TechLife Pad Neo Unboxing and Review

This holiday season, get ready to unwrap something special! TechLife Philippines has recently launched the all-new TechLife Pad Neo, designed to offer consumers an easy and enjoyable entertainment experience. This budget-friendly tablet is tailored for students and anyone seeking an affordable device, especially considering its LTE capabilities at this price point.

The TechLife Pad Neo features a 10.1-inch HD IPS display, 4GB of RAM with RAM Expansion technology, and storage options of either 64GB or 128GB. It's powered by a Unisoc Tiger T612 processor and equipped with a 6,000mAh battery that supports 10W charging.

I had the opportunity to try one out, so in this review, I’ll explore the features and capabilities of this tablet to determine if it would make the perfect Christmas gift for your loved ones. Let’s begin with the unboxing process, shall we?

Unboxing the TechLife Pad Neo

The TechLife Pad Neo is presented in a festive holiday-themed package, designed to capture the excitement of unwrapping a gift on Christmas Day. This makes it an ideal present for your loved ones during this season of giving.

Once you remove the ribbon and the front cover, the front of the retail box showcases the TechLife Pad Neo branding. Meanwhile, the back of the box provides essential information, including the model number, IMEI number, serial number, color, and six key features of the TechLife Pad Neo.

Inside the Box and Accessories

Inside the box, you will find a user manual that includes the warranty card, and SIM card ejector tool.

Revealed underneath is the TechLife Pad Neo wrapped in white matte plastic. Beneath is the USB-C to USB-A charging cable and 10W charging adapter.

Design and Walk Around

The TechLife Pad Neo has a polycarbonate unibody frame and is available in two colors in the Philippines: Storm Grey and Sky Blue. I own the Sky Blue version. I appreciate this design because it is less prone to fingerprint smudges and scratches.

On the front, the tablet boasts a large 10.1-inch display. The front-facing camera is located at the top inside the border when held in landscape mode. Additionally, the device comes with a pre-installed screen protector.

On the back, you’ll find a circular camera module that houses an 8MP rear camera along with a single LED flash. The left side of the tablet features two stereo speakers, while the right side includes the power button, a standard volume rocker, and a microphone.

At the top, there is a hybrid SIM tray which allows the option of using either two SIM cards, or one SIM card plus one microSD card. Also located at the top are a USB Type-C charging port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

In addition to its design, the TechLife Pad Neo is slim, measuring just 8.5mm thick. It has a squared-off, box-type build with rounded edges at the corners enhancing comfort and facilitating easy one or two-handed use.

Display and Multimedia

The TechLife Pad Neo features a large 10.1-inch IPS display, but it has a resolution of HD (1280x800) and a refresh rate of 60Hz.

The IPS panel provides wide viewing angles and vibrant colors; however, using the device in direct sunlight may be challenging, even with its peak brightness of 300 nits.

The audio quality from the stereo speakers is typical for tablets in this price range—it can get quite loud, but the overall audio quality is average. For a better audio experience, it’s recommended to use headphones or an external speaker.

Camera

Rear Camera

The TechLife Pad Neo features an 8MP rear camera, which is sufficient for everyday tasks such as video calls, social media sharing, scanning documents, and general photography.

The quality of photos taken in bright lighting conditions is surprisingly good. However, in indoor and low-light settings, images can appear muddy in certain situations, even with the Night Mode feature activated. Despite this, the photos are still decent and suitable for casual social media posts.

Front Selfie Camera

The tablet is equipped with a 5MP front camera that delivers decent photos for its price, particularly in bright conditions. It is good enough for everyday activities such as video calls, selfies, and social media sharing.

Video

The TechLife Pad Neo supports video recording of up to 1080p at 30fps for both its main and front-facing cameras. However, videos recorded with the main camera may be shaky due to the absence of image stabilization.

Android 14, Apps, and Security

The TechLife Pad Neo comes pre-installed with the latest Android version which includes child mode and parental controls. The user interface is seamless, clean, and easy to navigate. Additionally, it offers a bloatware-free version of Android 14, saving you the hassle of uninstalling unnecessary apps.

In terms of security, the TechLife Pad Neo features both facial recognition and a screen lock for unlocking the device. Both methods work well; however, the face unlock feature can be slower in low-light conditions.

