With its large display, long battery life, and clean user interface, this tablet is designed for students, casual users, and anyone who wants reliable performance at a budget-friendly price.
After spending weeks using it as our daily tablet, here’s what it’s like to live with the TechLife Pad Plus 12.
After spending weeks using it as our daily tablet, here’s what it’s like to live with the TechLife Pad Plus 12.
Stylish Design
The TechLife Pad Plus 12 proves that a budget device can still offer a sleek and polished design. It’s slim, clean, and surprisingly refined, something you’d expect from a more expensive tablet. At just 7.6mm thin, it’s lightweight enough to slip into your bag without adding bulk, making it perfect for daily commutes, study sessions, or working remotely.
The brushed aluminium finish on the back not only looks premium but also adds a layer of durability and grip. It feels sturdy in hand, and the smooth edges and rounded corners make it comfortable to hold for long periods, whether you're reading, streaming, gaming, or on video calls.
Button placement is intuitive and easy to reach. The power and volume buttons are responsive and positioned well, whether you're using the tablet in portrait or landscape mode. The layout of the speaker grills and USB-C port is symmetrical and well thought out, adding to the overall clean design.
Available in Storm Grey, Sky Blue, and Moonlight Silver, each color brings its own personality. Storm Grey looks sleek and business-ready, Sky Blue feels playful and casual, and Moonlight Silver offers a clean, minimalist style. Whichever color you choose, the tablet blends easily with any lifestyle setup at home, in school, or on the move.
If there’s one minor downside, it’s the lack of a fingerprint sensor or face unlock. You’ll have to rely on the usual PIN or pattern lock, which feels a bit dated but understandable at this price point.
Overall, the Pad Plus 12 doesn’t just meet the mark in design, it raises the bar for what an affordable tablet should look and feel like while also giving you the freedom to stay connected anywhere.
Durable Enough for Everyday Use
While the Pad Plus 12 looks sleek and premium, it’s also built to handle the demands of everyday life. During our time with this tablet, being carried around in a backpack, placed on desks, or held for long hours, it held up very well. There were no signs of flexing or creaking, and the back panel didn’t show any immediate wear.
The aluminium back adds a layer of toughness, offering more protection than most plastic-bodied budget tablets. It does feel a bit fragile with its large screen, but the device gives you the confidence to use it without needing a thick case, though using a simple sleeve or folio cover is still a good idea for scratch protection.
We also noticed that it resists fingerprints well, staying looking clean even after hours of use. There’s no official water or dust resistance rating, which is common for budget tablets. So while strong enough for daily bumps and scrapes, it’s still best to avoid using it in the rain or near water.
Overall, the Pad Plus 12 offers a solid and reliable build that’s made for students, casual users, or professionals who are always on the move.
Big and Bright Display with Impressive Sound
This tablet is built for everyday entertainment and productivity, and its 12-inch Full HD+ display plays a big role in that. With slim bezels and an 85% screen-to-body ratio, the screen feels immersive great for watching videos, reading eBooks, or working on school and office tasks.
The colors look vibrant and accurate for a tablet in this price range, and it supports video playback up to 2160p on YouTube, making movie nights and binge sessions more enjoyable. Whether you're watching solo or sharing the screen with family or friends, the viewing angles are wide and consistent, so everyone gets a clear picture.
The 450 nits of typical brightness make it easy to use indoors and even outdoors, as long as you’re not under harsh sunlight. Touch response is fast and fluid thanks to the 180Hz touch sampling rate, which makes swiping, scrolling, and even gaming feel smooth and responsive.
Sound quality is just as impressive. With four stereo speakers, two on the top and two on the bottom you get clear, balanced audio in any orientation. The sound is loud enough for watching movies or attending online meetings without needing external speakers, and voices come through crisp and clear.
That said, there are a couple of trade-offs. The display uses a standard 60Hz refresh rate, which is perfectly fine for everyday tasks but might feel less snappy for those who are used to higher refresh screens. Also, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, so if you still use wired earphones, you'll need a USB-C adapter or switch to Bluetooth audio.
Even with those minor downsides, the Pad Plus 12 delivers a solid viewing and listening experience that’s more than enough for most users—whether you’re relaxing, learning, or getting work done.
Reliable Performance for Everyday Tasks and Light Gaming
The TechLife Pad Plus 12 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G91 octa-core processor, paired with 8GB of RAM, and an additional 8GB of dynamic RAM expansion. This setup gives the tablet a total of 16GB RAM, and comes with 256GB storage which really helps with multitasking and running multiple apps smoothly in the background.In everyday use, performance is responsive. Switching between apps, browsing the web, watching YouTube, attending video calls, and editing some documents all felt smooth and stable. It didn’t show any major signs of lag, even with several apps open at once. For casual users, students, remote workers, and content consumers it does the job well.
When it comes to gaming, the Pad Plus 12 handles light to mid-range games without issue. Titles like Mobile Legends, and Clash Royale ran smoothly on default settings. Heavier games like Call of Duty: Mobile are playable, but you’ll need to keep graphics at low to medium for better stability. The large display and responsive touch sampling rate make gameplay more enjoyable, even if the tablet isn’t built specifically for gaming.
There’s no noticeable heating during extended use, which is a good sign for efficiency. It handles background tasks well and doesn’t slow down even after several hours of use.
Overall, the TechLife Pad Plus 12 delivers a reliable and steady performance that’s more than enough for day-to-day use and even holds up well for light gaming.
However, one thing to keep in mind is that the tablet uses an eMMC 5.1 storage type, which is slower compared to UFS storage found in higher-end devices. App installations and file transfers aren’t painfully slow, but they’re not as snappy as what you’d get on more premium devices. For its price, this is understandable.
