Blackview Tab 13 review - 4G tablet with a lot of accessories and annoying apps
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80.8 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2023 | Blackview Tab 13 Helio G85, Mali-G52 MP2 | 450 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 10.10" | 1920x1200 | |
| 81.2 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2023 | Huawei MatePad SE SD 680, Adreno 610 | 440 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 10.40" | 2000x1200 | |
| 82.5 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2022 | Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 Helio G80, Mali-G52 MP2 | 465 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 10.61" | 2000x1200 | |
| 81 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2022 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 T618, Mali-G52 MP2 | 508 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 10.50" | 1920x1200 |
Case and features - Lightweight metal case
The Blackview Tab 13 does not have a huge 13-inch screen, as one might assume from the name. Instead, it has a slightly smaller 10.1-inch screen compared to the competition. The weight of 450 grams is within the usual range, and the dimensions are compact.
The manufacturer has designed the edges on the front to be equally wide on all sides. They are well chosen so that you can hold the tablet in your hand without accidentally triggering the touchscreen and the Tab 13 still has a modern look.
Like most tablets in its price range, the Blackview tablet also comes with a metal casing. Three restrained colors are available: soft blue, gray, and silver. The back panel and frame are made of aluminum, and since there is no visible seam between the components, it was probably made of one piece of metal. The transition to the screen on the other hand is noticeable and a bit rough, which reduces the quality impression a bit.
With 128 GB of mass storage and 6 GB of RAM, you get a lush storage configuration for the price range. NFC is unfortunately not available, so you have to do without mobile payment services. For example, the optionally available keyboard cover can be connected via a pogo PIN port on the bottom. However, there are already a few accessories in the box, for example, the cover based on Apple's Smart Folio, which can be folded into a stand.
The microSD reader is separate from the two SIM slots. It works very quickly in the test with our reference micro-SD card Angelbird V60 during reading but has slight problems with the writing speed.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Average of class Tablet (7.61 - 58.4, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Blackview Tab 13 (Angelbird V60) | |
| Huawei MatePad SE (Angelbird V60) | |
| Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Communication, software and operation - Annoying apps
WiFi 5 is of course on board, and the Blackview Tab 13 even achieves slightly faster transfer rates compared to other tablets in the price range.
Besides that, the pad is even a mobile-capable device, but too many LTE frequencies are not supported. In return, the reception is quite decent indoors and there is even a phone function.
Actually, a great idea is that Blackview cooperates with the company Simo, which offers international mobile rates. This means that the Blackview Tab 13 can be used abroad without WLAN and roaming charges, and it can even be used as a WLAN hotspot, provided that the corresponding tariff from Simo is available.
The problem is that the Simo app is preinstalled and cannot be removed. That would still be tolerable, but the app displays a recurring notification that cannot be permanently deactivated and constantly prompts you to sign up for a rate. Blackview urgently needs to improve this, because it will probably annoy most users.
The software is based on Android 12, which is topped by the in-house DokeOS that includes quite an extensive PC mode that adapts the handling better to the mouse and keyboard. This can be activated automatically when a keyboard is connected or manually in the options. Apps can be isolated in the so-called "Cold Room" so that they cannot access the tablet's data and functions until the user activates them manually. The security updates are from October 2022 and are thus outdated at the time of testing.
The touchscreen only runs at 60 Hz, but the operation is reliable and reasonably smooth. In terms of biometric security, the Blackview Tab 13 can be unlocked with the user's face. This works via the front-facing camera and is fairly reliable, although you have to move the tablet to find the right position for recognition.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Blackview Tab 13 | |
| Huawei MatePad SE | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 | |
| Blackview Tab 13 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Huawei MatePad SE | |
Camera - For snapshots
As usual with tablets, photo quality is rather less in the manufacturer's focus: most people use their smartphones or straight away a camera for taking pictures. Our test device comes with a 13-megapixel sensor as the main lens, which is supplemented by a 0.3-megapixel support camera. You cannot take your own photos with the latter, but it supports blur effects for portraits.
