I put this NAS through 2,500 hours of testing and 50TB of writes — it's the only one I trust with my data

As I write this, I have 78 devices connected to my home network, including phones, tablets, Windows machines, Android TVs, way too many Govee lights, and other smart home tech. The most important device, however, is my network-attached storage (NAS) system; it houses all my data, acts as my media and music server, and essentially runs my smart home.

So when it comes to selecting a new NAS, I'm exacting in my needs. I'm still using the 100TB home server I set up two years ago with the DiskStation DS1823xs+, but I wanted a new NAS solely as a media server, and there was an obvious choice: UGREEN's DXP4800 Pro.

I tested the DXP4800 Pro when it came out, and it became clear to me that it is a powerful Plex NAS. After the review, I slotted in two 24TB Seagate Exos X24 along with two 22TB IronWolf Pro NAS HDDs, and began transferring media and installing all the utilities and services I rely on every day.

How I tested the DXP4800 Pro

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

After three and a half months of extensive testing — totaling well over 2,500 hours of use — streaming 4K Plex content on well over a dozen devices, and writing 54TB of data to the drives, I can state with confidence that the DXP4800 Pro is the best all-round media server you can buy in 2026. I'll go into plenty of detail about how I tested the NAS over the last three months, but before I get started, here's a high-level overview of the hardware.

The DXP4800 Pro is a 4-bay NAS with the best internals in its class. It's powered by an Intel Core i3-1315U and has hardware transcoding (ideal for Plex and Jellyfin), 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and a 2.5 Gigabit connection, 8GB of memory, a 128GB built-in SSD, and two NVMe M.2 SSD slots. The Intel Core i3-1315U platform is a solid choice for NAS servers, and it's no surprise that most manufacturers are using it in their enthusiast models. The DXP4800 Pro is available for $719 on Amazon, and you can also buy it on UGREEN's site.

Putting the DXP4800 Pro through its paces

I started testing the DXP4800 Pro by installing UGOS Pro, UGREEN's web-based software. It has come a long way in the last 12 months and is now at a point where you don’t feel like you’re missing out on any of the basics. After installation, I created a storage pool with the four drives; I recommend using a mirrored configuration if you’re looking to set up a NAS, as that way you’ll maintain data integrity should a drive fail. As I had this data in at least two other locations (I’m obsessive about storage), I just went with JBOD.

(Image credit: Future)

Then came setting up all the services I use, and this constituted the bulk of the testing. I installed Plex and Jellyfin to manage media, an instance of Roon to manage my music library, Immich to handle photos, and Tailscale to access the NAS remotely. While Jellyfin and Home Assistant are listed in UGREEN’s app store, they’re installed as containers anyway, so I just relied on Docker to install everything. It’s easier to manage, and I get better insights into how much system resources each service is using.

I prefer installing utilities like Plex and Jellyfin via Docker. I find these instances more stable, and I get the flexibility to make any configuration changes I need. On that note, the 8GB of pre-installed memory makes a big difference. Even with eight services running 24/7 within containers, I had 3.2GB of usable RAM left, with enough headroom to run a VM by allocating 2GB of memory.

That said, I subsequently installed a 16GB DRAM module, boosting the memory to 24GB and giving me much better headroom to work with VMs and other containers. Even if you don't want to go this route, know that the built-in 8GB of memory is more than adequate for most homelab hobby projects.

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

I took ten days to move the data to the DXP4800 Pro, transferring over 54TB in that time. I was conservative in this regard, as I didn’t want to transfer the entire dataset in one go, and I used rsync to move each category — photos, music, documents, and media — individually. A big chunk of that was my music production library that includes VST instruments and their associated media.

I connected the DS1823xs+ to the DXP4800 Pro using a 10GbE switch to take full advantage of the 10GbE connectivity available on both servers, and I was able to saturate the NAS HDDs' bandwidth quite easily. I got close to the 280MB/s maximum bandwidth of the Exos X24 and IronWolf Pro drives, and I saw aggregate transfers hit as high as 580MB/s — both NAS systems could easily handle six times that bandwidth, so this wasn't a problem at all. This was while moving bigger files; images and documents generally transferred at a much more modest average of around 120MB/s.

