REVIEW – I’m a gadget geek. I like playing around with products that offer something different or can provide a different use case. I wanted to review the AGM Pad T2 tablet because of the cellular functionality and form factor. I was intrigued about having a bigger device than my phone that is always connected and didn’t just rely on wi-fi or tethering. Sometimes ideas are better than the execution of those ideas. Read on to see how well my implementation went.
What is it?
The AGM Pad T2 is an 11” Android tablet that can support two cellular connections, along with expandable storage and a bright screen.
What’s included?
- AGM Tab T2 tablet
- Screen protector
- USB-C Cable
- 18W Charger
- SIM/MicroSD ejector tool
- User Manual
- Warranty Card
Tech specs
Click to expand
- Display: 11” FHD+ (1920 x 1200), 500 NITS, 60 Hz
- Processor: MediaTek G91 Octa-Core
- Memory: 4GB + 4GB
- Storage: 256GB built-in, expandable
- Battery: 8,000 mAh
- Cellular: Dual 4G SIM
- OS: Android 14
- Front Camera: 8MP
- Rear Main Camera: 13MP
- Rear Macro Camera: 2MP
- Bluetooth: 5.0
- Port: USB-C 2.0
- Dimensions: 256.75mm x 168.3 mm x 7.45 mm (10.11in x 6.63in x 0.29in)
- Weight: 502 g (17.71 oz)
Design and features
The AGM Pad T2 tablet’s price falls in the budget category but offers some features not found on more expensive tablets. Two such features are the ability to have two cellular connections and the other is having Widevine L1 certification.
Let’s start with the latter. Widevine is a DRM (Digital Rights Management) system that protects premium media from being illegally downloaded or distributed. There are three levels of certification L3, L2, and L1 with L1 being the highest degree of protection and consequentially the highest playback quality. Without getting too deep into the details, L1 requires hardware within the device to play content at the highest quality. Companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, etc use Widevine certifications to manage playback quality. It is nice to know that the AGM Pad T2 tablet can play content at the highest resolutions!
Having a cellular connection on a tablet, let alone 2 connections, it a convenient way to be able to use the AGM Pad T2 tablet anywhere and not worry about finding Wi-Fi or tethering it to my phone. Basically, it’s always connected (provided there is cellular coverage). For me, this opens up possibilities of using a bigger device to make some tasks easier and better to use. My preliminary objective was to use Microsoft Teams and Citrix when away from home. I work in IT and am frequently on call and need to quickly connect and resolve issues that come up. We use Teams as a major communications tool and Citrix to remotely connect to servers and systems. It was great to just carry the AGM Pad T2 tablet with me and when needed, I can simply turn it on and be connected.
That was my idea. Execution was a little different. First, the AGM Tab T2 tablet does not support eSIM and only supports physical SIM cards. I use the data only plan from Tello on a different device, but via eSIM. I had to order a physical SIM card to use for this test. Like most of this review, there is an asterisk…that being the price. The average price of the AGM Pad T2 tablet is around $150 for that amount, there aren’t many options for cellular enabled tablets regardless of SIM or eSIM options. Keep in mind that the AGM Tab T2 tablet only supports 4G LTE and CDMA is not supported. Verizon, US Cellular, Sprint (now owned by T-Mobile) all use the CDMA standard. My Tello SIM indicated T-Mobile EDGE which is extremely slow and technically it’s 2.75G, slower than 3G and 4G options. But I believe the “normal” service from T-Mobile direct is supported at 4G speeds.
The next hitch in my idea was accessories. For my use case, I would need a keyboard and either a mouse or trackpad. Currently, there is not a compatible keyboard case with a trackpad available. So I used a Logitech keyboard and mouse. Now my “portable” on call solution is getting bulky and will require some sort of flat surface to work from. Not ideal, but still workable.
The AGM Pad T2 tablet comes with two cameras on the back, a 13MP and a 2MP macro lens. The front facing camera is 8MP and is *correctly* located in the middle of the long edge of the tablet, a perfect location for video calls. All the cameras are not the strong points of this tablet but will work in a pinch, but don’t expect anything great.
One other thing to note, from the manufacturer website, is whether the AGM Pad T2 will receive Android 15 or how long it will be supported. I bring this up because Samsung’s latest S10 series of tablets claim to get 7 years of Android updates and 5 years of security updates. I’m not sure about the longevity of support for this tablet.
Comparing the AGM Pad T2 tablet against other similar tablets in the market, the Amazon Fire Max tablet and the Samsung A9+ tablet are the other options in this price range. All three tablets fall within the $149-$179 range, feature 8-core CPUs, 4GB of RAM, expandable storage, and 11-inch screens.
The AGM Pad T2 stands out with a brighter screen, more built-in storage, dual cellular options, stock Android 14, and the largest battery among the three. However, compared to the competition, two significant drawbacks are the absence of accessories like a keyboard case and stylus, and the fingerprint reader. The face unlock feature, while convenient, only worked about half the time, forcing me to rely on the PIN unlock feature most of the time.
Performance
The last thing for me to consider for my use case was performance. The AGM Tab T2 is not a powerhouse and for the price, that’s expected. I think the screen resolution and brightness were great to use. It was bright enough for me to use outside. It comes with 256GB of onboard storage and having the option for expandable storage is a great thing. I didn’t worry about storage.
However, I encountered slowness when performing basic tasks on the tablet. I believe this could be a combination of the processor and the shared memory. The MediaTek G91 CPU has two performance cores and six efficiency cores. Additionally, there’s a 4GB RAM chip with 4GB of virtual RAM (from storage). While this combination provides excellent battery life, it comes at the expense of performance. Often, taps felt delayed, and I sometimes wondered if my tap registered before the action occurred. However, once an application was open, it performed well. I found it best to keep only a few apps open simultaneously to optimize my experience.
What I like about AGM Pad T2 Tablet
- Affordable
- Dual SIM capability
- Screen brightness (in this price range)
- Widevine L1 support
- Expandable storage via microSD card
- Native Android without bloatware
What needs to be improved?
- No eSim support
- Very limited accessories
- Speakers are weak
- Not sure if it will received Android 15 or any updates
Final thoughts
The idea of connecting the AGM Tab T2 to an external keyboard and mouse sparked my interest in reviewing this tablet. I knew it wouldn’t offer a flagship-level experience, but my specific use case didn’t require the top-of-the-line features. With these accessories, I could easily navigate the support apps I needed. Essentially, it fulfilled my requirements. However, there were a few quirks that made using the AGM Pad T2 a bit inconvenient for me. The challenge in finding a suitable month-to-month cellular plan was particularly frustrating. I believe that if the tablet had more physical memory, the user experience would be enhanced, and input responses would be faster.
Overall, the AGM Tab T2 tablet boasts dual physical SIM connections, a vibrant display, a substantial battery, and Widevine L1 support. These features make it an ideal device for media consumption. When paired with a compatible cellular plan, it provides an uninterrupted experience for streaming services like Netflix and YouTube.
Price: $179.00
Where to buy: AGM Mobile and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by AGM Mobile. AGM Mobile did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
