ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Blackview Mega 1 is accessible instantly from Blackview and AliExpress, with the latter beginning as little as $164
- The pill has a giant display, a fantastic show, and unbelievable sound output. It is also skinny and lightweight.
- The folio case feels flimsy, and there is nowhere to retailer the stylus.
If you happen to consider a pill, you most likely consider an iPad. You must know that there are some unbelievable Android tablets you can purchase for a fraction of the price of an Apple system.
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I have been testing a pill that prices lower than $300 and affords an 11.5-inch, 120Hz show, 256GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, and cameras good for social media and video calling.
I am describing the Mega 1 from Blackview, an organization as soon as synonymous with rugged smartphones. Blackview has diversified its choices over the previous few years and now makes funds gadgets with a premium really feel.
Blackview Mega 1 tech specs
- Show: 11.5-inch 2.4K FHD+ IPS 1200 x 2000 pixel, 85% screen-to-body ratio
- CPU: MediaTek MT6789 octa-core Helio G99 2.2 GHz
- RAM: 12GB
- ROM: 256GB
- OS: Doke OS_P 4.0, primarily based on Android 13
- Rear Digicam: 50-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL JN1
- Entrance Digicam: 13-megapixel
- Battery Capability: 8800mAh (helps 33W quick charging)
- Speaker: 4 x 1217 BOX audio system
- Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth: 5.1
- SIM Slot: 2 x SIMs or 1 x SIM + 1 x TF card
- Biometrics: Fingerprint reader, Face ID
- Colours: House Gray, Sky Blue, Dreamy Purple
- Dimension: 268.7 x 169 x 7.6 mm
- Weight: 528g
The Mega 1 impressed me proper out of the field. I anticipated this funds pill to have an affordable, cumbersome, plastic really feel, just like the laptops of yesteryear. As a substitute, I found a skinny, gentle aluminum pill that feels as premium as Apple’s iPads. The curves and bezels are easy, and the pill feels completely balanced. It oozes a premium really feel you do not count on from a tool that prices lower than $300.
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Compared, the Mega 1’s folio is a little bit of a letdown. Sure, it does job of defending the show and transforms right into a usable stand, but it surely has an affordable vinyl really feel and began to point out put on after solely per week of use. The case isn’t any deal-breaker, but it surely seems like sacrilege to place such a stupendous pill right into a funds folio case.
The Mega 1’s in any other case premium really feel goes lots additional than skin-deep. The 11.5-inch show feels nice on the eyes. Even after a number of hours of utilizing the pill, my eyes felt recent. The 120Hz refresh price and 203 pixels-per-inch density assist guarantee person consolation.
The system additionally helps Widevine L1 digital rights administration specs, permitting for streaming HD and HDR content material from Netflix, HBO, Disney+, and extra. This functionality offers the Mega 1 a bonus for individuals who need to use the pill as a content material consumption system.
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The quad audio system do job of delivering a cinematic encompass sound expertise. At high-volume output, the sound is highly effective, clear, and distortion-free.
The Mega 1 has a skinny, gentle design and a premium-quality really feel.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The system is powered by a MediaTek MT6789 octa-core processor and backed up by 12GB of RAM (expandable to 24GB utilizing system storage). This mixture is highly effective sufficient to maintain the whole lot buzzing alongside properly. I did not encounter stuttering or lag throughout my exams, and apps sprang to life virtually immediately.
Cooling is dealt with by an built-in system that makes use of greater than 8,000 sq. millimeters of graphite. Blackview claims this setup can hold the pill beneath 40ºC/104ºF. My testing of the Mega 1 beneath heavy, extended masses helps this declare. At no level did the Mega 1 really feel scorching to the contact. You may push this system to its limits with confidence.
A SIM tray for mobile information can accommodate two SIM playing cards, or one SIM card and a microSD card.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The large 8800mAh battery is crammed into lower than a 3rd of an inch of pill. Blackview says the battery is nice for 20 hours of total use, can play music for 22 hours, play HD video for five.5 hours, and help 5 hours of gaming. I simply obtained two days of heavy use between recharges.
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Whereas the 20-hour runtime determine might be right, Blackview would possibly underestimate its figures. I watched a whole lot of YouTube throughout my exams. Both means, the battery will not be a weak level.
The Mega 1’s cameras do not disappoint, both.
The 50-megapixel rear digicam is nice for social media and faculty/work studies.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The 50-megapixel rear digicam contains a 1/2.76-inch Samsung ISOCELL JN1 sensor that delivers clear, detailed, and color-accurate photographs. You are not getting the pop and element you see from an Apple iPad or a Samsung Galaxy S24, however this distinction has much less to do with the {hardware} and extra with the extraordinary quantity of on-device processing that high-end gadgets now carry out on photographs.
Do not let this shortcoming put you off. The digicam is ideal for what most customers need, and the output for social media or work/college studies is greater than ample. The 12-megapixel front-facing digicam can also be greater than sufficient for selfies and video calling, and it handles a wide range of lighting situations simply.
Word: The pattern photographs Blackview makes use of on its web site to advertise the digicam are inventory photographs and never taken utilizing the Mega 1. Blackview is not alone in utilizing this system, and I do not know why firms insist on this method, which clearly misleads customers.
The pill comes with a stylus. I am not a fan of styluses, however I suppose it is an additional for individuals who like them. That mentioned, there’s nowhere to retailer the stylus on the pill or the folio case. So, if you happen to’re like me, the stylus is unlikely to stay round for lengthy.
Sure, there’s additionally a stylus.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
It is simple to think about a funds pill as an affordable chunk of plastic and glass, with a mediocre processor and show and a battery that may barely final a morning.
The Blackview Mega 1 is nothing like this. It is a pill with a premium really feel that provides a {hardware} expertise that may have commanded a excessive value only some years in the past. From its skinny and lightweight design to the 11.5-inch 120Hz show, this pill oozes high quality and delivers a fantastic person expertise.