Thermal management can become an issue with sustained file transfers, and thankfully, it didn’t prove to be a problem on the DXP4800 Pro. The 140mm fan was effective at moving heat away from the internals, and the drives didn’t exceed 48 degrees Celsius.

What I like about Seagate's NAS HDDs is that they’re designed to run 24/7, and they come with unique features like vibration resistance, which is necessary in a NAS system.

But more than anything else, it’s long-term reliability that matters. While the drives I used in the DXP4800 Pro have now clocked just under 3,000 hours (I still count that as almost new), I've had several IronWolf Pro HDDs in the last decade that have clocked over 50,000 hours of usage, and I haven’t run into any issues with any of these drives yet (thankfully).

(Image credit: Future)

After the data transfer came the real test: media streaming. I used Plex predominantly, and the DXP4800 Pro delivered three high-bitrate 4K transcodes simultaneously, which is no small feat. Hardware-assisted transcoding via the built-in Intel Quick Sync platform is limited to Plex Pass users, and if you have older client devices like an early-gen iPad, this feature will come in handy.

However, most newer devices have the requisite media containers and codecs to play media files, so you don't actually need to transcode content most of the time — outside of testing how the NAS holds up in this area, I only had to rely on direct play. That said, if your video is encoded using H.265 and you have a TV or streamer that can't handle the codec, it will need to be transcoded to H.264 to play on the client device, and all of this is done automatically.

The verdict is clear

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

After playing dozens of hours of footage via Plex and Jellyfin over the last three months, it became clear that the DXP4800 Pro is the best 4-bay Plex NAS.

I did notice higher-than-usual power draw in general, with the NAS idling at 24—28W, going up to 60W when the drives are in use, and exceeding 85W under load. There is plenty of headroom, though, given that you get a 150W power brick, so this is not a problem as such. Averaged over three months, the power usage was well within the limits of a powerful 4-bay server, so I didn't worry about it too much.

Overall, the DXP4800 Pro is without a doubt one of the best 4-bay NAS servers around. The combination of powerful hardware and UGREEN's sensible software choices gives it a leg up over its rivals, and after extensive testing, it has consistently proven to be reliable, which is what I look for the most in a media server.

Ugreen

DXP4800 Pro

The DXP4800 Pro does everything I want in a Plex NAS, and if you need a new media server, this is the one I recommend.

I let two AI apps track every bite I ate for three days straight to help me count calories and get back into shape. Here's the most accurate one

I went snorkeling a few weeks ago, and it was an eye-opener to just how sedentary my lifestyle has gotten. I have been meaning to get back into shape after completely letting myself go in recent years, and what better way to do that than to start maintaining a food diary on my phone?

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of fitness and wellness apps on the Play Store, but I wanted to kick things off with something easy to use consistently. BitePal and SnapCalorie are two AI calorie-tracking apps that stood out because they both advertise the same thing: take a picture of your food, and the app will log all your calories and macros. Sounds easy enough!

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

As someone who has never followed a diet plan before, I needed an app that could do the thinking and planning for me, in addition to the tracking. I am the antonym of a gym rat; a home cat, if you will. I decided to spend three days logging everything I consumed as well as my activity data on both apps to help me decide which one would be better in the long run.

Both apps offer the same features at their cores. You can choose the kind of lifestyle you lead, set a goal weight, choose your pace, and the app will use its nutritional database to spit out a diet plan for you to follow, giving you your target macros to hit daily.

You can connect your Google Health data to both apps, so it logs not only your food and water intake but also factors in your activities and workouts. You can also record your workouts and activity info manually if you want.

Reface Lithuania

Perception Labs Inc.

I like BitePal because it gamifies the entire food-tracking experience and takes the diet plan a step further, including step-by-step recipes that fit your daily goals. The app has a cute virtual pet raccoon that you can name yourself, and based on how well or poorly you're meeting your fitness plan goals, the pet's health fluctuates daily. The entire UI is colorful and fun, but the free plan limits the number of food picture scans, meal tracking, nutritional advice, and pet-related features.

