Top 10 Budget Tablet

Our list of the Best Budget Tablets in India across various platforms. Top 10 Budget tablets are primarily based on Google Android OS. These Budget tablets are priced below Rs. 15,000. 

Zync Z999 Plus

MRP: 11990

The Zync Z999 Plus is a significant improvement over its predecessor and stands tall among the competition. The addition of Bluetooth and inbuilt 3G along with the ability to make calls add to the feature set of the device but the display could be better. If you are in the market to buy a tablet in the price range of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000, you can consider this device.

udget tablets have been around for quite some time now, but their value for money presence has been felt only in the past few months.

The reason for this has largely been that now for a price point of around Rs. 10,000, users have access totablets that pack in quite a punch under the hood, run on Google Android 4.0 ICS and show off a 7-inch display that is fair enough to get the job done.

But all wasn't well. To maintain the price point, the devices compromised on some key features such as Bluetooth, inbuilt 3G capabilities, and some of them even compromised on the screen quality, camera and build.

Now we have started seeing budget tablets that have addressed these issues while maintaining roughly the same price tag.

Today we have with us the Zync Z999 Plus, the successor to the Zync Z990 Plus. The device is an upgrade in terms of the hardware and features. Is the upgrade worth a look or are you better off with what you have?

Design and BuildStraight out of the box, the device does feel a little superior to its predecessor. Its build quality overall feels premium with a matte finish to the rear giving the device a better grip. The front of the device however still maintains a glossy finish making it a fingerprint magnet.

In terms of connectivity, the device has the headphones jack, HDMI out, microSD card slot and miniUSB port along with the mic and the charging port at the bottom (when held in portrait mode). A new addition to the device is a SIM card slot that rests to the left of the device (when held in portrait mode). Yes, the device not only has the ability to make phone calls and work as a phone, but users can use their 3G data plans to connect to the internet as well.

The rear of the device also has a 2MP camera. The camera isn’t integrated into the rear panel like other budget tablets. It juts out a little and this may not add ergonomic value, but it does add to the look and feel of the device. The front houses the 0.3MP camera for video chat.

Since the Zync Z999 plus run Android 4.0 ICS, there is no need for the presence of physical buttons on the device as the navigation, home and menu options can be taken care from the touchscreen itself. The device however still has three touch sensitive buttons representing home, menu and back. Their addition isn’t a hindrance, it is just that it is redundant duplication of functionality on the face of the device. To the right of the device (when held in portrait mode) rests the volume rocker and the on/off/sleep/wake button.

All-in-all, the device is definitely a step up when compared to its predecessor. The overall feel is nice and the matte

Features and SpecificationsCompared to its predecessor, the Zync Z999 Plus has some upgraded hardware under the hood. For starters the device has a single-core 1.5GHz processor but the RAM is still the same at 512MB. The device still runs on Android 4.0.3 ICS, and there is no information on whether the device will be upgradeable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The device has the Mali 400 GPU and supports 3D graphics OpenGL 2.0.

A nice addition to the hardware is that the device now supports Bluetooth. The previous generation tablets scrounged on this feature to cut cost. Even though the Zync Z999 Plus has Bluetooth 2.1, which is an older generation, the existence of the option is nice. The other addition that we really liked was that the device now supports a SIM card. So, not only can you use the device to make calls but use 3G on the go without having a USB dongle sticking out of your device.

The device still sports a 7-inch display but the resolution still is a bit disappointing at 480x800.

The device has a 4200 mAh battery and internal storage of 8GB that is expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card.

Overall, the specifications of the device are an improvement over its predecessor even though they are incremental.

The device comes bundled with quite a few apps. These apps include Angry Birds, BBC News, Big Flicks, Fruit Ninja, ibibo games, Movie studio, Office suite, Skype and WhatsApp.

Performance
This is where we’d hoped the improved specifications under the hood would shine and this is where we were left a tad disappointed. You can take a look at the benchmark performance of the Zync Z999 Plus,Zync Z990, iberry Auxus AX02 and the Mercury Mtab Neo2. 

In terms of the benchmarks, the Zync Z999 Plus outshone its predecessor quite a bit but not by that far when compared to the likes of the Mercury Mtab Neo2.

In terms of everyday usage, the device worked quite well. One of the best features of the device has to be the keyboard. It was very smooth to type on in both portrait as well as landscape mode. The touchscreen keyboard was very responsive.

The overall performance of the touchscreen too was good. Pinch to zoom, navigation through apps, etc. all felt very good.

Playing games on the device too was fun. Angry Birds, Angry Birds Space and Pool Master Pro ran extremely well on the device without any hiccups. Browsing the Internet on the device was a mixed experience. The websites loaded quickly enough but some rendering took longer than usual. We even used Chrome and the browser, even though it performed well overall, lagged a bit.

The display on the device was a bit disappointing. It is susceptible to a lot of glare and the viewing angles aren’t the best but the colour representation especially in videos is nice. We saw a bunch of movie trailers including The Amazing Spider-Man, the Hobbit and Hotel Transylvania and they all looked and sounded good. The device even played .mkv files without any problems.

The display is a disappointing with its resolution. The 7-inch screen has a resolution of 480 x 800 and we wish this were better.

Another downer for the device is that it isn’t the best multitasker. The RAM is just 512MB and once you have a plethora of apps working, you will see a noticeable lag in the interface.

You have access to the Google Play store on the device giving you access to the plethora of apps available on it. Since the device can be used as a phone, you can even run WhatsApp on it.

