Teclast T40 Pro review - Affordable tablet with LTE
After the Teclast T40 Plus the Pro model also has to face our verdict. The sister model turned out to be a good everyday companion, but it also showed a few weaknesses. This review clarifies whether these can be eliminated by the T40 Pro.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80.5 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2022 | Teclast T40 Pro T618, Mali-G52 MP2 | 480 g | 9.2 mm | 10.36" | 2000x1200 | |
| 79.9 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2021 | Teclast T40 Plus T618, Mali-G52 MP2 | 455 g | 10 mm | 10.40" | 2000x1200 | |
| 81 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2022 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 T618, Mali-G52 MP2 | 508 g | 6.9 mm | 10.50" | 1920x1200 | |
| 84.1 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2021 | Lenovo Tab P11 Plus Helio G90T, Mali-G76 MP4 | 490 g | 7.5 mm | 11.00" | 2000x1200 |
Case - Tablet with aluminum body
The display-to-surface ratio of the Teclast T40 Pro is not outstanding at 78%, but it allows holding the tablet firmly in the hand due to the slightly wider display edges. It is also not too heavy and has a pleasant feel due to the aluminum unibody. Only the cutout for the antennas is made of plastic.
The tablet responds to twisting attempts with discreet creaking noises, and firm pressure on the panel causes a slight ripple. Nevertheless, the T40 Pro leaves a solid impression and has good build quality.
The card slot is made of plastic and can either accommodate two nano-SIM cards or a mircoSD card instead of the second SIM. There is no special protection against dust and water penetration.
Equipment - Android tablet without DRM certification
The Teclast T40 Pro has a lush configuration. The USB 2.0 port supports OTG, so both external storage drives and peripherals can be connected to the tablet. There is no audio jack, but the USB port can be used via an optional adapter for the audio output. A connected headset also serves as an antenna for the FM receiver.
A notification LED, IR blaster, and NFC are not available. While these factors are acceptable, the lack of DRM certification is more of a pain, since protected content can only be played in SD quality.
microSD card reader
The hybrid slot can accommodate a microSD card as an alternative to a second SIM card. However, the T40 Pro is even a bit slower than the Plus model in the copy test with our reference card Angelbird AV Pro V60. The speed is appealing in the cross-platform disk test, but not always quite constant.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Teclast T40 Plus (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus (Angelbird V60) | |
| Teclast T40 Pro (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Software - Android 11 and hardly any updates
The Teclast T40 Pro ships with Android 11 and a visually only slightly adjusted user interface. At the time of the test, the security patches are up to date as of February 5, 2022. However, experience shows that the software update cycle is not long-lasting: the sister model T40 Plus got its last one in mid-November. We do not expect an update to Android 12 for this tablet to come out.
Communication and GNSS - Stable WLAN plus 4G in the Teclast T40 Pro
The Teclast T40 Pro supports Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac) and has an average wireless range. In return, the transfer rates to our reference router Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 are very stable in both directions and within the expected speed range. The LTE module supports all important bands and was inconspicuous in the test.
A special feature of the tablet is the dual-SIM capability. Both SIMs are LTE-capable and can even be used for making calls. Only an integrated SIP account management is missing.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus | |
| Teclast T40 Plus | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus | |
| Teclast T40 Plus | |
The GNSS module turns out to be a total failure in everyday use. A satellite fix is possible outdoors with a lot of patience, but it sometimes takes several minutes. Furthermore, only single-band GPS is supported: the T40 Pro did not recognize other satellite services.
Therefore, we, unfortunately, cannot provide our usual practical GPS test with the tablet at this point, since the connection was not stable enough for a track recording. Thus, the T40 is not suitable for navigation tasks.
Camera - Solid imaging performance
Compared with the Plus model, the Teclast T40 Pro gets more megapixels for the respective camera on both sides of the spec sheet. Pictures taken with the front-facing lens are quite decent as long as the beauty mode is disabled. Although it can be configured individually, it occasionally produces color spots on the face.
The single camera on the back features realistic color reproduction and finds a good balance between details and sharpness. However, the dynamic range is very limited and the camera barely compensates for some backlight. The zoom is quite decent, but it stops at four times magnification. All in all, the Teclast tablet has a comparatively good lens, which is well suited for documentation purposes, but it does not have an auxiliary LED.
