Unboxing Cherry Mobile Alpha Play (with specs)

And so it came, the Cherry Mobile Alpha Play which I purchased online (Lazada). I'm not a big fan of Windows 8.1 tablets but this time I gave it a go, for reason being, the 3,999 price tag is a bit hard to resist on top of that specs are pretty decent considering how affordable it is, so without further ado let's start unboxing.

The box is wrapped tightly with a plastic cushion to protect the unit from damage while in the process of delivery.

The specs and features are printed on the box undoubtedly, to attract potential buyers, sure enough, it worked for me.

The package includes the unit itself, an OTG cable (USB 3.0), a DC charger and some manuals and warranty card, sadly, it doesn't come with freebies like headset and some extra screen protector but at 3,699 pesos with voucher included, you won't hear me complaining.

The device has an overall clean look to it and share a similar design with the Microsoft Surface and surprisingly, CM didn't go with the plastic build instead the back panel is made up of an anodized aluminium metal which compliments its boxee design and judging by how well it looks and feel it's easy to say that the Alpha play is a premium looking device.

The Alpha play doesn't have a dedicated capacitive windows home button, instead it uses physical buttons on top of the device "when held in landscape mode" it also comes with HDMI out and a USB port 3.0 for faster data transfer.

The Alpha play runs a full version of Windows 8.1 and will be upgradable to Windows 10 but I doubt that it's even possible because of its measly 16GB of internal memory, however, Cherry mobile is kind enough to include a free Microsoft office for the Alpha play right out of the box.

CHERRY MOBILE ALPHA PLAY SPECIFICATIONS

1.33GHz quad-core Intel Z3735D quad-core processor
Intel HD graphics gen 7
1gb RAM
8-inch HD IPS full touchscreen
16GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 64GB
5-megapixel BSI rear camera
Bluetooth 4.0
Micro USB 3.0
2-megapixel front camera
WiFi b/g/n
3500mAh battery approximately 4.5 hrs of use.
Windows 8.1 OS upgradable to windows 10
Php 3,999 php (Lazada)

Google Android One (my/phone uno) review and specs

I was very excited when I first heard that android one is going to hit the Philippine shore, as an android fanboy that news is nothing but a breath of fresh air, imagine a google phone made affordable to the masses and since it's a certified google phone you'll be privileged enough to always get the latest android OS coupled with a very capable hardware and most importantly, the stock android experience, but is the android one worth the hype? let's find out.

I chose the my/phone uno which by the way, is a Micromax phone, Cherry mobile also offers an android one device but in my opinion the my/phone uno looks a lot more premium than its cherry mobile counterpart and it's a lot thinner too.

The front is plain black with only the rounded earpiece at the top, reminiscent of the nexus 5, the power button and the volume rocker is located at the right side of the phone, easily accessible with your thumb, just slightly raised to give you a tactile feedback but not too much to prevent accidental presses, around the back is the android one logo and the very soothing rubberized texture for enhanced grip.

Google has laid out a spec sheet for the android one, a very capable hardware for just the right price, powered by a quad-core processor and 1 gig of RAM the my/phone uno is a beast it handles multi-tasking well without serious notable lags. I did a lot of stress test with the my/phone uno and one by one it passed the test with flying colors: heavy gaming, web browsing with multiple windows, multi-tasking, HD movies, just about anything I could throw at it the my/phone uno just can't stop to amaze me, yes there will be slight lags but one that's hardly visible you won't even bother giving it a second look.

Web browsing seem to be the stellar feature of the my/phone uno, I spent many hours browsing the web with this phone and believe me it is seriously fast in rendering web pages regardless of the size, flash support is great too, you can basically watch all the flash content present on each web page just like a PC, since I got this phone I barely touched my tablet.

The 4.5 inch IPS screen is probably a feature you'd enjoy most, it's sharp and has excellent viewing angles, the my/phone uno's screen serves as a testament that at 3,999 pesos we shouldn't be getting a lower quality screen than the one we get from android one devices. I was blown away with its almost 0 touch delay, it's fast and very responsive once you tap an app icon it opens up immediately, closing it is almost just as fast too. Google didn't give a clear description about the android one's touch panel, was it Dragon trail or was it Gorilla glass? we really don't have the slightest idea yet, but one thing's for sure it's tough and it's definitely scratch resistant as well. Google has made a statement that a smartphone's screen should be, tough, sharp, has excellent viewing angles and very responsive, all for a price that's within arm's reach.

