Which Budget Tablet?

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BlackWasp

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Hi guys,

Want to get my 13 year old son a tablet for his birthday and came across Kalahari range which fits my budget (around R1000).

I just need wi-fi, no 3G and I need something that will run games (ie clash of clans) without problems. Camera would be bonus but not essential. 8Gb storage would be sufficient.

Are any of these tablets close to the ipad mini / samsung quality/speed? Or maybe others I have not listed?

http://www.kalahari.com/Electronics/gobii-7-WiFi-Black-8GB-FREE-vouchers-to-the-value-of-R120_p_47808485

http://www.kalahari.com/Electronics/Proline-7-Smart-B743-Black-Wifi-4GB_p_48280723

http://www.kalahari.com/Electronics/Prestigio-7-Ultra-Multipad-3670-WiFi_p_47600937

http://www.kalahari.com/Merchandising-Category/Lenovo-7-A1000-Black-WiFi-16GB_p_48079281

Any advise please.
 
BlackWasp said:
Hi guys,

Want to get my 13 year old son a tablet for his birthday and came across Kalahari range which fits my budget (around R1000).

I just need wi-fi, no 3G and I need something that will run games (ie clash of clans) without problems. Camera would be bonus but not essential. 8Gb storage would be sufficient.

Are any of these tablets close to the ipad mini / samsung quality/speed? Or maybe others I have not listed?

http://www.kalahari.com/Electronics/gobii-7-WiFi-Black-8GB-FREE-vouchers-to-the-value-of-R120_p_47808485

http://www.kalahari.com/Electronics/Proline-7-Smart-B743-Black-Wifi-4GB_p_48280723

http://www.kalahari.com/Electronics/Prestigio-7-Ultra-Multipad-3670-WiFi_p_47600937

http://www.kalahari.com/Merchandising-Category/Lenovo-7-A1000-Black-WiFi-16GB_p_48079281

Any advise please.
Click to expand...

I would go for the Gobii 7" if it suits the budget. Only one with a quad core processor in that price range as far as I know. It also boasts HD display and two 2mp cameras. It is in my opinion a great deal. And FREE delivery is always a plus.

Would be nice if it had a bit more RAM but hey for that price you wont get better. and with 215 pixels per inch if this were and apple product they`d say it had "Retina" display.
 
Thanks just read through the reviews and the fact that everyone complains about the wifi quality and range concerns me. I already have an Ipad mini which sucks with wifi comapred to my other devices and dont want to go through the same.
 
BlackWasp said:
Thanks just read through the reviews and the fact that everyone complains about the wifi quality and range concerns me. I already have an Ipad mini which sucks with wifi comapred to my other devices and dont want to go through the same.
Click to expand...

I bought my two kids the Gobii last year and can confirm the WiFi is a bit wonky. Sometimes it works perfect, but other times when you walk away from the room where the router is it drops. Other than that it is perfect (for the price). Nice screen and games and apps run smoothly.

What I do now is when installing games for them I do it in the same room where the modem. I am going to be buying a WiFi Range extender and plug it in their room so that will also fix the problem (can connect via WiFi on other devices through the rest of the house).

It was mainly bought for them to play games and watch Netflix so for that it is good - even tho they keep going back to the iPad!
 
weelzSA said:
I bought my two kids the Gobii last year and can confirm the WiFi is a bit wonky. Sometimes it works perfect, but other times when you walk away from the room where the router is it drops. Other than that it is perfect (for the price). Nice screen and games and apps run smoothly.

What I do now is when installing games for them I do it in the same room where the modem. I am going to be buying a WiFi Range extender and plug it in their room so that will also fix the problem (can connect via WiFi on other devices through the rest of the house).

It was mainly bought for them to play games and watch Netflix so for that it is good - even tho they keep going back to the iPad!
Click to expand...

Thanks. Just curious, why do they keep going back to ipad? My kids are also used to ipad mini and the same thing might happen!

I have a wifi repeater/extender so it might not be so much of a problem.

Thanks for confirming Netflix working.
 
BlackWasp said:
Thanks. Just curious, why do they keep going back to ipad? My kids are also used to ipad mini and the same thing might happen!

I have a wifi repeater/extender so it might not be so much of a problem.

Thanks for confirming Netflix working.
Click to expand...

They are only 6 and 9 and almost always forget to charge the thing :( and then go back to the mothers iPad... But when they do charge it (or I remember to plug it in) they use it.

Yeah a WiFi repeater / extender should definitely work.

I just downloaded the Netflix API and side loaded it and worked perfectly.
 
I've written about my impressions in early December about the Gobii after I've had a few hours hands on with it (over here, if anybody is interested).
Since then I bought one for my daughter (8) for Christmas and I have a few things to add. I have an oldish house with thick brick walls and 2 wifi access points, one on each end. My Nexus 7 picks up the wifi in all rooms and most of the garden while the Gobii only picks it up in the same room as the AP. So yeah, the wifi is not very good at all. Something else that is a downer is that the mic and camera (on my unit at least) are pretty low quality. Maybe not a deal breaker but keep it in mind. I also don't like it that the charger is a round pin (dunno what they're called) and not micro usb. The usb port seems to be for transfer only and not charging. Other than that, the tablet is still going strong. Battery keeps up ok, none of the buttons have fallen off and performance is still as it was on day one.
I won't get one for my own use, but as a first tablet for a kid it is OK.

I haven't had hands on experience with any of the other tablets on your list, but I have heard that the Lenovo is quite good for its price so you may want to look around for a review or two on that one as well.
 
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