Teclast Tbook 10 S review

In use

The star of the show has to be the 10.1-inch IPS display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution that translates into a near Retina Display pixel density of 224 PPI, and a level of sharpness usually only found on more expensive devices.

Although the display delivers some punchy colors and great viewing angles, it’s hampered by a relatively low level of brightness, as well as the fact that it is a glossy screen which is a magnet for greasy fingerprints.

The detachable keyboard we tested was basically okay for the price. We had low expectations given said budget pricing, along with the fact that it is a soft cover, and the small size of the tablet – the latter means small keys, with the sort of typing issues associated with these.

The touchpad surface area is minuscule as well so touch-typers beware! This is clearly a peripheral that’s only suitable for light edits and/or short typing sessions, otherwise you might find yourself pulling your hair out over typing mistakes.

As for battery life, it is relatively poor at 5 hours 28 minutes. That’s to be expected since its battery has a low capacity and Windows 10 is not particularly known for being frugal with power (compared to Android or iOS, that is).

Performance

When it comes to performance, don’t expect miracles – this is the absolute bottom of the barrel. Using the cheapest CPU with 4GB of RAM and slow eMMC storage produced miserably low numbers which effectively resigns this machine to a range of niche scenarios.

A bit of YouTube, browsing, checking your emails or playing Android games should be fine. But anything taxing – including recent games – is likely to be painfully slow.

The competition

In all honesty, there’s not really any competition at this price range. Yes, that’s right – no rivals (well, almost). You will find tablets that cost the same but only deliver a fraction of what the Teclast Tbook 10 S has to offer, or you’ll find tablets with the same hardware spec but they’ll cost more than twice the price.

The Linx 10.1 10 v64 scores poorly against Teclast’s effort despite costing significantly more – around £220 ($290) at the time of writing. It has a slower processor and an HD display but claims to have a higher battery life at seven hours, and does include a keyboard cover and a standard USB port.

The Onda oBook11 Plus is another potential rival. It costs around the same but has a slower CPU and half the storage. It has a larger display though (albeit with a lower resolution) which may attract some prospective buyers.

The Jumper EZpad 4S Pro is the closest to the Tbook 10S in terms of features and price. It has a bigger screen (with a lower resolution) and exactly the same hardware components inside. The only thing missing is the dual-booting OS aspect.

Final verdict

The Tbook 10 S is the budget tablet to beat if you can live with its shortcomings, some of which are intrinsic (like the poor battery life and the absence of a rear camera), with other drawbacks due to the nature of the retailer.

Regardless, more and more people are jumping ship and it comes as no surprise that UK traffic to some of the big Chinese retail players – like AliExpress – have surpassed established names like John Lewis or Debenhams, a clear indication that there are thousands ready to take risks in order to get a bargain.

And what a bargain the Tbook 10 S is. Its gorgeous screen, dual-booting operating systems, and reasonably decent specs combined with a killer price means that you will be hard pressed to get anything as capable as this wallet-friendly offering anytime soon.

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