The my/phone uno comes with android 5.1 lollipop, future android updates are still up for grabs.

Google camera works well with the my/phone uno the 5MP rear camera with flash works fine too, however, I did noticed that the LED flash is sometimes inconsistent, I got subject that got too much light which appeared washed out and over exposed, I just hope that future update will fix this problem. On the other side of the phone we got our 2MP front camera in which without a doubt is a major upgrade from the VGA camera we used to get from phones with the same price, but don't get too excited because you got to hold the phone very still in order to get good results, it's not much of a problem but it's something that's worth noting. All in all the android one's camera works surprisingly well, considering it's 3,999 peso price tag.

(Sample photos android one's 5MP rear camera)


The 1700mah battery may not seem too much, however the ARM v7 architecture is known for its power saving feature, with moderate use it could easily pass the 2 day mark, with heavy usage which includes internet and gaming it could last you a day, in my case I charge my android one every other day.

PROS: very affordable, fast and reliable, always the latest android OS.

CONS: camera is sometimes inconsistent, only 4GB of internal memory.


ANDROID ONE SPECIFICATIONS

MyPhone Uno


3G/GSM

4.5” FWVGA display 480 x 854 pixels (218ppi)

MEDIATEK MT6582 Cortex A7 1.3 GHz Quad-Core processor

GPU Mali 400MP2

1GB RAM

4GB (expandable up to 32GB)

2x micro SIM

Front and rear facing cameras (2MP and 5MP) With LED flash

Video 720p

Rechargeable lithium-ion, 1700mAh

Android™ Lollipop (and gets the new version soon after it’s released)

Bluetooth, GPS, FM radio

Asus zenfone 4 review and specs

Asus have been pretty aggressive in their campaign to sell affordable android smartphones and I have to say they've been very successful so far, all that is due to their zenfone line of smartphones which had been recieving great reviews from all over the world, the zenfone 4 is the smaller sibling of the zenfone 5 and zenfone 6 also the cheapest of the bunch at 3,995 pesos you're probably wondering what can we get from that price? to know more about the zenfone 4 please read my full review.

AESTHETICS:
The design of the zenfone 4 isn't much of a looker it's a bit thick and has large bezels on top where the earpiece is located, it's the same story at the bottom part of the phone where the non-lit capacitive touch panel rests, only bigger, in fact the design cue looks more like it came from 2010, to make things worst the zenfone 4 looks cheap in general, however, it feels sturdy enough to take on a serious drop, twice or even more.

Making up for that ugly design is its size, at 4 inches (screen size) the zenfone 4 will fit snugly in your pockets regardless of how tight your jeans are, pocket friendly is the right word to describe it and it's quite helpful especially if you're the type who carry multiple gadgets on the go and on a daily basis.

DISPLAY:
It's hard to believe that a phone this cheap is equipped with gorilla glass 3, having it on board gives the zenfone 4 an almost indestructible screen so putting a scratch on it is the least thing you'll have to worry about and guess what? we haven't break the surface yet, because along with its tough screen is a 4 inch display with 480x800 resolution, 233ppi (non-IPS) surprisingly, colors are vibrant and sharp, even the smallest text can be read with ease and more often than not, looked perfect and pixel free. At 4 inches it's kinda hard to recommend it as an e-reader, however, after some few trials with it using Aldiko, a couple of pages later I realized it doesn't look that bad after all, the sharp screen really made a statement that the zenfone 4 can also serve that purpose despite its small real estate.

A native app called splendid lets you manage your screen output, adjust the color temperature from cool to warm depending on your preference, it also comes with vivid mode to further boost the screen's color depth. Nonetheless, I find it an excellent tool for watching movies and playing games.

