Students typically don't have a lot of cash to throw around, so the best tablets tend to be tantalizingly out of reach.
But with a few sensible compromises, there are plenty of choices for penurious academic. Try these for size.VODAFONE SMART TAB 4 -- £125
For a low-cost tablet Vodafone's Smart Tab 4 refreshingly slim at a sliver under 8mm and lightweight too at 328g. There's a covered port on the side for your SIM card so you can get onlinesans Wi-Fi, but it won't get any faster than standard 3G -- no 4G capability as yet.
The 8-inch IPS screen delivers an HD resolution of 1280x800 pixels and while it's not quite the 1080p full HD shilling, it's bright and more than sharp enough for comfortable browsing and movie viewing.
The quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek processor is backed by 1GB RAM and while it would be fair to say the speed isn't blistering, it doesn't feel painfully relaxed either. It would have been nice to have the latest version of Android but it's not a deal breaker.
The camera however is the Smart Tab 4's weak point. It's a basic 2-megapixel model with limited functionality and a basic VGA version on the front for video calls.
There's the option to add to the 8GB memory via microSD card and the battery lasted pretty well too.
Wired: Good build quality, HD screen, okay processor, expandable memory, 3G
Tired: No 4G, poor cameras
Tired: No 4G, poor cameras
7/10
TESCO HUDL -- £119
Primarily aimed at families, the Hudl is actually a very capable budget tablet for just about anybody.
It looks chunky and cheap, with its 10-inch thick plastic body and hefty 370g weight, but surprisingly there's a micro HDMI connection that allows you to view content from your Hudl directly on your TV. There's also a brace of 1W stereo speakers on the back, which make for a pretty decent sound if you're sharing and don't want to plug in your headphones -- handy for watching TV in the bedsit.
The 7-inch 10-point multitouch screen offers 1440x900 pixels, which won't trouble the high-enders, but with 242ppi it's a perfectly good resolution for this price point. There's also a quad-core processor under the hood, clocked at 1.5GHz and backed by 1GB RAM. It's not up there with the best and there are often brief delays when opening apps and browsing websites.
There's a 3 megapixel camera on the back and a 2 megapixel one on the front for video calls. The better camera is pretty low quality, even for a budget tablet, and the picture quality is so-so at best. However, the 2 megapixel front-facing camera is arguably the more important of the two on a tablet, since it's the one you'll be using for video calls via Skype and other apps, and it's considerably better than you'd expect at this price.
Battery life is decent and there's a generous 16GB of memory on board, plus you can add more via microSD card.
Wired: Decent screen, quad-core processor, expandable memory, low price
Tired: Poor camera, processor could be faster, no network access
Tired: Poor camera, processor could be faster, no network access
7/10
GOOGLE NEXUS 7 -- £199
Google's iconic Nexus 7 device is still a tough act to follow among budget tablets. As Google's flagship it's always the first to get the latest version of Android and it comes with a spec that's worthy of a considerably higher priced device.
The 7-inch screen boasts a pin-sharp HD resolution of 1,920x1,200 pixels and the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU is clocked at 1.5GHz and backed by 2GB RAM which is plenty fast, with no sign of lag.
There's a 5-megapixel camera on the back, joining the 1.2-megapixel model on the front for video calls. It's a little light on features, but it has autofocus and takes reasonable quality snaps so long as you're careful with your light and don't expect too much.
Despite the fact that it comes with a generous 16GB memory, it's disadvantaged by the fact that you can't add more via microSD card. Battery life is also compromised compared to some, though you can expect a good day's use out of it.
Wired: Terrific screen, powerful processor, new camera, 4G-ready
Tired: Bigger than the original, no expandable memory
Tired: Bigger than the original, no expandable memory
0 comments:
Post a Comment