The T1 is a capable laptop design from a new manufacturer. It does not attempt to be particularly smart or a trendsetter, but the system functions well and is extremely economical. If Tecno can deliver this device to the EU and the US while maintaining a cheap price, it will sell.
TECNO MEGABOOK T1: TWO MINUTE REVIEW
While they occasionally surprise us, many laptop manufacturers produce essentially the same products that they did a decade ago, albeit with new stickers.
What is contained within these computers is decided by AMD or Intel, and selling to the business market becomes primarily a pricing exercise.
Tecno is not one of these well-known brands, hence it does not adhere to these golf course regulations. Hence, it does not conform to the standard specifications and pricing offered by Dell, Lenovo, Acer, and other manufacturers.
In Q2 of 2021, the T1 became available with either a Core-i5 or Core-i7 Intel 11th Generation processor. It is based on very modern hardware.
Our evaluation system was equipped with a Core i7-1195G7 processor, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and 512GB of NVMe storage. Those who opt for the Intel Core i5-1155G7 variant will often receive 8GB of RAM but the same SSD storage capacity.
The inside surface and exterior lid are composed primarily of plastic, with a thin metal covering that is pleasant to the touch and relatively simple to clean. But, this is not a laptop for someone who will not take care of it, and it desperately requires a padded case.
The success or failure of such designs is frequently determined by the display, and Techno offered a 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 screen with a high brightness rating of 350 nits that provides accurate colour reproduction. The lack of a touch screen allows for thin side borders and a larger top border that houses a 2MP webcam.
With a width of 36cm, there is sufficient room for a full-sized keyboard with numeric pad and a sizable touchpad. This makes the move from a desktop system easier, and the performance of this machine with its Iris Xe graphics is comparable to that of many 10th Generation desktop processors, if not better.
On the left and right sides of the T1 is a nice and diverse assortment of ports, a common flaw in slim Ultrabook designs. They include an abundance of both types of USB ports, an HDMI output, an audio jack, and a MicroSD card slot.
The only small criticism is that the USB-C port used for charging cannot accommodate an external drive or a phone with the same connector type.
Moreover, to cap off an otherwise excellent specification, Techno equipped the T1 with a 70Wh battery, allowing it to last an entire workday without needing to be plugged in for lunch. Techno estimates 17.5 hours, but your mileage may vary based on your activities.
This machine’s issue is not its quality or design, but rather its availability. At the time of writing, the T1 is only available in the Philippines, and just the Core i5 model for approximately $550.
TECNO MEGABOOK T1: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
This machine was introduced in September 2022 in the Philippines, which appears to be the only location where it is now available. The producers, Tecno, hope to deliver it to the EU in the near future. Nevertheless, the specific timing of this is currently unknown.
We also do not have a price for the Core-i7 version reviewed here, but based on the Core-i5 version with 8GB of RAM’s $550 price, we anticipate that it will cost between $700 and $850.
The T1’s value for money is excellent, or it would be if it were more accessible.
TECNO MEGABOOK T1: DESIGN
- Thin and elegant
- Great keyboard size
- NVMe can be upgraded
Since Apple introduced the MacBook Pro, every laptop manufacturer has scrambled to achieve a slimmer Ultrabook design than ever before.
The difficulty, which Tecno engineers rapidly mastered, is to make it thin, yet sturdy and lightweight enough to be functional.
When opening the system for the first time, this reviewer found the user experience to be really satisfying. The keyboard is fairly spacious, with easily distinguishable keys, and the power button, which doubles as a fingerprint scanner, is positioned in an easily accessible corner.
The touchpad is big, user-friendly, and has a flexible front edge to simulate mouse buttons. Those with prior laptop experience should have no trouble navigating the T1, as nearly everything is in the expected location.
The 1080p display is large and bright, with no viewing angle concerns. It is attached through a hinge that nearly rotates 180 degrees, allowing the T1 to be completely flat. Not sure whether that is beneficial, but it can accomplish the task.
Whereas some manufacturers appear to believe that every port added is a design flaw, Tecno equipped the T1 with a good selection of side-mounted ports.
There are USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI ports, as well as a 3.5mm audio connector and a MicroSD card slot reader. Ethernet is absent because it would be difficult, if not impossible, to install it in a device this thin.
USB-C is used for charging, and a 65W charger is included for this reason.
Having recently examined numerous Lenovo and Toshiba laptops, it was surprising to learn that the T1’s underside lacked a sticker prohibiting entry.