PERFORMANCE:
At the heart of the zenfone 4 you'll find an intel proccessor Z2520 (saltwell), clocked at 1.2 ghz (dual core), it's been a while since intel entered the mobile world and has been recieving great feedbacks from users all around the globe, the zenfone 4 is currently the cheapest intel powered device in the Philippine market, and thus far, one of the best performers in this price range. I was quickly drawn to how well the zenfone 4 works, just a few swipe from the homesceen is all it takes to convince me that it's a fast phone. I've managed to customized all my homescreens with multiple live widgets cramming one another and surprisingly, no lags has ever come forth to nug me, if there are any it's hardly visible, in addition apps opens fairly fast and closes almost instantaneously.

"Shadowgun works well and looks good on the zenfone 4 despite of its small screen"


The 4 inch screen won't provide you with a pleasant web browsing experience, although the zenfone 4's fast web browsing speed, responsive screen and the excellent flash support will still deliver a joyous internet experience, easily forgetting that your browsing on a 4 inch display.

USER INTERFACE:
The improved zen UI looks great and it's a far cry from the stock android experience, I haven't got a single gripe though, Asus has done a good job in making it as user friendly as possible, for instance if you swipe the notification window on the right side you'll get your quick settings or the togggle buttons, swipe it fom the left side then you'll have your notifications, even the app drawer is easy to use, on the uppper right side you got your options, with it, you can hide, uninstall, disable or even lock an app directly from the app drawer, more importantly, UI stability is one of the zenfone 4's strongpoint, in my two months of using this phone I haven't got any experiences regarding UI glithes, crashes and the like, I also do love what asus has done to their app icons it's large, easy to read and look good as well.

The zenfone 4 comes with 4.3 jellybean but a kitkat update is readily available upon purchase.

CAMERA:
The zenfone 4 is equipped with a 5mp rear camera(no flash) and a VGA on front, I've been using entry level smartphones for a considerable amount of time now, based on that experience a good camera is always hard to come by, the zenfone 4 is somewhat a break in that tradition, equipped with asus pixel master technology along with HDR capability the zenfone 4 can take really good pictures with accurate colors and vibrant details. Surprisingly, all those goodies doesn't stop there as the zenfone 4's camera has features aplenty, such, is the selfie and smart remove mode, a set of features you'll most likely get on high-end smartphones, if that wasn't enough, the zenfone 4 can also record full HD video at 1080p with great results and yes, its still at 3,995 pesos.

"Sample photo zenfone 4's 5mp camera"


PROS: cheap, good overall performance, dual SIM, good camera with HDR

CONS: 4 inch screen, short battery life


SPECIIFICATIONS:

NETWORK: GSM/HSPA

DISPLAY: 4" TFT capacitive, 480x800 233ppi, Gorilla glass 3

OS: android 4.3 jellybean upgradable to kitkat 4.4.2

CHIPSET: Intel atom Z2520(saltwell)

CPU: dual-core 1.2 Ghz

GPU: PowerVR SGX544MP2

MEMORY: 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM expandable micro SD upto 32GB

CAMERA: 5MP autofocus (pixel master technology) VGA front

BATTERY: Li-Po 1600Mah

OTHERS: GPS, bluetooth, wifi (b,g,n) dual SIM

Samsung Galaxy young S6310 review

Samsung may have their hands locked with their flagship phones luckily, the entry level market didn't stray far from their reach. The galaxy young is Samsung's most successful budget phone released in 2011, the galaxy young now welcomes its second iteration.

The S6310 is the galaxy young's second iteration improvements in aesthetics are easily noticeable, samsung has bumped up the hardware as well and now runs android 4.1 jellybean, at first glance it slightly resembles the S3 mini, the smooth and curvy edges are more prominent than its older sibling making sure that users will have a grip friendly experience. The new and improved touch wiz ui and the 1ghz processor all together make it a different phone, as a result, even previous 1st gen owners will not think twice to consider owning one again.

Screen resolution has improved a bit and now measures at 3.2 inches, sadly IPS is not present here so dont be surprised if you find yourself bothered with its limited viewing angles and low resolution screen, It's acceptable though, considering it's a budget friendly device, however the excellent touch sensitivity may make you forgive and forget those pixilated moments.

Samsung has ushered in an improved touch wiz UI which by far is one of their best iterations yet, no more toy like look, out of it you'll get more live widgets and one thing that I'm particularly fond of, is the music player widget wherein you can play and scroll through your music files straight thru it without having the need to launch the app, on top of that, you now have up to 7 homescreens at your disposal, making it easier for you to assign more widgets, it turned out that all this improvements has just made the galaxy young a little less boring while still retaining its cheap stature.


