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Six Budget Tablets below 7K

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Adeesh Sharma
New Update

Aakash 2/Ubislate 7Ci

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The `world's cheapest tablet' is back, with smarter looks and features. Where the earlier one felt raw, this version looks more like a finished product: thinner, lighter, and perhaps a little sturdier.

The 7" screen is now capacitive multi-touch (800x480), with better response and brighter looks. Placed alongside the older Aakash 1, the difference is stark. The 7Ci is half the thickness, and weighs 286grams against the former's 398grams.The Aakash 2 will sell to college students at a subsidized Rs 1,130. The equivalent UbiSlate 7Ci sells commercially for Rs 4,499.

Memory and storage have been doubled to 512 MB and 4 GB respectively. There's USB 2.0 (through a mini-USB slot), and a micro-SD slot for memory cards up to 32 GB. The OS is Android 4.0.4(Ice Cream Sandwich). You can buy Android apps via the rupee-priced Google Play app-store. The front-facing camera is adequate for video chat in good ambient light. Sound is good with headphones.

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The processor upgrade (from 366MHz ARM to 1 GHz Cortex A8) is an improvement, and together with the capacitive touch makes the display quite responsive. In An3Dbench and An3Dbench XL, for measuring graphics and animation capability, it scored 6,482 and 20,543 respectively, which is a bit lower than other budget tablets we have tested. In Vellamo test, which tests browsing efficiency, the UbiSlate 7Ci scored a low 614 (the Zen A100 had scored 729). Battery life of more than 4 hours on the 3Ah is a welcome change from the 2 hours on the older 2Ah battery.

Bottomline: The Aakash 2 is a good overall package for a student, or anyone looking at additional devices in the house. What it doesn't do is work for a business user on the go.

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Price: Rs. 4,499

Pros: Price, usable speed and performance, capacitive multi-touch display, light and compact, good battery back-up

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Cons: VGA camera. No 3G (the 7C+, at Rs. 4,799 has GPRS). Supply availability issues.

Key Specs: Android 4.0 ICS, 1 Ghz processor, 512MB RAM, 4 GB Flash, Expandable to 32 GB with micro-SD, mini-USB, Wi-Fi, 7" capacitive touch (800x480), 286g.

Write to pcquest@cybermedia.co.in for more info.

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BSNL Penta T-Pad IS709C

While the Aakash is getting all the attention for being the cheapest tablet around, there is another tablet which is cheaper than the commercial version of Aakash 2. Graced with a stronger metallic body it has all the goodies Aakash has. It gives a stiff competition to Aakash 2.

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It is an Android 4.0 (ICS) OS based tablet with a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen. Despite the same size of screens, it is wider as it has a control panel with Home, Return and Menu Buttons. The processor used in this is a similar Cortex A8 1GHz used in Aakash 2. The RAM is also 512MB and so is the 4GB internal memory which can be expanded to 32GB with a micro SD card. The display is slightly slow in response but the rest including sound, 720p video playback works perfectly well.

The Tablet is equipped with a 0.3 MP VGA camera that supports video calling. It supports 3G but only with an external USB dongle. Now, it doesn't have a USB 2.0 port for direct input, but a mini USB that can be converted with the help of a mini USB to USB 2.0 cable. Battery barely lasted 2 hours with online video streaming. The tablet does heat up a little.

The performance is at par with Aakash and sometimes even better, like in the browser benchmark its score is better than Aakash or even Wishtel at 753. Its boot up time is 38seconds. In graphics benchmark it is lower than all at 5528.

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Bottomline: Overall, it is cheaper than the commercial version of Aakash and so is the cheapest tablet in the market. It has all the features offered by Aakash and so is a great device to have for simple tablet use.

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Price: Rs. 4200

Pros: Price, build, 3G, Google Play.

Cons: Slow touchscreen, poor battery.

Key specs: 7 inch capacitive display, 0.3 VGA camera with video calling, mini USB, 3000 mAh battery, 1 Ghz Cortex A8 processor, 512 MB RAM, 3G via USB Dongle, 4 GB internal memory expandable up to 32 GB with micro SD, 4.0 ICS OS

Write to:  pcquest@cybermedia.co.in for more info.

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Wishtel Ira Thing 2

All that you wish from a budget tab can be in this segment tablet. It not only reduces the gap between the two segments and is the reason why one can have faith in cheap budget tablet segment. Looking beyond the likes of Aakash, for 6k, you can have a tablet with the latest android 4.0 ICS, 1.5GHz processor, 1GB RAM, and 3G via USB dongle. The display is capacitive and brightly colored with an excellent response, better than the rest. It has Google play, so you can download end number of free and paid apps.

The red color gives it a funky look and the multiple ports make it a multi-purpose device. It has HDMI, micro SD, mini USB, USB 2.0, volume buttons that don't work and a front camera on the front but lacks video calling and blue-tooth, very common in almost all portable devices.

Other important elements include a powerful speaker which comes handy during video playback which is jitter free and even supports 720p HD video playback. Its performance, according to benchmark results, is the best in the lot. IN Antutu benchmark, it scored 3316, in An 3D bench it got 7379 and in the An3DBenchXL, it scored 23994 which is relatively higher than other budget tabs. It is very light and weighs just 300gms and has a 3000mAh battery.

Bottomline: For 6k, it is costlier but has by far the best user experience.

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Price: Rs. 6000

Pros: Performance, Good configuration, 3G, mini HDMI, speaker, HD playback

Cons: No Bluetooth, no video calling

Key Specs: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) 1.5 Ghz, 1 GB RAM, 4 GB Internal memory, 7" Capacitive multitouch screen (16:9 ratio),Wi-Fi, 3G with external dongle, Built in Mic, 0.3 MP front VGA camera, mini USB, mini HDMI, micro SD, 3.5 mm universal audio jack, 3000 mAh, 330 gm.

