Hot launches: Tablets of April 2013

It’s time to take a look at tablet makers launching their wares on Indian shores. Although there are quite a few that would have made it out and flown under the radar, some of the more notable launches in the month of April are what we’ve listed out for you. Take a look and take your pick. 

Samsung Galaxy Note 510 – Rs 30,990  

To kick things off, here’s the latest tablet launch from the Samsung camp – the Note 510. This tablet is powered by an Exynos 4 quad-processor clocked at 1.6GHz along with 2GB of RAM and is shipping with Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2. Like the Galaxy tabs of old, the 510 is also a fully-functional mobile device with call and messaging capabilities. This fully-loaded tablet device incorporates quite a few of the new Galaxy Note TouchWiz features but comes at a rather steep price. It might be a tough sell for Samsung who has undoubtedly placed this in the realm of a mobile device, albeit a really large mobile device, and hence it doesn’t beat the “Tab” series distinction. However, all that being said, if you’re looking for a fully-functional mobile device with tons of features and functions with a large display in lieu of a mobile and tablet combo separately, then this would make a good choice.

Plenty of great features but at a hefty price

The Note 510 will feature:

• 8-inch TFT LCD with a 1280 x 800-pixel resolution 
• HSPA, Class 12 GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, DLNA
• Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP
• Micro USB 2.0 with MHL-support and USB Host
• Infrared
• A-GPS support and GLONASS
• 5MP primary camera; 1.3MP front-facing camera
• 16/32GB internal storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card

ASUS and Google Nexus 7 32GB editions – Rs 18,999 (3G + Wi-Fi), Rs 21,999 (Wi-Fi Only)   

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The ASUS Google Nexus 7 is a popular device for those looking at speedy performance and an assurance of getting the latest iteration of the Android OS before the rest. Although it’s not the slimmest tablet on the shelf, it does have a neat and well-built persona. Powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core Tegra 3 chip (1GB RAM) and a 12-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU, the tablet is touted to be a gamer’s delight. It does have a few limitations like the lack of a rear camera and external memory support, but if speed is your priority, then you can’t go wrong with the Nexus 7. The 4325 mAh battery should also be good for a full day of usage. The 3G edition is available only via ASUS, while the Wi-Fi only version can be bought off the Play Store from here. 

Get the latest Android updates first, but settle for fewer features than some other options

Here’s a quick look at the key specifications of the Nexus 7:

• 7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels
• 3G and or Wi-Fi only
• GPS with AGPS 
• Bluetooth, NFC
• 1.2MP front facing camera with HD 720p video shooting 
• 32GB of inbuilt memory

ASUS Fonepad – Rs 15,999  

The ASUS Fonepad is yet another device to feature Intel’s mobile processing technology. The Fonepad comes equipped with a 1.2GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and a PowerVR GPU. Thanks to a sturdy build and slim form, the tablet is easy to manage—although holding it up to your ear to take or make a call might seem a bit weird. The Fonepad ships with Jelly Bean (4.1) and the functionality/speed is decent but not absolutely fluid. ASUS also provides users with unlimited cloud storage for a period of one year, after which the service is to be paid for. Overall, the Fonepad is a well-priced 3G tablet with calling capability. 

Well priced for decent functionality

Some of the Fonepad’s other features include:

• 7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels
• 3G, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspot
• GPS with AGPS 
• Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP
• 3.1MP rear camera with HD 720p video recording, 1.3MP front facing
• 8/16GB of inbuilt memory plus external memory support via microSD up to 32GB

The Karbonn Smart Tab TA Fone A 37 Kommunicate 3G – Rs 9,490  

This could very well be the world’s longest named tablet. We’re not sure if one would need to quote the full name to a vendor at the time of purchase, but if need be, it’s not going to be an easy task. The device is low powered compared to others on the list and sports a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 512MB of RAM to run Android Jelly Bean (4.1). The USP of this tablet is its dual-SIM capabilities for 3G data, calling and messaging. The price of the device is not too bad, however, there are slightly cheaper options. 

The longest name for a tablet

Here are the key specs of the Karbonn Smart Tab TA Fone A 37 Kommunicate 3G:

• 7-inch capacitive display with 800 x 480-pixel resolution
• Dual-SIM, voice calling
• 3G, GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi, 
• GPS with AGPS
• Bluetooth
• 2MP rear camera and VGA front camera
• 4GB of internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card

Other devices that also launched this month include:

The LAVA eTab Connect – Priced at Rs 9,499 and comes with a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 2MP camera and 3G support. 

The Micromax Funbook Talk P360 – Priced at Rs 7,049 and includes 2G voice calling functionality, a 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and a 2MP camera. 

Tell us what your choice would be from this list or let us know which tablet you’re looking forward to buy.