My Cheap Good Tablets Spreadsheet ($61-$133)

ibfragalot on 17/01/2014 - 19:47
Last edited 20/01/2014 - 14:37

Hi all.

I have compiled a listing (for my own use Jan 2014) that some of you may find useful. I'm focusing on the very budget end of tablets that still provide decent performance for my kid to watch shows/play games on.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqX-4sJTutlFdFR…

Note: I have left this open for editing so that people can sort the views and get different perspectives (eg. sort by benchmark score, or removing 7" tablets) but PLEASE don't delete anything.

Some clarification for the non techheads:
CPUs - Dual/Quad. Dual is cheaper, Quad can be faster for gaming on tablets, but you also must take into account the speed.
Speed - Higher Ghz the better.
Benchmark - The benchmark score I could find for the tablet's performance. Higher number is better.
IPS/TN screen - An IPS is the best (like iPad). A TN screen is cheaper but will suffer from a bad picture when viewed at any kind of angle.

Edit: I should add that I don't claim to be an expert on this subject, and that I can't guarantee all this information is correct, or I have listed all the best/appropriate tablets. This is just the information I have gathered and am using myself.

Edit 2: Somebody added Android version and some other info. Thanks! :) Well done.

Computing

Comments

  • Astro551 on 17/01/2014 - 20:32

    nice putting the effort into all this. what's your experience with this cheapo ones (in terms batt life/real world performance). What do you reckon the main advantages of an established brand (apart from price) of the cheapos (if any?).

  • ibfragalot on 17/01/2014 - 21:09
    +1

    I've no recent experience with this generation of cheapie tablets, but from what I read the Chinese brands are making some fairly impressive equipment for a low price - based on reviews, videos, forum comments etc. Its important to separate the Chinese brands from the generics which have no reputation to uphold.

    I would say the $100 mark would get you a decent 7" tablet these days, all the way up to the $250 mark for something really nice (retina-like) and comparable to western brands of 2-3x the price. Again this is purely based on my research, I haven't had first hand experience myself (yet).

    I have an iPad 3 myself, so this cheap pad is just for the kid but I'm still trying to get something respectable that I may use myself - 7.9"+ , IPS, 1GB RAM, Quad (or decent benchmark) CPU, Good reviews/reputation for around or under $135. I think I can do that.

  • retiredfeline on 17/01/2014 - 21:15
    +2

    Thanks for the effort, good work. At first worried by your title that the spreadsheet might cost $61-133 but that turned out to be free. :)

  • geek001 on 17/01/2014 - 22:43

    Great effort mate. I myself is looking for a nice tablet after my kids lost the one I bought from this deal: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/103271

    IMHO, I would say 1024 resolution is a bit low for even 7", I have 1st gen Galaxy Tab also from a OzB deal. For playing games is fine, but for reading, it will be hard to read the blurred text because of the low resolution and small screen. Personally if I were you, I would invest in a slightly higher resolution screen tablet, maybe a refurb 1st gen Nexus 7? That's probably around $135 if people still sell them. I have seen them come up on OzB once or twice but not recently.

    • ibfragalot on 18/01/2014 - 07:45

      Agreed - this is just for my son to watch movies on in the car. I have an iPad 3 myself.

      It should be noted that the iPad mini (non retina) has the same screen res and while I don't like it for reading, my wife doesn't mind.

  • doofus on 18/01/2014 - 08:52

    Could you add (typical) Aussie delivery costs, Android version, as well as the root/custom ROM status via XDA developers?

    Sorry, that's probably going to be too much work!

    • ibfragalot on 20/01/2014 - 14:35

      Delivery is free at all these stores :)

      I've made my selection (the Colorfly CT801 8") so I'm finished with the spreadsheet now sorry.

  • wongcr on 18/01/2014 - 09:01

    what benchmark tool are you using?

  • rbrb on 18/01/2014 - 10:24

    Might be a good idea to add a column for Android version?

  • azza92 on 18/01/2014 - 21:04

    Thanks for sharing!

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