The performance of the camera on the device isn’t stellar. The rear shooter is 2MP and its performance largely depends on the ambient lighting. The front facing camera just about gets the job done for vice chatting.

The battery life of the device is standard to what you’d expect and doesn’t break any boundaries whatsoever. In our video playback test, the device lasted for 4.5 hours in continuous video playback. We ran a 720p video in .MP4 format.

The overall performance of the device is a notch above its predecessor but it isn’t significant when compared to the other offerings in the market.

BottomLineThe Zync Z999 plus is a significant improvement over its predecessor and stands tall among the competition. It addition of Bluetooth and inbuilt 3G along with the ability to make calls add to the feature set of the device but the display could be better. If you are in the market to buy a tablet in the price range of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000, you can consider this device.

iberry Auxus AX02

       MRP: 9990

If you are in the market to pick up a tablet in the Rs. 10,000 bracket, this tablet should definitely be on your list

The Rs. 10,000 price point has seen the rise of quite a few tablets in the past year from brands such as iBall, Mercury, Beetle, Viewsonic and Reliance to name a few. In trying to break the price barrier, some of these devices compromise on features such as build, battery life, camera and the power under the hood. Until now, these devices ran Android version 2.2 or 2.3.

We have finally seen the rise of budget tablets running Google’s latest operating system, Android 4.0 ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich), with ICS tablets hitting the streets from iberry, Zync, Micromax and HCL in India.

Today we have amongst us the iberry Auxus AX02 tablet running ICS. Has this budget tablets finally outdone the competition or has it skimmed off on too many features?

Look and FeelOn first impressions, the device is very well built. It has a black plastic body that feels really well built for its price point. The matte finish is nice and refrains the device from becoming a fingerprint and dust magnet.

The front of the device houses the 7-inch display that boasts of a resolution of 480x800. The front also has the 0.3MP camera and a home button. The rear-facing snapper is 2MP. In terms of connectivity, all the ports are at the bottom of the device. The device has a mini USB port, mini HDMI out, a headphones jack, microSD card slot, DC in and the power button. That may seem like a lot of ports but they are neatly laid out. On the top of the device (when held in landscape mode) is the volume rocker.

Switched off, you could easily mistake this device for any other 7-inch budget tablet, as there is nothing new here to distinguish it from the crowd.

Features and PerformanceStraight out of the box, the device runs on Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich. Under the hood, the device is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU and has 1GB RAM taking it beyond the competition that offers 512MB RAM and runs on Android 2.3. The touch screen is capacitive in nature, eliminating the need of a stylus. The capacitive screen on this device has a lot better response and is smoother than what the competition has to offer. Finally, a good touchscreen on a budget tablet.

Playing Angry Birds, Pool Master Pro on the device was a fun experience. The touchscreen response was nice, graphics were smooth and the audio was surprisingly good.

Browsing the web on the device was a good experience. The keyboard is smooth and easy to type on, web pages rendered nicely and the overall experience was better than the Android 2.3 budget tablets we’ve seen so far.

The iberry Auxus AX02 claims 1080p video playback support and we were more than happy to put this claim to the test. We ran two 1080p trailers in .MP4 format on the device and they ran absolutely smoothly without any jitters. The display though crisp lacked brightness. The device cant boast of great viewing angles as well.

The rear of the device has a 2MP camera that takes pictures in a maximum resolution of 1600 × 1200. The images from the camera aren’t exceptional and very average. The same can be said for the front facing camera. It is a 0.3MP camera and can shoot stills in 640x480. The videos from both the cameras are very poor with a very low frame rate.

The device also comes with a mini USB to full USB adaptor enabling the device to connect to a 3G dongle to connect to the Internet. The device however isn’t perfect. It lacks a slot for a SIM card and doesn’t have Bluetooth either. We can live without a SIM card slot but the lack of Bluetooth leaves the device handicapped when trying to connect to third party peripherals.

With average use, the device lasted us under a day, which is expected from a device in this category. You can expect the device to last for 4 to 6 hours at a stretch depending on your usage.

The device comes with a file manager, which is nice as it enables seamless transfer of content from your Mac/PC and the device.

Since this tablet is one of the first budget tablets to run ICS, we will give you a quick run through the OS. The interface is a lot like Honeycomb without all the bugs. There is a simple and quick access to the settings and all the apps and widgets are neatly laid out.

The settings give you access to a variety of features such as data monitoring (if you use the internet via a 3G USB dongle), back up and restore and more. The interface is very smooth and snappy and the improvement over Android 2.3 tablets is startling.

The only drawback to the new OS is that apps downloaded from the Google Play Store automatically show up on the home screen. This can get a little irritating especially if you are a hope page customization freak like us. Thankfully, this feature can be manually disabled via the settings.

VerdictOverall, the iberry Auxus AX02 is a good performer when compared to the competition in the same price range. It is one of the first Android ICS tablets and outperforms Android 2.3 budget tablets in all the benchmark tests. The lack of Bluetooth is the biggest downer of this device. The 1080p MP4 playback was smooth and games like Angry Birds Rio and Pool Master ran smoothly on the device. If you are in the market to pick up a tablet in the Rs. 10,000 this tablet should definitely be on your list.

Micromax Funbook Pro

   MRP: 10000                        

Micromax Funbook Pro is a good device at its price of Rs. 10,000. It has a large 10-inch display, which is great for apps and watching videos. The device does compromise on factors such as Bluetooth and a SIM card slot (and built-in 3G connectivity). If the screen size is a priority, then the Funbook Pro is the tablet for you. Otherwise you can take a look at the Zync Z999 Plus, which is a 7-inch device, has good specifications and has the ability to house a SIM card.

