Boost Celero5G TAB Review: Boost's excellent budget tablet offering

Yahoo

a day ago

Carrier-branded devices often carry a stigma of being poor, bottom-of-the-barrel alternatives to those from well-known brands like Samsung or Apple. The big three carriers offer them, and budget carriers like Visible and Boost Mobile have them. These devices are mainly for those who don't care about which phone or tablet they use as long as it works. Plus, they're cheap.
I discovered how bad carrier devices can be when I reviewed the Boost Summit 5G smartphone, so I didn't have high hopes for Boost Mobile's new tablet, the Boost Celero5G. However, I was surprised by how much value and quality were squeezed into this budget tablet, especially being from a carrier. If you're in the market for a cellular-supported tablet, consider the Celero5G TAB.
The Boost Celero5G TAB will be announced on June 3, 2025, and will retail for $200 with a $20 a month data plan. For existing Boost Mobile phone plan customers, the tablet will be available for a discounted price of $100 with the data plan. It will be available for purchase online at the Boost Mobile website or in its brick-and-mortar stores starting on June 3.
For a $200 tablet, the Boost Celero5G TAB has much to like that helps it punch above its weight class. The build quality on this device is stellar. The device is made of plastic with a finish that feels like metal. This makes it feel more premium than other tablets at this price point.
The back has an interesting, almost two-tone finish. Most of the device is a light gray, while the top fifth is a slightly darker gray. The camera module features a stylish, textured finish with concentric circles around the lenses and flash. I like the way the tablet looks, and I think it's stylish.
The weight and thinness of the tablet are good. It's 0.32 inches thick and weighs 520g. It's 0.02 inches thicker and 27g heavier than the similarly sized Google Pixel Tablet. While the difference in thickness may be hard to differentiate, I find the tablet slightly heavy to hold at times, but it's good overall.
It comes with an IP52 water and dust resistance rating. That's good enough to throw it in a backpack and for it to survive the occasional spill. It's all you need for a tablet that you'll mostly use for entertainment. Others in the segment, like the Pixel Tablet and entry-level iPad, don't have an official IP rating, so it's nice to see one listed.
The screen is also great for this price point. The Celero5G sports a 10.95-inch FHD IPS panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. It's not the most premium panel you'll find on a tablet, but it's great for watching videos or TV shows on the go. Its viewing angles are good, although the screen gets darker as you move side to side.
The 90Hz refresh rate is a nice touch, as the nearly twice as expensive entry-level iPad and twice as expensive Pixel Tablet have 60Hz refresh rates. The bezels are reasonable to grip a tablet of this size. Could they be smaller? Sure, but I don't think they need to be.
The speakers are the standout feature of the device. The Celero5G features one speaker on each side of the device, which sound solid. They're not the loudest or richest sound you'll hear, but they beat out tablets twice their price. The included BoostMax Audio software, included with the tablet, takes it to the next level. When you open the app, you can adjust the intensity of the sound and five volume profiles: Automatic, Music, Video, Games, and Voice Enhance.
Using these profiles changes the sound output to fit the content you're consuming, and it makes a difference. Changing the profile to Video while watching YouTube balances voices and background music to optimize the listening experience. Changing it to Music while listening to new songs brings up the bass and makes instrumentals sound clearer.
I like how you can customize the speaker based on what you're doing to enhance the sound. Can you do a similar thing through a third-party app? Sure, but it's nice that this is included out of the box.
The internal specs are good for the price. It comes with a MediaTek MT8755 processor and 4GB of RAM, which does all you need. It can handle multiple apps, multiple browser tabs, and light gaming. I never found that it choked up while I was using it, but I didn't push it too much.
It comes with 128GB of internal storage, and you can add 1TB of storage through a microSD card. I'm glad when a device has expandable storage, and I'm glad Boost didn't skimp here.
The Celero5G features a 7,500mAh battery, providing great battery life when paired with the MT8755 and 4GB of RAM. I can go over a week without charging the tablet. I spend a few hours a day watching videos or doing light reading. When I need to top it off, it charges to full in a little over an hour and a half with the included 20W wired charging.
Face unlock is enabled through the 5MP front-facing camera, and it works well. It's not Apple's Face ID in terms of usability and security, since it only uses the camera. However, it unlocks the tablet reliably in good lighting conditions. I can use it when looking straight at the tablet and at angles of about 25 degrees in either direction. It makes unlocking the tablet quick and easy, and I'm glad it's included.
While there's a lot to like about the Celero5G, it has drawbacks. Like most tablets, the Celero5G TAB includes front and rear-facing cameras, but they're unremarkable. While functional for casual use, don't expect groundbreaking photography from a tablet, especially at this price point.
Video calls will look acceptable with the 5MP front-facing camera. However, the 13MP main sensor and 2MP depth sensor on the back don't stand out much. They take fine photos but are better suited for scanning documents and not much else.
The software experience is basic Android and nothing more. It includes all you expect from Android on a tablet, like the dock, Google's Entertainment Space, and Google Kids Space. There are no additional features or skin on the experience, just plain Android. That's not necessarily bad, if it wasn't for the bloatware.
There is an absurd amount of bloatware on this tablet. It's similar to the experience I had with Boost's Summit 5G smartphone, where more than half of the pre-installed apps on the device were apps I didn't want. I get that bloatware is necessary to lower the cost of a budget device, but it's unbearable. Worse, some apps I deleted reappeared randomly, no matter how many times I removed them. This persistent bloatware is unacceptable, and its cause remains unclear.
There's also a persistent notification to get me to set up Boost's game service to recommend mediocre games and finish setting up my device. Finishing setting up my device means giving Boost my demographic information so it can sell more ads to serve me. I understand that it's necessary, but it takes away from the user experience and makes the device feel cheap.
Updates are a question mark. Boost does not officially give a promise for updates, so it's unknown how long it will provide them. This lack of a clear update roadmap is a concern for future-proofing and security. When I reviewed the Summit, it seemed to get bimonthly updates, but we'll see what happens with this device. It appears that updates bring back previously removed bloatware. Even if they're available, they seem to make regressions in some ways.
While there are great budget tablets, I think the Boost Celero5G TAB stands out from the crowd. It features a nice screen, great battery life, and a solid experience. I recommend it as a good option for many people, except for one issue: it's only available for Boost Mobile customers. I think it is a viable competitor for those looking at the Google Pixel Tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+, or an entry-level iPad. However, its limited availability makes it a difficult sell.
For those shopping at this price point who don't want Boost's service, the Galaxy Tab A9+ is a better option. It's available as a Wi-Fi-only tablet or as a cellular-enabled tablet on other networks. If you're open to Boost's service, or are a customer, and want a cellular-enabled tablet, the Celero5G is a great option. There is a lot of bloatware and a big question mark for long-term support, but if those aren't a concern, it may be worth considering.