Review: Teclast Tbook 16 Power 2-in-1 tablet – a great no-frills, inexpensive option
The typing experience is excellent on this budget device from Shenzhen firm, which comes with all the usual Microsoft software – a low-cost alternative for work but not suited to gamers
In the past couple of years, Chinese OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) have taken a chunk of the world’s smartphone market by releasing phones that, while often copycats in terms of design, offer similar power to products by established names, only at half the price. It was just a matter of time before they took on the 2-in-1 tablet market, too. Shenzhen upstart Teclast’s newest product, the Tbook 16 Power, looks to be up for the challenge.
Design and hardware
The term “2-in-1” refers to tablets that, after attaching a keyboard cover, can operate as a proper computer. Although the likes of Samsung and Apple have jumped on the bandwagon, it is still a market dominated by Microsoft and its Surface line, so it makes sense that the Tbook 16 Power is an unapologetic clone of that.
Just like the Surface, the Tbook is a Windows 10 machine with a multi-position kickstand and a keyboard cover that connects via magnetic pins. It’s also got the same magnesium-aluminium alloy back, chamfered edges and even the same Intel Cherry Trail Atom chip.
The display, an 11.6-inch LCD panel with 1920 X 1080 resolution, is about on par, too. What sets the Tbook apart is it has a secondary operating system (Android) and a whopping 8GB of RAM (compared to the 4GB found on most other tablets).