Lenovo Tab P12 Review: Practical & Productive

Value When Reviewed

Unavailable within the US

Again in late 2021, Lenovo launched the Tab P12 Professional, a uncommon premium Android pill that supplied rather a lot when it comes to polished media-friendly specs, however disillusioned with its excessive worth. Now, coming as much as two years on, now we have the non-Professional Lenovo Tab P12, which guarantees to hit lots of the identical foremost speaking factors at half the fee.

For simply £399 you’re getting a pill with a big, sharp 12.7in 3K show, a promising quad-speaker set-up, a cultured design, and a stable bundled-in stylus.

What’s extra, Lenovo is providing an non-compulsory package deal that features a full mechanical keyboard case, which turns the Lenovo Tab P12 from an inexpensive media machine to an inexpensive moveable productiveness machine. It is available in at an inexpensive £499 – rather a lot lower than an iPad or Galaxy Tab S9 with an equal keyboard.

Nevertheless, with the likes of Oppo, OnePlus, and Xiaomi all offering compelling mid-range tablets in latest occasions, the Lenovo Tab P12 isn’t wanting competitors. However none of these rivals supply such a super-sized package deal as this.

Design & Construct

• Sober however trendy steel physique
• Large and heavy at 6.9mm thick and 630g
• Poor fingerprint sensor

The Lenovo Tab P12 is an altogether greater, bulkier full-sized pill than its Lenovo Tab P12 Professional sibling, to not point out rivals just like the Xiaomi Pad 6 and OnePlus Pad. At 190.7mm x 293.3mm x 6.9mm, this factor actually makes its presence recognized.

In the meantime, with a substantial weight of 630g, you’ll most likely need to put money into the official case simply to be able to prop it up and provides your arms a relaxation. It’s nonetheless lighter than an iPad Professional 12.9, although.

Bulk apart, it is a well-built pill with a premium-feeling all-metal physique. As is the pattern nowadays, the surfaces and edges are all flat, with the one curves on the corners.

There’s only one color on supply: Storm Gray, identical to the P12 Professional. And like that pill, it’s a wise and professional-looking shade, if a bit generic.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

As soon as once more, you might have a fingerprint sensor stashed behind the ability button on the top-left edge. I’ve the identical criticism of this as of the Professional, in that this button feels too small and inconspicuous given its necessary biometric operate. In contrast to the Professional, I even have qualms about its reliability, with the Tab P12 button ceaselessly failing to grant me entry.

One of many key promoting factors of the Lenovo Tab P12 is that it comes bundled with Lenovo’s Tab Pen Plus stylus, which affixes to the rear of the pill by way of a bit magnetised patch.

The Tab Pen Plus itself is a reliable piece of equipment, which sells for £50 by itself. With 4,096 ranges of strain and tilt detection, it presents a pleasant pure writing and drawing expertise, whereas palm rejection makes it sensible to make use of whereas holding the pill.

Whereas we’re speaking about equipment, let’s speak concerning the official keyboard and case combo, since Lenovo included them with my take a look at mannequin. Each are of first rate construct high quality, fabricated from sturdy plastic. Certainly, my greatest criticism of them is that they mix so as to add quite a lot of weight to an already heavy pill. If you happen to’re lugging this lot round with you, you may marvel why you don’t simply purchase a light-weight ultra-portable laptop computer or Chromebook.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Functionally, the keyboard cowl may be very spectacular, snapping onto the Tab P12’s customized connectors alongside the underside edge with a powerful magnet. The mechanical typing expertise is an efficient one too, with sufficient journey to its chiclet keys to make switching over from a full-sized laptop computer comparatively pain-free.

I notably just like the app shortcut keys alongside the operate key row. When pressed the primary time, you’ll have the ability to bind key apps to them, so you possibly can leap straight into Mail, Chrome, or another app that you just use ceaselessly.

As for the case, it’s robust, it evokes confidence with the power of its grip, and it has a good adjustable kickstand that allows you to place the Tab P12 at any angle. As all the time with such pill keyboards, it received’t present a literal laptop computer expertise, however that’s by the by at this level. You additionally get a pleasant comfortable alcove to stop the stylus from being knocked off in your bag.

Display & Audio system

• 12.7in IPS LCD
• 60Hz refresh price
• Quad audio system with Dolby Atmos

The Lenovo Tab P12’s show isn’t fairly the stand-out element that it’s on the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional, however it’s nonetheless received lots to supply.

