Round-up: Top 7 seven-inch Tablets

Last week, we featured our top 5 tablets above 7-inch and as promised, here’s another rundown of the top 7-inchers based on what we think has the best price-to-feature ratio. Check out our list after the break.

1. Google Nexus 7 – this tablet clinched the top spot on our list because of the obvious reason that it’s by far the cheapest quad-core slate in the market. Yes, it has its fair share of shortcomings but its sleek design, snappy performance and very competitive price tag well compensates for its deficiencies. Check out our full review of the Google Nexus 7 here.

2. Acer Iconia Tab A110 – in our opinion, if this tablet had been launched earlier, it would’ve put up a good fight against the Nexus 7. A revamped version of the A100, the Iconia Tab A110 had the crucial features that the Nexus 7 lacked which kept people from getting it, but its delayed announcement and the slightly higher price tag is not enough to snatch the top place in our list.

3. Ainol Novo 7 Crystal – of all the Chinese tablets that are available in the market, the one that usually stands out are the ones that came from Ainol. Ainol tablets hit the sweet spot because it has a very good price-to-feature ratio. Their latest creation, the Novo 7 Crystal, continues the lineage of affordable tablets that won the hearts of the not-so-picky consumers. The Ainol Novo 7 Crystal can be had for $139.90PHP 8,210INR 11,856EUR 133CNY 1,018 on their website and it may not be too long before local retailers sell this tablet.

4. BlackBerry PlayBook – considered as one of the best 7-inch tablets, this tablet captivated consumers especially BlackBerry users with its sleek design and simple OS. However, the tablet is criticized for its functionalities which are too dependent on a BlackBerry handset and for not having enough apps. Its premium price tag also didn’t help the tablet to entice consumers to get one.

So why is this on our list? Well in case you haven’t heard, the BlackBerry PlayBook’s price has dropped significantly since June. The 16GB version now only costs PhP10USD 0.17INR 14EUR 0.16CNY 1’990, while the 32GB and 64GB models now only retails for PhP14K and PhP16K respectively. Yes it still has the same flaws that it had before but at this price point, we think that the BlackBerry PlayBook is now a tablet worth considering. You can find out more about the tablet in our full review here.

5. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7” Wi-Fi – to be able to compete with the other 7-inchers, Samsung decided to make the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2’s price more competitive. But the company has to cut some corners in order to achieve this like placing a sub-par display, processor and battery. Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7” has what it takes to go up against its competition.

6. Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 – the online retail giant addressed most of the features that were lacking on the first Kindle Fire and included it on the latest iteration. But even with better specs and a $200PHP 11,737INR 16,950EUR 190CNY 1,456 price tag, we think that this tablet (or any 7-inch tablet for that matter) will still have a hard time competing with other Chinese tablets like Ainol in the local market because of pricing.

7. Huawei MediaPad 7 – back in February when we did the review of this tablet, we find its price too high even for its decent specs. As time passed, we’ve seen some stores retailing this tablet around the PhP16USD 0.27INR 23EUR 0.26CNY 2-18K range. It’s still a bit pricey compared to other tablets of the same size but note that this tablet is 3G enabled and has a slightly better configuration than the Galaxy Tab 2 7” 3G which has the same price.

There’s no denying that a quad-core tablet (or any device for that matter) outperforms other lesser core slates. However, not everybody is all too excited about jumping into the quad-core bandwagon especially if there’s a significant price difference between the two. Whichever aspect you choose to prioritize (specs vs price), we hope that this list helped you to decide which device will you spend your hard-earned cash on.