Lenovo Tab P12 with Matte Display review: a large paper-like screen designed with doodling and note-taking in mind

Our Verdict

If you’re looking for an Android tablet to quickly jot down notes on and stash in your bag, the Lenovo Tab P12 with Matte Display will be right up your alley. This zippy, light and thin tablet offers phenomenal battery life, making it an excellent choice if you’re often on the go. Still, due to its Android operating system and limited power, it’s best used for low-intensity tasks such as browsing, note-taking or streaming.

For

• Affordable
• Supports variety of accessories
• New matte screen is lovely

Against

• Not terribly powerful
• Android OS means no Windows legacy programs
• Battery caves under pressure

Lenovo added the Tab P12 to its range of popular tablets a few years ago, so why are we writing about it now? Well, that’s because the brand has quietly released a new model of its large surface-area Android tablet which features the same specs but with a wonderful new paper-like matte display that makes it even better for note-taking and doodling.

We’ve heralded the original, non-matte version as one of the best laptops for writers and one of the best lightweight laptops because, while it’s technically a tablet, it’s just as good as a budget-friendly laptop when paired with its optional detachable keyboard. Now, with its new matte display, the Lenovo Tab P12 offers a nicely elevated experience for avid stylus users, provided you’re not looking to complete intensive tasks.

Lenovo Tab P12 with Matte Display: Key specifications

Chipset:MediaTek Dimensity 7050

RAM:8GB

Storage:128GB

Display:12.7-inch 3K (2944 x 1840) touch matte display, 400 nits, 60Hz

Weight:610g

Dimensions:190.7mm x 293.3mm x 6.9mm (without camera bump)

Camera:8MP back and 13MP ultra-wide front

Battery:10,200mAh

Design

While the Lenovo Tab P12 with Matte Display is rather simple in design, it’s far from an eyesore. Out of the box, it comes in simple packaging along with the included stylus and a handful of very bare-bones instruction manuals.

Delightfully thin and light at 6.9mm, its curved edges offer a slick but uninspired finish that makes it an excellent choice for work or play on the go. It’s fairly large at 190.7mm x 293.3mm x 6.9mm (without the camera bump), meaning holding it for long periods or while lying down isn’t the most comfortable.

When held in portrait orientation, you’ll find the power button (which doubles as a fingerprint sensor) and MicroSD tray on the top, and on the bottom is the USB-C charge port, with each end being flanked by two of the four Dolby Atmos tuned JBL speakers. The right-hand side houses its twin microphones and volume controls, and on the left a magnetic strip where you can attach the stylus - though it’s worth noting that, unlike more recent iPads, there’s no wireless charging. Its sage green casing finishes the back of the tablet, accented by a neat Lenovo label. The rear of the device also houses the 8MP camera, and on the front, you can find the landscape 13MP selfie camera along the long edge of the tablet.

My review unit did not come with the Lenovo Tab P12’s detachable keyboard; that’s available separately for £130.

Performance and display

While the Lenovo Tab P12 isn’t exactly a powerhouse, at this price point I wouldn’t expect it to be. Instead, it occupies a niche within affordable tablets that makes it a fantastic contender for the best tablet with a stylus for immersive reading or streaming, thanks to its large 12.7-inch IPS LCD touch display and JBL speakers which offer decently loud and clear sound, albeit are lacking in depth. However, its 60Hz refresh rate is a little bit of a shame.

Under the hood is a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 Processor, 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Along that vein, low-intensity tasks like writing, doodling, browsing and streaming are well within the remit of the Lenovo Tab P12, but you shouldn’t be expecting much more from it than that. It can also handle very low-intensity gaming, and some degree of rendering, but it’s firmly a tablet that will be best enjoyed for general use.

The 1840 x 2944 pixels 3K display is responsive but feels a little dim; at least a touch dimmer so than Lenovo’s 400 nit claims, but of course its technology is inferior to the likes of the Lenovo Tab P12 Pro and its AMOLED screen. However, the matte cover makes for a fantastic surface when it comes to doodling and writing.

In my experience, the software is prone to graphical errors and the occasional freeze-up, but broadly I didn’t notice any major software issues. The included Tab Pen Plus stylus feels fairly comfortable to hold in hand, matching the tablet’s simplicity in its simple design. It offers 4,096 pressure levels, tilt detection, and palm rejection (the latter of which can be a little hither-thither) and also sports a button near the nib which triggers the shortcut menu on the slate.

Its large 10,200mAh battery belies a moderate battery life, with just shy of 10 hours of streaming potential on offer and 7-8 hours of optimized gaming. However, it holds the battery incredibly well on standby; I used it very lightly for days and barely noticed the battery dropping. It supports 30W fast charging, which will get you to full charge in roughly three hours.

Price and availability

We reviewed the Lenovo Tab P12 matte display, and the original, non-matte version is still available too. The former is available for £450 in sage, and the latter for £300 in grey; a price difference I can’t justify without having tried the original screen, but that seems to be a huge leap if you ask me. If you want to use the Lenovo Tab P12 as a laptop stand-in, you’ll also want the detachable keyboard, which is available for £130.

Should I buy the Lenovo Tab P12 with Matte Display?

If you’re on the market for an affordable, large display with an included stylus, the Lenovo Tab P12 Matte Display is certainly the slate for you. Provided you’re not expecting next-generation, iPad level performance and specs, it’s unlikely to disappoint, and especially since Lenovo has had a couple of years to iterate on the software of the original Tab P12.

It serves fantastically as an easy general-use tablet provided you’re not a streaming snob or intense gamer, and is perfect for students, office workers and other regular notetakers.

The Verdict

8

out of 10

Lenovo Tab P12 with Matte Display

If you’re looking for an Android tablet to quickly jot down notes on and stash in your bag, the Lenovo Tab P12 with Matte Display will be right up your alley. This zippy, light and thin tablet offers phenomenal battery life, making it an excellent choice if you’re often on the go. Still, due to its Android operating system and limited power, it’s best used for low-intensity tasks such as browsing, note-taking or streaming.

Josephine Watson (@JosieWatson) is an experienced tech journalist with experience writing on a variety of topics from pop culture to gaming and even the energy industry. She is the Managing Editor of Lifestyle on CreativeBloq's sister site, TechRadar, overseeing the Lifestyle vertical (Cameras, Home and Wellness) and How-To's, where she can be found writing across multiple channels including computing, software, homes and gaming.