The main camera on the back can record videos in Full HD, while the front lens is limited to the smaller 720p resolution, but both of them only support 30 FPS.
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 camera4/5-x zoomLow-light
Accessories and warranty - T40 Pro comes with USB-C power adapter
The Teclast T40 Pro comes with a modular power supply (up to 18 watts), a USB Type-C cable, a small tool for the card slot, and an additional screen protector.
The manufacturer offers a twelve-month warranty, which does not affect the retailer's warranty.
Input devices and operation - No fingerprint scanner
The capacitive touchscreen of the Teclast T40 Pro recognizes up to ten simultaneous touches and has a screen protector out of the box. Inputs are implemented precisely and quite quickly, and the gliding properties are also decent.
Google's GBoard is preinstalled as the standard keyboard, but it can be replaced with any layout from the Play Store. A blinking light for incoming notifications is also found in the settings, but there is no corresponding LED - at least, we could not find it.
The T40 Pro does not have a fingerprint scanner but offers two-dimensional face recognition via the front-facing camera instead. This is not very secure, but it works quite well in everyday use.
Display - Darker IPS and brightness sensor in the T40 Pro
The manufacturer gives different information about the display diagonal of the Teclast T40 Pro. The website says 10.4 inches, but the spec sheet says 10.36 inches - we measured 10.26 inches (26.05 cm) on our test sample. The resolution provides a good pixel density and the uniformity of the illumination is good.
In contrast to the T40 Plus the Pro model has an ambient light sensor, which is a bit sluggish in the test, but masters its task satisfactorily. However, we were a bit surprised that the brightness of the Teclast T40 Pro is lower than that of its sister model. At least it is on the same level in all measurement scenarios, regardless of whether it is a pure white background, an APL50 measurement, or one without an activated brightness sensor.
The IPS panel does not use pulse width modulation, but a high-frequency flickering is measurable below a display brightness of 81%.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 433 cd/m²
Contrast: 902:1 (Black: 0.48 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91
ΔE Greyscale 4.4 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
96.1% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.12
| Teclast T40 Pro IPS, 2000x1200, 10.4" | Teclast T40 Plus IPS, 2000x1200, 10.4" | Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 TFT-LCD, 1920x1200, 10.5" | Lenovo Tab P11 Plus IPS, 2000x1200, 11" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 9% | -44% | -0% | |
| Brightness middle | 433 | 496 15% | 368 -15% | 410 -5% |
| Brightness | 412 | 486 18% | 346 -16% | 400 -3% |
| Brightness Distribution | 86 | 92 7% | 91 6% | 83 -3% |
| Black Level * | 0.48 | 0.4 17% | 0.61 -27% | 0.29 40% |
| Contrast | 902 | 1240 37% | 603 -33% | 1414 57% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3 | 3.1 -3% | 6.9 -130% | 4.47 -49% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.2 | 7.6 -6% | 11.4 -58% | 8.84 -23% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.4 | 5.1 -16% | 7.7 -75% | 5.1 -16% |
| Gamma | 2.12 104% | 2.33 94% | 2.16 102% | 2.248 98% |
| CCT | 7003 93% | 6819 95% | 8547 76% | 7966 82% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 24180 Hz | ≤ 81 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 24180 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 81 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 24180 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8705 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Measurement series with fixed zoom level (Rigol MSO5102, 0.5 ms, 100 mV, from left): minimum, 25 %, 50 %, 75 % and maximum panel luminosity
The black value of 0.48 cd/m² enables the Teclast T40 Pro to achieve a decent contrast ratio.
The panel's color reproduction is very cool. Those who like more natural colors can adjust this a bit in the settings, but the tablet does not achieve an optimal color reproduction. Anyway, it is quite pleasing in everyday use, with a slight tendency to oversaturation.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 18.12 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 6.031 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 12.09 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 37 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 42.82 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 18.04 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 24.78 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. » 68 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
Outdoors, the T40 Pro leaves us with mixed feelings. The screen's reduced maximum brightness ensures that hardly anything can be seen in direct sunlight. If reflections are added, the only option is to search for a shadier spot.
