Teclast P80 Pro: is a 99$ tablet worth buying?

The Teclast TPad P80 Pro is an 8" Android tablet for just under 100$.

Main Features of the Teclast P80 Pro:

● Operating System: Android 7.0
● CPU: MTK8163 Quad Core @ 1.3Ghz
● GPU: Mali-T720
● 8.0 inch 10-point IPS 1920x1200 Resolution WUXGA
● 2GB RAM + 32GB eMMC ROM
● TF Card Expansion - up to 128GB
● Dual Cameras: 0.3MP front camera and 2.0MP rear camera
● Micro HDMI output
● Dual WiFi 2.4GHz/5.0GHz, 802.11b/g/n
● GPS
● Bluetooth: 4.0
● Battery: 5300mAh
● Weight: 360gr

Design: 
The tablet comes in one colour: champagne!  (also called "gold")
It is mostly made of plastic, but the aluminium back and the 360gr weight contribute positively in the "quality perception".
The volume rocker is above the power button which is the exact opposite of what I'm used to.
There's no notification LED.

Connectivity:

Dual band Wi-Fi with good range and stability, GPS... not the fastest but it works, and Bluetooth 4.0 worked well with wireless speakers and game controller tested.

The micro-HDMI output was unexpected and a nice plus.

Display:
The IPS display provides a bright and sharp 1920x1200 picture. There's no brightness sensor so the level must be adjusted manually.
The screen itself feels plasticky and tends to keep the fingerprints. I can't tell if the provided screen protection would have helped because mine completely peeled off along with the discardable upper layer.

Cameras:
The proper words to qualify these cameras are really not family-friendly, so instead I'll just say these are the worst I've seen since 2013 and the tablet would have been better off without them.

Not only the resolutions are ridiculously low - 0.3MP (front) and 2.0MP (rear) - but the rear camera does not even have the autofocus!
Click on the 2 masterpieces below for a full size view...



Sound:
Speakers are loud all right, but not the kind of pleasant loud. There's not much bass and the plastic case makes a bad resonance chamber.
Both speakers are located on the bottom, which becomes the right side when held in landscape mode, which means you won't enjoy any stereo effect when watching a movie.

Performance:
Geekbench 4.0 score: Multi 1583/ Single 601...well, no comment.

Luckily, that hardly ever tells the real life experience and the games I tested (Beach Buggy and Riptide) played smoothly, just don't expect it to take the heaviest games with max graphic settings. 

The clean Android 7.0 is allows for lag-free browsing with stable network connectivity.

Testing the FC30 gamepad.

Battery: 
5300mAh is decent for this kind of tablet and it seems to achieve the claimed
5 hours video playing time. It charges in about 2 hours.

Conclusions: 
The good points of this model are the HD display, the HDMI output, the decent 32GB storage, and a reasonably recent Android 7.0 free of bloatware.

The Teclast P80 Pro is what you can get today for 99$ (~85€) and I was in fact expecting something far worse than that.

The plastic feel of the touch screen and the outdated cameras are the constant reminders of the low price tag.

While it's not a gaming tablet, the performance of the Mediatek MT8163 is adequate for most tasks and the P80 Pro represents a good value for money if you mostly plan to browse the web, watch movies ...and don't need a good camera!

Pros
Clean Android 7
Good HD display
Micro-HDMI output
No major flaw

Cons
Terrible low resolution cameras w/o AF

The plastic screen surface is a fingerprint magnet

If your budget allows it, I recommend a slightly more expensive tablet, like the Lenovo P8, for a better experience.

Special thanks to Leah @ Gearbest.com
for providing me with this sample!