At first glance, the main camera takes decently sharp pictures at close range, but you can see that details are only displayed very rudimentarily when you zoom in. The sharpness then drops in some parts of the surroundings, and the whole photo looks very grainy. This also applies to dark environments with high contrasts, where a moderate brightening succeeds, but the image looks very coarsely structured.
This effect can also be observed in the photo lab. The contrast is generally okay and the image sharpness is passable in good light. The camera is unusable in only 1 lux illumination.
Videos can be recorded in 1080p and 30 fps at most. The autofocus is a bit slow here from time to time but then reacts precisely and without pumping. The brightness adjustment could also work a bit faster, but it also works satisfactorily.
Pictures taken with the 8-megapixel selfie camera are sometimes blurry.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main cameraMain cameraLow Light
Display - Full HD without Widevine
The screen can boast an expanded Full HD resolution. However, we should not rejoice too soon: Blackview failed to obtain a Widevine certification for the tablet, so streams from the major providers are only possible in SD and thus do not use the possible resolution.
The screen is also not convincing in terms of brightness: we measured a maximum brightness of 344 cd/m², visibly less than most comparable devices. This is particularly annoying in view of the tablet's 4G capability, with which you could easily access the Internet outdoors. This is now made much more difficult by the screen's low brightness.
A slight blue cast is visible in the grayscale, and blue hues are sometimes displayed very inaccurately. We did not notice any PWM.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 344 cd/m²
Contrast: 1274:1 (Black: 0.27 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.32 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.87
ΔE Greyscale 6.2 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
89.4% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.106
| Blackview Tab 13 IPS, 1920x1200, 10.1" | Huawei MatePad SE IPS, 2000x1200, 10.4" | Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 IPS LCD, 2000x1200, 10.6" | Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 TFT-LCD, 1920x1200, 10.5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | -7% | 28% | -30% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 35.9 ? | 44.5 ? -24% | 34.52 ? 4% | 53.6 ? -49% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 32.2 ? | 28.6 ? 11% | 15.81 ? 51% | 35.6 ? -11% |
| PWM Frequency | 32730 | |||
| Screen | 11% | 23% | -28% | |
| Brightness middle | 344 | 398 16% | 510 48% | 368 7% |
| Brightness | 330 | 368 12% | 480 45% | 346 5% |
| Brightness Distribution | 93 | 87 -6% | 85 -9% | 91 -2% |
| Black Level * | 0.27 | 0.46 -70% | 0.49 -81% | 0.61 -126% |
| Contrast | 1274 | 865 -32% | 1041 -18% | 603 -53% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.32 | 2.17 59% | 1.8 66% | 6.9 -30% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 11.27 | 4.32 62% | 3.7 67% | 11.4 -1% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.2 | 3.1 50% | 2.2 65% | 7.7 -24% |
| Gamma | 2.106 104% | 2.214 99% | 2.17 101% | 2.16 102% |
| CCT | 8023 81% | 7245 90% | 6907 94% | 8547 76% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 2% /
8% | 26% /
24% | -29% /
-28% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 32.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14.1 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 18.1 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 87 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 35.9 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 18.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17.3 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 47 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.5 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8492 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance, emissions and battery life - Blackview tablet with good runtimes
The Helio G85 from Mediatek as SoC is a very good choice for an inexpensive tablet. It can keep up with or outperform the comparison devices in most benchmarks. You can navigate smoothly through the menus in everyday use, but you will have to limit yourself or live with stutters in multitasking and more complex apps.
Blackview has installed a lot of storage, but unfortunately only slow eMMC flash. This still puts the tablet on par with its class, but the manufacturer would have had a nice opportunity to distinguish itself from the competition.
The temperature rise of the tablet is overall within limits. It is only noticeable in the area of the front-facing camera, where the SoC is probably located, but it is still very moderate.