 The budget tablet market is flooded with devices that boast of some impressive specifications under the hood and are capable enough to surpass the reputation of being expensive paperweights. But there is one problem. All these devices have the same form factor – 7-inches.

We have seen the occasional tablet appear that boasts of an 8-inch display but there was nothing revolutionary about it. Today we have with us a Rs. 10,000 tablet that boasts of a 10-inch display and a relatively slim form factor. Is the Funbook Pro a 10-inch 10k dream come true, or is it better left untouched?

Design and BuildAt first glance, the Funbook Pro looks like the original Funbook on steroids. It has the same build but is larger, heavier and has a bigger display. The front of the tablet is clean with no physical buttons. All it has is the front facing camera. The location of the front facing camera is in the top right hand corner (when held in landscape mode) and feels slightly inconveniently placed especially if you are one who shifts orientation while video chatting. When held in landscape mode, your thumb can easily cover the camera. We wish it were in the centre like other tablets.

All the ports are neatly laid out on one side (right side if held in landscape mode). You have the microSD card slot, DC IN, micro USB port, HDMI out, headphones jack and the power/sleep/wake button. The sleep/wake button is really small and incontinent to use. We wish it were bigger and more prominent. The top of the device has the back button and the volume rocker. These buttons too feel small.

Since the buttons are on the side panel of the device they are really small and fit well into the bezel. This is nice in terms of look but utility isn’t the best.

The front of the device has a glossy finish making it a fingerprint and dust magnet. The back of the Funbook Pro is matte grey, the same that was present on the original Funbook.

Micromax hasn't released the slimness or the weight of the device but it is relatively slim and feels comfortable to hold for prolonged used. For Rs. 10,000, the tablet doesn't feel flimsy or badly built.

Features and SpecificationsStraight out of the box, the Micromax Funbook Pro runs on Android 4.0.4 ICS. The device is skinned and anyone who has used the original Funbook will feel right at home with the device. It gives you access to 5 customizable home screens and also gives you access to a Micromax app store apart from the Google Play store. You will need to register to access the Micromax app store and the procedure is as simple as opening an e-mail account.

If you want access to the plethora of apps available globally, you can get that from the Google Play store. But if you want localized content, the Micromax app store is the place for you. The interface of this app store is relatively simple when compared to the Play store but is far better if you compare it to the HCL Me app store.

The content is divided into education, games, movies, apps, entertainment and Live TV.

The educational app is quite interesting. You have access to content from a large number of courses such as MBA, Medical Entrance, CBSE, Engineering Entrance, Commerce, General Education and more. The amount of educational content itself is motivation enough for you to have this device if you are a student. But here’s the catch. The content of the app isn’t available for free. You have to pay for the courses you would like to access.

One good feature of the device is that from the lock screen, you can directly access your open apps. The lock screen is the same as any other ICS device but the catch is that from the lock wheel, you can jump to an app that you have left running in the background.

The movies app gives you access to the BigFlix app. You also have access to local news publications via the app store along with live TV.

In terms of the specifications under the hood, a 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM power the Funbook Pro. The 10.1-inch display has a resolution of 1024x600 and the device has an internal storage of 8GB expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. The resolution of the front facing camera is VGA.

Overall, the Funbook Pro is packed with features especially if you are looking for a device that gives you access to a plethora of local content.

PerformanceStarting with the display, it is quite impressive for a Rs. 10,000 tablet. We feel that the resolution is a little low at 1024x600 and we wish it were higher, maybe 1280x720 at the least. Nonetheless, we ran a few games, apps and videos and the device performed quite well. The representation of colours was nice and we were quite happy watching movies on the device. Having said that the Funbook Pro’s display is very reflective and susceptible to glare. The brightness of the display is average. All video formats and all resolutions ran very well. 1080p mkv files too were smooth and even navigating on the timeline was seamless. It was a good experience.

For its benchmark performance, the scores weren’t very impressive. Its hardware is the same as other budget 7-inch tablets. In some aspects it performed better than the Zync Z999 Plus and in others it was blown away. Take a look at a comparison of the scores below. 

The keyboard on the device is stock Android. In landscape mode it may be difficult to type with two figures considering the 10.1-inch display but in portrait mode, the typing experience is comfortable.

 Transferring data from your Mac or PC to the device is as simple as plug, copy and paste.

The absence of a SIM card is missed on the device and if you need to access the Internet on the go, you will have to use a USB dongle. The tablet doesn't have a full sized USB port so you will have to use a microUSB to full USB convertor making the experience quite messy.

Games on the Funbook Pro were a lot of fun to play. Games such has Angry Birds space make good use of the screens real-estate where as games such as Temple Run which run on portrait mode feel slightly cumbersome.

The inbuilt browser was frustrating to use but then again so was the Chrome browser on the device. It's a bummer that the browser experience is disappointing considering the large display of the device.

A 5800mAh battery powers the Funbook Pro and this is where the tablet is a tad disappointing. In the continuous video playback test, it lasted for a mere 3.5 hours, which isn’t impressive. In terms of real world usage expect the device to last for about 5 hours.

