Tablets with extra-large screens provide an immersive viewing experience and extra real estate for multitasking. You’re here because you want those features and, more importantly, you want them on a device that doesn’t break the bank.
The TechLife Pad Plus 12″ is just like that. It’s a tablet with a large 12-inch screen priced just under Php10,000. Made for the budget-conscious, the device also has SIM support for 4G LTE connectivity if you want to stay online without access to a WiFi network.
But then again, it’s a cheap tablet. So, in our TechLife Pad Plus 12″ review, we’ll see if it’s inevitable drawbacks and downsides are enough to outweigh the good stuff.
TechLife Pad Plus 12″ Specs
- Android 15, TechLife Pad UI
- Single SIM
- 12-inch WUXGA+ IPS display, 2000 x 1200 pixel resolution, ~194ppi
- 450-nit peak brightness
- 180Hz touch sampling
- 2.0GHz MediaTek Helio G91 octa-core processor
- Mali-G52 MC2 GPU
- 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
- 256GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 1TB
- 8-megapixel front camera
- 13-megapixel rear camera, f/2.0, AF
- 4x stereo speakers
- HSPA+, 4G LTE
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
- Bluetooth
- USB-C
- Colors: Moonlight Silver, Sky Blue, Storm Grey
- 8,000mAh non-removable battery, 18W wired, 5W reverse wired charging
Design and Build Quality
It may look boring, but the TechLife Pad Plus 12″ actually has one of the better designs on a tablet that we’ve reviewed recently. That extra lip on the camera island’s bezel is already enough to outshine most tablets in the market today.
The device is available in three color options: Sky Blue, Moonlight White, and the one we have, Storm Grey. As with most tablets, budget or not, it has an aluminum alloy finish that attracts fingerprint marks but is barely noticeable.
It is also thin, but not mind-blowingly thin for a tablet. The weight is noticeable, but bearable.
The edges and corners are curved and have been smoothened out, so it stays comfortable in the hands even after extensive use.
Unsurprisingly, this budget tablet lacks an ingress protection rating for dust and water resistance. On the upside, the frame feels really sturdy. We did a couple of light bend tests, and it did nothing.
Taking a tour, we have the large 12-inch display on the front with an 8-megapixel selfie camera on top. The bezels are quite thick, but forgivable as they give your fingers space to hold the device comfortably.
The top left has the lock/power switch and the volume controls. The physical buttons feel a bit flimsy, but still clicky and tactile.
On the other side is the built-in microphone and a hybrid SIM tray that has two slots for two nano SIM cards or save the other slot for a microSD card for storage expansion. We then have the other speakers on the right side, sandwiching the USB-C port.
For an entry-level tablet, we’re impressed by how the TechLife Pad Plus nailed the design and build department. Sure, it’s not as premium as other tablets, but it doesn’t need to be.
Display and Audio
The TechLife Pad Plus 12″, as the name suggests, has a 12-inch WUXGA+ IPS screen with 2000 x 1200 pixel resolution, ~194ppi, 450-nit peak brightness, and 60Hz refresh rate.
We can’t ask for anything more from the display, especially for its price. While it could be smoother and the resolution could be sharper, color quality is decent, and the brightness is often enough for outdoor use. It’s also good enough for binge-watching, web browsing, and a bit of multitasking.
TechLife handled the audio really well. It’s got four speakers in a stereo setup, which is acceptable for what you’re paying for. The treble is a bit muffled, but the bass is decent, and the volume is decent.
Hardware and Performance
The TechLife Pad Plus 12 is powered by a 2GHz MediaTek Helio G91 octa-core processor, with a Mali-G52 MC2 GPU, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, and 256GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage expandable up to 1TB via a microSD card. It also has 4G LTE connectivity so you can stay online even without WiFi.
TechLife Pad Plus 12 Benchmark Scores
Day-to-day performance is what you’d expect from a sub-Php10,000 tablet. There are inevitable lags here and there, from swiping through social media feeds, switching between apps, and web browsing.
Still, the performance is forgivable. We were still able to do work with it, but we just had to bear through the occasional slowdown. In addition, writing and editing documents on Google Docs, researching using Google Chrome, as well as browsing and posting on social media platforms are doable. Let’s see if it can surprise us in gaming.
Genshin Impact barely ran under the lowest settings. It’s playable, but make sure you’re patient with it. More optimized games like PUBG Mobile actually had no issues under low graphics quality and Ultra frame rates.