Blackview installs stereo speakers in its tablet. These sound average: they can get quite loud, but are a bit treble-heavy. Headphones or external speakers should be connected to really enjoy music or movie sound, which is possible via USB-C or Bluetooth. Bluetooth codecs include SBC, AAC, LDAC, aptX, and aptX HD.
With its 7,280 mAh battery, the Blackview Tab 13 has strong energy storage and manages 15:26 hours in our Wi-Fi test. It can thus outperform all the rivals, sometimes even very clearly. It is definitely enough for a workday in everyday use, and even for a second one when used sparingly. The tablet can only be charged with a maximum of 10 watts, and a charger is included in the package. It takes up to 3:30 hours until the tablet is fully charged again.
| GFXBench | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (3 - 122, n=82, last 2 years) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G85 (7.5 - 22, n=17) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Huawei MatePad SE | |
| Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 | |
| Blackview Tab 13 | |
| 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (2.5 - 340, n=82, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Huawei MatePad SE | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G85 (8 - 9.7, n=17) | |
| Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 | |
| Blackview Tab 13 | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (1.9 - 106.4, n=82, last 2 years) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G85 (5 - 13, n=17) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 | |
| Huawei MatePad SE | |
| Blackview Tab 13 | |
| 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (0.9 - 114.5, n=82, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G85 (3.1 - 3.5, n=17) | |
| Blackview Tab 13 | |
| Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 | |
| Huawei MatePad SE | |
| Geekbench 6.0 | |
| Single-Core | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G85 (408 - 429, n=3) | |
| Blackview Tab 13 | |
| Multi-Core | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G85 (1315 - 1442, n=3) | |
| Blackview Tab 13 | |
| Blackview Tab 13 | Huawei MatePad SE | Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | Average 128 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Tablet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -19% | 1% | -19% | 3% | 268% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 289.1 | 293.6 2% | 393.23 36% | 255.1 -12% | 294 ? 2% | 1193 ? 313% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 173.1 | 99.5 -43% | 234.88 36% | 101.1 -42% | 195.8 ? 13% | 834 ? 382% |
| Random Read 4KB | 79 | 61.8 -22% | 75.12 -5% | 68.3 -14% | 83.9 ? 6% | 200 ? 153% |
| Random Write 4KB | 63.1 | 54 -14% | 23.97 -62% | 57.5 -9% | 56.7 ? -10% | 203 ? 222% |
Temperature
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 33.4 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 33.2 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 22.2 °C / 72 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.
Speaker
Blackview Tab 13 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.8% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.3% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (28.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 85% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 12% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 84% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 13% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Huawei MatePad SE audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (76 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.5% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.3% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 77% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 18% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 76% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 19% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery life
| Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing | |
| Blackview Tab 13 | |
| Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 | |
| Average of class Tablet (319 - 1764, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Huawei MatePad SE | |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - If only the software was better...
We actually like the Blackview Tab 13 very much due to its chic casing, the included cover, and the integrated PC mode. In addition, there are decent performance rates and a great storage configuration for the price range. The battery runtimes and the communication options, including 4G capability and phone mode are also fully convincing.
However, the dim screen and the cameras are hardly convincing. The biggest problem, however, is the software: on the one hand, the security patches are almost 6 months old at the time of testing. On the other hand, the preinstalled Simo app is annoying in that it cannot be permanently removed or deactivated and constantly sends notifications that cannot be permanently disabled either. The fact that Widevine certification is also missing should be unforgivable for streaming fans.
We deduct one percentage point from the overall rating for the strong weaknesses in the software.
The Blackview Tab 13 is a good tablet that offers a lot for little money. However, the intrusive preinstalled software is annoying.
The Huawei MatePad SE has done its Widevine homework, but you have to make do without Google services here. With Lenovo Tab M10 Plus you even get support for a stylus.
Price and availability
The Blackview Tab 13 is available directly from the manufacturer at the time of testing with a decent discount for just under 180 Euros.
The tablet is also available in all 3 colors at amazon.de for 220 Euros each.
Blackview Tab 13
- 02/26/2023 v7 (old)
Florian Schmitt
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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