I Tried This Made-in-India Tablet That Can Work Like A Laptop And Here’s My Take

Well, people nowadays are looking for machines that can solve multiple needs at once. Working professionals, creators and even students don’t want to carry both a laptop and a tablet in a backpack. They want 2-in-1 devices -- tablets that can also work like laptops. Many popular global brands like Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus are focusing heavily on this space. Especially in a country like India with one of the youngest populations in the world, this category is getting a lot of attention.While I have tested such machines from many established brands in the past, recently I got the chance to get my hands on a made-in-India Brave Ark 2-in-1 tablet from a domestic brand called Brave Tech. Brave Tech is a relatively new Indian company trying

to enter the personal computing space. This is its first product, and the company is clearly trying to build something different -- a tablet that can work as a laptop with features like PC mode, stylus support and a large battery. But being a new brand also means expectations are different.Priced at Rs 34,999 in India, the Brave Ark comes with a 12.95-inch 2.8K display, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor, 12GB RAM, 256GB storage, stylus support, and a massive 14,550mAh battery. A keyboard is sold separately for around Rs 4,000. So, after using it for about a week, here’s what I have to say about this Indian 'tablet-cum-laptop.'Brave Ark Review: Design, Accessories, Display, CameraThe first thing you notice about the Brave Ark is its size. This is not a small tablet. With a 12.95-inch display, it feels closer to a laptop screen than a typical tablet. If you compare it with something like an 11-inch tablet, it clearly looks bigger and more workspace-friendly.The design is clean and minimal. You get a metal body, slightly boxy frame and rounded corners. It looks decent, though not premium in the way iPads feel. Well, to be honest, the design doesn’t feel appealing when you see it for the first time. It reminds me of Nokia smartphones from 3–4 years ago.

At around 730 grams, it is, in my opinion, heavier than most tablets in the Indian market right now. You will feel the weight, especially if you are holding it for long periods.The box I received had a stylus, folio cover with stand, 33W charger, and a Type-C cable. To be honest, the overall experience with the keyboard and stylus feels a bit unpolished. When I attached the keyboard, it did give a laptop-like feel, but the typing experience is just okay and not very solid. The trackpad work but it’s not very accurate, so I often ended up using the touchscreen instead. Also, the stylus is not very consistent.

Overall, the idea is there but the execution still feels unfinished.Now coming to the display, the device comes with a 12.95-inch 2.8K (‎2,880x1,840 pixels) IPS touchscreen, offering up to 144Hz of refresh rate, up to 700 nits of peak brightness, 264ppi pixel density, and 96 percent colour gamut coverage.On paper, it sounds impressive. In real use, it is good but not great. I watched some HD videos on YouTube and the experience was average. The colours and viewing angles were fine but the overall sharpness didn’t feel as strong as I expected. Because of the large screen size, the visuals didn’t look very crisp.In darker scenes, details were hard to notice and the picture didn’t feel very clear. Also, the lack of HDR support at this price was a bit disappointing. As for audio, the the quality of the speaker was not up to the mark. All I can say it is loud and usable for watching content,but not the best in the segment. And, yes, NO 3.5MM jack.

Let's talk about the cameras now. In Brave Ark, you get a 13MP rear camera with flash and a 5MP front camera. Well, I must say this the camera experience is very basic. The rear camera is just about okay for scanning documents but not something you would use for photos. The front camera feels quite dark, especially in indoor lighting and I wouldn’t recommend it for taking pictures. It works for video calls but that’s about it.

Overall, it feels like the cameras are there just for the sake of it not for serious use.Brave Ark Review: Hardware, Performance, OS And BatteryThis is where things get interesting. The Brave Ark is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, which is a strong processor for a tablet in this price range. You also get 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. I ran AnTuTu and Geekbench tests on this tablet and the device did a good job. In daily use, performance feels fast. Apps open quickly, multitasking is smooth and even mid-heavy games worked well. If you are buying it purely for performance, it delivers.However, the real story changes when you move to software.The tablet runs Android 15 with a very basic UI. There is no heavy customisation, which is good in terms of cleanliness -- no bloatware -- but it also feels too plain for a tablet.Now let’s talk about the PC Mode feature.This is the feature that is supposed to turn the tablet into a laptop-like experience. You get a taskbar, windowed apps, multitasking,and basic desktop-style controls. It sounds great, right? In reality, it feels unfinished.In daily use, the overall experience didn’t feel very smooth. The UI clearly needs better optimisation. Compared to tablets from brands like Samsung or Xiaomi, this feels more like a first attempt. Even small things like gesture alignment and UI elements felt slightly off at times. For note-taking, apps like Microsoft OneNote are pre-installed, which is good but the overall experience still needs improvement. This is the biggest highlight of the Brave Ark. It comes with a huge 14,550mAh battery. One of the largest you will see in a tablet.In real use, the battery life is solid. I was easily able to get a full day of heavy usage and more than a day with normal use. I watched videos and used browser and battery was not something I had to worry about. The device gets a 33W charger which is decent but not very fast considering the large battery size. Still, this is one area where the Brave Ark clearly stands out.My Two CentsThe Brave Ark is an interesting product. It shows ambition. A new Indian brand trying to build a tablet that can replace a laptop is not a small thing.There are some clear positives here -- you get a powerful processor, a huge battery, a large display and good in-box accessories. But at the same time, there are some serious concerns. The software feels basic and unfinished, he PC mode needs optimisation and overall polish is missing.At Rs 34,999, the competition is strong. You have options from Xiaomi and OnePlus. Even when compared to older iPads from Apple, I think iPads are still a safer choice for many users.Personally, I feel this is a good first attempt but not an easy recommendation right now.