Full review: TechLife Pad Plus 12”

Entry-level tablets present great value, especially for young students. When we’re looking for the ideal tablet, it’s all about the perfect blend of performance, a good display and decent battery life.

The TechLife Pad Plus 12” combines all of these in a package that is more than attainable at just under Php 10,000. And that is why this tablet could provide excellent value in the entry-level segment.

Design & build

Three color options are available for the TechLife Pad Plus 12”: Storm Grey, Sky Blue and Moonlight Silver. The latter is the one I had the chance to test out. And in terms of the design, it’s quite clean with its matte finish. Its design is simple, which can appeal to a wide audience.

With regard to its dimensions, the tablet weighs 453g and has a thickness of 7.4mm. These make the device portable and easy-to-use, minimizing fatigue over extended periods of usage.

Display

One of this tablet’s main draws is its 12-inch 2K display. 12-inches on an entry-level tablet is absolutely a huge plus. It has a refresh rate of 60Hz and a screen-to-body ratio of 85%, which is great in this segment.

Consuming video content on this tablet was decent overall. The colors didn’t pop so much, but the visuals were quite clear. In the end, there isn’t much to worry about especially given all the screen real estate you have with the 12-inch display. At this price point, this is definitely a win.

Camera

For taking photos, the TechLife Pad Plus 12” is equipped with a 13MP main camera. This rear camera can shoot videos at up to 1080p@30fps. On the other hand, the front camera is an 8MP shooter which can capture videos at up to 720p@30fps.

The camera isn’t amazing by all means, but it is fairly acceptable for the entry-level segment. If your main purpose is to capture documents, have video calls, and occasionally shoot everyday photography, then the cameras of the TechLife Pad Plus 12” are more than capable of carrying those out.

Performance

Under the hood, the TechLife Pad Plus 12” is built with a MediaTek Helio G91, an Arm Mali-G52 MC2 GPU, 256GB of storage (expandable to 1TB via microSD card), and 8GB of RAM. RAM Expansion is available to boost it all the way up to 16GB as well.

The physical RAM in itself is a huge plus, but allowing for expansion to 16GB is great. Working and multitasking are smooth and seamless which is ideal for students who could be constantly switching between studying and playing (stay in school, kids).

In terms of gaming, this tablet can cater to students of all ages. The younger generation will have no problem running simple 2D games. The teens on the other hand, can still enjoy titles such as ML:BB and Call of Duty Mobile. Note that with the latter, you may need to dial down the graphics settings.

The TechLife Pad UI is based on Android 15. The interface is simple, clean and user-friendly, which means both kids and their parents will find it easy to navigate through and operate this device.

Battery & charging

An 8000mAh battery powers the TechLife Pad Plus 12”, which is more than respectable at this price point. TechLife claims that you can do up to almost 13 hours of music playback (volume at 100% and the display off) as well up to 3 hours of video playback (volume and brightness both at 100%). With mixed usage, you can expect almost a full day of battery life.

The device comes with an 18W Type-C charger as well. With regard to charging time, expect around 180-200 minutes to achieve a full charge from a fully drained battery.

Verdict

The TechLife Pad Plus 12” comes in a simple, yet well-rounded package. While personally it may not be my device of choice to daily drive since my needs are a bit more complex, it does have everything you look for in an entry-level tablet, and then some.

Given its decent performance for simpler tasks, its better than average display (for the entry-level segment in particular), and longevity throughout the day, the TechLife Pad Plus 12” is an excellent choice as a first tablet for young students whose parents are looking for that balance of work and leisure.

The best part is you get all these benefits for just PHP 9,999. Come the start of the new school year, parents have a compelling option in the TechLife Pad Plus 12” as their kids’ new study buddy.

Photos by Mica de los Reyes