Lenovo’s Tab P11 Pro marked the company’s entry into the Indian premium tablet market. It was best suited for entertainment but couldn’t replace a laptop because it could only handle minor productivity tasks. Despite having strong hardware support, it lacked in the software area. Well, Lenovo is back with yet another premium tablet, the Tab P12 Pro, projected as being a worthy competitor to the outgoing P11 Pro.
Can the Tab P12 Pro be a laptop replacement or is it just another plus-sized entertainer like the Tab P11 Pro with accessories like the optional 2-in-1 keyboard cover and the Lenovo Precision Pen 3? More importantly, being placed at a high price tag of INR 69,999? Let’s find out in our review
Lenovo Tab 12 Pro Specifications
Before starting with the Lenovo Tab P12 Pro review, let’s look at the tablet’s specifications.
- Display: 12.6-inch WQXGA AMOLED panel with HDR10 support, Dolby Vision
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 Processor
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB internal storage, expandable via microSD card
- Software: Android 12
- Main Camera: 13MP + 5MP ultra-wide-angle
- Front Camera: 8MP + 3D ToF sensor
- Connectivity: USB Type C, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.2
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, side-mounted
- Battery: 10,200mAh, Li-ion Polymer, 30W charging
Box Contents
Here’s a complete list of items you get inside the box:
- Lenovo Tab P12 Pro Tablet
- Lenovo Precision Pen 3
- 30W fast charger
- USB Type C Cable
- USB C To 3.5mm connector
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Documentation
Design & Display
The Lenovo Tab P12 Pro resembles the Tab P11 Pro (which is still available in India) in terms of appearance. It retains the same flat sides and rounded corners, a thin and chiseled design, with an increased size, making it feel a little heavier at 565g. The tablet is built of metal, has a unibody construction, and has a dual-tone matte finish on the rear. It is only available in a single dark grey color option with accompanying add-on accessories.
There are antenna lines all the way around the sides of the tab, which has a metal casing for better network reception. The ports and buttons include a power button that also functions as a fingerprint sensor, volume rockers, an SD card slot, and a pair of speakers that form a quad-speaker arrangement on the top and bottom of the device. As previously indicated, the Tab P12 Pro does enable add-on accessories. These devices connect using pogo connections, which feature pins on the side.
Thankful the selfie camera and an additional TOF sensor are positioned on the longer side, with a vertically arranged twin camera arrangement on the rear. A tiny magnetic patch is located beneath the rear camera arrangement and aids in the Lenovo Precision Pen 3’s attachment and wireless charging.
For the Tab P12 Pro, Lenovo also offers a 2-in-1 keyboard cover case with a soft fabric texture. Additionally, there is the keyboard accessory, whose layout is comparable to that of the majority of small laptops. The keyboard attaches to the tablet via POGO connectors and is constructed of plastic and aluminum with a well-designed kickstand that can be adjusted at a variety of angles for use in a variety of settings.
The case and the keyboard accessory are not a part of the retail packing, and Lenovo only ships the Tab P12 Pro with the Precision Pen 3 but you can always get the keyboard accessory as an add-on.
The tablet has a 12.6-inch WQXGA AMOLED display (2560×1600 pixels) with a refresh rate of 120Hz and Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The panel quality is excellent, which fully justifies the cost. On OTT platforms, you can watch all of your favorite content in the best quality possible because of HDR10+ and Dolby Vision both of which are supported out of the box. When using the Precision Pen, the panel’s exceptional level of palm rejection instantly comes in handy.
Overall we didn’t really have any complaints with either the design or the panel quality on the Tab P12 Pro, which were somewhat lacking on the P11 Pro.
Software & Performance
A stock version of Android powers the Lenovo Tab P12 Pro. The tablet comes with Android 11 out of the box which has since been upgraded to a stock Android 12 build and not the Android 12L which Google has specifically designed for foldable and tablets. Since this is a Lenovo product, bloatware is not absent entirely. Instead, there were pre-installed third-party applications including Squid, Office, OneNote, Office, Netflix, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. Aside from this, Google is the only app provider available by default, which is, to be completely honest, a really excellent thing.
Even while the UI’s main appearance is identical to stock Android, Lenovo was able to make a few small adjustments. Lenovo also offers a special productivity mode on this tab that emulates the complete functionality of Windows or iPad OS. The biggest USP of the productivity mode is the availability of the dock which makes it easier to jump between apps and launch apps in floating windows.
With regard to performance, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC is built into the Tab P12 Pro. In contrast to other markets where the tablet supports LTE, in India Lenovo exclusively offers the Wi-Fi-only model. But it comes with maxed-out specs including 8GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage which is further expandable up to 512GB via a microSD card.
The Snapdragon 870 is a very demanding chip that has been featured on a number of budget flagships. Though it is now more than two years old, it still holds its ground firmly. Coupled with Lenovo’s near-stock Android UI and the buttery smooth 120Hz refresh rate, using the tablet is a very pleasant experience in itself.
Stronger processors equate to better gaming performance, and the Tab P12 Pro follows this trend. We tried several well-known games on it over the course of several weeks of use, including Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9 Legends, and both played at the highest settings without overheating the device. The tablet performed as expected on the benchmarks, earning a score of 7,09,763 on AnTuTu, which was on par with the competition, and in Geekbench’s single and multi-core tests, it received 958 and 3,053 points, respectively.
Camera & Battery
Regarding the optics, the Lenovo Tab P12 Pro has a dual-camera module with a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel wide-angle lens on the back. The included camera software has modes and a layout that is familiar to consumers, especially those who have previously used a Lenovo or Motorola phone. Additionally, there are a pair of 8-megapixel sensors and a 3D ToF sensor on the front which aid with video calls and selfies.
The output via the primary 13-megapixel is decent at best and can be used to take occasional shots, which is valid for the 5-megapixel sensor. The front cameras are suitable for taking Zoom calls, and the audio via the mics is on point.
Camera Samples
As for the battery, we get a reasonably large 10,200mAh cell which is more than enough to provide a great experience. During our tests, we could quickly get upwards of 13 Hours of screen-on-time with mixed-use. Charging this battery is a breeze, especially with bundled 30W charger. With the same brick, you can essentially top-up the battery in under 2 hours.