The viewing angle stability of the IPS panel is good. There are no color inversions even at very flat viewing angles. At most, the brightness drops a bit and a slight glow effect is noticed in large black areas.
Performance - Exotic SoC in the Teclast T40 Pro
The Teclast T40 Pro is powered by a UNISOC T618 with 8 GB of RAM, which also includes an internal graphics unit ARM Mali-G52 MP2 graphics unit. The tablet delivers a good system performance in the benchmarks and is on the same level as the nominally stronger Lenovo Tab P11 Plus. Nevertheless, minor stutters can be noticed from time to time in everyday use, especially when several apps are displayed next to each other.
The GPU is positioned in the mid-range and provides enough performance for casual games. More demanding games often do not have more than 30 FPS despite reduced detail levels. Depending on the game, the high panel resolution can cause some stutters.
The capacity of built-in memory is huge, but it's not particularly fast. However, it is on par with another eMMC flash in terms of speed.
| GFXBench 3.0 | |
| on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL | |
| Apple iPad 2021 | |
| Average of class Tablet (8.1 - 122, n=68, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus | |
| Teclast T40 Plus | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Teclast T40 Pro | |
| Average UNISOC T618 (22 - 25, n=6) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen | |
| Apple iPad 2021 | |
| Average of class Tablet (7.3 - 530, n=68, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus | |
| Teclast T40 Plus | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Teclast T40 Pro | |
| Average UNISOC T618 (26 - 26, n=6) | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | |
| Apple iPad 2021 | |
| Average of class Tablet (4.8 - 120, n=68, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus | |
| Teclast T40 Plus | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Teclast T40 Pro | |
| Average UNISOC T618 (13 - 15, n=6) | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen | |
| Apple iPad 2021 | |
| Average of class Tablet (5 - 400, n=68, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus | |
| Average UNISOC T618 (15 - 16, n=6) | |
| Teclast T40 Plus | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Teclast T40 Pro | |
| AImark - Score v2.x | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus | |
| Teclast T40 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| Average UNISOC T618 (4659 - 4726, n=4) | |
| Apple iPad 2021 | |
| CrossMark - Overall | |
| Apple iPad 2021 | |
| Average of class Tablet (172 - 1944, n=63, last 2 years) | |
| Teclast T40 Plus | |
| Teclast T40 Pro | |
| Average UNISOC T618 (359 - 385, n=4) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Teclast T40 Pro (Chrome 98) | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus (Chrome 94) | |
| Teclast T40 Plus (Chrome 95) | |
| Average UNISOC T618 (63.2 - 75.3, n=4) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 (Chrome 94.0.4606.85) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Tablet (34 - 435, n=45, last 2 years) | |
| Teclast T40 Pro (Chrome 98) | |
| Average UNISOC T618 (68 - 93, n=6) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 (Chrome 94.0.4606.85) | |
| Teclast T40 Plus (Chrome 95) | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus (Chrome 94) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (763 - 105178, n=87, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus (Chrome 94) | |
| Teclast T40 Pro (Chrome 98) | |
| Teclast T40 Plus (Chrome 95) | |
| Average UNISOC T618 (10787 - 14722, n=6) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 (Chrome 94.0.4606.85) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Average of class Tablet (319 - 34733, n=75, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 (Chrome 94.0.4606.85) | |
| Average UNISOC T618 (2762 - 3432, n=6) | |
| Teclast T40 Plus (Chrome 95) | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 Plus (Chrome 94) | |
| Teclast T40 Pro (Chrome 98) | |
* ... smaller is better
| Teclast T40 Pro | Teclast T40 Plus | Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 | Lenovo Tab P11 Plus | Average 128 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Tablet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -56% | -27% | 42% | -10% | 193% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 260.9 | 151.1 -42% | 255.1 -2% | 503 93% | 284 ? 9% | 1045 ? 301% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 199.2 | 136.8 -31% | 101.1 -49% | 205.5 3% | 194.6 ? -2% | 686 ? 244% |
| Random Read 4KB | 94.2 | 29.24 -69% | 68.3 -27% | 112.6 20% | 82.7 ? -12% | 189.4 ? 101% |
| Random Write 4KB | 83.6 | 16.12 -81% | 57.5 -31% | 126.1 51% | 55.4 ? -34% | 189.9 ? 127% |
Emissions - Tablet with extremely loud speakers
Temperature
The surface temperatures of the Teclast tablet remain at a harmless level at all times and it does not even get lukewarm under constant load.