Hardware specifications remain at a low profile, the 1Ghz processor is inconsistent at times, just keeping up with the UI is a daily struggle for its single core processor, fortunately I still find it acceptable, considering the fact that it does excell in some of its features, one with the highest regard is social networking and web browsing using the stock browser, of course there will be some trade offs but the perks one could get for paying a good deal of money still make this phone a worth while investment.

I was amazed to see that Dead Space is playable on the galaxy young S6310, you won't hear me say it's lag free though.

You have probably lost your marbles if you're expecting a good camera on this one, Samsung may be leading the way in cellphone camera technology but on this phone they've decided not to impress us with it, instead a simple working one would do the job, nevertheless, a 3MP camera on a budget phone is always welcome regardless of its performance.

The 1200mah battery won't put this phone on the endurance track especially if you're a multi media freak, not to mention it's a 3G phone and supports GPS, so you better keep those features at bay when not in use or better yet always have your powerbank with you, a full day of moderate use is easily achievable, though.

PROS: affordable, good built quality, acceptable performance

CONS: slight lags, low resolution screen, poor camera


SPECIFICATIONS:

Network: 3g/GSM

Display: 3.27 inch, TFT capacitive touch 320x480 resolution, 176ppi

Memory: 512mb ram, 4gb ROM, expandable micro sd 32gb

OS: Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)

Chipset Qualcomm: MSM7227A Snapdragon

CPU:1 GHz Cortex-A5

GPU: Adreno 200

Camera:3mp rear

Others: proximity sensor, gyro, bluetooth, GPS, wifi b/g/n

Battery: 1200mah

Alcatel One Touch Scribe easy review and specs

The one touch scribe easy is Alcatel's answer to the phablet craze, with looks and features in mind you could tell that the scribe easy aims to tackle the almighty galaxy note, though the two are worlds apart in terms of performance the one touch scribe can easily gain interest due to its affordable price.

DISPLAY:
Alcatel has up their game with their one touch scribe easy, an affordable phablet that does what its supposed to, boasting a hefty 5 inch display, this device has lots of rooms to work and play with, my only gripe though, is the underwhelming resolution and the limited viewing angles, if you tilt it up you can see colors slowly starting to fade, though for most part you can get fairly satisfying results, on top of that, watching HD movies with a seatmate is possible without getting inappropriately close to each other.

At this point in time we're probably immune to gadgets with talent to absorb fingerprints and smudges, weep not! as Alcatel did not put those cries in vain, the One Touch Scribe easy's touch screen is treated with oleophobic coating which makes it resistant to prints and grimes, meaning; you won't have to spend half of your day cleaning your phone, all it needs is just one swipe and your all done, now that's probably one hell of a feature to all the OCs out there.

DESIGN:
Around the back you'll get a matte velvet finish which feels good to the hands, it can easily get scratched though, so be mindful where you place your phone, meanwhile, the uni body design with covered ports and the stainless one touch logo at the back gives the Scribe easy a premium look, giving you an extra jolt of confidence to show it in public without that awkward feeling.

PERFORMANCE:
Though powered by a dual core processor, the Qualcomm chipset fail to deliver a smooth UI experience, lags are visible while transitioning between homescreens the 512MB RAM didn't help much either, however launching and closing apps tell a different story, it's fast enough that it won't give users any reason to complain about. Yes lags are ever present, but it's as if it's not to be expected on a budget device, compared to other rivaling phablets of the same price, the Alcatel one touch scribe easy is far superior than the likes of Huawei and ZTE.

The Alcatel One Touch scribe easy is a web browsing haven, probably there's a lot to thank about with its responsive 5 inch display, though not blazingly fast in opening a web page, mediocre for most standards is fast enough. Having experienced Facebook on its large screen makes me want to blame myself why did I bother on a 4 incher for almost a year, then it made me realized that the saying is true "once you turn 5 you'll never go 4", the one touch srcibe's web browsing reliability and long battery life is truly a match made in heaven, it turns out that web browsing and updating SNS accounts for hours on ends is now possible on a budget device.

