For almost a year now, we have seen 7-inch Android tablets from many manufacturers making their merry way to the market, welcomed by users on a budget. With so many of them lining store shelves and giving users ample choice, it’s sometimes tough to make a decision given that many devices are identical in configuration. Trial and error is not an option in this case. Users are constantly in search of a quality tablet with the best price tag to keep those wallets from ringing empty and having the satisfaction of the all-powerful value for money.
Micromax Funbook P300
One of the first ones in the Indian market built using a 1.2GHz processor on a budget price, the Funbook P300 does have a sturdy build quality. The performance, with respect to the display quality and user interface, is good too. The Funbook P300 gives out at least 3.5 hours of battery life, which is an average work time on the battery inside—cut off the Wi-Fi and get the display brightness to 50 percent, and you can get up to 7 hours too. For the price, it was considered one of the cheaper Android 4.0-based tablets in the market, but that torch has been passed. However, with other 7-inchers making their appearances with cheaper price tags, this one seems to be losing its charm, but is still quite visible on the shelves. Of course, that could also be because no one’s buying it.
LAVA E Tab
The LAVA E-tab impressed us with a sturdy shell and a rugged build quality. Unlike other tablets, the E-Tab has a high-volume built-in speaker and decent display quality for enjoying your favourite flicks. On the performance front, the E-Tab performs at par with the Funbook P300 even though it features a 1GHz processor. Just goes to show, it’s not size that matters but how you use it. The battery life is decent enough and we clocked around 4.5 hours in our tests. As smart-tabs go, this one seems fairly intelligent.
Ubislate 7Ci
The 7Ci is identical to the UltraTab A100 by Zen and is the commercial version of the famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) Aakash 2 tablet. The 7Ci has an above average performance, a compact body and is, thus far, the cheapest tablet in the segment. Though the build quality is not quite what you’d expect, the compact form factor is a plus. On the performance front, the 7Ci outdoes both the Funbook P300 and the Lava E-Tab by a miniscule margin. The audio quality on the built-in speaker is not too great, but the tablet handles HD (1080p) videos quite well. Lastly, the battery life is around 3 hours, but what can you expect from a device with a price tag as light as this? The bottomline is, if you are on an extremely tight budget, the 7Ci should be on your list.
ZenFocus MyZen Tab 708BH
This one’s new and slightly pricier than the rest. The 708BH features similar hardware specs as the 7Ci except for an additional 4GB of internal storage, but the price is almost double. With a performance slightly better than the 7Ci, the price is just not justified, even when relating it to other tablets in the similar segment. Display quality and media performance is almost similar to the 7Ci, and the audio quality is about average. The battery life is a decent 4.5 hours. On a final note, the ZenFocus myZenTAB 708BH is not a budget tablet that you would opt for when others selling for almost half the price are around.
Karbonn Smart Tab 1
Good looks can only last so long when dealing with a device that’s in and out of your pocket, bag or purse. But nonetheless, we’re just a little superficial at heart, so the cool white SmartTab does tend to stand out a bit in this crowd. The Smart Tab 1 is identical to the Funbook Pro in terms of hardware, but it does not match up in overall performance. The Smart tab 1 is also thicker and slightly more expensive than the P300. Overall, the Karbonn Smart Tab 1 is like a blonde in the never-ending line of jokes – great looks, good body but that’s it. And let’s not leave out expensive.
Wicked Leak Wammy Desire
The Wammy Desire from WickedLeak is the cheapest dual core-based 7-inch tablet in the market today. It has a superb build quality with a compact and rugged shell. The interface is smooth and the performance (both, display and UI) is unmatched when compared to others in the list. Though the Micromax and the UbiSlate tablets were neck and neck between performance and price, the Wammy Desire seems to pull ahead of the pack. It seems to be great value for money in terms of specs and performance as well.
