Oukitel OT5 Review – A Tablet Beyond the Ordinary Under $199

In a decade that the tablet market has been dominated by the likes of Apple’s iPads, a breath of fresh air has swept in with the advent of Android 13. This breath of fresh air has brought forth a slew of versatile and budget-friendly tablet options, shifting the consumer choice in the tablet segment. Oukitel, known for its diverse line of products, including solar generators, portable power stations, and rugged phones, has launched a new tablet the Oukitel OT5, which has made its debut as a budget tablet.

This latest release comes with a mix of strengths and weaknesses, making it an intriguing prospect for a wide range of users and a go-to choice for watching movies, and videos, playing games, and handling various tasks, it attempts to strike a balance between price and performance with massive 12-inch 2K screen, it’s one of the largest displays available in its category. This, in combination with its powerful hardware, makes it an appealing option for a wide range of users. In this detailed review, we will explore the features and specifications of the Oukitel OT5 and analyze its performance to help you decide if this tablet is the right choice for you.

Oukitel OT5 Features

Unboxing the Oukitel OT5: What’s in the Box?

The Oukitel T5 tablet arrives in a well-packaged box that houses various essential components. As part of the unboxing experience, users can expect to find the tablet, a type-c to type-c cable, a power supply with a maximum power of 18W, instructions, and a warranty card. As we unbox the device, we’re greeted by a pleasant surprise – the tablet comes bundled with a high-quality protective case, which is particularly beneficial for a tablet. The dark blue case provides protection from scratches and serves as a stand, effectively turning the tablet into a mini TV. While the case lacks magnets to securely lock the tablet, it still fulfills its protective role. The presence of a stylus pen adds another layer of functionality to the tablet, allowing users to navigate or draw with ease.

A Closer Look at the Oukitel OT5’s Design

At first glance, the Oukitel Model 5 catches the eye with its striking design. Available in two elegant colors, gray and blue, this tablet effortlessly blends into your lifestyle. It features a slim profile with a metallic rear cover that exudes durability and style. The tablet features a 12-inch screen with thin bezels and a sturdy yet lightweight metal build.

Flipping the tablet to its rear side, we encounter the Oukitel branding, elegantly embedded in the striking blue finish. While functionality remains paramount, the Oukitel OT5 doesn’t compromise on aesthetics. Toward the upper section of the tablet, we find the transparent camera block. What’s intriguing is that certain elements of the LED flash are visible through the camera module, adding a unique visual aesthetic.

Delving into the physical attributes of the tablet, we find a set of conveniently located volume controls and a power button on one side. At the top, the Oukitel OT5 features dual speakers for an enhanced audio experience. In contrast, the opposite side of the tablet maintains a minimalist design, preserving its elegant and sleek appearance. The fingerprint scanner, located on the side, adds a layer of security along with the face unlock feature.

The lower portion of the tablet houses dual speakers once again, creating a stereo effect, a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer, and a slot for a Nano SIM card. An exciting inclusion here is the MicroSD card slot, expanding the tablet’s storage capabilities. The absence of a 3.5mm headphone jack might be considered a downside, which could have complemented the tablet’s multimedia capabilities.

Display and Visual Experience

Turning on the Oukitel OT5 reveals a vast 12-inch display. This screen size is a significant deviation from the standard 10-inch or 11-inch tablets that dominate the market. The advantage of a larger screen is immediately apparent. The 86% screen-to-body ratio ensures that users can make the most of the generous display. Whether you’re watching movies, playing games, or working on documents, the spacious display enhances your experience.

The screen utilizes IPS technology, delivering rich and vibrant colors. With an impressive 2K resolution of 2000×1200 pixels and a pixel density of 195 PPI, visuals appear sharp and clear. While it may not match the pixel density of even budget smartphones, it is more than sufficient for a tablet in this price range, ensuring that text and images appear crisp and clear.

With a refresh rate of 60Hz, the screen ensures smooth and fluid visuals, with no noticeable lag or delays. Also, Automatic brightness adjustment with 300 nits ensures that you always have the ideal viewing experience, indoors or outdoors. The screen settings offer adaptive brightness and customization options, allowing users to tailor their viewing experience.

Playing Content & Audio

Playing the content on YouTube, was very smooth. You can play videos at a maximum of 1080p at 30FPS without any problems or lag, and up to 2K at best with some slight stutter. Unfortunately, the Oukitel OT5 tablet does not have Widevine DRM Level 1, so paid services like Netflix and Amazon Prime cannot be viewed in 4K, and this level may not be found on all Chinese tablets without exaggeration. However, you can still enjoy Netflix and all other streaming services in 480p resolution.

