With touch capabilities and great features offered by the Android operating system all the rage among mobile device users and computer users in general, it is not surprising that the market for tablet PCs has grown in the last year in an exponential way.
Today, those who want to acquire one of these fabulous mini touch computers and have a low budget, should not postpone their dream, since today it is possible to buy a tablet PC at a low cost if we choose to choose from the wide variety of generic brand models offered in the market.
Of course, when we are going to finally make the decision to acquire one of these tablets with Android, we must take into account a series of guidelines that will allow us to choose between the best models, and thus avoid buying a device that does not meet the expected characteristics, and therefore Therefore, it does not meet our expectations as users.
Let us bear in mind that today it is possible to acquire a tablet of Chinese origin for an amount of approximately 300 dollars, which obviously makes a notable difference with the devices of brands such as Apple, Motorola or Samsung, among others. The truth is that practically every day new models of generic tablets appear , among which we can always find the equipment that meets our needs.
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How will we use the tablet?
That is precisely one of the first concerns that we must answer before finalizing the purchase of our future tablet, since ultimately it will depend on the use that we are going to give it the type of equipment that we will require for it.
In this sense, we have to take into account that a tablet makes thousands of tasks, both work, study or fun, become portable to the maximum, since its function is precisely that, to be able to use the equipment at any time and Instead, unlike what happens with desktop computers, but also differentiated with netbooks, notebooks and ultrabooks. Basically, they have been developed under another concept, and therefore for another use.
That is why tablets are usually an ideal element for those people who constantly travel and need to have different types of digital material on hand, since they are easy to carry and comfortable to use due to the touch screen.
Of course, we should not rule out the possibility of wanting to acquire a device of this type for fun, because ultimately they are a true entertainment center to take advantage of anywhere, thanks to the millions of games available for the Android platform, the possibility of view video, listen to music, read books, and thousands of other features.
Therefore, to choose the tablet that we are going to buy, we must be clear about what will be the use that we will give it, to based on this choose the model that according to its hardware and its version of Android best suits our needs.
The screen: An essential aspect in any tablet
Undoubtedly, whether we buy a brand tablet or a generic one, the screen is one of the essential aspects to choose the model, since basically through it we will operate the equipment, due to its fully tactile functionality.
If we talk about cheap generic tablets, the ideal is to opt for a 7-inch capacitive one, since in addition to being the easiest to find on the market, they make the device become a true portable computer, due to its size. It is important to note that for most of the tasks that a common user can perform with a tablet, the 7-inch screen is more than enough.
However, in terms of costs, in general what makes one tablet more expensive than another is the type of screen it includes. Bear in mind that a resistive screen does not cost the same as a capacitive screen, but the difference is undoubted, since the capacitive one is multitouch, and in general in this type of generic tablets it is usually between 3 to 5 points, which is that indicates the number of simultaneous touches that the display can register.
Likewise, there are currently tablets whose screen includes IPS technology , which makes images can be viewed with higher quality, and which makes it possible to see what is displayed on the screen from various angles, without showing loss of visual quality.
Now, if we have a limited budget for the purchase of the tablet, we must put aside the possibility of acquiring one with an AMOLED screen, since these are really expensive, so although we can opt for an LCD type, always It is advisable to invest a little more and choose one that includes an IPS type screen, because in reality they have higher quality and report a higher durability than LCD.
When it comes to resolution, the recommended minimum is 800 x 480 pixels, but we must always bear in mind that the higher the screen resolution, the higher the display quality.
Performance based on your hardware
In the same way that happens with the screen, the hardware that includes the Android tablet that we are going to buy inside will be one of the determining aspects for the choice between the different possible models, since ultimately this is an essential element for achieving the functionality of the equipment as we require it for the tasks that we will perform with it.
The first thing we must evaluate is the processor, which in general in cheap generic tablets is usually 1GHz. Although that speed allows us to comfortably use most applications developed for Android, the truth is that the ideal is to opt for a device that includes a 1.2 GHz processor at least. In terms of brands, most Chinese tablets include an ARM Cortex processor, which response very well.
As far as ROM memory is concerned, its size will depend on the needs of each user. However, it is best to choose a tablet that includes at least 512 MB of ROM, since there we will have a lot of space to store applications and personal files.
With regard to RAM, many of the cheap Chinese tablets that are marketed today in the market usually come with 512 MB of RAM, although of course, the idea is to opt for one that has 1 GB of RAM, to be able to work more comfortable.
Likewise, if you are thinking of downloading thousands of applications and storing a large volume of material on the device, especially multimedia, the ideal is to choose a tablet that has a microSD card slot, which supports at least 32GB.
Camera, connections, and autonomy
If we are going to buy a tablet, surely we will not do it because we need to take photos or record video with it, so the camera becomes a communication accessory. Ultimately, it will be the element that allows us to make video conferences and use Skype with the new Android device.
For this reason, the tablet is not required to contain an excellent quality camera, but enough to respond well to such video chat programs. In this sense, we have to emphasize that the majority of generic tablets usually bring a poor quality camera, which in general is of the VGA type and does not exceed 1.2 megapixels VGA, but this is more than enough for videoconferences.
Regarding the connection, it is recommended that the tablet that we are going to acquire includes at least the basics , which would be the following:
- Wifi
- 3.5 headphone jack output
- Charger connector
- MicroSD card slot
- Mini USB
Those would be the essential points that the tablet should have, but of course an excellent purchase would also include:
- HDMI output
- Microphone input
- Standard USB input
- RJ45 input
- Integrated 3G modem
- Gps
On the other hand, it is very important that we pay attention to the type of battery that the device includes, since the autonomy that it allows us to achieve will depend on it. The ideal is to acquire a tablet whose battery is at least 3000mAh, which in normal use will offer us an autonomy of between 4 to 6 hours.
Android version
Currently, Android is the most used operating system in this type of device, and even more so in cheap generic tablets, mainly due to the fact that it is a platform belonging to the world of free software, which means that it does not have to be paid licenses for their use.
Of course we cannot go and buy any tablet that includes Android , thinking that with that we will already have what we need. It is that we must bear in mind that the operation of the equipment will depend to a large extent on the Android version that it includes.
In this sense, the idea is to choose the device that has the latest version installed at the precise moment in which we acquire it. However, we can also choose to buy a tablet that has at least the Android 2.3 version.
In short, despite being older, 2.3 has some advantages over version 4 of the operating system, since it is lighter and faster in response.