Bottom LineFor Rs. 10,000 the Micromax Funbook Pro is a good device. It has a large 10-inch display, which is great for apps and watching videos. The device does compromise on factors such as Bluetooth and a SIM card slot. If the screen size is a priority, then the Funbook Pro is the tablet for you. Otherwise you can take a look at the Zync Z999 Plus, which is a 7-inch device, has good specifications and has the ability to house a SIM card.

                                                      

Mercury mTab Neo2

 MRP: 14999                          

The Mercury mTab Neo2 is a well-built tablet that offers some good specifications under the hood, especially the dual-core processor and a nice build.The absence of a volume rocker is missed but the addition of the SIM card slot makes the device capable of making calls as well as accessing data without a dongle sticking out of the device. For Rs. 15,000 it is a little difficult to recommend the Neo2, especially when you can get the iBerry Auxus AX02 for around Rs. 10,000 running ICS straight out of the box.

Budget tablets are all the rage these days especially if they run the latest OS. We have seen a slew of budget tablets launch that not only pack in decent hardware under the hood but run Google’s latest OS, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The older generation budget tablets launched with Android 2.3 Gingerbread felt a little incomplete. But today we have with us a device that falls right in the middle of the above two mentioned OS’.

The Mercury mTab Neo2 has a dual-core processor and runs on Google’s originally unveiled tablet specific OS, Android 3.0 Honeycomb. We haven’t seen Honeycomb budget tablet hit store shelves in India and this is a first. Thankfully, Mercury says that the device will be upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Another factor that needs to be considered is that besides being dual core, the tablet is also priced at the higher spectrum of the budget tablet price range, i.e., at Rs. 14,999. Is it enough bang for your buck?

Look and feel
At first glance, the tablet looks like the 100 other homogenous 7-inchers out there. There is nothing on the surface that distinguishes the device from its brethren in terms of its look and design. Pick the device in your hands however, and you do get a premium feel from the device. It has quite a solid build but the finish is glossy making the device a fingerprint magnet.

The front of the device houses the 7-inch display that boasts of a resolution of 480x800. The front also has the 0.3MP camera and a back button. The rear-facing snapper is 2MP. In terms of connectivity, all the ports are at the bottom of the device (when held in portrait mode). The device has a headphones jack, two Mini USB port, HDMI out, DC IN and Micro SD card slot.

On the right, the device has the home menu and power button. These 3 buttons feel really small and at times inconvenient to use. It would have been nice if the home button were on the face of the device along with the back button. The absence of a physical volume rocker too is dearly missed.

Features and performance
Snappy is the first thing that comes to mind when you start using the device. Straight out of the box, the device runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb and the tablet will be upgradable to Android 4.0 ICS in the near future. Under the hood, the device runs a dual core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX 540 GPU and 512 MB of RAM, which may seem a little less but is sufficient to get the job done. The device also has 8GB internal storage straight out of the box. The touchscreen of the device too its pretty good. It’s well responsive and comfortable to use.

The keyboard on the other hand is fantastic in the portrait mode and slightly frustrating in landscape. Its easy and fast to type in portrait and the errors were next to 0. In landscape however, the keyboard feels squished and inconvenient. Games ran pretty smoothly on the device. We played some Angry Birds Space and flinging birds into zero gravity was satisfying.Browsing the web on the device was a good experience. The pages rendered fairly quickly and zooming in and out was smooth.

The 1080p video playback on the device was very smooth. The display got the job done ok, although the viewing angles of the display are very bad.
The camera on the device isn’t one to boast. The rear houses a 2MP camera where as the front of the device has a 0.3MP camera. The cameras aren’t the best in its class and the output generally depends on the surrounding lighting conditions.

One advantage of the device is that it has a SIM card slot that not only lets you use 3G to access the internet but also lets you makes calls. Sure you’d look really silly holding the device near your face but the addition of the option is nice.

The device has a 4000 mAh battery and you can expect to touch the 5 to 6 hours battery life on the device with average use. The device does run the Android OS but with a skin layered over it. The skin is fairly basic and doesn’t possess any bloatware that will be problematic for the system. Once change is that instead of swiping down from the top of the screen to see the notifications, you swipe the bottom of the screen – down to up. For those of you that aren’t happy with the skin can always use one downloaded from the Google Play Store. 

Since the device has a dual-core processor, we thought it would surpass the sub Rs. 15,000 tablets by a mile in benchmark performances. We were however proven wrong. The Intex iTab (Scored 198) and the iBerry Auxus AX02 (scored 197) surpassed the Neo2 (scored 163) in the Peacekeeper benchmark that tests the browser on the tablet.

On the Quadrant benchmark, the Mercury mTab Neo2 scored a 1468 whereas the Micromax funbook scored 1675 and the iBerry Auxus AX02 scored 1733.
The overall benchmark performances of the device may not bring out the fact that it is a dual core processor powered device but its real world performance was acceptable nonetheless. The fact still remains that you can get a tablet that has slightly better raw performance for a much lesser price.

Verdict
The Mercury mTab Neo2 is a well-built tablet that offers some good specifications under the hood, especially the dual core processor and a nice build. It also supports all the possible inputs but runs on an older generation OS, Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The absence of a volume rocker is missed but the addition of the SIM card slot makes the device capable of making calls as well as accessing data without a dongle sticking out of the device. For Rs. 15,000 it is a little difficult to recommend the Neo2, especially when you can get the iBerry Auxus AX02 for around Rs. 10,000 running ICS straight out of the box.

iBall Slide

  MRP: 12449                                    

Overall, the iBall Slide is a direct competitor to the Mercury Mtab Neo2. It is a good overall performer with the only drawback being the keyboard. It runs on Android 3.0 Honeycomb but we wished we were informed whether the device would receive an ICS update or not. Games, music, apps and videos ran very smoothly on the device. If a SIM card slot is an absolute necessity for you, then you should take a look at the Mercury Mtab Neo2.