The Oukitel OT5 features a stereo speaker setup with four speakers in total, two on each side of the device. The sound quality is commendable, with loud and clear audio. While it may lack a bit in the bass department, the tablet offers an enjoyable audio experience. The mids and highs are well-represented, making it suitable for watching videos, playing games, and more. However, the positioning of the speakers may be obstructed when holding the tablet horizontally. Users are advised to hold it vertically for unobstructed sound. And the absence of a 3.5mm headphone jack might limit audio options for some users.

Performance & Benchmark of Oukitel OT5

Driving the tablet’s performance is the Helio G99 processor. While not a flagship chipset, it has proven its reliability in mid-range smartphones, It’s the same SoC that is found in popular rugged phones such as IIIF150 B2 Ultra and DOOGEE Smini that I reviewed before days even the new phone Blackview Shark 8. The processor is known for delivering stable performance, making it suitable for everyday tasks, light gaming, and smooth video streaming. While it may not handle high-end gaming titles, it holds its ground for casual gaming and video playback.

Digging deeper, the Helio G99 processor, built on a 6nm process, features eight cores, including six energy-efficient cores running at 2.0GHz and two powerful cores operating at 2.2GHz. The graphics processing is handled by the Mali G57 MP2 GPU. This hardware configuration ensures that the tablet runs smoothly.

Benchmark Performance

The Helio G99 performs competitively in benchmark tests. The Antutu and Geekbench scores speak volumes about its capabilities, positioning itself as a robust contender in its segment. Additionally, it’s known for its stable performance during prolonged usage, without substantial overheating concerns.

Antutu Benchmark

The MediaTek Helio G99 tends to achieve Antutu benchmark scores ranging from approximately 410,000 to 420,000 points, indicating solid overall performance for a tablet in its category. These scores affirm its ability to handle moderate to heavy usage with smooth performance and robust multitasking capabilities. However, it’s impressive in stability tests; it hardly heats up. It barely rises a couple of degrees in processor zones, with temperatures barely reaching 27°C.

Geekbench

For Geekbench, the Helio G99 typically scores around 700 to 800 points for the single-core test and roughly 1,800 to 2,000 points for the multi-core test. These scores highlight its efficiency in handling everyday tasks and applications while ensuring an optimal user experience.

Memory and Storage

Equipped with 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM, which ensures smooth multitasking and fast app switching. Also, offers an interesting feature known as “Virtual RAM Expansion” This feature allows the smartphone to allocate a portion of its storage space up to 36GB to act as additional virtual RAM, essentially increasing the available RAM for running apps and processes. This can lead to improved multitasking and smoother performance, especially when dealing with resource-intensive applications. During the initial setup, a minor hiccup is encountered as the application crashes while attempting to utilize the extra memory. This could be attributed to optimization issues, and we’ll be closely monitoring for potential updates to resolve this concern.

This is paired with a generous 256GB of UFS internal storage with 400 MB for reading and only 350 MB for writing, this storage is expandable with a microSD card of up to 2TB. This hardware configuration, especially the abundance of RAM, is quite impressive for a tablet in its price range.

Game-Specific Performance

The tablet can handle popular games with ease. Asphalt 9 and Call of Duty Mobile run smoothly on the device, even at high-quality settings. Gamers can expect good frame rates, minimal lag, and no overheating issues, making this tablet a capable option for mobile gaming. While it may not handle demanding games at maximum graphics settings, it performs well for everyday tasks and lighter gaming.

PUBG Mobile

In our test runs, we found the Oukitel OT5 to handle PUBG Mobile commendably. By adjusting the graphics to the balanced settings and FPS to Ultra, the gaming experience was fluid, and the gameplay remained consistently smooth. The device managed to deliver decent graphics quality without compromising the frame rate, providing an engaging gaming experience.

Genshin Impact

For Genshin Impact, a more demanding game in terms of graphics and processing power, the OT5 displayed some limitations. Running this game at higher settings may cause some frame drops and slightly reduced graphics quality, but adjusting the settings to low or medium provides an overall playable experience.

Performance Analysis

So, The tablet’s hardware, though not discussed in great detail, appears to be competent and suitable for everyday use. The tablet’s specifications, including the processor’s smooth performance, ample RAM, and built-in storage, suggest it can handle various tasks simultaneously. However, the tablet is not explicitly recommended for gaming, especially for demanding games that might tax the processor at higher settings.

