HP may have been late to the Android tablet party, but it has finally released one in the form of the Slate 7. Rather than try to compete with Apple’s iPad, HP has instead focused on the entry-level 7in market with a budget device designed to take on tablets such as the Google Nexus 7. Someone has obviously been taking notes, too, as the Slate 7 attempts to get one up on the competition by cramming in both front- and rear-facing cameras, a microSD slot and HP’s proprietary Beats Audio for only £130.
Physically, the Slate 7 looks and feels like a premium piece of kit. At 370g, it’s marginally heavier than some of its rivals, but the solid, sturdy chassis feels built to last. The Slate 7 has a minimal appearance, thanks to a smooth, soft-touch plastic back that provides plenty of grip. The aluminium edging and machined buttons add a touch of class, making it feel like a more expensive device. It has volume keys on the right-hand side and a power button at the top, alongside a 3.5mm audio jack and a MicroSD card slot. It supports MicroSD cards up to 32GB in size, which means you can increase its meagre 8GB storage capacity. It also has a Micro USB charging port, which is at the bottom of the device, sandwiched between the
speaker grilles.
The Slate 7’s 7in, 1,024×600-resolution display is a basic screen, so the Slate 7 isn’t going to win any awards for image quality, but it’s still perfectly functional. The panel uses fringe field switching (FFS) technology, which helps create better viewing angles than on TN devices. It is far less crisp that those of rival devices, though, and isn’t particularly bright, even at its highest setting. However, still images and videos look reasonably sharp and colours are fairly vibrant.
Powered by a dual-core ARM A9 processor running at 1.6GHz and 1GB of RAM, the Slate 7 is a reasonably powerful budget tablet. There is some slight hitching when flicking through multiple Home screens filled with widgets, but apps load reasonably quickly. The Slate 7 is pretty energy efficient, lasting around nine hours which is among the best scores for budget 7in tablets.
As it runs a barely tweaked version of Android 4.1, the Slate 7 feels very similar to a Nexus 7 once you start using it. It has HP’s ePrint app preinstalled, which is great if you have a compatible HP
wireless printer.
The main addition is the built-in Beats Audio stereo speakers , a non-configurable music equalizer that adjusts the headphone output based on what pair of Beats headphones you happen to be wearing for powerful sound, noise reduction & amplification
It also comes with a 3-megapixel rear camera as well as a 0.3-megapixel front-facing webcam, perfect for Skype meetings and video chats.
With a smart design, and a low price, the HP Slate 7 is a real contender this Christmas.
