Is the Blackview Mega 1 Tablet any good? | TechManPat

Design and display

The Blackview Mega 1 has a metal build and comes with a case and screen protector. The metal can scratch, but the included accessories offer some protection. A basic touch stylus is also supplied, although it is not comparable to an Apple Pencil and is described as the type of generic stylus available cheaply for other tablets.

The tablet uses an LCD panel with a Full HD Plus resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Its aspect ratio is unusually tall or wide, depending on how it is held, but this works well for watching movies. Colours and viewing angles were considered good for an LCD, although the screen becomes darker when viewed from a significant angle. The 120Hz mode also makes scrolling and desktop navigation feel more fluid, and the review recommends enabling it in settings.

Performance and software

The processor is a MediaTek MT6789 octa-core chip with a boost speed of 2.2GHz. During two weeks of use, no slowdowns were noticed, and the tablet handled movies, web browsing and messaging without trouble.

Blackview describes the tablet as having 8GB plus 8GB of RAM. The additional 8GB is not a second physical memory module. It uses storage as virtual RAM, so the specification should not be interpreted as 16GB of physical RAM. The Android software felt fluid and was not considered overly burdened by unwanted software. Some installed items were present, but they were quick and easy to remove.

Speakers, cameras and connectivity

Four firing speakers provide stereo sound. They point away from the user, although cupping hands around them can improve the effect. There is Bluetooth connectivity but no 3.5mm headphone jack.

The tablet has a 13-megapixel front camera and a single 50-megapixel rear camera. The front camera works well for video calls and selfies, although its position can make the user appear offset when the tablet is held vertically. Rear photos were described as very good for a tablet, while video quality could be better. Video recording supports up to 2.4K rather than 4K.

A SIM card slot provides 4G connectivity, not 5G, and the tablet can make audio calls. Storage can be expanded from the built-in capacity to up to 1TB using a microSD card.

Battery and security

The 8,800mAh battery supports 33W USB-C charging. The review found almost 20 hours of straight use. After watching movies and browsing the web, the battery reached 50 percent after a week of usage, making the tablet suitable for travel and intermittent use.

A fingerprint sensor is positioned on the top edge and was described as fast and accurate. Face Unlock is also available, but it does not use a depth sensor, so it was not considered trustworthy compared with more sophisticated systems such as Apple's Face ID.

Price and overall value

The video discusses a price of about $400 AUD, while the supplied description lists a sale price of $324.08 AUD. Prices can change, so these figures should be treated as the prices stated at the time of the video and description. At those price points, the combination of a 120Hz screen, 4G, expandable storage, large battery, cameras and four speakers makes the Mega 1 a feature-rich Android tablet.