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The 7" tablet market, which was somewhat 'bubbling under' until recently, has been lit on fire (pun intended) by Amazon with their Kindle Fire and Google / Asus with their Nexus 7. There's some great devices, but which one to buy? MoDaCo is here to help!
Choosing a 7" device isn't as easy as saying - 'BUY THIS ONE', because we're not a one size fits all world... everybody wants something different. So I thought i'd talk about each of the devices available on sale and the pros and cons of each. Please reply in the comments with your own input / suggestions!
Note that i've largely excluded the 'cheap Chinese tablets you can buy on eBay' because in my experience they are almost all flawed by sub-par software builds. Again, if you have experience with a particularly good device (e.g. some of the Ainol devices have some good press), let us know in the comments!
Acer Iconia A110
Price: £179.98 + delivery
Storage: 8GB + microSD
OS Version: Jelly Bean
Pros: Latest OS, microSD expansion, Tegra3 processor, microHDMI, USB OTG adaptor included
Cons: 1024x600 screen, somewhat bland design, no guarantee of future updates
The Acer Iconia A110 is the device that is closest to the Nexus 7 in terms of specs (packing the latest OS and a Tegra 3 processor), however it also offers microSD expansion and HDMI output, key omissions from Google's own offering. The flipside is that the screen is only a 1024x600 panel (compared to 1280x800 on the Nexus and the Kindle Fire HD). Although the OS is Jelly Bean out of the box, Acer's upgrade commitments have been a little patchy in the past.
Amazon Kindle Fire
Price: £129 + delivery (free delivery with Amazon Prime)
Storage: 8GB
OS Version: Ice Cream Sandwich with proprietary Amazon interface
Pros: Cheap! Well built, excellent content offering including LoveFilm streaming
Cons: Uninspiring design, custom OS, no MHL / HDMI, no front facing camera, no Play Store, 1024x600 screen
The real kicker in the Kindle Fire deal is the price. Not much can touch it for £129. That said, it does look pretty limited in this company and you have to make a judgement call about how you feel about the custom Amazon OS! As a tablet for a child for example, this is a great investment. It can run all the Android apps you might want for them, is built to last and is cheaper than a Nintendo DS.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD
Price: £159 (16GB) / £199 (32GB) + delivery (free delivery with Amazon Prime)
Storage: 16GB / 32GB
OS Version: Ice Cream Sandwich with proprietary Amazon interface
Pros: Great value! Impressive hardware. Excellent content offering including LoveFilm streaming.
Cons: Custom OS, no Play Store
If the non-HD Kindle Fire is about hardware compromises, then the HD is the opposite. The screen is a 1280x800 IPS panel with glare reduction technology, the device gains a webcam and HDMI ports and provides impressive storage capacity for the price. Add in MIMO WiFi and Dolby Sound and you have a very desirable machine. As with the non-HD Fire of course, the main downside could be the proprietary Amazon OS.
Google / Asus Nexus 7
Price: £159 (8GB) / £199 (16GB) + delivery, including £15 Play Store credit
Storage: 8GB / 16GB
OS Version: Jelly Bean
Pros: Pure Nexus device, great screen, nice build, Tegra3 processor, nice and hackable
Cons: No HDMI output, no USB OTG without root, no microSD, so-so WiFi reception
The elephant in the room... Google / Asus' Nexus 7 is probably the enthusiasts choice by virtue of it's pure Android build and it's likelihood to get future updates at the earliest opportunity. It IS a great device, but not without it's compromises - the biggest being the lack of microSD expansion and HDMI port.
Kobo Arc
Price: £159 (8GB) / £189 (16GB) + delivery
Storage: 8GB / 16GB
OS Version: Ice Cream Sandwich
Pros: Good screen, wireless display support, relatively stock Android, changeable backs
Cons: No microSD expansion, no HDMI port (a wireless display dongle is possible tho) future upgrade path unknown
Previously Kobo Android readers have been underwhelming, but the the new Arc raises it's game considerably. All the key parts are there - 1280x800 IPS screen, proper Android (including Play Store), great pricing and an interesting design. Probably not the obvious choice, but intriguing!
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2
Price: £199 (8GB) / £299 (8GB + 3G) + delivery, £30 cashback offer currently
Storage: 8GB
OS Version: Ice Cream Sandwich (Jelly Bean Beta has leaked)
Pros: microSD expansion, rear camera
Cons: Relatively poor screen (1024x600 TFT), TouchWiz
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 has been around a little longer than the others and it shows a little bit, particular in it's screen tech - it appears dimmer and much less clear than the IPS equipped units. That said, it's microSD expansion and rear camera might float your boat and it's the only unit here to have a 3G option.
