HTC has launched a new tablet...but it's only available in one market

HTC A101
(Image credit: HTC)

What you need to know

  • HTC A101 is a new tablet in store that is currently listed in its African store.
  • It comes with a 10.1-inch display and is powered by Unisoc T1618 SoC.
  • The A101 ships with Android 11.

HTC announced a new tablet, the A101, for the African market. The new device launch comes a week after the company returned to the phone game with HTC Desire 2022 Pro — a mid-range compatible with HTC's Vive Flow. Surprisingly, it comes pre-installed with HTC's own crypto wallet.

Meanwhile, the HTC A101 seems to be an entry-level or the only Android tablet in its product folio. It comes with the most basic specs that any Android tablet could get, Android Police reports. The device listing on the Wayback machine dates back to June 25 (via The Verge). The new tablet is followed by an HTC A100 tablet, announced in Russia last year.

Despite a new tablet from HTC, it doesn't bring any new aspects to make the device appealing. For example, the design is nowhere near new, as it comes with some chunky bezels around the display. It is enclosed in a metal body, and the design element towards the device's rear looks uninspiring. The HTC A101 comes in two colorways: Gray and Silver.

The display measures 10.1-inches and comes with 1920x1200 resolution. On the outside, the tablet measures 8.4mm in thickness and weighs around 530 grams. Underneath, the A101 is powered by the Unisoc T1618 SoC coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It is further expandable to 256GB via a microSD card. 

The tablet ships with Android 11 out of the box, which is sad in 2022. There isn't any information on upgrades too. It would have been better if it could upgrade to Android 12 or the optimized version of Android 12L, which is ideal for big-screen devices.

The tablet relies on a dual-camera system for optics featuring a 16MP primary camera accompanied by a 2MP ultra-wide camera and an LED flash. Users will find a 5MP camera for selfies on the front. For authentication, the device further supports the AI Face Unlock feature.

The HTC tablet draws power from a 7000mAh battery, which doesn't come with any fancy fast charging capabilities. The connectivity options comprise Dual LTE, support for Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, a 3.5mm headset jack, and OTG support.

We all know that the company hasn't been in the spotlight apart from making its Vive series AR/VR products. It occasionally launched Android smartphones in select regions. The new tablet is also taking a similar approach as it's only available in Africa.

HTC was a company that made one of the best Android smartphones back then. It also made a Nexus smartphone and a Nexus 9 tablet right after Google acquired the company. And now it's sad to see the company launching such devices overlooked.

Vishnu Sarangapurkar
News Writer

Vishnu works as a freelance News Writer for Android Central. For the past four years, he's been writing about consumer technology, primarily involving smartphones, laptops, and every other gizmo connected to the Internet. When he is away from keyboard, you can see him going on a long drive or chilling on a couch binge-watching some crime series.