APPS:
One of the key selling points of the one touch scribe easy is its ability to scribe as the name suggests, the device comes with a capacitive stylus right out of the box, mind you its not a magic pen like the ones being used on a galaxy note, it does look cheap in appearance but the functionality it brings is undeniably helpful. The one touch scribe comes with alcatel's own proprietary app called scribe note and scribe calculator, wherein the stylus is the main tool, the app won't break any grounds though, as there's nothing spectacular on it, though you got to give credit for how well it works, its responsive enough making it useful to jot down quick notes, the scribe calculator on the other hand is innovative in its own way, you just write down the equation using the stylus and the app automatically gives you the answer, though in comparison, a standard calculator app is a lot faster to use and also a lot more efficient, in the end I just find the scribe calculator app as a bloatware or an extra bling to sell the product.

CAMERA:
The one touch scribe easy features a 5 mega pixel camera with led flash and can take HD video at 720p, but don't be fooled to what it says on paper, as the OT scribe easy's camera is anything but sharp and needs a steady hand to get good results, like most cameras it takes good pictures in well lighted areas but where light is scarce you're better off not taking pictures, the HD video capability sounds promising and a lot might consider adopting the OT scribe easy because of that feature, Alcatel didn't lie about it though, as it takes real HD videos, however results are too shaky, and guess what? In areas with less light results are not too promising.

O.S.
Not much has change from the stock android 4.1.1 except for some few tweaks on the notification bar and some pre loaded icons, you'll also notice the white theme instead of the black background that we get so used to, and like a tablet the screen rotates even while you're at the home screen.

BOTTOMLINE:
Now a days a large screen is considered a standard in smart phones, though each one has its own bragging rights the one touch scribe's affordability is a far better offer than what the other competition can bring to the table. As experience tells us affordability can sometimes lead to disappointments, though as years come and go a lot has change especially in the tech world. These days affordability can easily turn tables especially in stiff competitions.

PROS: affordable phablet, good build quality, good overall performance, excellent battery life.

CONS: slight lags, low resolution screen, poor camera.

SPECIFICATIONS:

NETWORK: GSM/3G, single SIM (micro SIM)

FORM FACTOR: bar type, uni-body

OS: android jellybean 4.1.2

DISPLAY: TFT LCD 480x800 resolution, 187 pixel density, scratch resistant, oleophobic coating

MEMORY: 512RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable via micro sd card 32GB max

PROCESSOR: 1.2 Ghz dual-core MSM8225 snapdragon chipset, adreno 203 GPU

CONECTIVITY: wifi b/g/n, bluetooth, micro USB

CAMERA: 5mega pixels autofocus/touch focus with LED flash, HD video at 720p, front VGA

BATTERY: 2500Mah

OTHERS: wifi hotspot, accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor, GPS

Archos 80 Titanium Review and Specs

The Archos 80 titanium boasts an 8 inch display with acceptable quality given the price, though lacking some major features like Bluetooth and GPS, the Archos 80 make up for its sturdy built and fluid performance, for more of the Archos 80 titanium please read my full review.

Archos have been making tablets way before Acer and lenovo released their iconia and ideatab series, though their previous tabs have been festered by bugs, unstable performance and dreadful battery life, archos have come a long way since then, the A80 titanium is an entry level tablet that has a lot to show, and this feisty device proved that being cheap doesn't mean you go plastic all the way, its solid construction and affordable price might make others consider adopting one, but is the archos 80 titanium all looks and no frills? Let's find out.

DISPLAY:
At first boot you'll immediately notice the low resolution screen, while viewing some sample photos I can't help but look at the visible pixels from every corners of the picture, zooming doesn't help much either, though to be fair the 8 inch screen has superb viewing angles, tilt it from any directions and you can still see the pictures retain their colors. Archos opted for a 4:3 aspect ratio rather than the omnipresent 16:9 which is a far better screen for watching movies, however, the 4:3's wider screen allows better web browsing and book reading, while the larger real estate gives extra room for swiping and gesture commands, making it easier for your fingers to move around freely, what's more the A80 titanium comes stock with a matte screen protector which did a good job reducing glares and unnecessary reflections thus making the screen still visible outdoors.

