TCL Tab A1 Plus Review (2026): Cheap Tablet That Doesn’t Feel It

Scott GilbertsonGearJul 30, 2026 6:00 AMReview: TCL Tab A1 Plus TabletFor most people, the Tab A1 Plus checks all the boxes and is the best budget tablet you can buy, but don’t expect power or long-term Android support.Courtesy of TCLTriangleUpBuy NowMultiple Buying Options Available$280 $220 at Amazon$279 $219 at TCLCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyRating:7/10Open rating explainerInformationWIREDGreat display with 120-Hz refresh rate. Unibody aluminum design feels like a more expensive tablet. TCL interface has some nice productivity and AI tools. All-day battery life.TIREDProcessor isn’t the most powerful. Cameras are serviceable but not outstanding. Short support cycle.Tablets have never quite become must-haves. While I know some people manage to work on iPads or other premium tablets, for most of us, tablets are a second device that’s nice to have but ultimately not necessary.This is why I like TCL’s new Tab A1 Plus. It’s a budget tablet that doesn’t feel low-rent. TCL wisely recognizes that the most important part of a tablet is the screen, and it has delivered an impressive display at an equally impressive budget price. The company kept the price down by cutting corners on things that don’t matter as much to most tablet users, such as the onboard cameras and the less-than-cutting-edge chip.Keep It SimplePhotograph: Scott GilbertsonThe Tab A1 Plus is built around a very nice 12.2-inch, 2400 x 1600 pixel LCD panel. It’s not an OLED, but it’s sharp, colorful, and bright. The 12.2-inch is a nice size too: not so big that it’s hard to hold but not so small that you feel cramped working in split-screen mode. Like the OnePlus Pad 3, the A1 Plus has a 3:2 aspect ratio, which makes it feel a bit bigger when in split-screen mode. Everything you do is nice and buttery smooth, too, thanks to the 120-Hz screen refresh rate.TCL Tab A1 PlusRating: 7/10$280 $220 at Amazon$279 $219 at TCLThe 2.4K resolution at this size works out to a pixel density of 236 ppi. For comparison, the base model iPad screen is 2360 × 1640 pixels at 264 ppi. Side by side, the two are very close in terms of resolution. Color is somewhat subjective, but I prefer the slightly more vibrant Tab A1 Plus screen to an iPad. If the iPad is too apples-to-oranges of a comparison for you, consider the similarly priced Samsung Tab 11, which offers a mere 1080p screen with a 90-Hz refresh rate that lacks the visual punch and smooth UI of the Tab A1 Plus.The Tab A1 Plus screen also carries a certification for emitting very low amounts of blue light, which is great if you’re planning to use it in the evenings or before bed (though it’s an open question how much blue light actually affects sleep).Whether I was watching Red Sox games in the MLB app, reading through my RSS feeds, or getting work done, I never felt as if I were using a budget screen with the A1 Tab Plus. In fact, everything about holding this thing feels very much like holding an iPad. The aluminum unibody design is very thin (6.7 mm) and lightweight at just over 1 pound (542 grams). It’s solid enough that you can hold the corner without worrying about it flexing, and it’s light enough that you can actually hold it that way for a while. The A1 Plus is rated IP54, which means it’ll be safe against dust and splashes.Corners Were CutPhotograph: Scott GilbertsonBasic economics demands that a tablet this cheap—which rivals the iPad in screen size and quality, and currently costs almost $200 less—has some downsides. Which is to say corners had to be cut to hit this price point. The camera isn’t bad, but it’s definitely not as premium as the screen and body. The 8-MP rear camera is fine for scanning documents and snapping a quick photo for reference purposes (think: receipts you need to file), but it’s not something you’d want to use for vacation photos. We would hope most people aren’t doing that with a tablet anyway (if you are, consider upgrading your travel camera). The fro