This ultra-durable Android tablet can handle drops, bumps, and long hours of work

Key points of ZDNET

• the Oukitel RT8 tablet available now for $359.99
• With outstanding battery life, a bright display that can be used in all lighting conditions, and great performance, this budget-friendly tablet should be on everyone’s list.
• It’s heavy and contains some apps that you might want to remove.

Let me prepare for this. I have received Oukitel RT8 tablet over a month ago. As soon as it arrived, I unboxed it, set it up, charged it, used it for a bit, then set it aside. Since the release date is quite far from the day I received it (and I have other devices to review) using the tablet had to be a low priority.

Last weekend, when I took the RT8 out of the box, I thought I would have to recharge it before trying it again before reviewing. Imagine my surprise when the battery was still at 47% — after a month in the box.

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I know, I know… the tablet is in standby mode so the battery drain is understandably low. But I have other tablets that were lucky enough to last a week on standby. One particular Android tablet I use for my teleprompter never drains the battery to 0% if I leave it on standby for a week.

And then there’s this Oukitel RT8 that can stay on standby for a month and still have almost half of its charge left. If battery life is important to you, that should get your attention.

specifications

Oukitel is more than just batteries. Full specifications for this tablet are:

• 20,000mAh battery with UN38.3 / MSDS / Air transport / Marine transport certification
• 11-inch 2K display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with 500 nits brightness
• CPU – MediaTek Helio G99, 6 nm (Antutu score up to 430,000)
• GPU – ARM Mali-G57 MC2
• 6GB physical RAM with 256GB storage
• Quad Camera – 32 MP front, 48 MP main camera, 20 MP night vision, 5MP macro
• Hardware certification – CE(IEC62133 / ROHS / SAR) / FCC, IP68, IP69K, MIL-STD-810H
• IP68 rating (maximum depth of 1.5 m in water for up to 30 minutes)
• Rated for temperatures from -49 degrees F to 167 degrees F.
• Includes removable stand and hand strap
• Weight – 996.7 g
• Supports two SIMs
• Connectivity – Supports WIFI 5,802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G+5G), Bluetooth BT5.1

My experience

I have tested other Oukitel (such as OT5 tablets and WP33 phone) and have always found them to be solid devices, capable of withstanding serious blows while performing like champions. They may not include top-of-the-line CPUs, but performance never fails to impress. The RT8 falls into this same category and does not disappoint.

Of course, for me, the biggest draw is the battery life, which is impressive on a level I’ve never seen in a tablet. Besides the battery, the next thing that impressed me about this tablet is the bright and sharp display in all lighting conditions. Even in the afternoon sunlight of a bright spring day, I had no problem viewing the screen.

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To see how the tablet works, I installed it Gemini (Google’s AI-powered replacement for the Assistant) and it doesn’t miss a beat. Even with a non-flagship CPU, the RT8 is fully capable of handling text and image-based tasks. I would put this CPU just below the Snapdragon 695, which means it should have no problem running games with fairly smooth frame rates.

The only possible caveat is the limited RAM (12 total, including 6 physical and 6 virtual). Out of the box, the RT8 uses only the physical RAM that I used during the first few days of testing. I then enabled the Expand Memory option (found in Settings) and noticed a noticeable difference in performance. This option is only recommended if you have a lot of internal storage space. I do not recommend turning this feature on if you have used up more than 80% of the internal memory. But again, your mileage may vary.

Another interesting option, DuraSpeed, claims to increase foreground app performance by limiting background apps and (possibly) postponing notifications. That feature is enabled by default, and you can allow certain apps to continue running in the background (if needed).

Finally, one of the aspects of this tablet that I really appreciate is the included kickstand, which is very sturdy. Once you get it up, you’ll feel confident that it won’t fall over. This beats the folding lids that serve as stands that rarely hold up.

ZDNET Buying Tips

Of all the Android tablets I’ve tested over the years, Oukitel RT8 perhaps the most impressive. Yes, it’s big and heavy. No, it may not be the fastest tablet on the market. No, it doesn’t support Android 14 (yet). However, between the battery life, display, above-average performance, and low introductory price, the Oukitel RT8 is a superior device that should serve you well for a while, especially if you use those devices are in less than ideal conditions. situation.