Lenovo Tab P12 Pro review

Greatest Costs In the present day: Lenovo Tab P12 Professional

The Android pill market is commonly seen as a veritable Wild West of low cost and cheerful gadgets, with solely Samsung providing something you would possibly take into account premium or iPad-worthy.

That’s not strictly true, nonetheless. In addition to Xiaomi, one other model that’s been quietly plugging away on the classier finish of the Android pill market is Lenovo.

Along with the quirky Lenovo Yoga Tab 13, the Chinese language model presently supplies the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional – an excellent pricier however decidedly extra orthodox high-end pill.

With an RRP of £749 within the UK and US$699 throughout the pond, this full-sized pill is competing immediately with the iPad Professional and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8. That’s slightly expensive for what you’re getting, which is a disgrace as a result of that is in different methods a really likeable slate.

Design & Construct

• Plain however trendy
• Magnetic stylus holder
• 5.6mm, 565g

The Lenovo Tab P12 Professional adopts a crisp, sober design that intently resembles the Professional pill competitors. That features a slim 5.6mm-thick metallic physique, uniformly slim bezels, and utterly flat edges and surfaces (barring a protruding digicam module).

At 565g, it’s nearly precisely the identical weight because the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+, and is considerably lighter than the present iPad Professional 12.9 (which weighs 682g).

This low-key ‘skilled’ look is carried by way of to your selection of colors. To steal the previous Ford line, you may have the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional in any color you need, so long as it’s Storm Gray.

Jon Mundy /Foundry

Lenovo has built-in a fingerprint sensor into the facility button on the top-left edge, as held within the pure panorama place. It’s quick and dependable if you hit it dead-on, however I might have preferred it to have been each bigger and indirectly textured or recessed in order to make it simpler to search out by really feel.

Round again you’ll discover slightly magnetised patch adjoining to the lozenge-shaped digicam module, which is the place you’ll connect the bundled Lenovo Precision Pen 3 stylus. I discovered that this stayed comparatively properly secured, even when laying the pill down.

The stylus itself is properly sized, prices whereas hooked up to the pill, and is loads responsive with 4,096 pressure-sensitivity ranges and tilt detection.

Be aware that there’s an elective keyboard accent, making this a potential laptop computer substitute, however I used to be not despatched this for testing with the pill.

Display & Audio system

• 12.6in AMOLED
• 120Hz refresh fee
• Quad audio system with Dolby Atmos

Maybe the most effective factor of the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional is its giant, vibrant, and colour-accurate show.

It makes use of a 12.6in AMOLED panel that’s positively bursting with color, and with a 1600 x 2560 decision offering loads of pixels. You additionally get the advantages of a 120Hz refresh fee, so navigation is a silky-smooth delight.

Going again to these colors for a second, they are surely on level. Within the pill’s Customary color mode, I measured a gamut protection of 100% sRGB towards a gamut quantity of 103.6%, and a nigh-on good Delta E ranking of 1.04 (with 1 being the perfect).

Along with these inky AMOLED blacks and the sheer dimension of the display, it truly is a deal with watching motion pictures on this system.

Jon Mundy /Foundry

If I have been to degree one criticism on the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional’s show, it’s that it doesn’t get notably vibrant. I measured a most brightness of 380 nits with auto-brightness turned off, and it’ll solely hit a claimed peak of 600 nits with that switched on. I can’t think about you’ll wish to watch many Netflix movies out within the backyard on it this summer season.

Like most rivals, you get 4 audio system, with two positioned to both aspect in that aforementioned panorama orientation. There’s Dolby Atmos help, and so they can get extraordinarily loud while retaining admirable readability.

Specs & Efficiency

• Snapdragon 870
• 6/8GB RAM
• 128GB storage

Apparently for such a premium pill, the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional doesn’t run on a correspondingly premium processor. Reasonably, similar to it did with the Lenovo Yoga Tab 13, Lenovo has gone with a Snapdragon 870 along with 6- or 8GB of RAM.

On a floor degree, the Snapdragon 870 is a mid-range chip from 2021. Nevertheless, it has at all times punched above its weight in telephones such because the Poco F3 and the Realme GT Neo 3T. It’s primarily an overclocked Snapdragon 865, which was the go-to flagship chip of 2020.

Whereas a extra fashionable flagship chip would have been preferable, that is removed from a disastrous selection. Usually utilization, the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional is a fluid delight, and completely indistinguishable from different flagship Android tablets.

In benchmark phrases, the pill scored 2985 within the CPU-focused Geekbench 5 check. That locations it only a few hundred factors behind the Samsung Galaxy tab S8 Extremely, but in addition the iPad 10.2 (2021).

In GPU benchmark phrases, it fares properly towards the costlier Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Extremely with its high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. In gaming phrases, Genshin Influence stays playable at Excessive/60fps graphical settings, which is fairly respectable.

Cameras

• 13Mp rear digicam
• 5Mp ultrawide
• 8Mp selfie

Not like smartphones, cameras actually aren’t an important element of any pill. That’s why even flagship tablets don’t are inclined to have notably nice optics.

Certain sufficient, the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional’s 13Mp predominant sensor and 5Mp ultra-wide aren’t particularly nice. One of many higher £200 finances smartphones may have much more going for it.