Hardware and Performance

The TechLife Pad Neo is equipped with a Unisoc Tiger T612 processor, which is the same processor found in the popular realme Note 50. This processor is built using a 12nm fabrication process and features two high-performance Cortex-A75 cores running at 1.8GHz, along with six high-efficiency Cortex-A55 cores also at 1.8GHz, paired with a Mali-G57 GPU.

The device performs smoothly for casual and light tasks. However, the gaming experience with graphics-intensive games is acceptable but may involve slight stutters and lags, even at the lowest settings. Keep in mind that this is not primarily a gaming device, so expectations should be tempered.

Additionally, the TechLife Pad Neo supports Dynamic RAM Expansion (DRE) technology. This feature allows you to virtually increase your device's RAM by utilizing some of its internal storage. With this capability, the TechLife Pad Neo can effectively use up to 4GB of internal storage to provide a total of 8GB of usable RAM.

The TechLife Pad Neo is available in the Philippines in two storage variants: 64GB and 128GB. I am currently using the 64GB model, which comes with 10.44GB of storage occupied right out of the box. If you need additional storage, you can expand it by up to 1TB via its hybrid SIM tray.

Below are the benchmark scores for this device:

• AnTuTu v10.3.9 – 242,081
• AnTuTu Storage Test v10.3.9 – 8,557 (299.0 MB/s Seq. Read, 145.0 MB/s Seq. Write)
• Geekbench 6.3.0 – 435 (Single-core), 1,448 (Multi-core)
• PCMark – 8,000 (Work 3.0)
• 3DMark – 985 (SSE – OpenGL ES 3.1), 980 (SSE – Vulkan)

Battery and Connectivity

The TechLife Pad Neo is equipped with a large 6,000mAh battery, which can last up to 4 hours of continuous use for movies, games, or studying before requiring a recharge. With casual to moderate usage, the battery can last up to a full day. However, in the PCMark Work 3.0 Battery Life Test, it achieved a score of approximately 7 hours and 5 minutes.

The device features 10W Type-C charging, but the charging speed for the 6,000mAh battery is slower than expected for a device in 2024. On a positive note, the TechLife Pad Neo also supports 5W reverse charging, allowing you to conveniently power your accessories through the tablet's Type-C port, providing up to 5W of output.

Additionally, the TechLife Pad Neo includes standard connectivity features, such as dual SIM (nano-SIM, dual standby), 4G connectivity with VoLTE support, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack, and USB Type-C.

TechLife Pad Neo Specifications

10.1-inch HD (1280x800) IPS display
60Hz Refresh Rate / 300 Nits
Unisoc Tiger T612 processor, 12nm
ARM Mali-G57 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB/128GB of internal storage
Up to 1TB Expandability via microSD Card
8MP rear camera / 5MP selfie camera
Dual-SIM (nano) / 4G LTE
WiFi / Bluetooth 5.0
GPS+Glonass+Beidou+Galileo
USB Type-C / 3.5mm audio jack
Android 14
6,000mAh battery w/ 10W charging
242.7 x 161.5 x 8.5mm (dimension)
Colors: Storm Grey and Sky Blue

Price and Availability

The TechLife Pad Neo retails for Php7,499 for the 4GB+128GB higher variant and Php5,999 for the 4GB+64GB lower variant.

To celebrate the launch of the TechLife Pad Neo, exciting exclusive freebies and discounts will be up for grabs. At the same time, every purchase of the TechLife Pad Neo, whether online or offline, is equivalent to one entry into TechLife’s Grand Raffle Promo, where the TechLife Fam can win a brand new Mitsubishi Mirage G4 or an unforgettable trip for two to Boracay. Simply register the entry via the Grand Raffle Draw Form. Act fast because this promo only runs until January 12, 2024.

The TechLife Fam can visit any offline TechLife Store and catch the Pre-order Period or the First-selling Period with the following freebies worth up to Php1,998:

Additionally, offline buyers can play the Spin the Wheel Challenge at any participating TechLife Store for a chance to win more amazing prizes, including a realme Pad X (6GB+128GB Wi-Fi), a realme M2 Sonic Electric Toothbrush, or a TechLife Rotating Phone Stand 2.

Verdict

The TechLife Pad Neo is a reliable and affordable entry-level tablet, perfect for first-time users, students, or anyone seeking budget-friendly options. It offers decent performance along with an attractive design, LTE connectivity, ample internal storage, and a long-lasting battery, all at a price below Php8,000.

If you are looking for a quality tablet that won't strain your wallet, the TechLife Pad Neo is definitely worth considering.