Blackview has carved a niche for itself, particularly with its rugged devices that promise durability and performance under the harshest conditions, In addition to tablets and smartphones that offer the best value for the price. However, in a bold stride towards diversification and tapping into the broader consumer electronics market, Blackview is gearing up for something unexpectedly sleek and powerful. The upcoming global release of the Blackview MEGA 1 tablet marks a significant departure from the company’s usual lineup from Tab Series, offering a glimpse into the new Blackview’s approach.
As the global launch date of March 18th approaches, anticipation builds around the Blackview MEGA 1 and what it signifies for the brand and its consumers in this tablet segment. Stay tuned for a detailed exploration of its features, performance, and where it stands in the competitive market.
Design and Build Quality
The MEGA 1 exudes a sleekness that is both refreshing and bold for a brand like Blackview. It features a slim profile with dimensions meticulously crafted to balance the large 11.5-inch display and the overall manageability of the device. With an approximate weight of 528 grams, it strikes an impressive balance between a solid feel in the hands and ease of portability. The tablet’s design is further accentuated by its color variants – Space Grey, Sky Blue, and Dreamy Purple.
The MEGA 1 opts for a refined and polished finish. The choice of materials reflects a commitment to durability without compromising on elegance. The device’s back panel and frame suggest the use of high-quality composite materials designed to resist everyday wear and tear while maintaining a premium look and feel. Every component, from the quad speakers to the USB-C port, is integrated with precision, ensuring that the tablet looks sophisticated and feels robust.
The ergonomic design of the MEGA 1 is evident in its thoughtful layout and the placement of physical buttons, ports, and the camera module. Its rounded edges and slim bezels enhance the visual appeal and contribute to a comfortable grip, making prolonged usage less fatiguing. The side-mounted 13-megapixel selfie camera and the rear 50-megapixel camera are strategically positioned to complement the tablet’s sleek profile, ensuring that functionality aligns with form.
Display and Visual Experience
At the forefront of the Blackview MEGA 1 is its 11.5-inch Full HD+ IPS display, boasting an 85% screen-to-body ratio, a design choice that maximizes the immersive experience of the display. This resolution ensures that content is sharp and detailed, bringing images and videos to life with exceptional clarity. The IPS technology underpinning the display guarantees vivid colors and deep contrasts, making every visual experience more engaging.
Brightness levels on the MEGA 1 are engineered to cater to a wide range of lighting conditions, ensuring that the screen remains visible and clear, even under direct sunlight. This adaptability makes the tablet equally usable in indoor and outdoor settings, a flexibility cherished by those who are constantly on the move. Additionally, the IPS panel’s wide viewing angles preserve color accuracy and contrast, regardless of the viewer’s perspective, making the MEGA 1 ideal for sharing content with others.
Perhaps one of the most notable features of the MEGA 1’s display is its 120Hz refresh rate. This high refresh rate provides fluidity and smoothness to scrolling, gaming, and video playback that is typically reserved for high-end tablets.
Performance and Hardware
The Blackview MEGA 1, equipped with the MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, positions itself as a formidable contender in the budget smartphone arena. This processor, known for its balance between efficiency and power, with a 6nm fabrication process, ensures smooth operation under typical use scenarios and maintains commendable power efficiency, contributing to extended battery life. This SoC comprises two high-performance Cortex-A76 cores clocked at up to 2.2 GHz and six power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores, ensuring a balanced mix of speed and energy conservation. The graphics department is handled by the Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, designed to support smooth graphics rendering in games and multimedia applications.
At AnTuTu v10, the MEGA 1 achieved a score of approximately 440,000 in the AnTuTu benchmark. This score is indicative of its position as an entry-level device, capable of handling day-to-day tasks such as social media browsing, video streaming, and light gaming.
With options for 8GB or 12GB of DDR4x RAM, the MEGA 1 is equipped to handle multiple applications simultaneously without a hitch. This ample memory, further expandable via Blackview’s innovative “extended memory” technology, ensures that you can switch between tasks seamlessly, enhancing the overall fluidity of the user experience. Storage needs are met with a generous 256GB of UFS 2.1 storage, providing fast access to files and applications. Moreover, the inclusion of a microSD card slot for expandable storage ensures that you will never have to worry about running out of space for your photos, videos, and apps.
Camera Capabilities
The Blackview MEGA 1 features a potent combination of a 50-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL JN1 rear camera and a 13-megapixel selfie shooter, the MEGA 1 is well-equipped to offer a superior photography and videography experience. The inclusion of the 50-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL JN1 sensor for the rear camera sets the MEGA 1 apart from the budget tablets. This high-resolution sensor allows for detailed and vibrant photos, capturing moments with clarity that rivals phone cameras, the ISOCELL JN1 sensor ensures that every detail is preserved, and colors are accurately reproduced. The camera’s software is optimized to take advantage of the sensor’s capabilities, offering features like HDR, night mode, and panoramic shots to enhance the photography experience.
