HP Slate 7 VoiceTab Hands On

The HP Slate 7 VoiceTab is the other device that HP launched today alongside the Slate 6 VoiceTab. Practically the same under the hood, the Slate 7 goes for a lower price point and a larger screen size. The tablet also enables voice calls and 3G functionality which isn’t something unheard of but is nice to have nonetheless. We spent some time with the tablet at the launch event in Delhi and here are our first impressions. 

We are live from MWC 2014 at Barcelona where we have HP showcasing the tablet. We made a quick hands on video which you can check out right below.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=555vqOGP3u0

The front of the tablet is a 7inch display with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. This results in a pixel density of 216ppi which is passable at best. Color reproduction is decent and par for the course. Viewing angles are decent too though just like the Slate 6, the hyper reflective surface will prove to be a hindrance. Powering the tablet is a 1.2Ghz Marvell PXA1088 processor which is paired with 1GB of RAM. Performance is a hit or miss as it is not uncommon to see UI lags and crashes. There’s 16GB of storage that can be expanded via the microSD card slot.

What definitely stood out was the generally solid build quality of the Slate 7. It is quite an attractive device as well. While the materials remain plastic, it is reassuringly solid. A subtle pattern can be seen at the back and this is much superior to the digital camo that is visible on the Slate 6. A 5MP rear camera can be spotted here while a front facing 2MP camera is also present on the device. The battery is rated for 4100 mAh. There’s a range of connectivity options on offer including WiFI b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, Dual SIM slots and 3G support. The operating system is Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. 

The HP Slate 7 is roughly in line with its competition and offers some additional goodies in the form of dual SIM support and a higher resolution camera. Performance is iffy at best with lags appearing even in basic interface navigation. We’ll put the device through its paces soon but initial impressions were not very satisfactory. The tablet is priced at Rs. 16,999 and competes with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, Lenovo IdeaTab A3000.