AESTHETICS:
Design wise the A80 titanium is pure goodness, the back is made of an aluminum metal alloy which gives the device a premium feel, though similar in design with the iPad, the A80 tries to be unique in its own way, the soft matte back, the Archos logo and the awkwardly placed buttons on the left side when held in portrait mode are detractions that end their similarities. The "thin is in" persona has put manufacturers under pressure to create a device as thin as it could possibly get, the A80 titanium is a slim tablet by stature with high quality materials built into it, the curvy edges and the soft matte back gives better and more comfortable grip to the hands, so heavy users like me won't have to worry too much about hand sprains, though, using a tablet stand is probably a better option, as this tab is not by all means light.

PERFORMANCE:
Archos is not messing around when it comes to specifications and performance, underneath the hood the A80 titanium is powered by a dual-core processor at 1.6 GHz coupled with a 1gig RAM DDR3 and boasts a quad-core graphics chip for enhanced gaming experience, transitions between homescreen is smooth with no signs of stuttering, and with little to no lags when transitioning from one app to another, you can tell on paper that this device is a serious contender and can stack up to most of its nearest rivals.

Quadrant Benchmarks results:
CPU: 7709
MEM: 4273
I/O: 6354
2D: 1042
3D: 2027
TOTAL: 4281 "GOOD"

*AVP extinction runs smooth even if set to the highest graphics settings, though visuals are not that stunning due to the A80's low resolution screen*

Web browsing using Google chrome is fast and fluid enough, browsing through heavily loaded websites didn't stop the A80 from doing its job well, scrolling and pinching is accurate with almost no noticeable delays, my test showed that even with the music player turned on you can still browse the web with relative ease, notifications aren't a problem as the A80 lets you shift from one app to another as easy as clicking an icon without having to wait too much, even while browsing the web.

OS:
Archos has left jellybean 4.1.1 mainly untouched, no bloat wares and no skinned UI just pure stock android goodness with the exeption of two archos preloaded apps namely, archos music and archos video which I think is a far better alternative than the stock android media player apps. The archos music app has an MP3 player based interface which gives you a lot more ways to navigate, play and manage your music files, while the archos video app is just as similar with some inclusions like online TV and movie subscriptions coming from multiple online providers including archos itself, plus you'll get a wider media and codec support compared with the stock android video player offerings.

CAMERA:
Affordable tablets almost comes natural with terrible cameras, and the archos 80 didn't detract itself from that age old tradition, as the 2mp rear camera takes grainy pictures and even worse it lacks colors and details, but on the bright side it's not very often that we take pictures with our tablets, so most, including me will put those issues aside, the front camera is no different either, though it's still useful for video chatting.

BATTERY:
Battery life has always been the weakest link for Archos devices and the A80 titanium is no exeption, the A80 lasted 4 1\2 hours on video, and will probably last 5 to 5 1/2 hours
with continuous web browsing, on gaming you'll probably get 3 to 3 1/2 hours tops as games consumes far more battery than usual depending on brightness and graphics settings.

BOTOMLINE:
We really can't argue about what the Archos 80 titanium can bring to the table, though I find it difficult to find a viable reason for Archos not to include Bluetooth and GPS on board for the same price, I've seen cheaper tablets with similar specs with Bluetooth and GPS lining up their arsenals. As a result the Archos 80 titanium may have to excuse itself from pairing up with a Bluetooth keyboard, thus relying solely with the on screen virtual ones.

PROS: Affordable, fast and fluid performance, capable in gaming, good built quality, excellent viewing angles.

CONS: Low battery life, poor camera, no bluetooth and GPS, no USB charging support.

ARCHOS 80 TITANIUM SPECIFICATIONS.

DISPLAY: 8 inch IPS LCD (1024 x 768) 160 ppi, multi-touch

CPU: Cortex A9 1.6 Ghz dual-core

MEMORY: 1GB RAM/8 GB internal storage, expandable via micro sd card 64GB max

GPU: MALI 400 quad-core GPU

OS: android 4.1.1 jellybean

CAMERA: 2MP rear, 0.3 VGA front

CONNECTIVITY: WIFI b/g/n, Micro USB 2.0, mass storage device, USB host, HDMI

BATTERY: 4400 Mah

OTHERS: gyroscope

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite review

The Samsung Galaxy tab 3 lite is a scaled down version of the tab 3, Samsung has made it a little less powerful than its other tab 3 siblings, but on the bright side taking away some of the goodies also mean making the device a little less expensive or should I say a lot more affordable, despite the cut down in components the tab 3 lite still delivers a solid performance.