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Choosing a 7" device isn't as easy as saying - 'BUY THIS ONE', because we're not a one size fits all world... everybody wants something different. So I thought i'd talk about each of the devices available on sale and the pros and cons of each. Please reply in the comments with your own input / suggestions!
Note that i've largely excluded the 'cheap Chinese tablets you can buy on eBay' because in my experience they are almost all flawed by sub-par software builds. Again, if you have experience with a particularly good device (e.g. some of the Ainol devices have some good press), let us know in the comments!
Acer Iconia A110
Price: £179.98 + delivery
Storage: 8GB + microSD
OS Version: Jelly Bean
Pros: Latest OS, microSD expansion, Tegra3 processor, microHDMI, USB OTG adaptor included
Cons: 1024x600 screen, somewhat bland design, no guarantee of future updates
The Acer Iconia A110 is the device that is closest to the Nexus 7 in terms of specs (packing the latest OS and a Tegra 3 processor), however it also offers microSD expansion and HDMI output, key omissions from Google's own offering. The flipside is that the screen is only a 1024x600 panel (compared to 1280x800 on the Nexus and the Kindle Fire HD). Although the OS is Jelly Bean out of the box, Acer's upgrade commitments have been a little patchy in the past.
Amazon Kindle Fire
Price: £129 + delivery (free delivery with Amazon Prime)
Storage: 8GB
OS Version: Ice Cream Sandwich with proprietary Amazon interface
Pros: Cheap! Well built, excellent content offering including LoveFilm streaming
Cons: Uninspiring design, custom OS, no MHL / HDMI, no front facing camera, no Play Store, 1024x600 screen
The real kicker in the Kindle Fire deal is the price. Not much can touch it for £129. That said, it does look pretty limited in this company and you have to make a judgement call about how you feel about the custom Amazon OS! As a tablet for a child for example, this is a great investment. It can run all the Android apps you might want for them, is built to last and is cheaper than a Nintendo DS.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD
Price: £159 (16GB) / £199 (32GB) + delivery (free delivery with Amazon Prime)
Storage: 16GB / 32GB
OS Version: Ice Cream Sandwich with proprietary Amazon interface
Pros: Great value! Impressive hardware. Excellent content offering including LoveFilm streaming.
Cons: Custom OS, no Play Store
If the non-HD Kindle Fire is about hardware compromises, then the HD is the opposite. The screen is a 1280x800 IPS panel with glare reduction technology, the device gains a webcam and HDMI ports and provides impressive storage capacity for the price. Add in MIMO WiFi and Dolby Sound and you have a very desirable machine. As with the non-HD Fire of course, the main downside could be the proprietary Amazon OS.
Google / Asus Nexus 7
Price: £159 (8GB) / £199 (16GB) + delivery, including £15 Play Store credit
Storage: 8GB / 16GB
OS Version: Jelly Bean
Pros: Pure Nexus device, great screen, nice build, Tegra3 processor, nice and hackable
Cons: No HDMI output, no USB OTG without root, no microSD, so-so WiFi reception
The elephant in the room... Google / Asus' Nexus 7 is probably the enthusiasts choice by virtue of it's pure Android build and it's likelihood to get future updates at the earliest opportunity. It IS a great device, but not without it's compromises - the biggest being the lack of microSD expansion and HDMI port.
Kobo Arc
Price: £159 (8GB) / £189 (16GB) + delivery
Storage: 8GB / 16GB
OS Version: Ice Cream Sandwich
Pros: Good screen, wireless display support, relatively stock Android, changeable backs
Cons: No microSD expansion, no HDMI port (a wireless display dongle is possible tho) future upgrade path unknown
Previously Kobo Android readers have been underwhelming, but the the new Arc raises it's game considerably. All the key parts are there - 1280x800 IPS screen, proper Android (including Play Store), great pricing and an interesting design. Probably not the obvious choice, but intriguing!
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2
Price: £199 (8GB) / £299 (8GB + 3G) + delivery, £30 cashback offer currently
Storage: 8GB
OS Version: Ice Cream Sandwich (Jelly Bean Beta has leaked)
Pros: microSD expansion, rear camera
Cons: Relatively poor screen (1024x600 TFT), TouchWiz
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 has been around a little longer than the others and it shows a little bit, particular in it's screen tech - it appears dimmer and much less clear than the IPS equipped units. That said, it's microSD expansion and rear camera might float your boat and it's the only unit here to have a 3G option.
Click here to view the item
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