside a surprisingly easy cardboard sleeve is the Lenovo Tab P12. The pen, which is graciously included, is nestled in there as nicely. Little compartments home minor documentation and the charging equipment, leaving the entire thing able to be tossed into the recycling after a mild the other way up shake of the packaging.
Lenovo has been following a specific design development fairly intently with its gadgets during the last couple of years. Identical to the Tab P10 and the Lenovo Sensible Paper, too, the Tab P12 comes throughout as a very skilled piece of package. There’s no enjoyable available with the all-gray aesthetic alongside its plastic physique.
A wise and glossy brand is stamped into the brief finish of the system on the rear, positioned alongside the lighter gray strip that runs alongside the broader edge. Previous run-ins with these inform me it’s the signature fashion of the P-series line of slates, and one I’m significantly fond off. It’s certain to be just a little boring for some, but it surely seems premium in individual, with the gadgets 615g heft solely serving to.
Alongside the suitably rounded edges, you’ll discover separate quantity buttons on the lengthy aspect, the ability button on the closest 90-degree turning, a MicroSD drawer within the center, and two massive JBL speaker grills on both aspect. You’ll must attempt onerous to not muffle a pair of them when it’s in your arms, however they blast out strong audio when left alone.
Disappointingly, there’s no headphone jack to talk of, and the USB-C charging port isn’t going to be offloading images in a short time as solely USB 2.0 certification.
Display screen
- Sharp and vibrant 3K LCD show
- Locked at 60Hz
- Giant at 12.7 inches
The show expertise is powered by a big 12.7-inch IPS LCD display, a downgrade of the AMOLED tech of the pricier P12 Professional. Nonetheless, the sensible selection of inventory background and Google’s common suite of vibrant app icons assist convey the enjoyment of this panel for an prolonged time period.
Having it gentle up on the different finish of the sofa when a notification pings is usually sufficient to get me to look over and marvel at its magnificence, so it’s a no brainer to listen to that watching a little bit of Netflix on it is a sight to behold.
At 2944 x 1840, there’s no concern about its sheer dimension inflicting any critical diploma of seen pixels round app icons and textual content. It’s crisp as it’s vibrant, but it surely’s simply not fairly shiny sufficient to hold a good HDR expertise or carry out nicely that shiny gentle within the sky.
Holding it again, nevertheless, is its mounted 60Hz refresh charge. I’m a agency believer that no less than 90Hz is important for tech as of late. As long as the gubbins inside can take the pressure, the 50% pace uplift helps the entire expertise really feel quick and fluid.
Cameras
- 8MP rear digital camera
- 13MP panorama selfie digital camera
- Flash
With a single 8MP lens on the again left to hold any on-the-go photographic endeavours, you’re more likely to be disillusioned with what’s on supply right here. Although that shouldn’t come as an excessive amount of of a shock.
The Lenovo Tab P12 performs about in addition to every other pill at even half the worth. In some locations, it’s even worse. For no discernible motive, pictures snapped in a comparatively dim room with a lamp turned on not solely seemed noisy due to no actual devoted night time mode wizardry, however even fish-eyed on the usual 1x lens.
My desk in the fitting nook of a window shot turned a spooky mist, and a shelf of vibrant manga started to fall sufferer to the blur from the centre out. No bokeh results had been turned on.
On the literal shiny aspect, many of the points will be mounted by blasting the included flash — which ought to by no means be taken without any consideration on a pill. With it pressured on, the bookshelf shot got here out fully usable, capturing loads of color. You gained’t be getting the sharpest pictures round, however for a digital camera largely anticipated for use for doc scanning, it’s surprisingly sufficient.
The entrance digital camera, accurately positioned towards the lengthy aspect for panorama use, beats out the again digital camera by clocking in at 13MP. Which means sharper video calls and extra pixels for the likes of portrait mode to make use of when understanding what ought to and shouldn’t be blurred, and a few crisp 1080p video at a positively cinematic 30fps when you’re recording some short-form content material.
The dual microphones discovered above the selfie digital camera alongside the pill’s periphery can document comfortable audio at an affordable distance. That ought to go a great distance in simplifying your distant work assembly setup or informal calls on the very least.
Efficiency
- Respectable mid-range efficiency
- 8GB of RAM helps with multitasking
- Responsive sufficient for pen-based work
Right here’s the place issues get just a little bushy. The octa-core Mediatek Dimensity 7050 chipset powering the Lenovo Tab P12 isn’t the quickest on the block. It’s sufficient to ship a good general-use expertise, with internet looking and barely extra advanced video games being satisfying. Heavier multitasking workloads can begin to gradual the pill down, but it surely’s largely software program interfacing quirks that maintain again the expertise.
The big display of this system, paired with its included pen, encourages the usage of multitasking efforts to get some work finished. In my efforts to easily write up this overview, nevertheless, I discovered it just a bit too gradual for my liking. It’s not that apps launched slowly or that faucets and touches felt sluggish. As a substitute, it was extra that the expertise of interacting with side-by-side apps for referencing and writing simply got here throughout as needlessly fiddly.
Underneath gentle looking classes and easy phrase processing, the Lenovo Tab P12 ought to serve you comparatively nicely. And if the included stylus is your fashion, it may very well be every part you want when you’re not working with deep and complicated information. As a easy film machine, the quad JBL audio system pair properly with the outstanding display, providing a loud and clear watching expertise beneath customary indoor settings.
We examined the mannequin with 8GB of reminiscence, which ought to have multitasking advantages over the 4GB model. Even nonetheless, efficiency wasn’t as easy as I’d have appreciated when switching between app phases, that means the mannequin with much less RAM would possible amplify the problems coated above.
