What can you get for an $89 tablet? The answer is a pleasant surprise

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It's that time of year when I get a lot of questions about tablets. They seem to be a popular gift around springtime, when folks are looking for new tech to replace their ever-aging ones. While those in the Apple ecosystem are limited to the iPad line, Android users have many more options, especially at the cheap end of the spectrum.

Although I'm hip-deep in the iOS and iPadOS ecosystem and own an iPad Pro, I have to admit that I'm not much of a tablet user. Sure, I use it as a second screen for YouTube or to play the odd game, and sometimes, I even get around to doing some real work with it. On the whole, though, I don't use it a lot because I find that whatever I can't do on my iPhone is better done on my MacBook Pro.

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I think this is true for a lot of people. Tablets are a big screen for things like social media and content consumption, not a platform for work. This means that for most users, a tablet is an indulgence, a guilty pleasure. As such, a substantial market for budget tablets in the sub-$200 price range exists.

Blackview, better known for its ruggedized smartphones, also makes quality tablets perfect for content consumption. For the past few weeks, I've been using the Tab 90 Wi-Fi thrilled by how good it is. It's so good that it's seen much more use than my iPad Pro.

A tablet has three key components: the display, the processor that drives everything, and the battery that powers it all.

So, starting with the screen. Compared to the 2752-by-2064 pixel display on my 13-inch iPad Pro, the 800 x 1280 feels like a real downgrade, but after using it for a while, it feels more than enough for YouTube and Netflix, and for editing word processor documents and spreadsheets.

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Speaking of Netflix, the Tab 90 WiFi is Widevine L1 certified. It supports streaming high-definition (HD) content from Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, and other distributors that have DRM on their streamed content.

The colors are vivid and rich, the whites clear and bright, and the blacks deep and dark. Yes, there are better displays out there, but this one is more than adequate.

The tablet is powered by an octa-core Unisoc Tiger T606 processor, which has two Cortex-A75 power cores running at 1,600MHz and six Cortex-A55 efficiency cores running at 1,600MHz. It's more built for extended battery life than performance, but combined with the 4GB of RAM (with an additional 8GB of extended memory), it drives the system along smoothly enough.

That said, I increased the extended memory usage to the full 8GB, which removed some of the speed bumps I was feeling when the system was under heavier load.

On the power side, the 8,200mAh battery is good for about 10 hours of general use, but I suggest not letting the battery get too low. With only 10W fast charging, it'll take around an hour to get it from flat to 30% and closer to four hours to bring the battery to full.

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The tablet also feels nice in the hand. My iPad Pro lives in a case that feels rather cumbersome and bulky, so the naked Tab 90 Wi-Fi at 9.5mm thin feels really svelte.

This is an illusion, of course. If I remove my iPad Pro from the case, it's almost half as thin, at an unbelievable 5.1mm.

Style doesn't mean fragile, however, and the tablet is durable enough to withstand being dropped off the couch or sat on while on the couch. It's a perfect portable screen for social media, content consumption, or for someone who wants a tablet in the kitchen, garage, or workshop.

ZDNET's buying advice

If you're looking for a cheap tablet, the Blackview Tab 90 Wi-Fi is hard to go wrong with. For the price, it's an absolute steal. I know from experience that people are on the lookout for a cheap tablet this time of the year, and I can say this is one of the better bang-for-buck options I've tested.

Blackview Tab 90 WiFi tech specs

OS: Android 15Display: 10.92-inch 800 x 1280 HD IPSCPU: Unisoc Tiger T606 octa-coreGPU: Mali-G57 MP1RAM: 4GB DDR4X RAM and 8GB memory expansionStorage: 128GB UFS2.1Expansion slot: 1x TF Card (up to 1TB)Cameras: Rear 13-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL 4H7, front 8MPBattery capacity: 8,200mAhDimension: 256.9 x 168.5 x 9.5mmWeight: 540gColors: Ink Grey, Frost Blue, or Blush Pink

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