The sub Rs. 15,000 price bracket has seen quite a few new tablets arrive recently, aiming to offer consumers bang for their buck. Tablets like the Mercury Mtab Neo2, Intex iTab and the BlackBerry PlayBook have established themselves as value for money products for the price they demand.

Today we have with us the iBall Slide i7218. It is different from the Slide we saw last year at launch, but the difference is only in terms of the visuals of the device, and better speakers. Its internal workings are the same as its predecessor. Is it worth a consideration?

Design and Build 
Remove the device from the box and it gives you the feel of being a premium device. It is built out of plastic but it doesn’t feel flimsy or hollow. The rear panel of the device has a shiny silver finish to it, which is a refreshing change from the matte and glossy simple black that we have come to see from devices in this genre. The front of the device however has the standard black glossy finish that makes the device a fingerprint magnet.

The front of the device houses the 7-inch display that boasts of a resolution of 480x800 pixels. The front also has the VGA camera and three touch sensitive buttons representing menu, home and back. The rear-facing snapper is 2MP. In terms of connectivity, all the ports are at the bottom of the device (when held in portrait mode). The device has a mini USB port, mini HDMI out, full USB, a headphones jack, microSD card slot and DC in. That may seem like a lot of ports but they are neatly laid out. On the top of the device (when held in landscape mode) is the volume rocker alongside the power button.

Overall, the device feels wide when held in the landscape mode which is good for watching videos and playing angry birds but feels a little squashed in portrait mode.

Features and SpecificationsStraight out of the box, the device runs on Android 3.0 Honeycomb, same as the Mercury Mtab Neo2. The mercury Mtab Neo2 is expected to receive the ICS update soon but there is no word on when we can see the same on the iBall Slide, though there have been rumours that it would arrive in the near future.

Under the hood, the device is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU and has 512MB RAM and has 8GB internal storage. The touch screen is capacitive in nature, eliminating the need of a stylus. The capacitive touchscreen on the device is really good and smooth to navigate with but the typing experience is a different story altogether.

The device does come preloaded with quite a few apps such as Cricket News, Documents to Go, Hi MSN, IBN Live, iReader, moneycontrol, Nimbuzz, RTI India and Zomato.

Performance
Playing Angry Birds and Pool Master Pro on the device was a fun experience. The touchscreen response was good, graphics were smooth and the audio was surprisingly good, apart from being very loud.

Browsing the web on the device was a good experience. The keyboard on the other hand is a mixed bag. In the landscape mode, it feels very cramped and a little inconvenient to use. In the portrait mode however, it is well laid out and the errors are minimal. In either case, don’t expect to be able to type long documents on this device on the go.

The iBall Slide claims 1080p HD video playback support and we were more than happy to put this claim to the test. We ran two 1080p HD trailers in .MP4 format on the device and they ran absolutely smoothly without any jitters. The display though crisp lacked brightness. The viewing angles on the device aren’t the best but get the job done for a solo viewing experience.

The audio output from the speakers is one that needs to be mentioned here. It is very loud, louder than most tablets we have tested and that is a good thing. The audio does then to creak at high octave notes but that is an acceptable tradeoff considering the volume you are receiving.

The device however isn’t perfect. It lacks a slot for a SIM card but unlike other budget tablets that compromise on Bluetooth, this tablet doesn’t. It has Bluetooth. We can live without a SIM card slot and appreciate the addition of Bluetooth.

With average use, the device lasted us under a day, which is expected from a device in this category. You can expect the device to last for 4 to 6 hours at a stretch depending on your usage. It has a 4400 mAh battery that is the standard we have come to expect from tablets in this price range.

The device comes with a file manager, which is nice as it enables seamless transfer of content from your Mac/PC and the device.

Bottom LineOverall, the iBall Slide is a direct competitor to the Mercury Mtab Neo2. It is a good overall performer with the only drawback being the keyboard. It runs on Android 3.0 Honeycomb but we wished we were informed whether the device would receive an ICS update or not. Games, music, apps and videos ran very smoothly on the device. If a SIM card slot is an absolute necessity for you, the you should take a look at the Mercury Mtab Neo2. If you are looking for a budget tablet with the latest OS, you can take a look at the iBerry Auxus AX02 or the Zync Z990 or even the Micromax Funbook.

HCL Me Tab Y2

     MRP: 14999                                    

The HCL Me Tab Y2 has one of the best displays in its price bracket, and offers solid performance. On the downside, it compromises on the Google Play store, which is a big deal breaker, and offers sub-par browsing performance. If you are one who is interested in loading your devices with the latest apps, we suggest you look elsewhere. But if a fantastic display and overall good multimedia performance is what you are looking for then you can definitely consider this device.

Budget tablets have been doing everything in their power to prove their worth as value for money devices. It is only in the past 12 months that we have seen tablets launch with some great USPs that make them worthy as your first budget tablet devices.

These devices run on Google’s Android OS, provide some great power under the hood and give you access to a plethora of apps.

Today we have with us the HCL Me Y2 Tab in the 15K price range and boasts of some impressive hardware, but staying true to the HCL tradition has given up on the Google Play store. Is it a wise decision or has HCL shot itself in the foot yet again?