Software and User Experience

Running on Android 13, it ensures access to the latest software features, although frequent firmware updates may not be a given. The tablet’s software carries a sense of freshness, with its uncluttered design allowing easy navigation through menus and applications.

The software experience is clean and straightforward. Oukitel has refrained from preloading the tablet with unnecessary bloatware or even unnecessary customization, leaving users with a nearly stock Android experience. The device provides essential applications, and customization options, including screen scaling and text size adjustments, to improve usability.

Camera Capabilities

While the camera isn’t the primary focus of a tablet, it does enhance the tablet’s usability, especially for video calls and occasional snapshots. The Oukitel OT5’s camera setup includes an 8MP front camera and a 16MP Samsung main camera. While these cameras may not compete with those found in dedicated cameras or premium smartphones, they deliver satisfactory results for everyday imaging tasks.

The 16-megapixel rear camera provides moderate-quality images and is sufficient for tasks such as web conferences. Images captured with the primary camera exhibit detail and accurate color reproduction. However, users should not expect professional-quality photos from this tablet. Also, the macro camera facilitates close-up shots with impressive clarity. The OT5’s camera quality shines best when it’s used for casual photography and documentation. It’s perfect for capturing notes, scanning documents, or taking quick photos of everyday scenes. However, for those seeking intricate details and stunning visuals, the camera’s limitations become more evident.

The front camera proves ideal for video calls and selfies, offering good resolution and clear images. In terms of video recording, the Oukitel OT5 can record videos up to 1080P resolution at 30 FPS, providing smooth and clear footage for everyday videos. Again, the focus here is on practicality, offering the capability to capture moments without the need for professional equipment.

Battery Life and Charging Speed

The Oukitel OT5 is making waves in the tablet market for its affordability and solid features. Among its noteworthy attributes is its impressive battery life, a crucial factor for those seeking a dependable device for work, entertainment, and on-the-go usage. The OT5 is equipped with an 11,000mAh battery, a generous capacity that promises extended usage without constantly hunting for a power outlet. While battery capacity is just one piece of the puzzle, it’s a promising start for a budget-friendly tablet like this.

One of the most significant selling points of the OT5 is its impressive battery life. In real usage scenarios, this tablet lives up to its expectations, providing long-lasting endurance for various tasks. In a video playback battery test, streaming high-definition content continuously, this tablet managed to last well beyond 15 hours. With moderate usage that includes web surfing, email, and document editing, users can expect to squeeze out around 13-14 hours of battery life. This means you can comfortably use the tablet for a full day of work or study without needing to charge.

While the Oukitel OT5 isn’t a gaming powerhouse due to its budget-friendly hardware, it can still handle casual gaming quite well. In more demanding games like PUBG Mobile, the tablet offers around 9-10 hours of gameplay before needing a recharge. While this might not satisfy hardcore gamers, it’s a decent result for the tablet’s price range.

In addition to its impressive battery life, the Oukitel OT5 offers reasonable charging speeds. It includes an 18W charger in the box, which is somewhat modest compared to the fast chargers found on premium devices. When charging the OT5 from completely empty to full, it takes approximately 3 hours.

Connectivity

One of the key considerations for any smartphone is its connectivity options. The Oukitel OT5 provides the convenience of using dual SIM cards from different carriers simultaneously and covers an extensive range of 4G global LTE bands, Broad network support means you can stay connected to high-speed data networks and make HD-quality voice calls in various regions across the globe. Also, it supports the following satellite systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou. And supports a variety of WLAN protocols, including 802.11 a/ac/b/g/n 2.5 & 5GHz Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 5.2. This device is also equipped with a good selection of internal sensors, although it lacks a barometer or NFC.

Overall Verdict and Value Proposition

The Oukitel OT5 tablet presents an array of features and specifications suitable for multimedia consumption and everyday tasks. The large, high-resolution screen, powerful processor, substantial RAM, expandable storage options, and the inclusion of a transparent camera block, make it a promising device in the budget segment.

While the tablet may have minor issues with camera quality, the absence of fast charging, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, its overall performance and functionality outweigh these drawbacks. The OT5, despite being a budget-friendly device, stands out as a versatile performer. It’s capable of fulfilling diverse tasks and stands as a valuable investment in the tablet market that is dominated by a singular competitor, the Oukitel OT5 brings a breath of fresh air, demonstrating the potential for affordable yet capable tablets.