Dragon Touch Max 10 Plus Tablet Review: Max Value for a Budget
Retail Price: $179.99
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DISCLAIMER: DRAGON TOUCH SENT US A REVIEW UNIT OF THE MAX 10 PLUS BUT ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE OUR OWN
Product Specs +
- Octa-Core 1.6GHz processor
- 10.1" Display, 1920 x 1200 pixels
- 3 GB of RAM
- 32 GB storage option (expandable microSD card slot)
- 5000 mAh Battery
- Bottom firing speakers + 3.5mm headphone jack
- Android 10
Camera Specs +
Rear Cameras
- Main - 8MP
Selfie Cameras
- 5 MP
There was a time when budget Android tablets felt like they were eons behind in technology from high-end tablets. If you spent less than $300 on a tablet, you knew you were making many compromises for a product. Thankfully, with time and updated technology, consumers have more choices than ever before and can make fewer compromises for a solid built product. Enter the Dragon Touch Max 10 Plus Android tablet!
Earlier this year I shared my thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7, which were mostly positive despite the occasional hiccup in performance and low quality cameras. Although the Tab A7 typically retails for a starting price of $229, we were able to snag it for $169 which really put it in the affordable tech category for me. The Dragon Touch Max 10 Plus retails for $180 and can be easily found on Amazon or through their own website.
It’s a tablet alright!
Despite being a tech reviewer, I’m not a very intensive tablet user and it takes me some time to get excited about using a tablet. The majority of my time on a tablet is spent reading or consuming media with the occasional casual gaming session. Upon first unboxing the Dragon Touch Max 10 Plus, I didn’t find it to particularly stand out or be enticing to use in terms of its design. It’s a tablet alright! The Max 10 Plus trends on the thicker side as far as tablets are concerned and has a matte black plastic exterior with the white Dragon Touch logo on the back. Along the sides of the tablet a dotted texture grip hones in on where you’d hold onto the device. It helps assist your hands when holding the Dragon Touch for long periods of time. The power button is a little small in my opinion and easy to graze your finger over. Meanwhile, the volume rocker has a soft click noise when being adjusted. There’s a USB-C port for charging, two bottom firing (when horizontal) speakers, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the front of the tablet, the bezels are apparent, but still give ample room for the 10.1-inch FHD 1080p IPS LCD screen.
The Viewing Experience
At 1920x1200p, Dragon Touch touts a 178 degree wide viewing angle using quantum dot technology that can “increase the color gamut by 135% sRGB.” Essentially, the colors are meant to be true and vibrant. I spent an afternoon watching YouTube videos and Netflix on this tablet with my niece and felt that colors are very much true to scale and sharp enough for the casual viewer. There were occasions when some videos I watched felt a little too dim even with the brightness adjusted as high as possible but it did not take away from what was overall an enjoyable media experience. I also used the Max 10 Plus to ride on my Peloton and enjoyed watching the videos on my ride. That being said, the other aspect to a pleasurable media experience is sound quality and the Max 10 Plus performed just short of expectation there. There’s no other words to describe the sound that comes out of the tablet other than that its very hollow. It’s almost as though you were playing music or watching something out of a tin can. Despite the volume being able to get fairly loud, it doesn’t make up for the poor sound quality that is emitted. As someone who enjoys watching music videos on tablets and my phone, this is an important feature for me and an area I hope Dragon Touch improves on in the future.
For those who enjoy reading on the tablet, there is a low blue light eye care feature allowing you to read and use the tablet for extended periods with minimal color shifts to alleviate eye strain. Keep in mind that due to the 10.1-inch size, this tablet is not necessarily comfortable to hold in one hand to read with but is great for reading articles when set down or as digital cookbooks.
How Does it Run?
In terms of performance, the Max 10 Plus features a 1.6Ghz octa-core processor with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128GB with a micro sd card). It also runs on Android 10 and appears to be practically stock Android. Compared to the Samsung A7 tablet which came with more bloatware and Samsung’s UI, I was quite pleased to see this experience from Dragon Touch. Despite some lag (most noticeable when opening, closing and switching apps), I was able to play games like Cyberika and Crossy Road seamlessly. The battery life on the Max 10 Plus’ 5,000 mAh battery was not as long lasting as I would have hoped for. Dragon Touch touts 10 hours of video playback but even though I was not using the tablet intensively too often, I found the battery life to be just average.
The Max 10 Plus has two cameras, one on each side of the tablet. There’s an 8 MP rear facing camera and 5 MP front facing selfie camera. The camera quality is to be expected on a $180 tablet and for those looking to use it to call friends and family via Google Duo or Zoom, it’ll do the job fine.
Final Thoughts
For those of us looking for a casual Android tablet for older parents or young kids, the Dragon Touch Max 10 Plus offers a variety of features in a very functional and affordable package. When compared to other budget tablets (like the Samsung Tab A7), there are some compromises in build quality and overall look and feel, but the performance and display allow for an enjoyable experience. For $180, it is also nice to have such a clean Android tablet with little bloat and UI interference. The lesson to be learned here is that the market for affordable technology has improved drastically over the years. It is beyond feasible to obtain a serviceable media consumption device for less than $200.
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Lida
Always the number cruncher, the former narrative journalist turned data scientist, can’t help but find herself bursting with excitement with each new generation of tech gadgets. After all, predicting future trends is Lida’s forte. Any gadget that survives Lida’s torturous, adult working woman itinerary of over 700 notifications a day deserves praise!