SnapCalorie is a more traditional fitness app with a straightforward UI, which can be boring, but it offers free users unlimited access to food logging tools and features, including barcode scanning and recipe creation and logging. Its AI food photo capture requires you to describe the food in a few words, which helps the AI analyze it more accurately and yield better results. It takes some time to process, but I found it much more accurate than BitePal.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

From homemade meals like goat meat biryani to foreign drinks such as Kinza Cola, SnapCalorie was shockingly able to recognize food items a lot better than BitePal. I had to just settle for the closest item BitePal could find, such as substituting the lesser known soda with Sprite. Clearly, the AI picture analyzing tool on SnapCalorie does more extensive research.

I know I can manually add the calories and nutritional values of the items unrecognized by BitePal, but that just defeats the purpose of using an AI food logging app. The entire reason why I want to rely on an app is so I don't have to measure everything I put in my body and go looking for its nutritional info.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

When I forgot to record an iced coffee I drank, I used a screenshot of the app I ordered it from and used that on both apps. SnapCalorie found the exact coffee from the specific cafe I ordered it from, pulled the calorie and nutritional info from the internet, and logged it in my food diary. It was amazingly easy!

BitePal couldn't even clock that the iced coffee had milk in it, let alone find the exact drink. Instead, I resorted to manually typing out that additional info once the app created the wrong record based on the screenshot of the coffee. Even though you can edit the name of the food once the AI creates a record based on the image, BitePal lacks the smarts to identify the item properly.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

The verdict is in...

After three days of extensive food logging on both apps, I have decided to stick with SnapCalorie for long-term use. The fact that it can recognize foods from different cultures and parts of the world is a vital feature. It also offers all of the most important features of the app with the free basic version.

I can see BitePal being a kid-friendly fitness app, though parents will have to be prepared to pay for it. It's an exciting and interactive way to teach children about the importance of eating clean, consuming the right amount of fiber, calories, and fats in a day, and staying hydrated. Parents can even connect their child's Google Health data from the Fitbit Ace LTE or whatever fitness watch their kids use. The pet raccoon is adorable, and the entire layout and UI are so well done. I just wish the AI food recognition was better, because that's the main purpose of the app.

Interestingly enough, when I was first setting up BitePal and SnapCalorie, both gave me different timelines for me to achieve my goal weight even though I chose the exact same pace, with SnapCalorie giving an earlier date to achieve my target. Based on how much more extensive SnapCalorie's food library and analysis seem to be, I'll be trusting it to help me achieve my goal.

SnapCalorie

Create a diet plan to reach your health and fitness goals and track everything, from the food and drinks you consume to your physical activity, all in one app. Calorie tracking is as easy as taking a picture of your food and hitting save!

Free w/IAP: Google Play Store

I put my Pixel phones through a strenuous 24-hour battery life test to see if they hold up as well as they should, and the winner might surprise you

The Google Pixel 11 series is almost here, and while this year's lineup isn't expected to bring any groundbreaking upgrades over the Pixel 10 series, there are still a few notable improvements on the way, including a new MediaTek modem and Google's first 2nm Tensor G6 chipset.

But new smartphone launches aren't just about what's coming next. They're also a good opportunity to look back at the phones we already own and ask an important question: Is it actually worth upgrading?

For many people, that decision comes down to one thing more than anything else: battery life. A phone can still be fast, take great photos, and receive software updates, but once the battery starts struggling to last through the day, it's much easier to justify buying something new.

Google's Pixel phones haven't exactly built a reputation for class-leading battery life, but the company has steadily increased battery capacities over the past few generations while introducing new battery health features designed to preserve long-term battery performance.

So ahead of the Pixel 11 launch, I wanted to see how well recent Pixel batteries have actually held up.

How I set up my battery test

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / Android Central)

To find out, I picked up three different Pixel phones: the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro, and the Pixel 10 Pro.

The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro both feature a 4,700mAh battery alongside Google's Tensor G4 processor, while the Pixel 10 Pro packs a slightly larger 4,870mAh cell and the newer Tensor G5, built on a more efficient 3nm process. On paper, the Pixel 10 Pro should have the advantage. It has the newest battery, the largest capacity, and the newest chipset.

The Pixel 9 series is now roughly two years old, while the Pixel 10 Pro has been my primary Android phone for around a year. That makes this a good comparison to see how Pixel batteries hold up over time.

