Aside from the affordable 5G smartphones introduced this week at CES 2022, TCL announced several inexpensive Android tablets. All tablets are scheduled to hit the shelves in Q1 2022, and they are priced below $150.
The TCL TAB 8 4G and TAB 10L are aimed at general consumers, while the TKEE MINI, MID and MAX have been designed and created especially with children in mind. If you’re in the market for a very cheap Android tablet or you’re looking to buy one for your kid, these are valid options.
The lightweight TAB 8 4G features a compact design and a decent 4,080 mAh battery. It comes with both LTE cellular connectivity and Wi-Fi support. On the inside, the tablet packs a 2GHz quad-core MediaTek MT8766B processor, 3GB RAM, and 32GB expandable storage (up to 256GB).
As the name suggests, the TAB 8 4G sports an 8-inch display (800 x 1280 pixels). Also, the tablet features a modest 5-megapixel main camera and a secondary 5-megapixel selfie snapper. Sadly, this one comes with Android 11, but it’s quite understandable considering the price.
Speaking of price, the TAB 8 4G will be available in Europe from Q1 2022 for $130. Not sure when/if it will reach the United States anytime soon, but we’ll let you know once we learn more.
Moving on to the TAB 10L, this one has a larger 10.1-inch IPS display with 800 x 1280 pixels resolution, yet the same 4,080 mAh battery. Strangely enough, the TAB 10L feels like a downgraded version of the TAB 8 4G with the exception of the display.
First off, the TAB 10L is equipped with a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MTK8167B processor, 2GB RAM, and 32GB expandable storage (up to 128GB). Instead of the 5-megapixel camera duo, we’re now looking at a 2-megapixel main camera and a secondary 2-megapixel selfie snapper.
More importantly, the TABL 10L lack LTE cellular connectivity, but it does feature Wi-Fi support. The fact that this is a downgraded version of the TAB 8 4G is reflected in the price too, as the TAB 10L will be available in select market from Q1 2022 for just $100.
Designed and created especially with children in mind
Besides this duo of budget-friendly Android tablets, TCL announced three children-oriented tablets: TKEE MINI, MID, and MAX. Judging by their name, you might think these are just different sizes of the same tablet, but they’re not.The smaller of the three, the TKEE MINI has a 7-inch TN display (1024 x 600 pixels), a 2,580 mAh battery and Wi-Fi support. Just like the TAB 10L, the TKEE MINI features a 2-megapixel main camera and secondary 2-megapixel front-facing snapper. Hardware-wise, the tablet packs a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT8167 processor, 1GB RAM, and 32GB expandable storage (up to 128GB). This one run Android 10 Go Edition, but that’s to be expected considering the specs.
On the other hand, the TKEE MID has a slightly larger 8-inch IPS (800 x 1280 pixels) display, and a much bigger 4,080 battery. It also supports LTE connectivity and runs Android 11 out of the box.
The mid-sized TKEE tablet is powered by a 2GHz quad-core MediaTek MTK8766B processor, coupled with 2GB RAM and 32GB expandable storage (up to 256GB). Finally, the TKEE MID features two 5-megapixel cameras, one on the back, and a second one in the front.
Finally, the TKEE MAX sports a 10-inch IPS (800 x 1280 pixels) display, a 2-megapixel camera duo (main and front), Wi-Fi support, and a 4,080 mAh battery. It packs a 1.28GB quad-core MediaTek MTK8167B processor, 2GB RAM, and 32GB expandable storage (up to 128GB). Just like the MINI model, it runs Android 11.
What makes these tablets children-friendly (aside from their design) is the so-called TCL Kids service, which is available in Google Play. The service offers access to a child-friendly library of educational and entertainment content, containing over 20,000 videos, 400 storybooks and 50 kid-friendly apps. Also, each tablet comes with a TKEE Pen specifically designed to allow children to improve their writing and drawing skills, as well as stickers.
It’s important to add that the TCL Kids service will offer a range of parental monitoring tools and will be available to customers globally in Q2 2022 for $3.99 a month. Additionally, a 2-month free subscription will be available in select regions.
Pricewise the TKEE series starts at $89 for the MINI, $149 for the MID, and $119 for the MAX. All three tablets will hit the shelves in select regions in Q1 2022.