The first thing you’ll notice on the device is the lack of a front VGA camera, Samsung’s deliberate move to break the tradition for the Galaxy tab 7.0 series to create a more desirable price point, obviously that is what Samsung aims for with the tab 3 lite. The lack of a front camera may not be a hindrance to some but on the other hand avid skype users and selfie addicts will have something to complain about, however the absence of the front camera is the only downside you’ll get on this tab because what’s left will absolutely blow your mind.

The device features a 7 inch TFT LCD display with 1024 x 600 resolution at 170 ppi, you may notice that the 170 ppi ratio seemed a bit underwhelming for a 7 inch tablet but magically, the screen holds its own, pictures appear sharp and vibrant with rich colors and good contrast something you’d rarely see on a screen with this resolution more so, in an affordable tablet, kudos to Samsung for a job well done! and as far as responsiveness goes, the Tab 3 lite is by far one of the best out there, it's somewhat comparable to Apple products in terms of overall touch response, transitions between homescreen is buttery smooth, on top of that, swiping and gesture commands only require minimal effort and what's even more surprising is how fast it opens an app, yet, all those nitty-gritties don't end there, as the tab 3 lite will also provide you with a fairly good viewing angles.

The tab 3 lite makes other competition eat dust in terms of web browsing and overall performance, though the lite variant receives the cheapest chipset Samsung has to offer, the Marvell PXA986 chipset with 1.2 ghz dual-core processor is not to be underestimated, for one, opening a web page doesn’t require you to wait a couple of seconds or more than what the other competition currently does (Acer iconia B1), what’s more scrolling and zooming doesn’t show any signs of hideous lags and notably clear is the stable UI, during my short test with the Tab 3 lite I haven’t encountered any irritating hiccups or obscure UI related issues and it proved so, with some heavy apps currently running in the background, The Samsung touch wiz UI really works well on top jellybean 4.1.2, more so, the 1gig RAM helps a lot in giving the device a solid multitasking ability.

*The Galaxy tab 3 lite is a full 2 seconds faster than the Acer iconia B1 in opening a web page*

Gaming is probably one of the key selling points of the tab 3 lite, the VIvante GC1000 GPU works well in harmony with the Marvell PXA986 chipset along with a 1Gig RAM, Dead Space and Shadowgun works well on this tab with jaw dropping performance and stunning visuals, though the tiny 8Gig of internal memory will knock gamers off their feet, however, you can always expand it by doing so, with a micro SD card, though it’s known that games tend to work better if installed in the internal memory. That said, the Galaxy tab 3 lite is another reason for gamers to think twice before buying a dedicated portable gaming console, at 7,999 Php you’ll get a dedicated tablet and a capable gaming machine.

*Another PSVITA and 3DS killer*

In addition to its already awesome arsenal, the tab 3 lite also features Bluetooth, a 2MP rear camera and a GPS. The tab 3 lite tops the shelves in the affordable price tag category putting the Acer iconia B1 and the Lenovo ideatab A1000 on the bargain table, though, that extra price gives you a faster more reliable experience, and of course a name that’s almost unrivalled in the world of consumer electronics.

PROS: affordable, compact and easy to hold, very good overall performance.

CONS: no front camera, plastic construction all the way.


SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB 3 LITE SPECIFICATIONS:

DISPLAY: TFT LCD 1024 x 600 resolution with 170ppi

PROCESSOR: Marvell PXA986 chipset 1.2 Ghz dual-core

GPU: Vivante GC1000

OS: android 4.1.2, touch wiz UI

CAMERA: 2MP autofocus rear only

MEMORY: 1Gb RAM, 8Gb internal memory

CONNECTIVITY: WIFI b/g/n, Bluetooth, micro USB

OTHERS: accelerometer, GPS, light sensor