Most clearly, at 12.7in, it’s a lot greater than its 11in mid-priced rivals. With a 3K (2944 x 1840) decision, it doesn’t sacrifice sharpness both.

That’s about it for spectacular specs. It’s an LCD panel, so doesn’t have the colourful colors and deep blacks of the Professional mannequin’s AMOLED. What’s extra, it doesn’t have the elevated refresh price of the Xiaomi Pad 6 and the OnePlus Pad, being caught at 60Hz.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Nor does the Tab P12 display screen get notably shiny. Lenovo claims that it may well hit a most brightness of 400 nits, however I recorded it hitting a mean measured luminance of round 370 nits whereas cranked to full throughout my testing.

Regardless of these shortfalls, it is a fairly good display screen for color accuracy. I measured a gamut protection of 94% sRGB in opposition to a gamut quantity of 94.6%, and a good Delta E score of 1.39 (with 1 being the best).

This makes the Tab P12 a stable moveable participant, so long as you’re not watching in robust lighting. That is aided by the availability of 4 JBL audio system, which have been Dolby Atmos tuned. They don’t ship the richest sound, however they’re loud and clear, with first rate stereo separation.

Lenovo has additionally launched a matt show model however we didn’t have the chance to check this. The corporate describes this mannequin as ‘optimised with the paper-like matt show that comes with anti-glare and fixed distinction’.

Specs & Efficiency

• MediaTek Dimensity 7050
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB storage plus MicroSD

Lenovo has geared up its mid-range pill with a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor, which is basically a rebranded Dimensity 1080. Which means the Tab P12 has the identical efficiency because the Xiaomi Redmi Be aware 12 Professional, a £340 smartphone from late 2022.

That’s no dangerous factor. We appreciated the Xiaomi Redmi Be aware 12 Professional’s efficiency on the time, and it’s simply as succesful right here. Sure, there’s a bit additional pressure from that 12.7in 3k show, however by the identical token it solely has to handle a 60Hz refresh price.

Along with a wholesome 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, it’ll deal with common navigation, app switching, and lightweight gaming fairly properly. Sure, you’ll observe the odd pause or stutter throughout navigation, however on the entire the expertise is an efficient one. In storage phrases, you get 128GB as normal, along with a microSD card slot for growth functions.

When it comes to its fellow mid-range tablets, the Lenovo Tab P12 lags properly behind the OnePlus Tab with its MediaTek Dimensity 9000 and the Xiaomi Pad 5 with its Snapdragon 860 whenever you speak about benchmarks, however barely forward of the Oppo Pad Air with its Snapdragon 680.

It’s a reliable performer, however actually not an excellent one inside its subject.

Lenovo Tab P12 benchmarks

Cameras

• 8Mp rear digital camera
• 13Mp ultra-wide selfie
• AI face monitoring on video calls

Digicam specs and picture high quality don’t actually matter all that a lot with tablets, particularly not inexpensive tablets like this one. You actually shouldn’t be counting on an enormous slab like this on your snaps.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

For the document, the Lenovo Tab P12 runs a single 8Mp rear digital camera with autofocus. It’s exactly as restricted as that sounds, though it’ll seize an impromptu snap with superb lighting in a pinch. Element and distinction aren’t as much as a lot, however it’s acceptable.

Much more necessary for a pill is the entrance digital camera, which shall be on video name responsibility. As a selfie digital camera, this 13Mp mounted focus snapper is fairly poor, with blown-out highlights and a common softness.

Nevertheless, its ultra-wide angle is welcome in terms of these video calls. It’s purported to have AI face monitoring, though I used to be unable to note something pronounced throughout a Google Meet video name.

Battery Life & Charging

• 10,200mAh cell
• 30W quick charging
• 20W adapter included

When a tool is driving a 13in(ish) show, you’d higher consider it wants an enormous battery. Like its Professional sibling, the Lenovo Tab P12 packs a ginormous 10,200mAh cell.

Even then, it’ll barely get you thru a full working day. It lasted 7 hours and half-hour within the PCMark Work 3.0 battery take a look at – which in fact units out to simulate on a regular basis working situations like net looking, video and photograph modifying, writing paperwork, and knowledge manipulation.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

That’s 20 minutes longer than the Professional, however falls a number of hours behind smaller mid-range tablets just like the OnePlus Pad and the Xiaomi Pad 5. Even the equally proportioned Lenovo Yoga Tab 13 managed to go the 10-hour mark.

