Hello how are you doing?
Good to be back, after a while, on MS with another review. If you won’t settle for anything less than an iPad or Nexus, punt! This review is based on my user experience with the Penta T-PAD IS703c and having used it for about 3 months now.
Let me begin my review by first stating the obvious;
"Please do not expect this tablet to perform like a Nexus! this is a budget tab and it has its limitations"
whats good?
++ Android 4.0.x - ICS.
++ ARM cortex A8 1GHz processor (there are new devices out there with older processors like A5)
++ 1GB RAM - this is great! for a budget tab. you will be left with about 600MB for games and browsing and multi tasking.
++ 8GB of internal storage - very good for a budget tab, about 6GB is available to user.
++ Full size USB port, meaning no need for a OTG cable. simply connect your USB flash drives, key board and mouse (supports wireless dongles) you can also connect your 3G dongle for on the move internet access.
++ Full HD (1080p) play back; I was surprised to see the tab play 1080p videos flawlessly, no stutter or lag what so ever. Its incredibly fast when seeking forward and reverse and play instantly.
++ Good LCD screen; although not the brightest or sharpest, it still packs a decent resolution (800x480 pixels). Responsive to touch ( you may see it lag if you have lot of apps in the background)
++ decent battery life; you get about 4 hours of use with the massive 4000mAH battery. can watch 2 movies back to back.
Whats bad?
-- the tablet hangs occasionally; a hard reset brings it back to life.
-- very poor camera; better to avoid it for good. The camera is placed at such an angle that you could see only half your face, images are dark pretty much useless.
what could have been better?
?? the sound quality is average or decent; some times you will hear a continuous buzz or hum along with the audio.
?? the tab has an inbuilt mic, looks like its placed close to the speaker on the rear, which is quite weak. you have to really shout
at it to make an audible recording or for google voice commands.
Games?
Yes, you could play games that are not graphic intense for there is Vivante GC400 graphics integrated.
i have tried temple run and temple run2 they work well without lags but at low setting. you will see it stutter when your pep up the
game quality to medium or best.
no issues with angry birds (2.3 version) or angry birds space.latest version of angry bird wont even start!
other games like, shoot the apple, yoo ninja, fruit ninja, speed racing, cut the rope, wheres my water to name a few works well.
Browsing?
i was not able to launch chrome browser, although it installed. you will have to go with lite browsers like Opera or UC broswer which work well. YouTube, Google currents, flip board, news hunt and other lite apps work great.
you will see delays and lags on websites that are heavy in graphics. once the page has loaded, its pretty responsive and pinch to zoom works well.
ergonomics?
# the tablet feels a bit heavy (@ 370gms) when you try to hold it lying down.
# the power on, vol - and + keys are too much raised. you will hit them now and then when trying to change the orientation.
# the plastic build may be slippery when you are holding in portrait mode.
its only unfair to complain anything about the build quality for a tablet at this price. dont expect to use the tablet outdoors; too much
reflections and you cant see a thing.
for the same price or less, there are many other new tablets that lack a 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, HDMI out and a full size USB port. which are compelling reasons why the Penta IS703c would stand out.
And for the brand & quality concious folks, the Nexus 7 tab (INR 16K) has already arrived on the Google play store. there is also Asus memopad (10K INR) and the Asus padFone (16K INR) offering great mid range tablets.
That’s all then.
good day.
Vn.