Design and BuildOne look at the HCL Me Y2 Tab and it doesn't seem like a budget tablet. It has a premium finish to it and the screen has a wider aspect ratio making it ideal for watching videos. The rear of the device has a black matte rubberized finish making giving it a good grip in ones hands. Even though the rear is matte, it still manages to attract fingerprints but not as badly as a glossy product.

The HCL Me Y2 Tab isn’t the slimmest 7-inch tablet in the market and this is quite evident from the minute you hold the device. It is 13mm thick making it about 2.5mm thicker than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (read our review). This isn’t a deal breaker as the device is still comfortable to hold, but it does make a difference if you are into the slim gadgets trend.

The Me Y2 Tab is also a little heavier than other 7-inch tablets, weighing in at 368 grams. This too isn’t a deal breaker as the device was comfortable to use for prolonged hours of movie watching and web surfing.

In terms of its ports and connectivity, the HCL Me Y2 Tab has the power button and the volume rocker on top (when held in landscape mode). The right of the device houses the microSD card slot, headphones jack, DC in, mini USB port, Mini HDMI out, and the SIM Card slot. On the face of the device you have the back, home and menu buttons all of which are touch sensitive. The rear of the device has a 2MP camera and the front has a 0.3MP camera for video chatting.

The ports and connectivity options on the HCL Me Y2 Tab are standard with what we have come to expect from budget 7-inch devices. The overall build of the device is good and it feels sturdy in ones hands.

Features & Specifications
The HCL Me Tab Y2 runs on Google Android 4.0.3 ICS straight out-of-the-box. It’s nice that the device isn’t heavily skinned making it easy for newcomers to navigate the device. It comes preloaded with a bunch of apps and games such as an app installer, BigFix, Bollywood Hungama, Hungama.com, Ninja Rush, Panzer Panic, Saavan, Sweet n Spicy and ThinkFree Office.

The app installer is a very handy app as the HCL Me Y2 Tab compromises on the Google Play store and in turn adds its own HCL Me app store on the device. It would have been great if the HCL Me App store was added in addition to the Google Play Store and its absence is dearly missed. Nonetheless, the advantage of the Me App store is that you don't need to have a Google account or register to access its app library. The interface of the Me App store isn’t as flashy as the Play store but it is loaded with a plethora of apps nonetheless.

Even thought the app library is large, it doesn't house many popular apps such as Amazing Alex, Angry Birds Space and more. You can download the APK file of apps that are not there on the HCL Me App store and install them on the device via the App installer but honestly, it would have been easier if HCL just included the Google Play store. The reason for its absence is still a mystery to us.

Under the hood, the device is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A9 processor, has 1GB of RAM and comes with 8GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. Other specifications include 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS and an accelerometer.

The display on the HCL Me Y2 Tab is really good and probably the best we have seen on a budget tablet. The display is 7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1024 x 600. We do wish that the resolution was a bit better but we are just nit-picking. The display is very vibrant and the colours look sharp. It has fantastic viewing angles as well. Even under direct sunlight, you can see the contents on the display.

PerformanceStarting with the display, it is vibrant and the viewing angles are very good, probably one of the best in its price bracket. The same however cannot be said about the HCL Me Y2 Tab’s audio output. It is soft, flat and gives a very lacklustre performance. The device ran all formats of video that we threw at it – MOV, MKV, MP4 and AVI with absolute ease. There was no lag even in the 1080p videos. Navigating on the timeline of the videos too was smooth.

The HCL Me Y2 Tab’s touchscreen is smooth and responsive showing the capabilities of the power under the hood. The power under the hood of the device is good enough to run any of the apps you throw at it very smoothly. Multitasking on the device too was a good experience.

The keyboard on the HCL Me Y2 Tab is stock Android. In landscape more it may be difficult to type with two figures. In portrait mode however, the typing experience is quite good. In either case, the keyboard is quite nice and responsive, similar to the ones we have seen on the Zync and iberry tablets.

Transferring data from your Mac or PC to the device is as simple as plug, copy and paste.

Another feature of the HCL Me Tab Y2 is that you can insert your SIM card and use the device as a phone. Using it as a phone is quite inconvenient ergonomically. Add to it the fact that the speakerphone acts as the earpiece and you will be holding the device backwards in public making you look like a complete fool. Not an ideal option.

Games on the other hand ran very well and looked great on the HCL Me Tab Y2. It was fun playing the Angry Birds Rio, Cut the Rope and more. The load times of the games were quite swift.

The rear of the HCL Me Tab Y2 houses has a 2MP camera and we wouldn't be surprised if you never used it. The front has a 0.3MP camera that gets the job done for video chatting.

As mentioned earlier, the device lacks the Google Play store so we didn't have direct access to download the original benchmarks. The only benchmark available on the HCL Me app store was Quadrant. In Quadrant, the device scored 1632 which is at par with competing tablets that boast of a 1GHz processor and 1GB RAM.

The inbuilt Android browser isn’t the best as pages took time to load and navigation could get pretty laggy at times. Scrolling and zooming was cumbersome and quite frustrating.

The most important question, how long will the device’s battery last? We played a 720p HD MP4 movie on loop on the device. We set the brightness to full and volume to 80 percent. The HCL Me Tab Y2 lasted for 4 hours of continuous video playback, which is quite good.

