The budget Android tablet I recommend to most people isn't by Samsung or TCL

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ZDNET's key takeaways

The Blackview Tab 18 Android tablet is currently available for $260.This great 12-inch Android tablet has it all -- big display, powerful processor, lots of RAM, and plenty of power to handle everything the average user needs.
I wish the screen could be a little brighter for use in direct sunshine.

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I love my iPad Pro, but Apple's 12.9-inch behemoth is not cheap. Folks looking for a cheaper but comparably sized alternative have to turn to Android.

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Unfortunately, I've found most large Android tablets are bulky and cumbersome. So, it's refreshing to find something at last that's sleek, pleasantly designed, and a pleasure to hold -- even for extended periods.

The Blackview Tab 18 ticks all these boxes and more.

Blackview Tab 18 tech specs

Display: 12-inch 2.4K, FHD+ IPS, 1200 x 2000 resolution, 86.6% screen-to-body ratioCPU: Octa-core MediaTek Helio G99RAM: 12GB LPDDR4X (12GB RAM expansion)ROM: 256GB UFS2.1Max microSD/TF Card Capacity: Up to 1TB OS: DokeOS_P 4.0 (based on Android 13)Card Slot: Dual hybrid card slots; 1 x SIM +1 TF or 2 x SIMCameras: 8-megapixel Samsung front camera, 16-megapixel SK Hynix rear cameraBattery: 8800mAh supporting 33W fast chargeSpeaker: Quad Harman Kardon surround sound speakersColor: Turquoise Green, Glacier Blue, Space GreyDimension: 277.6 x 173.2 x 7.9mmWeight: 632g (1.4 lb)

The first thing I noticed about this tablet is how thin and light it feels.

At 0.3-inch/7.9mm thin and weighing 1.4lb/632g, this device is a bit thicker and slightly lighter than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but for a budget Android tablet, it's a breath of fresh air not to be holding a tablet that feels like it's made of concrete.

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Sure, I'd have this tablet in a case to protect it from accidents caused by carelessness and gravity, making it just as bulky as my iPad Pro, but it's nice to see a thin and light Android tablet.

It's also a sleek and smooth tablet with glass and metal flowing into each other to create something stunning to look at and practical to use. The Space Gray finish on my Tab 18 was flawless and did a good job of resisting scratches, wear, and even fingerprints.

Speaking of fingerprints, the Tab 18 features a fingerprint reader and face recognition biometrics, giving you options for easily logging into the tablet.

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The 12-inch display is also a breath of fresh air. It's big enough to get real work done, sharp enough to make extended reading or video viewing sessions comfortable, and bright enough to be viewable under various conditions. The touch is nice and responsive, leading to a very natural feel. The TÜV-certified low-blue-light rating is a nice touch for those concerned that these wavelengths disturb their sleep patterns.

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And then there are those quad Harman Kardon surround sound speakers, which create an immersive soundscape, taking you out of the world around you and dropping you into whatever game or movie -- or business meeting -- you're listening to. I'm no audiophile -- I grew up on poor quality blown-out speakers and headphones with that sweaty sponge -- but to my ears, the sound output from this tablet was fantastic no matter whether I was watching Netflix, playing a game, listening to my burgeoning backlog of audiobooks from Audible, or on a voice call.

Also: I love everything about this Android tablet (especially the $219 price

The 8,000mAh battery is good for approximately 10 hours of web browsing and general tasks like email and editing documents, with gaming and watching videos shaving an hour off of this runtime, which is not bad. This is truly great real-world runtime from a budget 12-inch tablet.

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Combining the big battery with the 33W fast charging capability, which can take the battery from zero to 50% in about an hour, I didn't suffer from battery anxiety at all. I've seen much worse performance from much pricier hardware than this.

As for thermal management, I fully expected this tablet to get warm and toasty under a heavy load. While it did get warm when the going got tough, the thermal conductivity system that Blackview has built into this system, featuring over 18.6 square inches/12,000mm of heat dissipation area, resulted in a cool user experience during which I never saw the tablet exceed 104°F/40°C.

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There's nothing more disquieting than trying to use a tablet that slowly goes from warm to warmer to "yikes, is this thing going to burn me?" I pushed the Tab 18 as hard as I could for extended periods, and at no point did it get to a point where I felt that it was getting hot.

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If you leave your expectations of a blow-your-hair-back, top-level performing tablet at the door, you won't be disappointed with the Blackview. The octa-core processor and 12 gigabytes of built-in RAM offer a slick user experience. 

The cameras on this unit are acceptable at best. They're good compared to even the best cameras from a few years ago, but they fall short of all the computational wizardry that higher-end devices perform on photos. At the extreme ends of photography -- low light or full-sun daylight – the cameras struggle. But for normal captures in normal conditions, they're perfect for those wanting to trawl for likes on social media, and also for capturing photos for reports and other work or school-related activities.

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Again, remember the price here. $299. Not long ago you couldn't have dreamt of a 12-inch tablet for anything close to this price. Now you're getting such a tablet with a powerful processor, loads of RAM, bags of storage, and decent cameras for $140 more than Apple charges for a 3-meter Thunderbolt 4 cable. 

ZDNET's buying advice

The Blackview Tab 18 is a great tablet, ideal for work, school, or if you want a tablet for the living room or workshop. I've put this device through its paces and have no complaints. The price makes this an unmissable deal if you're willing to forgo an Apple or Samsung logo emblazoned on the back. Ultimately, if you want more power and performance -- power and performance that most users never really utilize -- then you will have to dig deeper and pay more. If you want a tablet and not an ego booster, the Tab 18 is well worth a look.