Write to: pcquest@cybermedia.co.in for more info.

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Zync Z919

The Z919 is one of the three latest tablets launched by Zync. The Z919 weighs 380 gms with good build quality which makes it easy for portable usage. The one glaring let down for the tablet is the fact that it still uses a 7-inch TFT resistive touchscreen which simply does not stand up to the capacitive-touch displays from the competition and even a couple of other tablets from Zync, which have capacitive displays.

Apart from the screen, the Z919 has more than decent hardware specs. The processor billed at 1.2 GHz is particularly impressive for the meager price of the tablet. Z919 also has 4 GB internal storage and 512 MB RAM. The 3600 mAh battery is not particularly impressive and is on the lower side as compared with other tabs in contention. The charger used to juice up the tablet is proprietary. The tablet uses Android 2.3 Gingerbread which responds well to the capacitive display and the resistive touch may again prove to be a hindrance for the same.

One finds a mismatch in terms of the offerings from the tablet vendor as on one side you have good specs at an astonishing price while on the other hand the outdated resistive display kind of explains how the vendor had to compromise while giving the tablet some goodies worth considering.

Bottomline: A well spec'd tablet that's good overall except for the outdated resistive display.

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Price: Rs. 6990

Pros: Hardware specs

Cons: Resistive display

Key Specs: 1.2 Ghz CPU, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB internal storage, 7-inch resistive touchscreen, 3600 mAh battery, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

Write to: pcquest@cybermedia.co.in for more info

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Zen Ultratab 7.0 A100

Ultratab is heavy but still a compact tablet with plastic body coated with black color and matte finish. It has a 7" capacitive touch screen display with multi touch and pinch to zoom ability. On the top of touch screen, there is a camera of 1.3MP. A TF card slot is at one side of the device. Just above it, there is a volume button and headphone jack.

We conducted a couple of tests on the Ultratab and the results were satisfactory. It took about 55 sec to be in the user ready mode from switch-off mode, which is a bit higher than usual. In the Antutu test, it scored 2496 which is good. It got a score of 6585 in An3DBench and 20806 in An3DBenchXL tests, which is decent. In the Vellamo Mobile Web Benchmark, the score was 729 which is average as compared to other tabs.

Users can customize its Live Panel menu to display a variety of content on the home screen. In addition, the interface includes an application tray of commonly used features such as task manager, calendar and music player which can be launched while other major applications are also in use.

Zen Ultratab 7.0 is based on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) which is powered by 1.2 GHz processor. However, the 2800mAh battery is not particularly impressive and is on lower side as compared with other tabs.

Bottomline: An affordable tablet with decent features and satisfying performance.

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Price: Rs. 6199

Pros: Affordable price, powerful processor, good sound

Cons: Poor camera, small icons difficult to navigate

Key specs: Android 4.0, 1.2 Ghz dual core processor, 512 MB RAM, 7 inch capacitive screen, 1.3 mp front camera, 4 GB internal storage, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 2800 mAh battery

Write to: pcquest@cybermedia.co.in for more info.

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ICE Xtreme

Apart from the mini-USB port which compact tablets typically come with, this tablet has a standard USB port, neatly positioned near the corner. This frees you from the hassles of attaching a cable for a 2G/3G USB dongle. There is support for mini HDMI, a micro SD slot and the 3.5mm jack for audio output. However, there is only this front facing camera that captures images having a resolution of upto 2 megapixels.

This will assist in taking quality self-portraits but there is a noticeable degradation in quality while capturing video. Nonetheless, the speed of the tab, powered by 1GB RAM and 1 GHz processor, is good and full HD playback is without a glitch. However, in spite of having a robust 4700 mAH battery, the surfing experience along with multitasking with a few preloaded apps on full charge was short. And this despite having the WiFi and 3G in switched off mode. In fact, even while charging via mini-USB, the battery completely drained when playing a moderately heavy game.

The 7 inch multi-touch display takes slightly some time to get used to. The response to touch is not always intuitive and there is often a noticeable lag between the touch event having registered on the screen and the necessary action actually taking place. The broad UI has five home screens. The touch response of the display (apart from the delayed action in some cases) and the vibrant visuals, even in 3D (glasses are needed and are not provided with the tablet) are its key attractions. Just touch the bottom icon and you can go back to any of your running apps with ease. It supports access to the Google Play Marketplace, unlike the HCL Me U1 which is priced slightly higher. However, it is slightly heavier than the U1. In addition to pre-installed applications, the bundled micro-SD card also contains APK files for dozens of other applications which could be easily installed and removed at will.

The Antutu benchmark reported a good score of 3242, which is second to Wishtel Ira's 3306. In An3DBench it reported an above par score of 6515 and in An3DBenchXL scored an average score of 20013. Vellamo Mobile Web Benchmark followed suit by reporting an average score of 702, which is a lot better than Aakash 2 but lower than Wishtel and Penta tab, suggesting that it delivers nothing exceptional while browsing.

Bottomline: At around 7k, the ICE Xtreme tablet is alluring. However, you need to endure the poor battery.

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Price: Rs. 6,999

Pros: 3G, Android 4.0, rich connectivity, good camera, many pre-loaded apps, price, USB standard A port

Cons: Battery life, charging time, no glasses included for 3D viewing

Key Specs: Android 4.0 OS, 1 Ghz processor, 7 inch capacitive display 800x480p, 2 MP front camera, 1GB RAM, 8 GB internal memory, 8 GB on pre-loaded micro SD card, 32 GB expandable, 3G with HSDPA, full HD 1080p playback, Wi-Fi, mini USB, 4700 mAh battery

Write to: pcquest@cybermedia.co.in for more info.

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