TCL also offers what it calls Magic Hub, a kind of side drawer where you can stash clips of text or photos for later use. Magic Hub lives in a sidebar on the right side of the screen, and while I’ve used it a little on TCL’s phones before, it’s much more useful here, especially when used with a split-screen view. I frequently need to clip a bit of text from one tab to another, and while I can do this manually, it’s easier and faster using Magic Hub.
To further extend the usability, TCL supports what it calls extend mode, which lets you use the Tab A1 Plus as a second monitor for your laptop or PC. There’s also mirror mode, which mirrors your main screen, though I’ve never had much use for it.
There are quite a few AI-based tools baked into the A1 Plus if that’s your thing, including Gemini, Writing Assist, and Smart Translator. They work on-device (offline), so while they offer more privacy and are fine for basic requests, their usefulness is limited compared with cloud-based AI tools.
The battery life is quite good, lasting through a full day of pretty heavy use—browsing the web, working, listening to music, and streaming a baseball game or two. It’s a fast recharge as well, taking just under 3 hours to reach 100 percent. Standby mode does a good job conserving battery when you’re not using the tablet for a while.
Should You Buy It?
If you’re looking for a budget Android tablet, this is currently the best I’ve tested. While the performance can’t compete with flagship products, it’s adequate for most people’s tablet use. The main competition here is the Lenovo Idea Tab Plus, which also packs a 2.5K screen but lacks the 120-Hz refresh rate, and the colors looked dimmer to me, giving the TCL the edge. However, the Lenovo does enjoy a longer support life for Android updates. The big name in budget tablets is the Samsung Tab 11, but its 1080p screen pales next to the TCL Tab A1 Plus. If you want an entry-level Android tablet that’s very close to the base-model iPad, the Tab A1 Plus is the one to get.