To keep things as fair as possible, I updated all three phones to the latest Android 17 version available, connected them to the same Wi-Fi network, charged each device to 100%, set the displays to roughly the same brightness, and looped the same YouTube video on all until they eventually ran out of battery.

Of course, a continuous video playback test isn't a perfect representation of how people use their phones every day. But it does give every device an identical workload, making it one of the fairest ways to compare battery performance across multiple phones.

How do older Pixel batteries hold up?

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / Android Central)

I kicked off the test at around 5:45 p.m. with all three phones sitting at 100%.

For the first couple of hours, there was virtually nothing separating them. Each phone dropped by around 8%, leaving all three sitting at roughly 92%.

The first meaningful difference didn't appear until around the four-hour mark. By then, both the Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 Pro had dropped to 83%, while the Pixel 9 Pro held a slight lead at 85%.

That trend continued for most of the test. Six hours in, the Pixel 9 sat at 74%, the Pixel 10 Pro at 73%, and the Pixel 9 Pro at 75%. In other words, there was only a two-percentage-point gap between all three phones despite the difference in age.

Battery life test

Time	Pixel 9	Pixel 9 Pro	Pixel 10 Pro
5:45pm	100%	100%	100%
9:45pm	83%	85%	83%
11:45pm	74%	75%	73%
11:00am (next day)	12%	16%	13%
1:08pm	0%	3%	1%
1:17pm	0%	2%	0%
1:41pm	0%	0%	0%

As the test stretched into the following morning, the gap widened slightly. At around 11 a.m., the Pixel 9 had dropped to 12%, while the Pixel 10 Pro sat at 13%. The Pixel 9 Pro continued to hold onto a small lead at 16%.

The Pixel 9 was the first phone to die at 1:08 p.m. At that point, the Pixel 9 Pro still had around 3% remaining, while the Pixel 10 Pro had just 1% left.

The Pixel 10 Pro eventually shut down at 1:17 p.m., followed by the Pixel 9 Pro at around 1:41 p.m., lasting almost 20 hours from the start of the test.

So what do these results actually tell us?

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

On paper, the Pixel 10 Pro should have comfortably led the pack. It has the newest battery, the largest capacity, and the Tensor G5 chip, which is built on a more efficient manufacturing process. Yet throughout the test, it remained remarkably close to the two-year-old Pixel 9 series and ultimately finished behind the Pixel 9 Pro.

To me, that's actually a positive sign for older Pixel owners. Despite nearly two years of use, the Pixel 9 Pro kept pace with Google's newer flagship throughout almost the entire test and even managed to outlast it in the end.

One battery test obviously doesn't tell the whole story. Real-world battery life depends on everything from network conditions and screen brightness to the apps you use every day.

Still, I think the results are encouraging. While Pixel phones may not lead the Android market in outright battery life, Google's recent efforts to improve long-term battery health appear to be paying off.

Based on this test, older Pixel batteries seem to be holding up surprisingly well. So if battery life is the only reason you're considering an upgrade, there may not be enough here to justify switching to the Pixel 11 when it arrives next week.

How to get a free pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses (Gen 2) with an AT&T internet plan — yes, it's real

TL;DR: AT&T will give you a free pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (Gen 2) when you sign up for the 5 GIG fiber internet plan. You'll also get a free $200 reward card.

Fiber internet plans can get pretty expensive, which is why providers like AT&T are eager to provide discounts and free gifts that will soften the blow. Sign up for the 5 GIG internet plan, for instance, and the legendary carrier will give you a free pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (Gen 2), just for kicks. Sign up online and you'll also be eligible for a $200 reward card. 

Ray-Ban Meta glasses (Gen 2): $379 FREE with 5 GIG internet plan at AT&T Fiber

Sign up for AT&T Fiber with the 5 GIG plan and you'll get a free pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses (Gen 2) within 5-7 days following installation and redemption of the offer. Only new customers are eligible, but it's a great way to get our favorite smart glasses for free while also enjoying some of the fastest internet speeds in the biz. View Deal

The internet plan in question starts at $135 per month, but you can drop that price to as little as $70 per month by using AutoPay, paying in advance, and/or bundling the service with one of AT&T's phone plans. You get the free smart glasses either way. 

