When tablets first arrived on the scene, they were considered media consumption beasts, at least in my eyes. As phones got bigger tablets started to sort of take a backseat. Over the past few years though they have seemed to make a resurgence now being geared more towards kids. Becoming less expensive and even becoming learning tools.
TCL this year has been reaching out beyond the TV realm with them introducing a smartphone line and now getting into the tablet market with the TCL TAB. Its reasonably priced at $199.99 and partnering with Verizon will give you 4G LTE connectivity.
Style
TCL TAB does not present anything special in the looks department and if its your kid then that is just fine. It comes in at 8” and has a black matte finish(or what TCL calls “Suede Black” on the back. I like the feel of it in hand and that matte finish makes it a non-slip issue later down the line. It does pick up smudges and fingerprints but luckily can be rubbed right off. It does feature a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top while on the bottom is a mono speaker with a USB-C port next to it. They get loud when checking out content if you aren’t accidentally covering the speaker which I have done using it in landscape mode.
TCL TAB comes with a USB-C Cable and Power Brick.
Viewing and Playing Content
Speaking of viewing angles, this tablet has an 8” FHD display with Dragontrail Glass protection. Taking in some Netflix and YouTube content goes up to 1080p aka HD. Colors look accurate but may not be as vibrant or saturated as you are possibly used to seeing on other devices. TCL has managed to put in an Eye comfort mode which will filter blue light and even added Dark Mode. If you find you are using this to read more than anything there is Reading Mode which will make the display black/white.
TCL TAB is running Android 10 which means you should not have much issue running most of your favorite apps or even some games. I played mostly Candy Crush Soda Saga which ran smooth on it. I played a few multiplayer matches of Call of Duty Mobile and went thru without a stutter. This Android 10 Skin from TCL looks to be stock mean there is not any special UI. It reminds of some of Google’s earlier Nexus tablets funny enough.
Performance
TAB is packing a decent number of specs at its price point with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 with an octa-core processor, 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage. If you think that storage amount is low, there is an option to add a microSD card to expand up to 256GB. Using it to navigate thru different apps and watch content it is a pleasant experience. There is a fast charging 5500mAh battery and a fingerprint sensor on the side. Its is responsive but can be hit or miss and may need a few presses to get it right.
As mentioned earlier TCL teamed up with Verizon to give you 4G LTE speeds on the TAB. This is helpful on the go to get the occasional downloads, check some content online or even do a quick chat anywhere. Verizon’s 4G LTE coverage has always been good and its welcome on this device.
Verdict
For what its worth, the TCL TAB is a straightforward tablet if you want to do the basic things like browse, game a little and kids can utilize it for school activities or learning apps. Only thing is to take advantage of the TCL TAB it looks like you need to be a Verizon customer since its exclusive to them.
TCL TAB is available on Verizon for $199.99 or $8.33/24mths. There is also the Family Edition that is currently $6.25/24mth making it $149.99.