For those who suppose you’ll ever use the P12 for something greater than taking notes and looking the net, intention for the mannequin with 8GB of RAM. Something much less could be slower nonetheless. If it’s only for younger children, although, 4GB of reminiscence will probably be effective.
Software program
- A number of helpful pre-installed third-party apps
- Genuinely useful first-party apps
- Clear method to Android 13
Operating Android 13 with Lenovo’s ZUI 15 pores and skin on high, you’re met with a clear and vibrant dwelling display when you get by means of the notoriously prolonged preliminary setup course of.
Out of the gate, there isn’t an excessive amount of in the way in which of bloatware right here. Not less than not apps with heavy spending potential like Reserving.com, anyway.
As a substitute, there’s the mindfulness TIDE app, Nebo for taking notes with the included pen, and MyScript Calculator 2. Spacedesk even lets you use the pill as a second display in your PC or laptop computer. It’s one of many extra distinctive collections of built-in apps I’ve seen with a pill, all of which I may truly think about utilizing.
Past the fundamental and acquainted performance of Android 13, Lenovo has slapped a couple of of its personal options into the combination by the use of first-party apps. Set into the already crowded notification shade is Lenovo Freestyle, which primarily goals to have you ever effortlessly hold engaged on the identical apps and paperwork as you hop between a cellphone, pill, or PC.
It’s not all rosy although. Utilizing the Lenovo Keyboard Pack, which primarily echoes the Logitech Folio Contact for the iPad with its magnetic connect technique and versatile kickstand case, I discovered myself unable to scroll the web page in Google Docs with out highlighting every part on the display. I additionally couldn’t scroll the web site on the fitting aspect with the touchpad with out clicking to make it the lively one, which made clicking the Google Docs web page once more essential to proceed typing.
It’s a sequence of actions that will get previous fast, and is dealt with significantly better on an iPad or Home windows PC in my expertise.
The keyboard itself can contort when off-angle, triggering a click on of the touchpad that may trigger havoc while you’re typing away. The palm rejection can be seemingly nonexistent, resulting in loads of cases of disappearing textual content. If it wasn’t clear sufficient already, I benched the concept of typing out this overview on the Lenovo Keyboard a very long time in the past to change again to my trusty iPad.
Battery life
- 10,200mAh battery
- 30W charging
- 10 hours of battery life on common
In case you are enthusiastic about utilizing the Lenovo Tab P12 as a conveyable workhorse, the large battery ought to carry you some solace.
At 10,200mAh, it’s positively humongous, and simply sufficiently big to see you thru a few days of medium use. When sat round doing nothing, it’ll maintain its cost nicely sufficient to make it a dependable grab-and-go machine for checking no matter you’ll be able to’t in your pocketable smartphone.
That being stated, our typical suite of benchmarks noticed Lenovo’s price range workhorse lose simply as a lot cost as a tool each smaller and extra highly effective than itself. Not sufficient to boost issues: you’re nonetheless 10 hours of Netflix time, which is well sufficient to binge a complete season of some exhibits in a single sitting.
That’s the standard common tablets have managed since their inception, and it paired with the massive battery possible means the above-average display dimension and probably unoptimized processor simply sips again just a little extra juice than a extra trendy answer in any other case would.
When gaming, which places loads of strain on a machine like this, virtually one other 10% of cost was whisked away in simply half-hour. On the plus aspect, the take a look at used Honkai Star Rail, which is likely one of the most graphically intensive video games on the platform proper now, so the drain is a worst-case situation. Less complicated video games gained’t have almost the identical stage of energy draw.
Juicing up that huge battery will take time, nevertheless. The included charger, whereas able to outputting 30W, will nonetheless take a superb 4 hours to correctly trickle cost the massive cells within the Lenovo Tab P12. For those who’re simply trying to hold it occurring an extended automotive journey, hooking it up for an hour will get you a 50% increase comfortably.
Newest offers
Must you purchase it?
You need a big general-use pill: Although not the quickest for the worth, the included pen, massive display, and fluid multitasking options make the Lenovo Tab P12 a tempting choice.
You need a pill to exchange a laptop computer: With the additional expense of a keyboard that’s solely viable at a desk, the Lenovo Tab P12 is greatest seen as a complimentary system to your laptop computer quite than a direct alternative.
Remaining Ideas
Positioning itself firmly within the value level of the fundamental, but highly effective 2021 Apple iPad, the included pen with the Lenovo Tab P12 makes up the distinction for a household already intertwined within the Android or Home windows ecosystem.
Although a Floor Go 2 is a greater work machine for the cash, Lenovo’s Android reply is virtually good for a busy household. For different nice choices for work and play, check out our choice of one of the best tablets.
How we take a look at
In contrast to different websites, we completely take a look at each product we overview. We use industry-standard checks as a way to examine options correctly. We’ll at all times let you know what we discover. We by no means, ever settle for cash to overview a product. Inform us what you suppose – Ship your emails to the Editor.
Used for 7 days earlier than overview
Reviewed alongside stylus and keyboard equipment
Benchmarked with industry-standard instruments
FAQs
No, the Lenovo Tab P12 used an IPS LCD panel. The dearer Professional mannequin makes use of AMOLED and a Snapdragon SoC as a substitute.
Sadly, the Lenovo Tab P12 doesn’t embody a conventional 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Lenovo Tab P12 helps fingerprint and facial biometric unlock choices on high of the standard sample or numbered unlock measures.
Trusted Opinions take a look at information
Geekbench 6 single core
Geekbench 6 multi core
1 hour video playback (Netflix, HDR)
30 minute gaming (gentle)
Time from 0-100% cost
Time from 0-50% cost
30-min recharge (included charger)
15-min recharge (included charger)
3D Mark – Wild Life
GFXBench – Aztec Ruins
GFXBench – Automobile Chase