Clean and User-Friendly Software Experience
One of the highlights of the TechLife Pad Plus 12 is its clean and simple software. It runs on Android 15 with TechLife Pad UI, giving you a smooth and clutter-free experience right out of the box. There’s no unnecessary bloatware, and everything feels snappy and easy to navigate, even for users who aren’t that tech-savvy.
The UI is straightforward and intuitive. App icons are clean, menus are well organized, and transitions between screens feel fluid. There’s also support for split-screen multitasking, so you can open two apps side by side, perfect for taking notes while watching a video, or browsing while chatting.
TechLife included some thoughtful features like GameSpace to boost performance during gaming sessions, Child Mode for parental controls, and a Theme Center where you can personalize icons and wallpapers to match your style. It also supports Google Gemini AI, which brings smart suggestions and voice-powered assistance to help with productivity, search, and more.
Another useful feature is Android Auto support, which allows the TechLife Pad Plus 12 to integrate with compatible car systems. This means you can use it for navigation, music playback, and hands-free functions when connected to your car, great for users who are always on the go or planning road trips.
Overall, the system feels light, modern, and responsive. Even with multiple apps running in the background, the tablet remained stable and smooth throughout.
One small limitation is the absence of a dedicated desktop or productivity mode, which some Android tablets offer for a more laptop-like experience. It would’ve been a nice option for those looking to use the tablet as a portable work device. Still, for casual use, media, and light productivity, the TechLife Pad UI delivers a clean and enjoyable user experience.
Connectivity
The Pad Plus 12 makes it easy to stay connected with its set of connectivity features. It comes with a dedicated SIM slot for 4G LTE, so you can access mobile data on the go, best for students, professionals, or anyone who needs internet even without Wi-Fi.LTE performance is stable for everyday tasks like browsing, video calls, and streaming. It also supports dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) for fast and reliable connections at home or in public networks, along with Bluetooth for pairing wireless accessories like earphones and keyboards.
Charging and file transfers are handled via USB-C, and OTG support means you can connect external storage or plug in a keyboard or mouse using an adapter.
Good Cameras
The TechLife Pad Plus 12 comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera, which are pretty standard for a tablet in this price range. While it’s not meant to replace your phone’s camera, it’s more than enough for casual use.
In good lighting, the rear camera captures clear shots, great for snapping quick photos of documents, whiteboards, or even casual outdoor moments. Autofocus works well enough, and shutter speed is decent for still shots. It also comes with an LED flash, which helps in dim environments when you need a bit of extra light.
The front camera is good for video calls and online classes. It gives a clean feed in well-lit conditions, with enough detail to keep you looking sharp on Zoom or Google Meet. Just make sure you’re in a bright room, as it struggles a bit in low-light settings.
Night photography, however, is where the limitations show. Both cameras tend to produce grainy and soft images in low light, even with the flash on. It’s usable for basic tasks, but not ideal for capturing detail or dynamic range after dark.
Overall, the cameras on this tablet get the job done for everyday needs like video calls, document scans, and casual snapshots during the day. Just don’t expect phone-level image quality, especially in low-light situations.
Battery Life
Battery performance is one area where the Pad Plus 12 truly delivers. With its 8,000mAh dual-cell battery, the tablet is built for endurance, all while maintaining a sleek 7.6mm profile. It’s ideal for users who need a reliable device that can power through long hours of productivity or entertainment.
In day-to-day use, the Pad Plus 12 consistently pushes 8 to 10 hours of screen time, depending on your brightness settings and usage habits. From back-to-back video calls and document editing to casual gaming and binge-watching Netflix, it handles a full day without stress. It's the kind of device you can grab in the morning and use well into the evening without reaching for a charger.
Charging is handled via 18W USB-C fast charging. A full top-up takes around 3.2 hours with the screen off, not lightning-fast, but fair given the size of the battery. If you're topping up during breaks, it's easy to stay powered throughout the day.
A handy bonus: the tablet supports 5W reverse wired charging, so you can use it to juice up your phone or other small gadgets in a pinch. That extra bit of utility adds to the tablet’s appeal, especially for users who are always on the move.
If there’s a compromise here, it’s the relatively modest charging speed. While not a dealbreaker, users accustomed to 30W or higher charging speeds may find the wait a bit long. Still, with long battery life and practical reverse charging support, the TechLife Pad Plus 12 is well above its price when it comes to battery life.
Pros and Cons
The TechLife Pad Plus 12 offers great value with its large 12-inch display, quad speakers, and long-lasting 8,000mAh battery. It’s perfect for streaming, online classes, and everyday tasks. Performance is smooth for casual use, thanks to 16GB total RAM and 256GB storage, which is also expandable. The SIM slot, GPS, and Android Auto support make it a solid choice for users who need to stay connected anywhere.On the downside, the eMMC storage is slower than UFS, and the 60Hz refresh rate may feel less fluid for some users. There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, and the cameras struggle in low light. Charging is decent at 18W, but not particularly fast given the battery size.
Still, for under ₱10K, it delivers way more than expected. Most of its flaws are easy to overlook for what you’re getting in return.
Final Thoughts
The TechLife Pad Plus 12 focuses on what matters most for everyday users, a large, bright display for watching and reading, all-day battery life, smooth performance for light work and play, and a clean Android 15 experience. It’s a practical and reliable tablet that delivers more than expected in this price range. With 4G LTE connectivity and a long battery life, it’s a device you can confidently bring anywhere.
While it skips extras like faster UFS storage, a higher refresh rate, and a headphone jack, these small compromises are reasonable, especially considering the tablet’s affordable price. At just ₱9,999, the TechLife Pad Plus 12 is a good pick for anyone looking for an everyday tablet that simply gets the job done.
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