Meet The Megabook T1: Tecnos Plucky Budget Laptop With Something To Prove
For the average South African, Tecno is another budget smartphone maker, albeit a pretty good one. Tonight, November 2, Tecno introduces the Tecno Megabook T1, a laptop redesign aimed at students and budget hunters. Anyone reading from the outside may not understand why it's such a big deal. Well, this is the first time the brand is bringing something from its global catalog. There is a beauty that we found hard to ignore.
The goal is megabook dominance
The star of the show, the Megabook T1, is a laptop. But you knew this, didn't you? What's worth noting, however, is that this is a budget laptop. Did you really expect anything less from Tecno – the company just launched the $5,000 Spark 10 5G? Don't worry, Tecno doesn't give up on this mantra as it keeps things light with the 12th Gen Intel CPU and an almost decent display.
Let's start with this screen, shall we? Don't expect anything fancy: the 15.6-inch FHD display is simple enough and good enough to get the average student through to the next lesson. It's not like they'll use it anyway. All of this is housed in a brushed aluminum chassis that keeps everything surprisingly slim at 14.8mm thick. Even the weight of 1.4 kg is not to be underestimated.
Sure, it won't win any awards for prettiest laptop (does that exist?), but that doesn't matter. As your friend has told you many times, it depends on what's in it.
And here it is true. We already mentioned that the Megabook T1 runs on Intel's 12th generation CPU . Two of them in the South African version: an i3 and an i5. If you go the cheaper route, you'll have 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage to keep everything running smoothly. Stepping up to the i5 model gets you 16GB of RAM and double the storage compared to its smaller sibling.
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What intrigues us most is Tecno's promise of 17.5 hours of battery life through the device's 75Wh battery, which is what Staff Office wants to demonstrate when Tecno finally launches these devices here (stay on your calendars for expected to be released in January). ) Tecno 65W charger included.
Unfortunately, Tecno doesn't provide much information on pricing and local availability. Nothing is definitive yet, but we have a general idea of what to expect and when. The “when” is simple: Tecno plans to release in January 2024. Prices are slightly higher. We hear it will be no more than 10,000 for the i3 model, with prices ranging from R8 to R9,000 if all goes to plan. Tecno has kept costs low for the i5. Expect to pay at least a few thousand more to get your hands on the upgrade.
If Tecno's laptop ambitions are well received in South Africa, we could see the company launch the i7 model or the even more powerful Megabook S1, which unfortunately wasn't present at Tecno's headquarters.