Here’s a made-in-India tablet that sets the benchmark--both in build quality and performance--for what a locally-crafted tablet should be. We get into the details here.
It’s heartening to see so many relatively new hardware brands coming to the fore in the recent months as they get dead serious about designing and building products that can stand among the best of the big-name flagships. With a democratization in manufacturing happening with that handful of China’s uber-factories churning out devices for the world’s hardware bigwigs, yesterday’s smaller players now have equal access to world-class manufacturing prowess. The result? Phones and tablets are getting cheaper without trading off on best-of-class build quality.
Then there are a select few companies that are doing some very interesting work on our very own shores, opting to manufacture right here in local plants. Case in point, Micromax--this 8-inch tablet here happens to be manufactured at a plant in Uttrakhand. We took a closer look at this device to figure out whether it has the chops to stand alongside the rest of the paperback-sized tablet pack.
Out of the (unconventionally asymmetric) box, the tablet imparts a distinctly Apple vibe with its white body and glass heft that makes it solid to hold in the hand. Both the front and back are glass, with an aluminium rimming bracketing the sides and corners. This tablet is powered by one of Intel’s new dual core Atom processors clocking in at 1.2GHz, and has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard memory (that they curiously, and incorrectly, refer to as ROM). An integrated microSD slot lets you expand the memory up to 32GB. Up top on the front is a 2MP camera, and a 5MP rear camera (with no flash unfortunately).This tab supports 3G voice calling and has a Micro SIM card slot on the right edge.
Powering it up, the display proves to be sharp, with vibrant colors and good contrast. This could be attributed to the decent 1280x800 resolution and the excellent viewing angles--no matter how you view it, there was virtually no perceptible variation in the IPS screen’s color, contrast and brightness. Overall the response of the installed Android 4.4.2 is snappy and enthusiastic, even when using and switching between several running apps. All the general apps--the messengers, browsing, task schedulers, e-readers and the like--ran without any hitch. First-time tablet users may find the bundled apps useful (and there are plenty: Mi-Games, Mi-Insurance, Mi-Live, Mi-Security, Opera, Truecaller, BookMyShow etc.) There are stereo speakers at the bottom of the device which got loud enough, but weren’t the loudest we’ve ever heard on a tablet. With its PowerVR SGX 544MP2, this tab was capable of handling a fair bit of gaming--all but the most intensive first-person shooters. We took it for a spin on Asphalt 8: Airborne and were more than satisfied with the response, and the crisp screen made for an immersive bout of gaming.
After several days of use, I believe this is a really nice all-round tablet that does a fine job of keeping you connected to and entertained with the things that matter you. The only peeve I had was the fact that the all-glass construction made it a fingerprint magnet. I found myself buffing it against a shirt sleeve a tad too often. But with snappy performance and very decent battery life (at least two days of fairly intense use between recharges), this is one made-in-India device that’s a pleasure to use.
Key specs:
Processor: 1.2GHz Dual Core Intel Atom
Graphics: PowerVR SGX 544MP2
Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB Onboard (expandable to 32GB via microSD slot)
Screen: 8-in (1280x800)
Camera: Rear: 5MP, Front: 2MP
OS: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Battery: 4400mAH
Radios: WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G (GSM 900/1800), GPS
Voice calling: Supported
Price: Rs 10,999
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