Bottom Line
Overall, the HCL Me Tab Y2’s performance is a mixed bag. It has one of the best displays on a budget Android tablet and played all the apps and videos we threw at it with absolute ease. On the downside, it compromises on the Google Play store, which is a big deal breaker. If you are one who is interested in loading your devices with the latest apps, we suggest you look elsewhere. But if a fantastic display and overall good multimedia performance is what you are looking for then you can definitely consider this device.

Zync Z990

  MRP: 8990                 

This is a budget tablet, and it clearly shows in the build quality, performance and even the display. But at this price, the real enticing factor is that it has ICS on-board. While there are a whole host of connectivity ports as well, but there is no getting away from the "budget" build quality.

The Zync Z990 is the first budget tablet with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to hit the Indian market. That space is currently occupied by the likes of Beetel, Reliance, HCL, iBerry and Mercury to name a few.  

Look & Feel

Straightaway, the build quality betrays the price tag of the tablet. We have reviewed a whole host ofbudget tablets in the past, but this one takes the cake for playing the part! The consumer, quite obviously, wants a product with a better finish than this. The Zync Z990 is plasticky all around, but that feels quite low quality. There is a matte finish to the front, while the rear panel has an enamel finish. No hardware buttons around the screen, but if you hold the tablet in landscape mode, the top spine does make up for it! Menu, Power and Return (called Esc) are all placed here, but since all three look the same, you will have to remember the position of each to use it without looking. To the right of the display is the video call camera, nicely camouflaged. The right spine has a USB hub, micro USB port, 3.5mm jack as well as mini HDMI out. No volume rocker anywhere, which means you will have to manage playback volume from within whatever app you are using at that time.

We understand that quality cuts need to happen to keep the budget tablets as a sensible business proposition, but Zync needs to take the quality up a notch on this tablet. 

Features & Performance

On the spec sheet, the Zync Z990 looks like an impressive package. The combination of a 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.0 does make it quite enticing. Despite that, the benchmark scores and the usage experience clearly shows that the tablet isn't as quick as it could have been. At times, there is a distinct lag when flipping between the home screens, or even through the app list. At times, there is an annoying lag when you are typing a web address in the browser. Quite frankly, we expected a smoother ICS experience with such a decent spec sheet. However, the Z990 handles multi-tasking very smoothly. We had multiple apps running - web browser, YouTube app, media player in the background, and still the Z990 didn’t slow down. If Zync can optimise the Z990 a little better to iron out the sudden appearance of lag, the performance will surely be quite impressive.

The 7-inch display is a capacitive touchscreen with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution. The brightness levels are quite good, even though the colour reproduction does seem a little less vivid than what the iBerry AUXUS AX02 offered. We kept the two tablets side by side, with the brightness turned to 100% and played the same video on both displays. The comparison showed that while the Zync Z990  has a brighter display, the AX02 offers better colour reproduction. In terms of video playback quality, both are the same. HD videos were smooth, and even jumping forward and back in playback was handled very smoothly. Speaking of which, the Z990’s speaker isn't very loud, and was a definite second place to the iBerry AX02 at full volume playing back the same video.  

Reliance 3G Tab

   MRP: 12999                                     

The most interesting thing about the Reliance 3G Tab is the price, undoubtedly. What this does is lowers the entry price barrier for branded tablets. We were pretty impressed by the performance in general. While it isn't a multimedia or gaming powerhouse, the 3G Tab does a bit of everything. Steady performance, good battery life and a surprisingly sleek form factor are some of the strong points of the Reliance 3G Tab. However, you do sacrifice on certain aspects, the display is average, touch response is not very fluid, and the camera results are poor. If the Rs 30000+ Android tablets are out of your budget, this may just be the right one to introduce you to the world of tablets.  

This was inevitable. The Rs 28k upwards price tag of most high-end tablets caters to a niche market, but was largely out of reach of most potential buyers. However, the Reliance 3G Tab (essentially the ZTE V9C, since ZTE makes these tablets for Reliance) changes that, quite dramatically. The price point is the most attractive thing about the tablet, but the first impressions had indicated a pretty competent tablet. After a more detailed review of the tablet, here are our findings.

Look & Feel
Minimalistic. Quite simply, this is the most matter to fact tablet we have seen till date. Not that it is a bad thing, at all. The display has a glossy black frame around it. Power key and the volume rocker are on the right side, assuming the Tab is held in the portrait mode. Micro USB charging port on the bottom panel, while the 3.5mm audio jack is on the top panel along with the speaker. The left panel is largely clean, except for the groove designed to allow you to open the rear panel.

Speaking of which, the rear panel is dressed in classy silver colour, quite a contrast from the black on the front. Open the panel and this is the smartphone-ish experience. The huge 3400 mAh battery, the SIM card slot (Reliance were kind enough to provide us with an active Reliance GSM connection, with 3G activated) and the microSD card slot.

The build quality overall is pretty acceptable. No flashy design elements, just simple tones. There are no hardware buttons for home, menu and return – just touch based ones. They don’t light up in the dark, and that can be a little uncomfortable at times.

The Tab 3G just feels very compact. Was bound to happen to a certain extent, since this is a 7-inch display. However, those of us who have used the very first Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 would most probably agree that the P1000 felt much bigger than this one. And it was slightly thicker too. Weight wise, the 3G Tab tips the scales at 389grams, not much more than the 389grams of the Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000. We are comparing the two, while they may be of slightly different eras since they both have 7-inch displays. Like for like comparison, if you please.

Features
First reaction of most people is that at this price, the tablet will miss out on a bit of the feature set, if not the most of it. An ARM11 800MHz processor along with 512MB of RAM powers this tablet. The 7-inch display is a simple TFT with capacitive touch capability. The resolution of the display is 800x480 pixels.