Call of Duty Mobile was playable under the lowest settings but could be smoother. Farlight84 had decent frames but the Smooth graphics quality on a screen this large almost makes it unplayable.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang had no issues under High settings. Asphalt Legends Unite, too, albeit the graphics quality is quite horrendous.
Well, the results are in, and it’s not surprising. The TechLife Pad Pro is not made for gaming. Sure, it can handle a few games, but the graphics quality and frame rates can be unbearable.
But if you’re okay with simpler games like Candy Crush, this one can definitely run it.
| Game | Graphics Settings |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Low • Frame Rate: High |
| Farlight84 | • Graphics Quality: Smooth • Frame Rate: Medium |
| PUBG Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Smooth • Frame Rate: Ultra |
| Genshin Impact | • Render Resolution: Lowest • Visual Effects: Low • FPS: 30 |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | • Graphics Quality: High • Frame Rate: High • HD Mode: On |
| Asphalt Legends Unite | • Visual Quality: High Quality • Frame Rate: 60 |
Software and User Interface
The TechLife Pad Plus 12″ ships with an Android 15-based TechLife Pad UI. TechLife didn’t specify how long they’ll support this device, and being an entry-level one, it’ll likely receive only two years of security patches.
In the homescreen, there’s a taskbar that you can easily access by swiping up the navigation bar.
Sadly, it appears to be missing one crucial feature for tablets: split-screen mode. We looked hard, but it’s nowhere to be found.
To compensate for the missing split-screen mode, the Pad Plus features a Sidebar that provides access to a customizable list of apps, available anywhere within the interface or even within an app.
Alternatively, you can change it to show quick contacts, stopwatch, flashlight, compass, ruler, and counter.
That key feature missing and better software support would’ve made the entire user experience a lot better, but compromises have to be made in budget devices like this.
On the upside, you could upgrade the experience by getting the Keyboard Case worth Php1,899. If you already have one, any wireless keyboard should work.
Cameras
The TechLife Pad Plus 12″ has a 13-megapixel main camera on the back and an 8-megapixel on the front for selfies.
You can shoot videos at 1080p and 720p, both limited to 30fps. There’s also a Video Quality option in the settings that you can set to Low, Medium, or High.
Image quality from the main camera is decent for casual snaps or capturing documents like receipts, but nothing more. Shots are sharp enough, so even small texts are visible, colors are acceptable, albeit the dynamic range is horrible.
The 8-megapixel selfie camera could use an improved white balance, but at least the skin tones are fairly accurate when indoors and the image has enough details for online meetings and remote classes.
As with the rest of its hardware, the cameras on the Techlife Pad Pus 12″ are passable.
Battery and Charging
The TechLife Pad Plus 12″ has an 8,000mAh battery that’s abysmal for its size, but acceptable for the price. It is paired with 18W wired charging.
Battery performance is decent. It lasted for 7 hours and 59 minutes in our PCMark battery test. That’s a loop of synthetic workload until the battery dropped from 100% to 20%. In our 1080p YouTube Video Loop Test, it lasted for 7 hours and 46 minutes before the battery dropped from 100% to 0.
As expected, charging an 8,000mAh battery with an 18W adapter will take some time. In our test, a full charge took almost two hours and a half. See the full test below:
- 15mins: 0-12%
- 30mins: 25%
- 45mins: 39%
- 1hr: 54%
- 1hr 30mins: 78%
- 2hrs: 95%
- 2hrs 24mins: FULL
Verdict
The TechLife Pad Plus 12″ is a well-equipped tablet for under Php10,000. But does it stand out? Definitely not. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not something to consider.
A few of its competitors already offer faster charging for the price, smoother displays, and better software.
But the TechLife Pad Plus 12″ makes up for it by having a bigger screen, better cameras, and of course, the SIM slot for 4G connectivity. The battery life and stereo speakers are not that bad either.
Overall, the TechLife Pad Plus 12″ offers decent hardware for not a lot of money. However, we also suggest looking at other similarly priced tablets in the market, like the OPPO Pad SE and the Redmi Pad 2 4G, to see if they fit your needs better.
TechLife Pad Plus 12″ pricing and availability details
The TechLife Pad Plus 12″ is available in the Philippines for Php9,999. You can get it at TechLife Concept Stores and online via Shopee and TikTok.
Pros
- Distinct design
- Large display
- Good stereo speakers
- Decent cameras
- Okay battery life
Cons
- So-so performance
- No split screen mode
- Only 60Hz refresh rate
- Uncertain software support
- Slow charging