Reliance New Tab under 15,000Rs

A new reliance invention‘Yet another tablet under 15K,’ may have been the response from many after the Reliance 3G Tab was announced recently. And yes, like most of the low cost devices entering markets in India, this one too comes from China. Clearly labeled under ZTE, it could make you think and rethink how the company has managed to break the 15K barrier. However, you could simply leave aside the reasoning and read on our review to know if the 3G Tab is yet another cheap tablet or holds within enough features justifying its price tag.

For the price it carries, the Reliance 3G Tab is nowhere near a cheap looking device, we must say. Sporting a decent exterior, it employs a 7-inch TFT capacitive display with multi-touch capabilities. Just below the screen you will find a row of touch buttons (not backlit) – Home, Menu and Back. Scrutinizing the front surface further you’ll also find the light sensor, indicator and VGA front facing camera while the backside shows a mediocre 2MP camera. The edges of the Tab are kept minimalist and uncluttered with speakers, 3.5mm jack, mini USB port, volume control and on/off switch.

It easily slips in hand purses at 389 grams and the look of it could instantly remind you of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The Reliance unit came with a glossy front side and an easily detachable plasticky backflap disguised in a silver-gray metallic hue. We didn’t attempt breaking it, but the plastic appeared to be pretty fragile. Pulling out the backflap, the Li-Ion battery 3400mAh can be extracted to lay your hands on SIM and microSD card slots. Reliance has also bundled 4GB storage (microSD card) which can be further expanded up to 32GB using the microSD slot. On the inside, it is fuelled with an 800MHz processor and 512MB RAM.

Reliance 3G Tab gleefully employs the Android 2.3.4. So, obviously you get to drool over all the features that Android 2.3 tags along. Now, the inclusion of this version of the operating system is appreciated as there are several smartphones carrying a higher price tag while employing a lower OS version.

This ZTE built tablet has the Reliance mark embossed as soon as you switch it on. You’ll find slight customization with a Reliance skin and annoying welcome tune. Along with the little personalization, you will find the R World Online icon that lets you explore several entertainment facets.

After spending hours indulged into the Fruit Ninja on the iPad 2, the experience on the Reliance Tab was pretty washed off, for obvious reasons. Here, we aren’t complaining or comparing, knowing the price the 3G Tab carries. Besides, we tried our hands on some swiftly downloaded apps, games, live wall papers and the experience was just about fine. The Tab boasts of up to 9 hours talk time and 300 hours of standby, and we feel to a great extent it keeps up to it. With average usage, we managed to stretch it for more than a day.

To sum it up, everyone wants a piece of the tablet and not all can get it due to the high price tags that this device category reads. Moreover, we have a very price sensitive market in India. So, for those looking to get hold of a tablet for usual emails, social networking, exploring Android markets for games and a price tag that reads just Rs. 12,999, then the Reliance 3G Tab would be an option to consider. Further, you must be ready to let go camera abilities and tie down to Reliance 3G plans. On my rating meter it has managed to jump up to 7 out of 10.