While there is literally no internal storage space to boast of, Reliance has nicely bundled a 4GB microSD card with the tablet. You can use a microSD card up to 32GB. There is the combo of a 2MP camera and VGA camera.

A lot of applications come preloaded on the 3G Tab. Docs To Go is a complete office suite, allowing you to view, create and edit Word, Spreadsheet and Presentation documents. Reliance’s own applications as well - R World, RelianceTV and RWorld Online. Then there are the usual suspects – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and even Orkut (it still lives!).

                                  

Lava E-Tab

       MRP: 5500                                  

Lava E-Tab performs well for a tablet priced under Rs. 6,000, and beats its closest competitor, the UltraTab A100, hands down. For the price you pay, you are getting a capacitive screen, decent power under the hood and a respectable build. You can consider this tablet over its competition. But remember, the viewing angles are bad, the tabley does lag a bit and the browsing experience isn't the best.

In the past few months, budget tablets have flooded the market. Initially we saw devices begin breaking the Rs. 10,000 price barrier, boast some impressive features and specifications, such as Android 4.0 ICS out-of-the-box, a 1GHz processor, and decent memory.

Today we have tablets that are closer to the Rs. 6,000 price point, yet boast of similar specifications. Are they bang for your buck products, or are they better left untouched? We take a close look at the Lava E-Tab:

Design and Build
One look at the device and it reminds you exactly of the Zen UltraTab A100 that we reviewed sometime back. It has the standard 7-inch display that most budget tablets bear. The body is made entirely out of plastic and it has a matte grey finish at the back. The sides of the tablet have a nice textured finish to it adding a grip. This makes holding the device very comfortable.

Since the tablet runs on Android 4.0 ICS, there is no need for physical buttons on the face of the device. The front of the Lava E-Tab is clean, and houses a single speaker that is positioned on the left of the display (when held in landscape mode). The front also has the VGA camera for video chatting. The tablet compromises on a rear-facing camera and it isn’t missed.

In terms of the connectivity options, the Lava E-Tab has all the ports neatly laid out at the bottom (in portrait mode). You have the headphones jack, microSD card slot, microUSB port and DC in.

On the right of the E-Tab, you have two rockers. One acts as the volume rocker whereas the other is the on/off/sleep/wake button and the home button.

The tablet compromises on a SIM card slot and Bluetooth connectivity, but then again, we don't expect their presence in a tablet priced under Rs. 6,000.

All in all, the design and build of Lava E-Tab quite good for a low-end budget ICS tablet. We especially appreciate the grip added to the sides.

Features and Specifications
Under the hood, a single core 1.2GHz processor and 512MB of RAM power the Lava E-Tab. It runs on Android 4.0.4 ICS, and there is no information on whether the device will be upgradable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

The E-Tab sports a 7-inch display with a 480x800 resolution. It has 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. It comes with a few preloaded apps and games such as chess, Fusion, Hungama, Pizza Ninja, Solitaire and more.

One good feature of the Lava E-Tab is that from the lock screen, you can directly access your open apps. The lock screen is the same as any other ICS device. The lock screen can be swiped in a particular direction to access the open apps or swiped right to reach the home screen.

There is no prominent skin on the tablet but there are a few tweaks than have been made to the OS. You have access to five customizable home screens and the bottom of the screen has the ever-present back, home and multitasking touch buttons along with volume controls. The app icons in the app listing menu are larger than what we are used to seeing by default and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Notably, the Lava E-Tab also has access to the Google Play store.

Performance
On paper, the specifications of the Lava E-Tab are the same as the Zen UltraTab A100 but in real world usage, the performance of the E-Tab is significantly better. Take a look at the benchmark score comparison below.

As you can see from the above scores, the Lava E-Tab performed better everywhere except for the browser test. In the real world, the performance was far better as well – for everyday usage, the device worked fine. Because it features just 512MB of RAM, we did see some lag here and there, but the overall performance can be stated as good.

Unfortunately, the Lava E-Tab isn’t very good at multitasking. The half a gig of RAM unfortunately is not enough, and if you have a plethora of apps working, you will see a noticeable lag in the interface.

The layout of the keyboard is the same that we find on other 7-inch tablets but its response is questionable. There were times when it responded to a feather touch and there were times when prominent clicks went unrecognized. Browsing the web on the Lava E-Tab was relatively good although the loading times are long especially for heavy websites. Changing the orientation while browsing the web too saw quite some lag.

For navigating apps and playing games, the response of the touchscreen was good. The display doesn’t deliver the best viewing angles however, with the slightest tilts causing the colour temperature to change. The display is quite reflective as well, making it susceptible to glare. We saw a few videos on the device and though they ran well, we had to hold it at an angle to get the best view.

The Lava E-Tab has a 2800 mAh battery. Lava claims that you can get 5 hours of browsing time. On our continuous video playback test, the device lasted for 5 hours. We played an SD video in loop. The brightness and volume on the tablet was full and it lasted for 5 hours. For average everyday use the device should last you for about 6 hours.

Bottom LineFor a tablet priced under Rs. 6,000, the Lava E-Tab performs well. It beats its closest competitor, theUltraTab A100, hands down. For the price you pay, you are getting a capacitive screen, decent power under the hood and a respectable build. You can consider this tablet over its competition. But remember, the viewing angles are bad, the tablet does lag a bit and the browsing experience isn’t the best.