It takes the removal of nine Torx T6 screws and several edge clips to remove the undertray, which is a beautiful design with a large grill that is situated over the warmer components of a running system.
Inside, the design is quite compact, with the 70Wh battery dominating the rest of the system and occupying virtually all of the available space.
While the Memory appears to be soldered, making it practically hard to update, the M.2 NVMe drive is a common 2280 kind that is simple to extract and replace.
TECNO MEGABOOK T1: FEATURES
- Good Platform
- Odd USB choice
- Fingerprint security
The 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1195G7 is the most powerful processor in the Tiger Lake U3 series, which also contains the 1185G7 and 1165G7 models.
Its four cores can throttle between 1.3GHz and 2.0GHz, while a single core can peak to 5GHz before thermal throttling is required.
Maximum power consumption is 28W, while minimum usage is 12W.
The four cores and eight threads are not likely to be overwhelmed by normal Office software workloads, depending on the tasks at hand. The Iris Xe GPU is a substantial advance over Intel’s Graphics HD GPU, which was used for many years.
This platform is more than capable, giving a smooth and responsive user experience, unless you plan to play games, use CAD software, or perform 3D modelling and animation.
One peculiar element of the T1’s ports is that not all USB-C ports are compatible. This refers to the fact that the single connector designated for charging serves no other use. Why do you do this?
Adding to the confusion, connecting the power supply to the data-capable USB-C connector alongside the charging port also powers the laptop. The USB-C system is therefore built for both data and charging, with the exception of the connection dedicated for charging only.
This is quite useful because it enables this laptop to use a USB docking station and connect to external services while being charged.
The sole biometric option from a security standpoint is the fingerprint reader, as the webcam is not Windows Hello-capable. We must note that this camera’s privacy solution is a software-only option, allowing individuals concerned with privacy to employ electrical tape.
TECNO MEGABOOK T1: PERFORMANCE
- Decent overall performance
- Mediocre Intel 670p write speeds
Comparing these results to those of computers that employ newer and more expensive hardware, such as the Intel Core i7-1260P, it’s simple to conclude that the performance here isn’t really impressive.
Yet, given that this CPU has only four cores and eight threads, it has performed admirably in numerous tests, especially in comparison to the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U platform.
Single-core tests on CineBench 23 and GeekBench are impressive, while PCMark 10 scores are only 10% below those of the most costly Intel Core i7-1260P (12 core, 16 thread) PCs.
The limits of this design are evident in the GeekBench OpenCL results, where this system achieves just around 60% of the performance of the Intel Core i7-1260P and less than 30% of the performance of a laptop utilising the AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 6850H. (8 core, 16 thread, Radeon GPU).
These are not apples-to-apples comparisons, as these machines are all far more expensive than the T1 and can easily cost double or even triple the price.
The T1 performs admirably on the platform it employs, however the Intel 670p NVMe SSD, a really lacklustre product, is a problem. This is a QLC NAND NVMe architecture with a PCIe 3.0 interface rated for 3,500MBps reads and 2,700MBps writes.
We achieved a maximum of little more than 3,00Mb/s for reading and 1,600Mb/s for writing on this system.
The inability to achieve faster write rates, even for brief intervals, has an effect on the PCMark 10 score and the Windows Experience Index.
Even if the 670p isn’t horrible by SSD standards, a faster drive could be advantageous for the user, and it’s one of the few items that can be updated reasonably readily.
The battery life was a revelation, albeit it did not reach the 17.5 hours that Tecno claimed. Using the PCMark 10 Office battery test, we achieved an impressive 11 hours and 23 minutes on a full charge. By configuring the CPU for maximum battery life, it may be able to approach the stated battery life.
This ultrabook is not as powerful as a MacBook, despite its 12-core processor and dedicated graphics processing unit. The parts and construction quality are well-balanced, and the pricing is reasonable for this user experience.
The issue is accessibility. But unless the T1 becomes widely available in the United States and the European Union, it is a mere footnote in the laptop releases of this age.
TECNO MEGABOOK T1: REPORT CARD
| Value | Very affordable, but only in the Philippines | 3 / 5 |
| Design | Classy and thin design that is impressive for a company with limited experience | 4 / 5 |
| Features | Lots of USB ports, HDMI out, and plenty of battery capacity. | 4 / 5 |
| Performance | Excellent performance overall, one of the better 11th Gen laptops we’ve tested. | 4 / 5 |
| Total | A great low-cost Ultrabook is undermined only by the lack of availability. | 4 / 5 |
Also Read : Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (2022) review: good price, great performance
