Tablets seem to be getting slimmer, thinner and lighter. Such designs have their advantages. This makes the devices much more comfortable to hold in the hand and easier to transport. Tablets are hardly thicker than normal smartphones.
Outdoor tablets go in a completely different direction. Here, robustness is the be-all and end-all. With a thick housing, extra screen protection and drop-proof edges, manufacturers want to make such devices as robust as possible. We know a similar procedure from outdoor cell phones, of which we have already tested a large number. More about this in our top 10: The best outdoor cell phone in the test – no-name ahead of Samsung, Cat, Nokia & Co.
The Oscal Spider 8 from the Chinese manufacturer Blackview presents itself as a robust tablet for outdoors that seems to have spared no expense or effort, especially when it comes to stability. The device also surprises positively in other areas.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a robust, durable and stylish tablet for outdoor use, you simply can’t go wrong with the Oscal Spider 8. The small flaws such as the somewhat dark display or the outdated software are more than adequately compensated for by the advantages of the device. No matter whether it’s for the next camping trip, the series marathon in the park (if you don’t use Netflix, of course) or outside at work – with this tablet users are prepared for a lot. Thanks to the sturdy housing, the device would also be an option for children. The price-performance ratio is excellent in this respect.
Preis
The Oscal Spider 8 from Blackview is available in black or orange in the only available memory combination of 8/128 GB. The Oscal Spider 8 normally costs around 200 euros on Amazon. There is currently one Coupon with a discount of 20 euros, which you have to select before the tablet ends up in the shopping cart. TechStage readers also receive the promo code from the manufacturer YL8CUOTG for a further 5 percent discount. You enter the code in the payment method in the shopping cart. This is the final price 170 Euro. That is an extremely fair price.
Design
To a certain extent, the Oscal Spider 8 is reminiscent of an outdoor smartphone that is too large (best list). The tablet comes with the typical design elements of an outdoor device. The Spider 8 is big, heavy and thick. With its dimensions of 251 × 170 millimeters and a thickness of 15 millimeters, it is a true monster. When you use it every day, you often have the feeling that you could kill a grown person if you tried.
This feeling is intensified by the weight of a whopping 854 grams. The device weighs almost twice as much as an iPad Pro with a similar display size. In any case, it is not a device that you want to hold in one hand for a long period of time. On the front, the relatively thick display edges are a bit shocking, but they fit seamlessly into the design of the tablet.
There are two gold holes on the back – at first we weren’t sure what they were for. It turns out that these are threads. The elastic hand strap included in delivery can be attached to it – practical! A suitable screwdriver is also included, so you don’t have to rummage through the toolbox. The different textures of the black plastic back provide an original feel and a visually appealing design. The camera lens and the LED flash are installed at the top left in a triangular module that is flat with the rest of the back. Four edges are deliberately reinforced, which, according to the manufacturer, ensures absolute fall protection at a height of up to one meter.
The ports on the bottom – a USB-C port, a SIM and microSD card slot and a 3.5 mm jack port – have covers that keep water and dust out. The device was able to achieve IP69K certification and is therefore protected against high-pressure and steam water. The workmanship of the device is also of high quality – nothing creaks or squeaks, all edges are cleanly processed.
Display
Outdoor tablets should ideally offer bright displays so that users can clearly see the screen outdoors, even in sunshine. Unfortunately, the Spider 8’s display hardly meets these requirements. The display brightness of only 360 cd/m² is disappointing. That’s hardly bright enough to be easy to read even in direct sunlight. A brightness of at least 600 cd/m² would be recommended here – but only significantly more expensive outdoor tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro (test report) can achieve this value.
The 10.1-inch display has a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels and therefore shows content in full HD – this results in a pixel density of 224 ppi, which is more in the middle range. Different color modes can be selected in the settings. In standard mode, the display has an extreme red cast, so we recommend using “Increased Contrast” mode. In this mode, the colors shown on the display are quite okay and are definitely within the limits of what is usable. Since it’s an LCD, we don’t expect any miracles here or with the black levels. Nevertheless: The display is okay for the price.
Oscal Spider 8 – photo series
Oscal Spider 8 – photo series
Camera
The Oscal Spider 8 has a main camera and a front camera. A bit bold: One of the two lenses that can be seen on the back is a fake camera that only serves optical purposes. We see this approach more often with Chinese devices and think it is unnecessary.
The real main camera has a resolution of 13 megapixels, the camera on the front has a resolution of 16 megapixels – that’s average now. With devices like this you notice that the main focus was never on the camera. This is also the case with the Oscal Spider 8. Photos that we were able to take with the main camera are bland, blurry and reminiscent of the photo quality of a cheap webcam. The images are washed out and colors are imprecise. We observe something similar with the front camera. The built-in cameras are therefore only suitable for unimportant snapshots or short video calls (the latter depending on the requirements of the person you are speaking to).
Furnishing
The manufacturers of cheap Chinese tablets rarely rely on high-quality chips from well-known manufacturers when developing them. The Oscal Spider 8 is no different. Here the manufacturer uses a Unisoc Tiger T616 – an old friend, as we have already experienced the eight-core processor in the much cheaper N-One Npad Pro (test report).
In daily use, the device was surprisingly smooth and fast. Apps start and run smoothly and even simple games like Angry Birds are no problem for the device. We did not observe any heat development, nor any hang-ups or a frozen system. Unfortunately, we were unable to run our usual benchmarks such as PCmark Work 3.0 or 3Dmark Wild Life for some inexplicable reason, but the values should be comparable to those of the Npad Pro. On board is support for Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, GPS and 4G LTE as well as Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE 802.11ac). The built-in stereo speakers aren’t that bad. There isn’t a lot of depth, but they are definitely usable.
It’s a shame: As stated on the product page, the device is Widevine Level 1 certified and can therefore play HD content on services such as Disney+ or Prime Video. However, this certification does not apply to Netflix – content can still only be played in SD quality at 480p. The streaming service now seems to use its own certification. The included stylus pen is fine, but has a strange, flat tip that seemed counterproductive at times. Nice: The cap holds magnetically on the pen. There is also a face unlock that works moderately quickly.
Software & Updates
Android 13 with the Doke OS 3.0 user interface is installed on the Oscal Spider 8. It’s visually reminiscent of MIUI, but not in all places. It’s a shame that the latest available security patch was from July 2023 – that’s already over half a year old at the time of testing in early 2024. There are no specific promises regarding software updates on the manufacturer’s website either. Users should therefore only expect irregular security and software updates. It is unclear whether Android 14 will arrive on the Oscal Spider 8. The system itself only comes with a pre-installed bloatware app that can be removed.
A nice gimmick in the operating system: There is a “digital toolbox” that contains various features such as a compass, an altimeter, a sound or protractor and a plumb line. The usefulness of the individual “tools” is sometimes questionable – for example, the sound meter shows 12 dB in a quiet room with a fan working. In reality the value should be more like 20 – 30 dB. Measuring the height of objects was also not always accurate. Other features such as the compass or the camera protractor worked relatively well, so the toolbox can be a useful tool overall.
battery pack
The battery installed in the Oscal Spider 8 is huge at 13,000 milliamp hours and exceeds the values of many top tablets – if you are wondering where the almost 850 grams of weight comes from, here is the answer. The battery size ensures an extended battery life of up to 16 hours. If you use the device intensively, you can get through two days with absolutely no problem; with normal use, three days of use is realistic. Consumption in standby mode is minimal. The battery is recharged in under three hours thanks to the 33-watt power adapter included in delivery; from 0 to 50 percent it took around 75 minutes in the test.
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