HP OmniPad 12 review: Android tablet convenience with laptop ambitions

HP's Android tablet packs a large 12-inch display, a full-size keyboard and long battery life, but its underpowered chipset limits how well it works as a laptop replacement

HP has spent years making laptops, so the OmniPad 12 is an unusual product for the company. It is a 12-inch Android tablet that comes with a detachable keyboard and folio case, and HP clearly expects it to be used for more than watching videos or browsing the web. At Rs. 48,999, the OmniPad 12 sits in a price range where buyers can also look at entry-level laptops and several higher-performing Android tablets.

 

The idea is straightforward. You get a large touchscreen, Android 16 and a full-size keyboard in a package that is still easier to carry than most laptops.

 

After spending time with the OmniPad 12, I found that HP has done a fairly good job with the hardware around the screen and keyboard. But does it offer a complete package? Here is what I found:

 

Design

The OmniPad 12 has a simple design with a metal rear panel and frame. There is little happening on the back apart from the HP logo and the single rear camera. The tablet is 7.3mm thick and feels solid when held on its own. The rear panel can pick up fingerprints and smudges, but I anyway had the keyboard case attached most of the time.

 

The case itself is one of the more useful parts of the package. It protects the tablet, and offers a full keyboard with a dedicated button for Gemini. While the keyboard connects to the tablet through the magnetic pins inside the case, there is no way of detaching the keyboard from the case itself.

The complete setup does become considerably heavier once everything is attached, but that is the case with most of the tablets. The good thing here is that you get the keyboard case in the box itself and not as an additional accessory.

Display and speakers

The OmniPad 12 has a 12-inch LCD panel with a 2000 x 1200 resolution and a refresh rate of up to 90Hz. HP claims a peak brightness of 400 nits. The display has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which works well when the tablet is being used with the keyboard.

 

The 2K resolution keeps text sharp, which is important on a screen this large. Websites, documents and presentations are easy to read, and the touchscreen responds quickly to taps and scrolling. The panel also covers 100 percent of the sRGB colour space and is fairly vibrant.

 

The thick bezels are noticeable, especially when compared with more expensive tablets, but they are not a major issue during regular use. They also give you enough space to hold the tablet without constantly touching the screen.

 

The quad-speaker setup is another strong point. The speakers get loud enough for watching shows and listening to music, while the sound remains reasonably clear. Audio comes from both sides when the tablet is held in landscape orientation, which suits the large display.

Performance

The tablet is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon SM6475Q  (Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3), along with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB storage. There is also a microSD card slot for storage needs.

 

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 platform is not a particularly strong choice for this device. While basic tasks are handled well, multitasking, quick app switching and juggling between multiple Chrome tabs can cause hiccups.

This is a strange limitation because the rest of the device is clearly designed around working with several applications open. The keyboard is large enough for long typing sessions, the display has enough space for documents and browser windows, and Desk mode changes the interface to make the tablet behave more like a laptop. The processor ends up being the part that holds the experience back.

Software

Android 16 itself works well here. When the keyboard is attached, the tablet asks whether you want to switch to Desk mode. The interface then moves notifications and quick settings towards the bottom-right and gives the system a more laptop-like layout. Remove the keyboard or switch modes and it returns to the regular Android tablet interface.

 

The transition between the two modes is straightforward, and the keyboard shortcuts are laid out in familiar places. This is one of the better aspects of the OmniPad 12 because you do not have to learn an entirely different interface to use it with the keyboard.

Keyboard and trackpad

The bundled keyboard is one of the reasons to consider the OmniPad 12 over a regular tablet.

 

It is a full-size detachable keyboard with well-spaced keys and enough key travel for comfortable typing. The layout is closer to a laptop keyboard than the small keyboards usually bundled with tablets.

 

For writing documents, replying to emails or working in a browser, the keyboard does its job well. HP has also included dedicated keys for functions such as volume, brightness, search, home, back and switching between Desk and Tablet modes. Most of these are placed where you would expect them to be on a laptop.

 

The trackpad is a different story. It is relatively small and requires quite a bit of pressure to register a click. Dragging files or clicking through interfaces can become frustrating because of this. The keyboard would have been more useful with a larger and easier-to-press trackpad.

 

There is also no backlight on the keyboard. That becomes noticeable when you are working in a dim room.

Cameras

The tablet has a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera. The rear camera is mainly useful for occasional documents or quick photos. Its image quality is not a reason to buy this tablet, and a smartphone will generally be the better option for photography.

 

The front camera is more useful as it has a wider field of view and produces reasonably clear video for calls.

Battery life

The OmniPad 12 has a 31Wh battery and supports 33W charging. HP claims up to 18 hours of battery life. In actual use, the tablet can comfortably get through a workday with a mix of typing, videos, music playback and multi-tab chrome workflow.

 

Charging is less impressive. The tablet takes about 45 minutes to reach the 50 per cent mark and a full charge requires it to be plugged in for about two hours. The long charging time is something to keep in mind if you regularly work away from a charger.

Verdict

The HP OmniPad 12 is a difficult device to categorise because its hardware is better suited to some workloads than others. As a tablet, it gets several important things right. The 12-inch display is sharp and responsive, the speakers are loud enough for entertainment, the design is solid and the battery can comfortably last through a workday. The bundled keyboard also makes it much more useful for writing and browsing than a standard tablet.

 

The problem starts when the OmniPad 12 has to behave like a laptop. Android 16 and Desk mode provide the right interface, but the chipset struggles with the kind of multitasking that this setup encourages. Opening and switching between several applications is noticeably slower than it should be at this price. At Rs 48,999, that limitation is difficult to ignore.

 

The complete package makes sense for someone who spends most of their time writing documents, browsing the web, attending video calls, reading or watching content, and wants a device that can be separated from its keyboard when needed. It is less convincing for users who regularly keep multiple demanding applications open or expect laptop-like performance.

 

 

 

 

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