Teclast X98 Plus Dual OS

I was looking for an affordable dual OS tablet with good specifications: quick processor, enough storage (go for 64Gb if you want to have a dual OS tablet!), HDMI output and a good battery life. I stumbled upon the brand Teclast. They have different models, I decided to go for the X98 Plus. It has a better processor and more memory than the X98 Air III. The latest version of the X98 Air III has only a Z3735F, 32GB storage and 2GB memory. The X98 Plus, however, has a Z3200, 64GB and 4GB memory.

Here a short review/first test of the Teclast X98 Plus Dual OS (Windows 10 and Android 5.1).

Specifications

• Brand & Model: Teclast X98 Plus (A5C8)
• Display: 9.7 Inch 2048*1536 IPS capacitive touch screen
• Operating system: Windows 10 + Android 5.1
• CPU: Intel Cherry Trail Z8300 Quad Core 1.84GHz CPU
• GPU: Intel HD Graphics Gen8
• Storage: 4GB LPDDR3 RAM + 64GB eMMC ROM, TF card supports 128GB max
• Cameras: Front 2.0MP + Rear 5.0MP OV Lens with AF
• Others: Bluetooth 4.0/WiFi/Micro HDMI/WiDi
• Battery: Li-ion battery, 30400mWh
• Dimension: 240x169x7.9mm
• Weight: 510g

Buying

I bought the Teclast X98 Plus at Geekbuying, but you can get it also from other webshops like Gearbest, Aliexpress, Tinydeal, Banggood... Watch out for special deals and look at the expected processing and shipping time. Some shops do not have the product in stock. If you live in Europe it makes sense to go for a local warehouse deal to avoid import tax discussions.

Shipping/Taxes

In my case, the device was shipped via DHL from Geekbuying Hong Kong to Austria. The processing time was 7 work days which is OK. The shipping was incredibly fast: The tablet left Hong Kong on a Thursday and I received it on Tuesday the week after - so only 4 working days.

The tax declaration for the device showed a value of 40$, in my home country Austria a "statistical value" of 97€ is taken instead. The import tax is 20% of this statistical value. In addition, DHL asked for a fee of 12€ for handling the tax. A bit strange, but at least the shipping in general was free and very quick.

Packaging & what is included

I had some experiences let's say "not so great" with packages from China. This one was wrapped safely, the packaging was not damaged.
In the box you'll find the tablet, a Micro USB to USB cable, a USB cable for charging and a power plug including an adapter fitting to your local plug.

Booting

When booting the device, you can choose between Windows and Android. There is a countdown timer: After 10 seconds your last selected OS will be booted.

Android

Based on my first tests I must say that the overall experience regarding performance is great. Browsing the web, using Google maps, streaming HD videos from a NAS box and other typical things you do on a tablet work perfectly. I am not a gamer, so I have not tested any video games.

Here are some other findings:

• A Teclast specific launcher is installed which is not too bad on first sight. However, if you want to switch the launcher to e.g. Google Now, you can do so. Do not forget to reboot your device. Otherwise the Google Now launcher is not available in the settings.
• Teclast provides an OTA app. One update was available to be installed.
• After updating Google Service, the Google Play Store was crashing when I tried to search for an app. If you experience the same, update the tablet via the OTA app. If you still have issues, try to uninstall updates for Google Services by going to it via the Settings / Apps. After that, try to install them again. A reboot of the tablet in between helps.
• I did not experience any heat problems even after using the tablet for hours.
• So far, battery performance is great. I already read it before buying the tablet that the X98 Plus is awesome in this aspect. EDIT: After some weeks using the tablet, I am not so enthusiastic about the battery anymore. In general it is OK (around 5-6 hours when you have the screen on), but the battery drains relatively quick in standby mode. I will do some more testing about it.
• Internal storage is often a topic for Android devices (see also my other articles about Himedia H8). In this case, the internal storage does not seem to be limited. The split between Windows and Android is about 50:50. So you should have plenty enough storage available to install apps.

• The sound quality of the device is the only negative aspect so far. It is loud enough but lacks in bass. Obviously you cannot expect perfect audio from tablet speakers, but I have seen devices handling way better than the X98 Plus.
• To switch to Windows you have two options: There is a separate "app" on the launcher or use the main hardware power button. The "reboot to Windows" takes about 30-45 seconds.
• Unfortunately I currently experience random reboots in Android. I am not quite sure what is causing them and will have a closer look at it.

Windows

Having Windows available as well in case I need it was a main reason why I bought this tablet. However, Android will still be my primary selection.

• Yes, it is a licensed version of Windows 10.
• The experience of Windows on a 9.7" screen is better than I expected it.
• The overall performance is good I would say. However, if you compare for instance Google Maps in Chrome on Win10 to the Google Maps app on Android, the latter works more smoothly.
• You can switch easily between Windows 10 tablet and normal mode by swiping from the right border.

Accessories

I don't have it in my hands yet, but I have ordered the following:

• Case + screen protection, touch pen and USB OTG cable
• Micro HDMI to HDMI adapter

More information

The guys at Techtablets (http://techtablets.com/) do an incredible job testing and reviewing Chinese tablets. You will find a lot of information there, not only about the Teclast X98.