Whereas the Lenovo Tab P12 seemingly helps as much as 30W fast charging, you solely get a 20W charger bundled in. This can get you from empty to only underneath half-full in an hour, and on to full in round 2 hours half-hour. You don’t need to depend on the ‘splash and sprint’ technique forward of a day of use with this one.

Software program

• Android 13
• Considerate Lenovo additions

Lenovo’s tackle Android is among the neater ones in the marketplace, suggesting it’s discovered a number of classes from its Motorola smartphone model.

It’s working on the newest model of Android, which represents progress from after I reviewed the Android Tab P12 Professional. You continue to get a few of Lenovo’s distinctive customisations, however for probably the most half they’re fairly welcome.

Leisure Area might be discovered to the left of the primary house display screen, the place the Google Feed would ordinarily be on inventory Android units. For as soon as, it is a considerate embellishment, providing a slick, magazine-like window onto your chosen media apps.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

In my case, it surfaced film and TV suggestions from Disney+, video games from the Google Play Retailer (though nothing I might really need to play), eBooks and comics purchased by Play Books, and a mixture of tracks I had streamed from YouTube Music and podcasts from Google Podcasts.

I usually discovered myself utilizing the person apps for finding and accessing what I wished, however I may see this being helpful for informal media consumption on the go.

Lenovo’s stylus-based enhancements are pretty minimal, particularly in comparison with a Samsung pill, however I recognize the clear and delicate method. There’s a bit shortcut menu that pops up whenever you press the button on the Tab Pen Plus stylus, providing fast entry to screenshots (which might be scrawled on), fast notes, and varied helpful presentational instruments.

My favorite shortcut is the power to carry the button and faucet the display screen to immediately open up a floating notepad.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Lenovo’s productivity-focused UI, which was an non-compulsory mode again after I reviewed the Professional, now seems to be everlasting, offering a MacOS-like system with key apps completely accessible alongside the underside of the display screen. I discovered accessing this above apps considerably hit or miss with Gesture Navigation activated, so that you may need to persist with the desktop-like Digital Navigation choice – particularly in case you’re choosing that keyboard case bundle.

As this all suggests, Lenovo’s UI is very adaptable to your private preferences. You are able to do issues like cut up the notification menu from the management centre, do you have to want, in addition to superb tuning how split-screen and floating apps function.

Value & Availability

You possibly can seize this mid-priced pill immediately from Lenovo’s web site ranging from £379.99 within the UK and $283.49 within the US. All bundles embody the Tab Pen Plus stylus, however paying £449.99/$323.99 will even throw within the keyboard case, turning the Tab P12 right into a hybrid laptop computer.

If you wish to attempt the brand new Lenovo Tab P12 with Matte Show, you may get it immediately from Lenovo at £349.99 within the UK. The pill plus keyboard case bundle will price you £419.99. Nevertheless, this model isn’t at the moment obtainable within the US.

Examine our chart of one of the best tablets and greatest Android tablets for extra choices.

Verdict

The Lenovo Tab P12 presents one thing a bit completely different from the remainder of the mid-priced Android pill crowd. It won’t be as quick or well-specced because the Xiaomi Pad 5 or the OnePlus Pad, however a laser-like concentrate on creativity and productiveness makes it higher suited to sure use circumstances.

Its enormous, 12.7in 3K show isn’t the very best in the marketplace, however its sheer measurement – together with crisp quad audio system – make for a uniquely impactful media playback package deal.

What’s extra, the bundled-in Tab Pen Plus stylus and non-compulsory keyboard case rework the Lenovo Tab P12 into a robust but inexpensive instrument for artistic varieties.

If you happen to’re after a well-priced pill to do basic pill issues like looking the online and enjoying video games, then the likes of the Xiaomi Pad 5 and OnePlus Pad are significantly better (and way more moveable) bets. However if you wish to throw a bit sketching, scrawling, and typing into the combo, the Lenovo Tab P12 is worthy contender.

Specs

• Android 13
• 12.7in, 3K, IPS LCD, 60Hz, flat show
• Aspect-mounted fingerprint sensor
• MediaTek Dimensity 7050
• 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 128GB storage, MicroSD slot
• 8Mp foremost digital camera
• As much as 4K @ 30fps rear video
• 13Mp ultra-wide front-facing digital camera
• JBL quad stereo audio system
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6
• Bluetooth 5.1
• 10,200mAh battery
• 30W charging
• 293.3 x 190.7 x 6.9 mm
• 630g
• Launch colors: Storm Gray