It doesn't hurt that the 5 GIG tier is AT&T Fiber's best internet plan, with the highest speeds available, advanced VPN and security features, and unlimited Wi-Fi extenders included with your purchase. Sure, fiber internet may not be for everyone, but if you've been planning to upgrade anyway, now's your chance to get one of the industry's best plans AND a great pair of smart glasses in one fell swoop. Just be sure to confirm that fiber is available in your area before you commit. 

(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

We gave the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) a 4.5/5-star rating when we reviewed them last fall, and it isn't hard to see why. These feature-packed smart glasses boast 32GB of onboard storage for photos and videos, plus you get up to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge (up to 48 hours with the charging case), hi-res photo and video capturing, and integrated AI-boosted software features from Meta AI. 

I put this foldable Android phone through the ultimate durability test, and it refuses to die, even after being slathered in mud and tossed in the dishwasher

This past weekend, I ran the muddiest Spartan Race I've ever been on. We're talking knee-deep mud in several places on the course, and no shortage of slippery conditions no matter where you go, which made me wonder: what if I dropped my foldable phone into this kind of nastiness?

Since the Honor Magic V6 sports the highest durability among any phone today (not just foldables), I figured it would be a perfect candidate for such a test. The IP68 and IP69K ratings mean it can withstand all sorts of nonsense, from being submerged for long periods of time to taking a nasty mud bath and being tossed into a hot dishwasher afterward.

The test sounded good on paper, and I was certainly a bit hesitant to put such a wonderful phone through such torture, but the two of us came out all the better for it. Here's how the journey went.

That time I dropped my phone in mud

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

For this test, I went out in my backyard and filled an aluminum cooking pan with dirt, then got it nice and wet with rain barrel water to make a lovely, thick mud. After some hesitation, I dropped the Honor Magic V6 into the mix and got to scrubbing in the worst way possible: with mud. I made sure to get all the ports full of mud, and I even opened the phone to get the inside and the hinge covered, as well.

Afterward, I took it over to the grass to wipe it off a bit and see how well it worked when it was this dirty. After a series of spine-tingling crunches from the hinge as it opened and closed, I took it back over to my rain barrel for a wash-off. I'd rather not have this gunk in my dishwasher, after all, so I might as well clear a bit off before I go inside.

Despite all the abuse, the phone worked perfectly. I even took a few pictures with it before going in. The hinge was still a bit crunchy-sounding by this point, but I figured that would work itself out in the dishwasher. This IP69 rating protects it against water jets and hot water, and it's fully dustproof, so things should be fine, right?

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

I purposefully left plenty of room for the phone on the top, so I left it unfolded, loaded the dishwashing soap into the machine, and hit start. I never use heated dry or the extra hot setting for my dishes, so I also kept those off for this test. The dishwasher gets plenty hot without those settings, so we're still getting a great test here.

After the cycle was about half over, I wanted to make sure the phone was still alive, so I popped it open and gave it a quick test. Everything looked great! Since there was room for another phone in there, I stuck my Honor Magic 8 Pro (no, this article is not sponsored by Honor) in the rack and hit record.

That phone features the IP69K rating, after all. Here's the brief footage it captured before the water clicked the stop button. Make sure to turn your sound DOWN:

Another hour later, and the dishwasher was finally done. A quick pop of the hatch, a waft of steam later, and a brand new phone emerged from the rack. Unsurprisingly, the phone had an alert message about potential overheating, which makes a lot of sense since dishwashers run at 120-140F (48-60C) while running, depending on the cycle.

Despite the warning, the phone never turned off and doesn't seem worse for wear because of it. The glass surfaces all had a bit of soap spots left on them, but a brief wipe from the kitchen towel took care of that.

Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central

Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central

Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central

Unfortunately, rubbing mud on the inner display caused the screen protector to gain a few minor scratches. Thankfully, they only appear when held at a certain angle, so I don't think they'll annoy me too much while using the phone.

The hinge also makes almost no noise when I open and close it now, a bit of an improvement from when it was slathered in mud. I'm going to assume this will continue to work its way out as I use it. Just to make sure everything functioned correctly, I also took a few pictures of my cat using each of the three cameras on the back.

