Contents
For about two weeks, I’ve played around with the Lenovo Tab A7-30, a 7″ tablet relased mid last year. Generally, a lot of people prefer smaller tabs like this that can as well function as smartphones and this particular product fits that description. However, it should be noted that Lenovo Tab A7 has a WiFi only version but we got the 3G version (A3300-HV) and you should take note of that if you’re eventually buying.
As mentioned in out unboxing video, Lenovo Tab A7 is not your type of tab with super powers, it’s a budget tab you can still own without burning a hole in your pocket.
Quick Specifications:
- ROM: 8GB
- RAM: 1GB
- Display: 7″
- Resolution: 1024×600
- Micro SD: up to 32GB
- OS: Android 4.4.2 Kitkat
- Camera: 2MP primary, 0.3MP secondary
- SIM: Single (mini-SIM)
- Battery: 3500mAh
- Processor: 1.3GHz quad-core (MediaTek MT8382)
Physical Appearance
Without the logo at the front, Lenovo Tab A7 looks like any other tablet in terms of design but there are certain things about the design that makes it look good. The design is very curvy. The edges are curved, this extends to the sides and then to the back.
The shell is non-removable and houses the 3500mAh battery on the left side you have the flap covering the SIM and SD card slots.
One noticeable feature at the front is the dual speakers. There’s one at the top and another just below the screen. This gives you an idea what the sound quality would be and I wasn’t disappointed during my tests.
At the top of the device, you have the earpiece jack and microUSB port. The power button and volume controls are on the right, shifted up.
The 2MP camera at the back is towards the right, as shown above. There’s also a 0.3MP camera at the front.
Display
The display is good, but not perfect. There’s no ambient light sensor and you have to adjust the brightness manually according to the environment. I particular miss the auto-brightness feature. In bright sunlight, the display is visible so far you set the brightness to 100% or something close. Lenovo Tab A7 has a resolution of 1024×600 and for a device with a big 7″ screen, it’s not really enough but then, this is a budget tab. The pixel density is 170ppi. I’ve seen exactly this resolution on a 10.1″ tablet and you can imagine what the display would look like.
The display isn’t bad so to speak, devices in this price range have certain limitations.
OS & Performance
Lenovo Tab A7-30 runs Android 4.4.2 Kitkat and on top of that is Lenovo’s custom UI, Vibe UI. I’m unsure if the device will still receive software upgrades as it’s not enlisted for future software upgrades in the calendar on the official website.
However, the custom UI looks good and I find the smart sidebar particularly useful. You can easily swipe from the left or right to quickly access frequently used applications.
There are also in-built themes you can choose from. The OS comes with some Lenovo’s proprietary apps like ShareIt, SyncIt. There are also other preloaded apps like UC Browser, Skype, txtr ebooks, Norton Mobile security and Kingsoft Office.
Gaming on the device is good and I was able to play Modern Combat 5 with 3G turned on without any noticeable lag. The 1GB RAM is sufficient and multitasking works just fine.
The device scored 18,207 with Antutu benchmark, 353 points for single core processing and 1167 points for multi-core processing with Geekbench 3.
When benchmarked with Quadrant Standard also, it got a point of 7002.
Battery
This device has a huge 3500mAh sealed in battery and this is one of the best things about this tab. I was able to get almost 8-9 hours of heavy use: playing 3D online games, watching movies and surfing the internet.
With average use, it should last the whole day.Even if you’re a heavy user, I’m not sure you need to carry a power bank around all the time.
Multimedia
The widescreen makes it fun watching movies and the dual speakers at the front make it more fun. Sounds come out loud and clear, enhanced by the integrated Dolby software.
The tablet comes with just a 2MP rear camera. It’s not that powerful and selfies taken with the 0.3MP front camera are not that impressive.
Connectivity
This particular model is 3G enabled and you can as well connect to the internet through WiFi. The tablet allows you to use your device as a 3G hotspot.
Verdict
For a price of just #21,000, Lenovo Tab A7-30 offers some fairly decent specifications. It’s a tablet designed with specific attention paid to the sound quality. The dual speakers at the front plus Dolby experience almost made it a perfect multimedia tab if not for the average camera. However, in this price range, it’s one of the best you can get. It’s closest competitor in the Nigerian market appears to be Innjoo F2 tablet with identical specifications boasting of 4500 mAh battery capacity and a 10.1″ screen.
Pros: The price is right, the sound output is lovely, battery life is quite okay and the performance isn’t bad.
Cons: Absence of ambient light sensor, low resolution for a 7″ screen and the camera isn’t that great.
Price
You can purchase this tab on:
Price starting from ₦21,000 on Jumia: Buy Now
Price starting from ₦21,000 on Konga: Buy Now