The market for tablets has shrunken considerably over the past couple of years, so much so that large players like Sony has pulled out from the segment altogether. These days, smaller tablets between 7-9 inches are somewhat scarce as there has been a marked preference for full-sized tablets of 9 inches and up.
Read also: Best Tablets in Malaysia
However, if a small tablet is what you’re interested in, we’ve round up some of the best Android and Windows tablets available in the Malaysian marketplace today.
At a glance, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7.0" T285 could be easily mistaken for a large PHABLET due to its compact and lightweight design. The 7-inch IPS touchscreen is super easy to work on and does not cause eye fatigue even with its small size.
With a 1.5GHz Quad Core Processor and 1.5GB of RAM with 8GB of internal storage, the tablet performs well in all areas. The 5MP rear camera produces decent photos and videos. There is also GPS, WIFI, Bluetooth and cellular connectivity including 4G LTE support. This means that you can surf the net anywhere that there’s mobile or WIFI coverage. The 4000MAH battery lasts for around 9 hours of continuous work.
The Onda V80 Plus is the device for you if you want to be able to use both Android and Windows on a small tablet. It runs on both Android 5.1 Lollipop and Windows 10 64 bit via dual boot. With the Intel Cherry Trail X5-Z8350 Quad Core processor (up to 1.92GHz), the device is also sufficiently powerful for most productivity softwares, yet frugal when it comes to power consumption.
Graphics are courtesy of Intel HD Graphics Gen-8 GPU, built onto the processor with shared VRAM from the total 2GB DDR3L System RAM available, and is adequate for fast web browsing, basic productivity and full use of the Microsoft Office Suite, photo editing and casual gaming.
Furthermore, the 8.0-inch 10 point 1920X1200 screen makes doing work easy even on the small screen. There is also a HDMI output available to allow you to switch to a bigger screen. Other features in the V80 include 32GB of onboard storage expandable to 256GB with the TF Card, WIFI, Bluetooth 4.0, 2MP front and back cameras and even a Micro USB slot.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A is one of the few 8.0-inch tablets which comes with a stylus. It runs on the Android 5.0 (Lollipop) OS with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM, expandable to 256GB via Micro SD Card. Connectivity wise, this tablet supports GSM/HSPA/LTE networks, WIFI and Bluetooth 4.0.
The 8.0 inch TFT touchscreen is capable of a max resolution of 768 X 1024 pixels with 16 million on-screen colours and is multi-touch compatible. There’s GPS built in as well as a Micro USB 2.0 port, 5MP rear camera and 2MP front camera.
Do you plan on using your mini tablet together with a cellular plan? If yes, it makes sense to look for one with 4G LTE support for smooth internet and video streaming. The Huawei MediaPad T2 Pro 7.0-inch is a dual-SIM tablet which runs on the Android 5.1 OS. It is powered by an Octa-Core 1.2GHz A53 Processor, and it supports GSM/HSPA/LTE Networks, WIFI, A-GPS and Bluetooth.
The tablet also features 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage expandable via SD Card. Sporting a 7-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen capable of displaying 16M colours means being able to watch movies and surf the net for extended periods with no problem. There is also a 16MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera for picture and video taking, and a 4500MaH built-in Li-ion battery that promises over 400 hours of standby time.
Huawei’s M3 Lite 8.0-inch tablet is slightly larger than their Mediapad T2. As with its stablemate, the M3 supports dual-band GSM/HSPA/4G Networks in addition to WIFI and Bluetooth. 4G support ensures fast internet connections and smooth video streaming.
The M3 also runs on the Android 7.0 OS and is powered by an Octa-Core 1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8940 processor, with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage upgradable using TF Card. The 8.0-inch touch IPS Screen delivers images and videos crisply and clearly to reduce eye fatigue. There are also front and rear 8.0MP cameras for videos and pictures.
Acer’s entry into the sub-9-inch Android tablet market is the Iconia One B1-870. The tablet uses a Quad Core Intel 1.3GHz Cortex A35 quad-core Processor and sports 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage with WIFI, Bluetooth and GPS support. The Iconia One 8’s main claim to fame is Acer’s propriety Precision Plus Technology incorporated into the 8.0 inch HD IPS multi-touch screen.
The Precision Plus Technology means that the arrays of touch sensors in the screen are much smaller and more sensitive than usual tabs, ultimately allowing you to draw directly on the screen with any nibbed object without the need for a dedicated stylus. There is also a rear 5MP camera and a 2MP front one for videos and pictures which you can edit in fine detail using the Precession Plus Technology.
The Mi Pad 4 uses the latest Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor from Qualcomm and comes with 4GB of RAM and 64 GB of built-in memory, upgradable with SD card. It runs on the latest Android 8.1 (Oreo) platform. The gorgeous 8.0-inch IPS HD 1920 x 1200 with a decreased bezel size, works well to showcase the 13 MP rear camera and front 5MP camera.
The non-removable Li-Po 6000mAH battery offers one of the longest continuous working times for tablets of this class at up to 14 hours. In essence, the Mi Pad 4 is all around the best Android Tablet in the sub-9-inch category.
Disclaimer: The pricing shown is just a good indication of how much these products are worth. The prices could change based on the e-commerce promotions that are going on. If some of the products are not available, do email us at [email protected]. Thank you!
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