Low-cost tablets in India: 7 things you should know

When it comes to tablets, choices are aplenty, especially for budget-minded users. But be warned that with evolving competition and decreasing price points, there’s bound to be some compromise to the hardware specs of tablets.

With the advancement in the operating system and improved feature set, budget tablets are not just meant for basic browsing or surfing the net on the move, but are increasingly used for live video streaming or for business on the cloud.

So, here we provide some specs and features that you need to keep in mind while buying a low-cost tablet.

SCREEN RESOLUTION

Resistive touchscreen is very rarely used these days. Capacitive touchscreen is far easier to use and it also compliments Android better. However, the quality of touchscreen differs from device to device. In terms of resolution, anything below 800x480 pixels should not to be considered.

UPGRADABLE OPERATING SYSTEM

If the tablet is based on Google Android 4.0 ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich OS), check if it is compatible for upgradation to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). In some tablets like Milagrow TabTop 7.4, it is possible to upgrade from a mobile phone with Internet access and camera.

SPEED OF PROCESSOR

When it comes to processor speed, the faster the better. Most budget tablets come with single core processors with speeds in the range of 600 MHz-1.2 GHz. We would advise you to go with the fastest possible processor, though we have seen 800 MHz processors do a decent job.

INTERNAL MEMORY AND STORAGE

Internal memory and storage are important components of user experience. A large amount of RAM would mean better functioning of the tablet. Also, larger internal memory would mean more space to store apps and personal data files which come handy on the move. 512 MB RAM would be a good spec to go for in case of low-cost tablets. Anything over and above would be a boon for the price. Internal memory is substantiated with a memory card. A higher capacity memory card would mean more storage on the go.

BATTERY CAPACITY

Essentially, budget tablets being 7-inch display devices, require more battery capacity than smartphones to last a respectable amount of time. A battery capacity of 3000mAh would be able to last around 5 hours on Wi-Fi with average usage. Another thing to consider could be the type of charger. A mini USB or micro USB charger would be ideal.

CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS

Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth support is a basic spec that is present in all. But GPRS/3G connectivity could be a differentiator in terms of portable usability of the tablet. 3G capable devices also support phone calls which are a valuable add-on. USB device support is a nice add-on as external keyboards and thumb drives could be operated out of that.

CAMERA AND VIDEO PLAYBACK

In a perfect scenario, we would recommend a device with dual cameras with the capacity to play HD video, but barring this, we would insist that you go for a device that has at least a front-facing camera as tablets are handy for making video calls. Most tablet displays are good to play DVD quality videos, too.