The 13-megapixel front-facing camera on the MEGA 1 ensures that selfies are crisp and clear, with good color accuracy and detail. This camera is not just about taking great selfies; it’s also optimized for video calls, ensuring that you look your best in virtual meetings or chats with friends and family. The software backing the front camera includes beautification modes and filters.
Video recording on the MEGA 1 benefits greatly from the tablet’s powerful rear camera, capable of capturing footage in up to Full HD resolution. This allows to record moments in high quality and with smooth playback, thanks to the high refresh rate display.
The camera software on the MEGA 1 is designed with user-friendliness in mind, offering an intuitive interface that makes it easy to access various shooting modes and settings. You can switch between photo, video, portrait, and pro modes with ease, exploring the creative possibilities offered by the tablet’s cameras. The software also includes AI enhancements that automatically adjust settings for the best possible shot, recognizing scenes and optimizing for lighting and detail.
Software and User Experience
Blackview MEGA 1’s appeal is not just its hardware but also its software environment. Powered by Doke OS 4.0, built on top of Android 13, the MEGA 1 offers a user experience that is both intuitive and feature-rich. Doke OS 4.0 represents Blackview’s vision for a customized, efficient, and user-friendly operating system, and introduces a range of enhancements and features designed to improve user interaction and device performance. From improved privacy controls and a more personalized interface to optimized battery management and enhanced security features.
One of the hallmarks of Doke OS 4.0 is its emphasis on an intuitive interface. The OS is designed to be user-friendly, offering a clean and organized layout that makes navigation effortless. You can customize your home screen, manage app icons, and adjust settings to suit your preferences. The system also includes dynamic wallpapers, theme options, and a dark mode, allowing for further personalization and reducing eye strain during extended use.
For productivity, Doke OS 4.0 includes several features designed to facilitate efficient multitasking and organization. Split-screen functionality, improved app switching, and floating windows enable you to work on multiple tasks simultaneously without losing focus. Additionally, the system offers a range of productivity tools, such as a comprehensive file manager, a notes app, and an enhanced calendar.
Connectivity
The inclusion of 4G LTE capability ensures that you can enjoy fast and reliable internet connectivity on the go. Additionally, the support for dual nano-SIM cards for the flexibility to manage personal and work numbers on the same device, or switch between data plans to optimize coverage and costs.
Beyond cellular connectivity, the MEGA 1 is equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi support, ensuring fast and stable connections to home networks or public hotspots. Bluetooth connectivity enables seamless pairing with a wide range of peripherals. The inclusion of GPS, along with Glonass, Galileo, and Beidou support, provides accurate location tracking for navigation apps, fitness tracking, or any application that requires precise geolocation data.
Battery Life and Charging
A pivotal aspect of any mobile device’s usability is its battery life and charging capabilities. The Blackview MEGA 1 excels in this domain, boasting an 8800mAh battery, ensuring that you can go through a full day of work, play, and everything in between on a single charge. Complementing the impressive battery life is its 33W wired charging capability so you can replenish the device’s battery quickly and efficiently.
Conclusion
The global tablet market is highly competitive, with several established brands dominating the landscape. The MEGA 1‘s entry into this market at this time of year is a bold move by Blackview, challenging the status quo by offering a device that matches or exceeds the specifications of similarly priced tablets from higher manufacturers. It challenges the convention that premium features and robust performance are the preserve of high-end devices.
With its robust feature set, the Blackview MEGA 1 is poised to carve a niche for itself, offering a compelling alternative to established brands. The MEGA 1 distinguishes itself through a unique combination of features rarely seen in its price segment. Its MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, has ample 12GB RAM, and substantial 256GB storage capacity, ensuring smooth performance across a myriad of applications. This, combined with its expansive 11.5-inch Full HD+ IPS display and a 120Hz refresh rate, offers an immersive and responsive user experience, whether for productivity tasks, gaming, or media consumption.
The device’s camera system, featuring a 50MP rear sensor and a 13MP front shooter, caters to the growing demand for high-quality imaging capabilities. Meanwhile, its robust connectivity features, including 4G LTE support, dual SIM slots, and comprehensive wireless connectivity, ensure remains connected and productive.
Doke OS 4.0, based on Android 13, brings a layer of sophistication to the MEGA 1, offering a tailored and intuitive interface. Coupled with the tablet’s impressive 8800mAh battery and with 33W fast charging, set it apart from competitors. These features, bundled in a competitively priced package, make the MEGA 1 an attractive proposition for those looking for high value without the premium cost.
