Low Cost 7” Android Tablets:

A Comparative Review

Why Tablets?

• Increasingly affordable & available• Increasingly the productivity tool of choice• Blend of portability & features

COMPUTERS

FULL FEATURE SET

MOBILE PHONES

HIGH PORTABILITY

Ministry Uses for Tablets

• Media Playback• Media Creation• Media Sharing• Social Media• Productivity

(email, document creation, reading, etc.)

Why These Tablets?

• Android – top mobile OS in the world(85% market share globally)

• 7” screen size – sweet spot between smartphones & full-size tablets

• microSD slot – extra file storage, facilitates file sharing

• Under $150 – affordable while still offering key tablet features for mobile ministry

• Global availability & service

Selected Tablets

• ASUS MeMo Pad 7• Datawind UbiSlate 7Ci• Hisense Sero 7 Pro• Lenovo A7-50• LG G-Pad 7.0

ASUS MeMo Pad 7

Pros• Excellent battery life

(8:25 in video test)• 16 GB of internal storage• Fun color optionsCons• Cameras (0.3 MP front, 2 MP rear)• High end of the price spectrum (~ $150)• Display was not good as other tablets

ASUS Memo Pad 7

A capable tablet with goodbattery life and plenty ofinternal storage. Unfortunately,the price is not strongly com-petitive and the dismal front-and rear-facing cameras lag the competition. Certainly not a bad choice, just not the best you can get at this price point.

Datawind UbiSlate 7Ci

Pros:• Priced under $40Cons:• No Google Play Store support (removed)• Low internal storage (4 GB)• Poor battery life (2:30 in video test)• Low-resolution display with poor viewing angles• Poor camera• Poor build quality• No Bluetooth

Datawind UbiSlate 7Ci

“You get what you pay for.”But…Lots of features for under $50 make this a decent option for those in the developing world who can’t afford something more expensive.

Surprise: The internal mic coupled with a good audio recording app produced excellent audio suitable for recording stories, sermons/training, etc.

HiSense Sero 7 Pro

Pros:• Very affordable ($85)• Extra features: MiniHDMI, NFC• Tops in battery life (9:15 on video test)• Great camera specs (2 MP – front, 5 MP – rear, LED)Cons:• Not widely available• Largest & heaviest of all tablets tested• Only 8 GB of internal storage• Uncertain reliability & durability

HiSense Sero 7 Pro

However…It is not the top overall pick due to its limited availability, size & weight, and uncertaintyabout its reliability & durability since Hisenseis so new to the tablet market.

Given its strong feature set, it offers the best overall value among all tablets in this review.

Lenovo A7-50

Pros:• 16 GB of internal storage• Cameras (2 MP front, 5 MP rear)• Global availability & service• Possibly the best overall displayCons:• Mediocre battery life (6:30 in video test)• Slight color inaccuracy, but minor

Lenovo A7-50

Disappointing battery life, butits solid specs including goodcameras and 16 GB of internalstorage, along with a competitiveprice ($140), make this easy to recommend.

Bonus: Top makers like Lenovo are more likely to push out Android updates. The installed Android 4.2 was promptly updated to 4.4.

LG G-Pad 7.0

Pros:• Nice display with rich,

accurate colors• Strong battery life

(8:05 in video test)• Global availability & service• Split window option for multitaskingCons:• Sub-par cameras• Only 8 GB of internal storage

LG G-Pad 7.0

A very enjoyable tablet tohold & use with good batterylife to get you through theday. It’s UI even allows youto display and use two appsconcurrently. Unfortunately, its poor cameras and lack of internal storage kept the G-Pad from emerging as the top pick.

Final Word

All 5 tablets have merit as mobile ministry tools.

Overall top pick: Lenovo A7-50Best value: Hisense Sero 7 ProHonorable mention: LG G-Pad 7.0