It’ll do an inexpensive job in good lighting, however that’s about it. And that’s actually wonderful. The primary operate of those cameras is prone to be for doc scanning, shot for promoting gadgets on-line, and the odd video name. Take a look at some samples within the gallery beneath.

To that finish, the 8Mp entrance digicam is arguably extra essential. Apparently, it’s accompanied by an IR TOF 3D sensor for biometric authentication, so you may have your face unlock the system – although Lenovo nonetheless warns about it being much less safe than the fingerprint sensor, suggesting it’s not fairly as nailed down as Apple’s system.

Battery Life & Charging

• 10,200mAh cell
• 45W quick charging
• 30W adapter included

The Lenovo Tab P12 Professional packs an enormous 10,200mAh battery. It arguably wants such a element, in fact, given that massive and vibrant show, to not point out its aspirations as an outright laptop computer substitute.

Usually, I discovered it to be nearly adequate for a full working day of combined utilization, which isn’t massively spectacular.

Jon Mundy /Foundry

Certain sufficient, within the PCMark Work 3.0 battery check, it scored seven hours and 11 minutes, which drops properly in need of smaller rivals just like the Xiaomi Tab 5. It’s additionally properly in need of the equally specced Lenovo Yoga Tab 13, which probably comes right down to that pill’s inferior 60Hz LCD show.

On the charging entrance, the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional helps as much as 45W charging. Nevertheless, Lenovo has solely seen match to bundle a 30W charger within the field. This was adequate to get my check pill from 0- to 33% in half-hour, and proper as much as 100% in a single hour and 48 minutes.

Software program

• Android 11
• Lenovo Leisure House
• Productiveness Mode
• Helpful stylus options

Lenovo’s method to software program might not be as clear or inventory as that of its Motorola model, however it’s nonetheless a pleasingly crisp and considerate tackle Android 11. In fact, having the newer Android 12 can be preferable however the system is without doubt one of the solely tablets capable of get the Android 13 Beta in order that’s an excellent signal.

I hesitate to make use of the time period ‘light-weight’, as a result of there are some appreciable customisations right here. Most clearly, scrolling proper from the principle residence display will deliver up Lenovo’s Leisure House display.

Jon Mundy /Foundry

That is the uncommon Google Feed substitute that really is sensible. Right here it assembles video, music, sport, and eBook content material from lots of the related companies right into a magazine-like shopping expertise.

It’s helpful for video content material and books (particularly comedian books), absolute ineffective for gaming, and solely partially helpful for music.

The stand-out software program characteristic right here pertains to that bundled Lenovo Precision Pen 3 stylus. Lenovo’s provision of associated apps isn’t too in depth, and I might have preferred to have seen a good sketch app on the very least.

However I additionally appreciated light-weight, unobtrusive method. What’s there works properly too, with a press of the Precision Pen’s button mentioning a discrete shortcut menu for notes, screenshots, and the like.

Jon Mundy /Foundry

You may as well maintain the button and faucet the display to put in writing a fast observe. Additionally neat is the power to pick and drag textual content into this software by way of the semi-transparent pen icon for fast note-taking.

Elsewhere, it’s potential to enter a Productiveness Mode, which crams a bunch of apps and key capabilities alongside the underside of the display like a clunky MacOS. Presumably, this works finest with the elective keyboard accent in turning the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional into a light-weight laptop computer substitute, however I’ve not examined that.

Worth & Availability

The Lenovo Tab P12 Professional has been in the marketplace since October 2021. UK residents should purchase the 6/128GB storage mannequin from Lenovo’s web site, the place the RRP of £749.99 has presently been dropped to £674.99 with an e-coupon. You may as well purchase it from the likes of Very.

From what I’ve seen, such reductions appear to be generally utilized. Suffice to say, at this value the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional turns into a considerably extra interesting prospect.

Both manner, the Tab P12 Professional appears weirdly costly right here within the UK. This may be seen with a a lot decrease US launch value of $699.99, and on the time of writing, you may get the 8/256GB mannequin which is generally $749.99 at a loopy $469. You may as well purchase the pill from BestBuy and Amazon.

Take a look at our charts of the most effective tablets and finest Android tablets to see what different choices you could have.

Jon Mundy /Foundry

Verdict

The Lenovo Tab P12 Professional is a really properly balanced high-end Android pill that’s good for media consumption, courtesy of a colour-rich 12.6in AMOLED show and 4 nice sounding audio system.

Its design is suitably premium, its software program suitably clear and targeted, and I’m a fan of the bundled Precision Pen stylus.

Nevertheless, its efficiency – while respectable – isn’t fairly what you would possibly count on from a real Professional pill and the identical is true of battery life. To that finish, its price ticket feels ever so barely steep.

If you will discover it for a hefty low cost, nonetheless, then it’s a genuinely viable various to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 vary – particularly in the event you intend to observe lots of video content material.

Specs

• Android 11
• 12.6in, 1600 x 2560, AMOLED, 120Hz
• Facet-mounted fingerprint sensor
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G
• 6GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 128GB storage
• 13Mp predominant digicam
• 5Mp ultra-wide digicam
• As much as 4K @ 30fps rear video
• 8Mp front-facing digicam, TOF Sensor
• Quad audio system with Dolby Atmos
• SIM help
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 10,200mAh battery
• As much as 45W quick charging
• 30W adapter included
• 286 x 185 x 5.6mm
• 565g
• Launch colors: Storm Gray