I use this tablet more than my iPad Pro, and it’s a lot cheaper – and on sale for Black Friday

Key findings from ZDNET

• The Blackview Tab 90 Wi-Fi is certified for streaming DRM HD content.
• I found the tablet’s battery life to be sufficient for content consumption.
• However, charging the battery is noticeably slow.

What’s up?

Buy these Blackview Tab 90 tablet There’s a total of 31% off on Blackview’s website for Black Friday, bringing the price down from $229 to around $159. (Amazon does not stock this model, but you can get a similar model Blackview Tab from 2024 Also on sale there for $145.)

Also: The best Black Friday deals now live

Why this deal is recommended by ZDNET

‘Tis the time of year when I get a lot of questions about tablets. They seem to be a popular gift around the holidays, and while products in the Apple ecosystem are limited to the iPad lineup, Android users have a lot more options, especially at the budget end of the spectrum.

Even though I’m waist-deep in the iOS and iPadOS ecosystem and own an iPad Pro, I have to admit that I’m not a big tablet user. Sure, I use it as a second screen for YouTube or to play the odd game, and sometimes I even get around to actually working with it. Overall, though, I don’t use it much because I find that anything I can’t do on my iPhone can be done better on my MacBook Pro.

I think that’s true for a lot of people. Tablets are a big screen for things like social media and content consumption, not a platform for work. This means that for most users, a tablet is a treat, a guilty pleasure. Therefore, there is a significant market for budget tablets in the sub-$200 price range.

Blackview, a name more known for its rugged smartphones, also offers some high-quality tablets that are perfect for content consumption. I’ve been using this for a few weeks Tab 90 WiFiand I was amazed at how good it was. It’s so good that it gets used way more than my iPad Pro.

Technical data for the BlackView Tab 90 WiFi

• Operating system: Android 14
• Advertisement: 10.92 inch 800 x 1280 HD IPS
• CPU: Unisoc Tiger T606 Octa Core
• GPU: Mali-G57 MP1
• R.A.M.: 4GB DDR4X RAM and 8GB storage expansion
• storage: 128GB UFS2.1
• Expansion slot: 1x TF card (up to 1TB)
• Rear view camera: 13 megapixel Samsung ISOCELL 4H7
• Front camera: 8 megapixels
• Battery capacity: 8,200mAh
• Charge: 10W fast charging
• dimension: 256.9 x 168.5 x 9.5mm
• Weight: 540g
• Colors: Ink Grey, Frost Blue or Blush Pink

A tablet consists of three key components. There’s the display, the processor that powers everything, and the battery that powers everything.

So let’s start with the screen. Compared to the 2752 x 2064 pixel display on my 13-inch iPad Pro, the 800 x 1280 resolution feels like a real downgrade, but after a while of use it seems more than sufficient for YouTube and Netflix. Speaking of Netflix, the Tab 90 WiFi is Widevine L1 certified, meaning it supports streaming high definition (HD) content from Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, and other providers whose streamed content uses DRM.

The colors are vibrant and rich, the whites are clear and bright, and the blacks are deep and dark. Yes, there are better displays, but this one is more than adequate.

The entire tablet is powered by an octa-core Unisoc Tiger T606 processor, which has two Cortex-A75 performance cores at 1,600 MHz and six Cortex-A55 efficiency cores at 1,600 MHz. It’s designed more for longer battery life than performance, but combined with the 4GB of RAM (with an additional 8GB of expanded storage), the system runs quite smoothly.

However, I increased the extended memory usage to the full 8GB, which eliminated some of the speed hits I experienced when the system was under higher load.

On the performance side, the 8,200mAh battery is enough for about 10 hours of normal use, but I recommend not letting the battery get too weak. With just 10W fast charging, it takes about an hour to charge the battery from empty to 30% and just under four hours to fully charge the battery.

Plus: This Tiny USB-C Accessory Has a Game-Changing Magnetic Feature (And It’s 30% Off)

The tablet also fits well in the hand. My iPad Pro is in a case that feels quite unwieldy and bulky, so the bare Tab 90 Wi-Fi feels really slim at 9.5mm thick.

This is of course an illusion. When I take my iPad Pro out of the case, it’s almost half as thin at an incredible 5.1mm.

However, style doesn’t mean it’s fragile, and the tablet is sturdy enough to withstand being dropped off the sofa or sitting on it while sitting on the sofa. It’s a perfect portable screen for social media, content consumption, or for someone who wants a tablet in the kitchen, garage, or workshop.

ZDNET’s buying guide

If you’re looking for a cheap tablet, this is it Blackview Tab 90 WiFi it’s hard to go wrong. At the current retail price of $144, it’s an absolute steal.

People are always looking for a cheap tablet for the holidays, and this is a good choice. I mean, you can go cheaper – that The Blackview Tab 70 Wi-Fi costs just $70but you don’t get Netflix compatibility for this price. With the Tab 90 WiFi you get a lot of tablet for your money.