The SoC is exemplary in the stress test, where we cannot determine any throttling.
3DMark Wild Life Stress Test
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33.8 °C / 93 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 30.8 °C / 87 F, compared to the average of 33.2 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.1 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.
Loudspeaker
The Teclast T40 Pro offers two speakers on each long edge, which is why the sound can be heard well in every position. The sound output can be extremely loud and even the low ranges are audibly reproduced. Unfortunately, it already sounds quite hollow at medium volumes and the sound distorts heavily when it gets even louder.
An audio jack is not available, but wired audio output is possible via USB-C. Wireless playback is uncomplicated via Bluetooth (supported codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC).
Teclast T40 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (93.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 18.3% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.6% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.4% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 50% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 42% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 46% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 47% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 52% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 40% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 48% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 45% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Power Management - T40 Pro convinces with long runtimes
Power Consumption
The higher power consumption of the T40 Pro compared to the Plus model is somewhat surprising. Nevertheless, it is more frugal than the Galaxy Tab A8.
The included power adapter fully recharges the tablet within about four and a half hours.
| Off / Standby |   0.01 / 0.08 Watt |
| Idle |  1.44 / 3.87 / 3.91 Watt |
| Load |
7.1 / 8.88 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Teclast T40 Pro 7000 mAh | Teclast T40 Plus 6600 mAh | Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 7040 mAh | Lenovo Tab P11 Plus 7700 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 46% | -6% | 28% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 1.44 | 1.11 23% | 1.19 17% | 1.4 3% |
| Idle Average * | 3.87 | 1.13 71% | 4.63 -20% | 1.6 59% |
| Idle Maximum * | 3.91 | 1.62 59% | 4.68 -20% | 1.9 51% |
| Load Average * | 7.1 | 4.01 44% | 7.27 -2% | 5.3 25% |
| Load Maximum * | 8.88 | 5.94 33% | 9.17 -3% | 8.7 2% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption: Geekbench (150 cd/m²)
Power Consumption: GFXBench (150 cd/m²)
Battery Life
The Teclast's battery runtimes are very good in our practical Wi-Fi test with adjusted display brightness (150 cd/m²) and the tablet lasts for over 13 hours.
The runtime gain is not too lush compared to the Plus model, but clear advantage over the Samsung tablet becomes apparent.
| Teclast T40 Pro 7000 mAh | Teclast T40 Plus 6600 mAh | Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022 7040 mAh | Lenovo Tab P11 Plus 7700 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -6% | -16% | 1% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 806 | 758 -6% | 679 -16% | 814 1% |
| Reader / Idle | 1973 | 1798 | ||
| H.264 | 824 | 993 | ||
| Load | 230 | 194 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Good tablet with LTE for everyday use
The Teclast T40 Pro feels more expensive than the T40 Plus, especially due to its aluminum unibody. The display is not perfectly calibrated, but it is completely sufficient for everyday tasks and the decent system speed underlines these ambitions. With the integrated LTE modem, the user can be independent of the domestic WLAN and the tablet also convinced with long battery runtimes.
Teclast nominally offers a good overall package with the T40 Pro, but the insecure update policy and the lack of DRM certification can be exclusion criteria
While we criticized the missing ambient light sensor in the T40 Plus, it is now available in the Pro tablet. However, this affects the maximum brightness because the panel became darker. We would have preferred to do without the sensor-based control.
An FM receiver is a very useful accessory, but a suitable audio jack adapter would certainly have been useful in the scope of delivery. The tablet has to put up with criticism in terms of GPS navigation, which was practically unusable in the test. A satellite fix takes forever and is not very stable.
Strong alternatives are the Lenovo Tab P11 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 (2022) however, they cost a bit more or offer a lower performance range.
Price and availability
The Teclast T40 Pro is available among others at Amazon and AliExpress offered. The manufacturer does not have its own store, but also links to other retailers.
Teclast T40 Pro
- 03/09/2022 v7 (old)
Daniel Schmidt
Price comparison
