Lenovo Tab P12 with matte display in the test: nothing is reflected on this tablet

Tablets are ideal as a mobile solution for media consumption and surfing. The core is the screen, which has one commonality and weakness in almost all devices: the display is highly reflective. This not only makes it difficult to read in the sun, but also a nuisance indoors if a reading lamp is burning in the background. In addition, fingerprints appear quickly.

Matte displays promise an answer to this problem. The reduction in reflections is intended to improve visibility and legibility, even in bright environments. It is also easier on the eyes and fingerprints do not appear as quickly. Matte displays have long been available on laptops, and the first tablets with this technology are now appearing.

Lenovo is following suit and offering a special edition of the Lenovo Tab P12 (test report) with a matte display. Lenovo could have used a little more imagination with the name instead of just adding “with matte display”. The scope of delivery includes the Tab Pen plus stylus. The rest of the technical equipment is almost identical, except for the screen. Reflections from lamps, etc. are a thing of the past here. With a matte surface, the display almost looks like it has been painted. What is the Lenovo Tab P12 with matte display? 429 euros Our testing shows what it still offers and what weaknesses it has.

Visually, the model with a matte display is almost identical to the Lenovo Tab P12 (test report). The metal unibody casing looks very high quality. This makes the tablet look much more expensive than it actually is. The only color available is medium gray “Sage”. The glass camera module on the back and the glossy bottom part of the back are attractive. A magnetic surface is used next to the camera to attach the stylus. However, the Lenovo Tab P12 with a matte display is not waterproof.

The diagonal of the screen is 12.7 inches and the aspect ratio is 16:10. The resolution is quite high at 2944 × 1840 pixels. Despite the large screen area, the tablet delivers a very sharp image with 273 ppi (pixels per inch). However, the refresh rate is only 60 Hz.

Matte screens use a rough surface with nanotechnology. This diffuses the light so that it does not reflect on the display. In fact: The display with a matte display on the Lenovo Tab P12 hardly reflects anything. It works most reliably indoors with weak light sources in the background, for example on a bed with a bedside lamp or on a sofa. The image appears very three-dimensional, without any other light sources disturbing it. Websites and graphics appear almost as if they were painted on paper.

However, the display offers significantly less brightness than the Tab P12 with a reflective screen. If you use it outdoors in bright sunlight, the light will be very scattered. The reflection is then not directly noticeable, but unfortunately the display is still difficult to read. If you use it outdoors, you should still find a shady spot – it’s a shame, we were expecting more gains in sunlight. Also, the color fidelity and contrast are not as good as the Tab P12 with a reflective screen.

The camera is relatively small, as befits a mid-range tablet. The 8-megapixel main camera on the back delivers mediocre photos with only few details, lack of sharpness and pale colors. It’s enough for taking snapshots or photos of presentation slides and documents; the latter is supported by a special feature in the camera app. The front camera is slightly better with 13 megapixels, which enables acceptable selfies and video recording even in 4K at 30 fps (frames per second).

The Lenovo Tab P12 with a matte display is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 7050, whose octa-core CPU runs up to 2.6 GHz and delivers good overall performance. The tablet scored 12,000 points in PCMark Work 3.0 and a solid 2150 points in the graphics-intensive 3DMark “Wild Life”. The Tab P12 handles tasks like surfing, watching videos or writing documents with ease. Even more demanding applications and multitasking are no problem. It is also suitable for most games, but things can get tough with very graphics-heavy applications.

Standard features include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and GPS, but there is no version with cellular connectivity. Standard storage is 128 GB and 8 GB of RAM. However, UFS 2.2 is not the fastest standard. Expansion is possible using a microSD card.

The fingerprint scanner in the power button works reliably. We really liked the four speakers, which deliver pleasant, full sound. The scope of delivery also includes the Lenovo Tab Pen Plus. The pressure and tilt-sensitive stylus attaches magnetically to the back and is very responsive. The Type-C port transfers wired data much slower than the USB 2.0 standard.

The Lenovo Tab P12 with a matte display still runs on Android 13 and a minimally optimized user interface, where Lenovo is clearly backing away from bloatware. The update to Android 14 here is slowly delayed, but it should come. At the time of testing in early July, the security patch is from May and security patches are not fully available for four years. The last planned upgrade is called Android 15.

The large 10,200mAh battery and matte display raise hopes of good battery life. However, the result of less than 7 hours in simulated continuous operation with PCMark’s battery test is disappointing and below the average for 12-inch tablets from our tests. The Tab P12 with a reflective display lasted more than 8 hours in testing.

The Lenovo Tab P12 with matte display is attractive and special among tablets due to its screen. There are almost no reflections here. Websites or graphics appear almost as if they were drawn on paper. This makes the tablet suitable for anyone who, in addition to media, likes to read or draw with a tablet, view graphics and no longer wants to bother with a bedside lamp. The equipment and performance are suitable. However, the surcharge seems a bit high compared to the normal Tab P12. In addition, the matte display is only partially suitable for outdoor use in the sun.

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