Budget Tablet Alert: TechLife Pad Plus 12" Review - Big screen, 4x speakers, under PHP 10K

With a large screen size at just PHP 9,999, the new TechLife Pad Plus 12" might be your next binge buddy.

Meet the TechLife Pad Plus 12"

This 12-inch device brings together a spacious display, full-sounding quad speakers, and features that make it ideal for video streaming, casual browsing, and basic photography. We tested the TechLife Pad Plus 12" as a daily driver, and here's how it performed.

Unboxing/Accessories

@gizguideph Let's unbox the new #TechLifePadPlus12 ♬ Come Over - LE SSERAFIM

Inside the box, you’ll find the essentials:

• The TechLife Pad Plus 12” unit
• Type-A to Type-C cable
• Power brick
• SIM ejector pin
• User manual

Can't go wrong with the essentials

Simple, straightforward, and everything you need to get started.

Build Quality/Design

The TechLife Pad Plus 12" in Moonlight Silver colorway

The tablet features a sleek, minimalist design. Ours came in the Moonlight Silver colorway, but it's also available in Storm Grey and Sky Blue. The body is also mostly made of aluminum metal, a welcome sight for the price.

Premium build for the price

Despite the large screen, it's surprisingly lightweight and easy to hold, which is perfect for long watching sessions without tiring out your arms.

Multimedia Experience

Its 12-inch WUXGA+ display (1080p+ 2000 x 1200 resolution) gives you a lot of space to work with. Whether you're watching a show alone or streaming with friends, the screen feels roomy and immersive. Viewing angles are solid thanks to the IPS panel, and the 180Hz touch sampling rate keeps the interface responsive.

Crisp YouTube experience

When it comes to streaming, this tablet doesn't disappoint. It supports up to 2160p (4K) resolution on YouTube, with videos smoothly downscaled to 1080p+ for crisp viewing.

For Netflix and other DRM-protected content, Widevine L1 certification ensures you can stream in full HD, which isn't always a given on budget devices.

Includes Widevine L1 support on Netflix

The TechLife Pad Plus 12” also features quad speakers, which deliver surprisingly rich and full sound.

Large display, crisp enough resolution

This makes a big difference if you’re watching with others or even just vibing to your playlist on max volume. For a tablet at this price point, the audio experience is quite impressive.

Quad speakers allow for a full surround-like sound experience

Cameras

The cameras

The TechLife Pad Plus 12" also comes equipped with a 13MP f/2.0 rear camera with autofocus and an 8MP selfie camera. These are decent tools for casual photography and video calls. Let’s check out how they perform in real-world scenarios.

Camera Samples

While it’s clearly made with entertainment in mind, the TechLife Pad Plus 12" still gives you a reliable camera setup for casual snaps and video calls.

We tested the camera while exploring both indoor and outdoor spots, and here's how it performed:

Outdoor shot

Indoor well-lit

Sharp and vivid in well-lit areas, both outdoors and indoors.

Bokeh Mode on the main camera

The bokeh feature is usable, but could benefit from more natural background blur.

Outdoor shot on the selfie camera

Outdoors, colors lean a bit soft with overexposure, but the quality is still decent, especially for a budget tablet.

Indoors, surprisingly, the shots weren’t too grainy, and details were clearer than expected.

Portrait mode is okay for social media posts, though background blur could use slight refinement.

For a tablet focused on streaming and casual use, and considering its price point, it’s nice to see that the cameras don’t feel like an afterthought.

It supports video recording up to 1080p, and the front camera offers great value for its price, great for work or online classes, provided you're in a well-lit environment.

Performance

On top of streaming, the TechLife Pad Plus 12" can also handle basic productivity tasks. 

Thanks to the large 12-inch display, a usable enough 12nm MediaTek Helio G91 octa-core processor, and up to 16GB of Dynamic RAM Expansion, creating Google Slides presentations was smooth and efficient, even when inserting images. Of course, doing research via Google Chrome is a breeze as well.

TechLife Pad Plus 12": not just for playing, but for presenting too.

For light video editing, apps like CapCut are usable, especially for simple trims and cuts. However, users might notice some lag once the project includes more transitions, texts, or effects. Rendering also takes a bit more time when exporting heavier edits.

This is understandable given the entry-level chipset and older eMMC 5.1 storage that the tablet has. Still, it’s a good starting point for students or beginner video editors who want to explore basic editing tools.

TechLife Pad Plus 12": not the best video editor, but it gets the job done

PUBG and CODM run smoothly on default settings, with no lag, though the graphics aren't top-tier.

The rest of the connectivity features are also stable. It even has 4G LTE connectivity, so you don't need to rely on its dual-band WiFi all the time, which may be handy, especially while on the go.

Large 8,000mAh capacity

The tablet also has a massive 8,000mAh capacity. TechLife claims that it can last 12.7 hours of music playback at 100 percent volume.

Based on our experience, we had no trouble binge-watching Hyeri's Friendly Rivalry on Netflix. Watching for about 2 hours (4 episodes) only cost us a 25 percent drop.

Overall, the battery holds up well, lasting a good amount of time on a single charge, potentially even a full day, depending on usage.

Charging is not the fastest at 18W. So, you may need an estimate of a little over 3 hours to fully charge it from 0 to 100 percent.

The device operates on Android 15 OS with TechLife Pad UI, offering a user-friendly experience. With minimal bloatware, it feels lightweight overall.

It also has split-screen mode, which could improve the multitasking experience. I enabled it by holding down an app icon (YouTube), then selecting the option to open it in split view. It then prompted me to select another app to occupy the second half of the view.

Google Gemini AI comes pre-installed, making it a useful tool for students and professionals alike.

Pros - Good build, lightweight, large 12-inch crisp display, Widevine L1 Netflix support, surprisingly good quad speaker setup, generous storage, long battery life, ideal for casual users or even students looking for an affordable streaming and productivity device

Cons - Not the fastest chipset around, uses eMMC 5.1 storage, which may limit performance for more demanding tasks, portrait mode blur could be better

TechLife Pad Plus 12" Specs

Display: 12-inch TFT (IPS) screen w/ 180Hz touch sampling rate, WUXGA+ 2000 x 1200 resolution at 194 ppi

CPU: 2.0GHz 12nm MediaTek Helio G91 octa-core processor

GPU: Mali-G52 MC2

RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X

ROM: 256GB eMMC 5.1 expandable via microSD card slot up to 1TB

Back Camera: 13MP f/2.0 w/ AF

Selfie Camera: 8MP

Battery: 8,000mAh w/ 18W fast charging, 5W reverse charging

OS: Android 15 w/ TechLife Pad UI

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth, single SIM

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: 4x speakers, USB-C, Colors: Storm Grey, Sky Blue, Moonlight Silver

Price: PHP 9,999

Verdict

TechLife Pad Plus 12": Will you secure one for yourself?

After spending some time exploring the TechLife Pad Plus 12", we can confidently say this: it's a solid budget tablet when it comes to video performance and everyday use. 

The large screen, quad speakers, and streaming-ready features make it perfect for people who love watching content, whether solo or with friends.

At PHP 9,999, it brings a decent overall value, especially if your main goal is to chill, watch, and enjoy content on a bigger screen. If you've been eyeing an affordable media tablet for streaming and casual use, the TechLife Pad Plus 12” deserves a spot on your shortlist.

Those who were able to get it for the PHP 7,699 online intro price obviously got an even better deal.

Build/Design - 4

Multimedia Experience - 4.5

Cameras - 4

Performance - 3.75

Average - 4.06/5