Looking for an Android tablet that can stream media, access social networks and online shopping, but won't break the bank?

You'll find the selection is big. The low-end tablet market is overflowing with low-cost imports from China, so much so that it can be hard to choose the right one. The Dragon Touch NotePad Max10 is one such example, a 10-inch tablet that should fulfil your mobile entertainment needs.

What Do You Get in the Box?

Shipping in a smart yet modest white box, the DragonTouch NotePad Max10 arrives with just two other items: a mains adaptor, and USB type-C cable.

Sufficient packaging is provided to ensure the tablet is safely shipped. Meanwhile, the device is wrapped in a dust bag and features a screen protector already applied. This is not the best quality protector, however; it is flimsy, and feels cheap to the touch. Consider a tougher replacement.

The tablet should come pre-charged. If not, it will only take a couple of hours to get it charged up enough to use.

DragonTouch Max10 Tablet Specification

Boasting a 10.1-inch IPS touch display with slightly higher than HD resolution (1920x1200 pixels) the Max10 is a pleasant-looking tablet. Lightweight, the build quality is good for the price. Dual 1-watt speakers can be found along the bottom edge, side, while the power and volume buttons are on the upper-right, near the USB-C power and data port. You'll also find a 3.5mm headphone port here.

Supporting up to 128GB of expansion, the microSD slot can be found on the "top" side, to the right of the camera as it faces you, again close to the USB-C port. The microSD slot is tricky to open so your card should remain safe. Some cheap tablets are prone to accidental ejection, so this is a reassuring build feature.

At the heart of this device is a 64-bit Octa-Core high-performance processor. The reviewed device has 3GB of RAM, although 2GB versions are available. There is 32GB of on-board storage.

You can connect the Max10 to 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks (802.11 b/g/n/ac), and the device also has GPS capability. This model does not support mobile internet, however. Bluetooth 4.0 is included, along with a built-in microphone.

The tablet features a Li-poly rechargeable battery which can last for several days with occasional use. For intensive usage, however, the tablet can handle eight hours of music, five hours of video, and five hours of web browsing.

Get to Grips With Stock Android 9.0

Once booted up, the Max10 presents a basic, stripped down, pure Android 9.0 experience. You'll find a handful of preinstalled apps alongside the usual Google tools: Chrome, Play, Drive, Calendar, Maps, Photos, YouTube, Search, Duo.

There is also a built-in screen recorder (used to capture footage for this review) and sound recorder.

The fact that the tablet uses stock Android is a bit of a relief. It's somewhat unbelievable that after more than 10 years of Android, device manufacturers can't resist the temptation to mess around with the user interface. Sony and Samsung usually get away with it. Most others struggle. We've seen a few Android slates with poorly conceived UIs, so extra points to DragonTouch for resisting the trend.

Using the DragonTouch Max10

As with any new tablet, you'll need to set it up with an account out of the box. If you already have a Google account you use on Android, this is ideal. With the device connected to Wi-Fi, a new account can also be created.

Our review unit was a little out of sorts on first boot. First of all, it bore the "Safe Mode" notice in the bottom-left corner, despite apparently booting normally. Second, setup ignored the regional settings. The result: incorrect time and an inability to install apps.

This is really basic stuff, so it's a surprise to see a tablet shipping with avoidable issues.

Upon boot, the tablet has a pretty annoying buzz and chime combination. You can live with it, but it's smarter to just disable one or both.

Getting the Max10 online is effortless, however, so a quick start is otherwise guaranteed.

Video Streaming, Social Media, and Gaming

The DragonTouch is promoted as being designed for "an improved entertainment experience" so you should expect to be able to "video chat, play games, watch movies & TV series" as well as do your online shopping and social media.

So along with Facebook and Instagram, you should be able to enjoy Netflix, Prime, YouTube, all of the usual activities.

How does this work out in practice?

We've all tried mayny substandard tablets. Devices that feel good to hold, promise much, but fail to deliver smooth video and games, and struggle with productivity.

The DragonTouch Max10 is not one of those. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease with which this tablet streamed video and played games. Other common tasks such as reading and online shopping were also effortless.

So, I was able to play my favorite game of the moment: a remake of Atari's Missile Command. I read books (using Kindle, PDF, and ePub via the included eBook reader app); watched YouTube and movies on Prime; and basically used the Max10 as I would my own Samsung tablet. Ergonomic and audio/video resolution aside, there was little difference in the experience.

The front (5.0MP) and back (8.0MP) cameras, meanwhile, are nothing awesome, but produce images that are good enough to share. Video recorded with the Max10 is again adequate, and the front camera is suitable for video calls.

Just don't expect 4K resolution.

While this tablet might feel cheap and is clearly a budget device, it's difficult to spot any notable difference with a top end Android slate. That's pretty significant if you need a good tablet but don't have the funds for a top or mid-range Samsung.

Benchmarking the DragonTouch Max10

To judge where this tablet sits in terms of performance, we installed a benchmarking app. This is software designed to test various metrics such as memory, GPU, and RAM speed.

Tested with GeekBench 5, the DragonTouch Max10 doesn't feature any hidden surprises. With a single-core score of 146 and multi-core at 754, it is demonstrably slower than the popular top end phones and tablets. But for the price, that's exactly what you would expect.

Ultimately, these results aren't a huge surprise. If you want a faster tablet, you'll need to increase your budget.

Is the DragonTouch Max10 a Tablet You Should Buy?

With such a large choice of tablets on the market, selecting the one you'll be satisfied with can be tough. Better value tablets are easier on your wallet but skimp on the features found on high-end devices.

Given the price, you might consider the DragonTouch Max10 for a child. We'd suggest an older child, with the device protected by a rubber case and screen protector. Build-wise, the chassis doesn't feel like it can cope with the rough and tumble dealt out by younger kids. Performance-wise, it's ideal for younger users.

At the time of writing, this tablet ships with Android 9 preinstalled, with support for the latest apps and games. It streams video in high definition, connectivity is reliable, and it offers a positive overall tablet experience. No, there's no 4K video, Gorilla Glass display, or awesome camera, but it delivers a basic tablet experience with no obvious usability issues.

At a similar price point to the Amazon Fire HD 10, with comparable features, this is a 10-inch tablet that can give you an Amazon tablet-like experience (with the appropriate apps installed) without buying into the Amazon ecosphere. That alone is reason to consider the DragonTouch Max10.