Android Central

Android Central

Android Central

I don't see any debris or water damage on any of the lenses, and the pictures look as flawless as always from this phone. I'd say the Honor Magic V6 passed this rather extreme test with flying colors! I guess Honor wasn't joking when they talked about this one's durability.

Last chance! Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 preorder deal could get you the foldable for as little as $699.99, but you're running out of time

The latest foldable phones from Samsung hit store shelves in just a few days (August 7th), but there are plenty of preorder deals for the folks who don't want to wait to save.

One such offer comes from Samsung itself, where you can score up to $1,200 off the Galaxy Z Fold 8 when you trade in an old or broken device. Don't have anything to trade in? The company will still hook you up with a $200 credit when you order the Z Fold 8 through its site. There are also some bundle discounts up for grabs if you pair your preorder with a Samsung watch. The promotion ends in just a few days, however, so you better act fast if you're interested.

Score up to $1,200 off your Galaxy Z Fold 8 preorder at Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 256GB: $1,899.99 From $699.99 with trade-in at Samsung

Samsung changed things up with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, giving the foldable phone a 16:10 aspect radio that's perfect for reading, streaming, or browsing the web. The innovative device also boasts a powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset with 12GB of RAM, a seven-year software promise, and all of the latest Galaxy AI features.

Buy the phone directly from the source and you'll be eligible for up to $1,200 of trade-in credit, potentially dropping the price of the foldable to as low as $699.99. Skip the trade-in process altogether and you'll still receive a $200 Samsung credit.

Interested in the powerful Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra? Samsung is also running a similar deal on that phone ahead of its August 7th launch. View Deal

What about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8?

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 256GB: $1,199.99 From $599.99 with trade-in at Samsung

Easily one of the best flip phones ever built, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 takes the foundation of last year's Flip 7 and adds a slightly thinner build, a powerful Snapdragon chipset, and the latest Galaxy AI software features.

The iterative upgrades mean that you shouldn't give up on last year's Galaxy Z Flip 7 just yet (if you can find a good deal), but if your heart is set on ordering the 2026 flip phone, you can score up to $600 off by trading in at Samsung. Alternatively, skip the trade-in and you'll score a $150 credit. View Deal

More Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8 deals

TCL's new budget tablet just landed in the US with a surprising launch discount

TL;DR: the TCL Tab A1 Plus NXTPAPER tablet just dropped in the United States, and it already has a $100 discount at Amazon. 

It took a while for TCL to release its newest Android tablet in the United States, but now the Tab A1 Plus NXTPAPER is here with an impressive launch discount in tow. 

For a limited time, you can score $100 off the 256GB device by clipping the coupon on Amazon's product page. If you want to save even more, you can go with the 128GB version and pay as little as $219 for the device (provided you have an Amazon Prime account). 

It's rare for a brand new tablet to receive a straight discount at launch — especially since the Tab A1 Plus was already pretty affordable — but TCL has never been one to play by the rules. 

TCL Tab A1 Plus NXTPAPER 256GB: $399.99 $299.99 with coupon at Amazon

TCL has produced a lot of cheap tablets, but the Tab A1 Plus NXTPAPER might be its greatest creation yet. The device boasts an eye-friendly display with smooth performance and an included stylus, and you can already save $100 by clipping the coupon at Amazon.View Deal

Whether you need a new tablet for Back to School season, a presentation at work, or as a road trip companion, the TCL Tab A1 Plus NXTPAPER is a great pick that won't break the bank. 

Straight out of the box, the device boasts a unique 12.2-inch display that's specifically designed to reduce eye strain, letting you instantly switch into Ink Paper or Color Paper mode as needed. 

The tablet comes with a stylus for drawing and taking notes, a solid Snapdragon processor, and a huge 10,000mAh battery, all of which are rare specs for a device in this price range. You also get stereo speakers, some onboard AI features, and 256GB of storage (up to 2TB when you expand using microSD). 

The Tab A1 Plus may not be the most powerful Android tablet ever built, but if you're concerned about eye strain and you want a device that offers good old-fashioned bang for the buck, it's pretty unmatched. And with a $100 launch discount knocking the price down to only $299.99, the TCL device is really starting to feel like a no-brainer purchase in 2026.