Today we’re going to be breaking new ground, at least for me. Instead of reviewing a piece of media, or a game, we’re going to be reviewing something you use to watch media and play games!
Yes, today we’ll be reviewing a piece of hardware. The TCL TAB Disney Edition 2, from TCL and Verizon, to be precise.
Overview
The TCL TAB Disney Edition 2 is a family tablet made with the Disney fan and family in mind, pre-loaded with a variety of items to make a special experience. It’s got a bright teal, protective bumper shell complete with a foldable kickstand that protects the 8-inch HD display that thankfully comes already on the tablet. No separate purchase necessary, which is a gift honestly. And it’s quite accessible, with a variety of visual modes to help protect kids’ eyes and make it easier to use. Plus, the audio comes from dual speakers, a rarity for an Android tablet of this size, so watching movies and playing games are all the better an experience (though there is, of course, a headphone jack if that’s your preference, as well as Bluetooth). There’s also an 8 MP camera, with 64 GB of internal memory and space for a microSD card to boot.
It’s durable but lightweight, so while you couldn’t put it in your pocket it’s still fairly easy to carry around and safe to bring on a trip or give to a kid. In all honesty, as someone who’s had quite a few devices over the years, the TCL TAB Disney Edition 2 genuinely has one of the best protective cases I’ve ever encountered.
Battery wise things are…pretty good. If you’re going on an outing or a trip with a kid who’s going to require a lot of screen time, bring a power pack. For a tablet on this end of the price spectrum, the battery is okay, especially with how many games and programs the thing runs, but the TCL TAB Disney Edition 2 is not the sort of tablet that runs for twenty four hours on a single charge.
The Disney Stuff
Now, the question I’m sure you’re all wondering about is, what is Disney bringing to the table? This device is called the TCL TAB Disney Edition 2 after all, so what has the House of Mouse offered to balance out that mouthful of a name?
Essentially what Disney is offering is a selection of ten preloaded wallpapers and nine preloaded mobile games. Curiously no Marvel is present, and the only Star Wars representation is BB-8, but for younger kids it’s a good selection.
Since wallpapers are nice, but not exciting or inaccessible, let’s talk about the games on the TCL TAB Disney Edition 2. There are nine overall, technically, though there is a minigame collection as well. Let’s talk about each, briefly, so you know what you’re getting.
- Build It: Frozen is a sandbox creativity tool, in which you get to fill a snowglobe with buildings, decorations, and chibi versions of Frozen characters. No challenge to it, but a good first creativity toy for smaller children.
- Disney Creativity Studio 2 is a coloring book app, featuring selections for Cinderella, Cars, Frozen, the Palace Pets line, the Disney Princess line, and Big Hero 6 . Fairly straightforward.
- Disney Dream Treats is a matching game, where you match specific Disney desserts to fulfill the wishes of guests, with boards themed to the restaurants at Disney parks.
- Finding Dory Just Keep Swimming is a cute little storybook game where you guide Dory through a mild maze, helping her find items to jog her memory so she can tell you her story. Very cute.
- Cinderella Free Fall is a matching game themed to the live-action Cinderella remake.
- Cars Lightning League is a runner game, not quite endless but instead with levels, themed to the Pixar Cars franchise.
- Star Wars Puzzle Droids is a match game where you collect circuits to help Artoo, Threepio, and BB-8.
- Toy Story Drop is a match game where you help Woody and company clear away obstacles and do small quests.
- Wreck It Ralph is a minigame collection, featuring Fix-It Felix Jr, Sugar Rush Sweet Climber (Doodle Jump), Hero’s Duty (shooter), Turbotime (arcade racer), and Hero’s Duty Flight Command (side on shoot ‘em up).
So, to summarize, a sandbox, a coloring book, four matching games, a storybook maze, a runner, and an arcade collection. A fairly robust collection, though older kids will likely spend the majority of their time in Wreck It Ralph as opposed to the others, and the live-action Cinderella game feels like an odd choice for a 2023 tablet.
Final Thoughts
The TCL TAB Disney Edition 2 is a fine tablet. The Disney stuff is more of a sweet treat on the side, as aside from the wallpapers and games it’s just a normal Android family tablet, but it’s a good Android family tablet. If you’re in the market for that sort of device, you can get it online from Verizon.
Images Courtesy Of TCL and Verizon
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