Kata Fishtab 3 Review: Because Budget Tablets Can Look Premium Too

When it comes to budget tablets, there aren’t many I would confidently pull out at a Starbucks if you know what I mean. Sure, there are some notable ones with great screens and specs, but when it comes to the quality of their construction, most of them just come off as looking cheap. Then of course, there’s the Kata Fishtab 3, a premium-looking tablet with a large 7.9 inch IPS screen, an aluminum chassis, and some serious improvements in internals over what we’re accustomed to seeing on locally branded tablets.

When the Kata Fishtab 3 first came out, it was one of my drool-worthy devices. Thankfully, Kata Mobile was kind enough to loan me a review unit, which I’ve been using for the past couple of weeks. Want to find out if the Fishtab 3 should be on your Christmas wish list? Read on to find out in my full Kata Fishtab 3 review.

What’s in the Box?

The retail box of the Kata Fishtab 3 is reminiscent of something you would get from an Apple store, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the tablet’s design mimics the popular iPad Mini. As good looking as the box might be, the lack of accessories is a bit of a disappointment. You only get:

• tablet
• micro USB transfer cable
• charger
• quick start guide

Yup, that’s it.

Design and Construction

The Kata Fishtab 3 features a sleek design that “borrows” from the ipad Mini. While I hate ripoffs, I’m all for premium design and construction, so I’ll consider this a plus. Still, I would have preferred if the tablet featured its own unique design rather ripping it off from another popular product.

I must admit, the unibody design is attractive enough, and the construction of the Fishtab 3 is quite solid and better than expected. I would still have a problem taking this out in public though since the iPad-esque design and non-Apple logo on the back kind of scream “poser”.

The Display

The Kata Fishtab 3 features a 7.9 inch XGA IPS display with a resolution of 768 x 1024. It might interest some of you that it’s the same size screen and resolution as the aforementioned iPad Mini. The pixel density is sub-par at 162ppi, but the natural viewing distance is far enough that the pixellation isn’t that noticeable.

The screen size and resolution of the Fishtab 3’s screen is ideal for reading comics and manga. IPS displays are known for their great color reproduction and viewing angles, and the technology lends itself well here. However, most websites would look better if the resolution had been at least HD, but for the most part, everything looks right. The only time I wished the resolution was better was when the text got too small in whatever comic or manga I was reading.

The Chipset

The processing workload on the tablet is handled by a very capable 1.8GHz quad core RockChip 3188 SoC with an equally capable quad core Mali 400 GPU. Just how powerful is this tandem? I ran the Kata Fishtab 3 through three of the most popular benchmarking tools available on Google Play. The tablet managed to score 19,732 in Antutu, 5,809 in Quadrant, and 55.5fps in Nenamark2. To put things in perspective, you’re getting almost the same performance as a Sony Xperia Z. Lolwut?!

Of course, these are synthetic benchmarks and the user experience in real life might not necessarily reflect the numbers. However, the proof is in the pudding as navigating through the Fishtab 3’s UI is silky smooth and the tablet never seems to task itself except on the heaviest games.

Software and UI

One thing I like about our budget brands is that they tend to stay away from heavily customizing the software. Admittedly, the Fishtab 3 still throws in some bloatware, but none of it is obtrusive. You’re really getting a close-to-stock Android feel.

Unfortunately, I don’t actually like Android’s default layout for tablets that places the app drawer icon in the upper right. That never did feel as intuitive to me as the more convenient layout of tablets like the last two Nexus 7 models that placed the app drawer icons at the bottom. To be fair, that’s not actually Kata’s fault but stock Android’s. Anyway, that’s easily remedied using an alternative launcher like Apex.

Wireless Connectivity

The Kata Fishtab 3 is a WiFi tablet and doesn’t come with cellular connectivity. So the only way you can browse the internet or use internet-enabled apps is if you’re tethered to a WiFi hotspot. Thankfully, WiFi reception is pretty good and I even tried it from one floor down inside the bathroom where the WiFi signal is pretty spotty. Other wireless connectivity options include Bluetooth and Wireless Display using Miracast. I wasn’t able to try out the Miracast option though since I don’t have a Miracast-enabled TV or dongle.

Imaging

If for some reason you’re one of those people who like to capture priceless moments using your tablet’s camera, the Fishtab 3’s 5mp autofocus rear-facing camera won’t satisfy your needs. Shots are pretty bad even in normal lighting conditions, and it’s even worse in low light conditions as the shots can get especially pretty grainy.

One thing it does have going for it though is that the autofocus in low-light is pretty awesome. I have BSI-equipped phones lying around here at home that have trouble focusing under good fluorescent lighting, which is pretty annoying. So while the shots won’t be that great under low light, at least they’ll be in focus.

Now, if you’re going to take selfies, don’t bother with the Kata Fishtab 3. It’s only equipped with a regular VGA front camera, which is only there to facilitate video calls using apps like Skype.

Entertainment

Unless the manufacturer screws something up or skimps on certain specs, tablets will typically make for great entertainment devices. The Kata Fishtab 3 is no exception, and because the 7.9 inch IPS screen is larger than the typical 7 inch budget tablet, there’s much more real estate for media consumption. The size is great for comfortably reading ebooks and comics, however the 4:3 aspect ratio means the black bars that you see when watching movies in landscape mode will be much larger since most movies these days are recorded in a widescreen format.

Gaming

If you’re looking for a gaming tablet, the Kata Fishtab 3 does a lot of things right. The quad core Mali 400 GPU, while aging, still provides a lot of graphical oomph, even for a budget tablet. I tested it on Dead Trigger 2, which allows you to switch between low and high graphic details. Of course, I set the graphics to high so I could push the tablet’s gaming capabilities and I was impressed at how well the tablet rendered particle and lens flare effects.

Of course, the not quite HD resolution makes things easier on the GPU since there aren’t as many pixels to process, but let’s give credit where it’s due. If I had the time, I could easily waste an entire afternoon killing zombies on the Fishtab 3.

I also tried playing Minion Rush, which believe it or not, is an even heavier game when it comes to graphics because of the noticeable slowdown on most phones and tablets when the game becomes more fast-paced. Interestingly, the Fishtab 3 handled it all in stride.

Battery Life

The tablet is equipped with a 4,400mAh battery, which is fairly standard for this size. Since tablets aren’t typically a primary device, I wasn’t always using it during the review period. I’d pick it up to read comics or browse articles and then just put it back down again and go back to work. Still, standby time was pretty impressive. I would go two days without charging the tablet and pick it up and be surprised that there was still 40% left.

So Should You Buy the Kata Fishtab 3?

The Kata Fishtab 3 is one of the few budget tablets in the market that feature a premium design and build at an affordable price. Truth be told, the Kata Fishtab 3 only has one weakness — it’s non-HD screen, which isn’t actually that bad. If the iPad Mini can get away with a 7.9″ XGA IPS display then why can’t the Fishtab 3?

For a sale price of Php7,699, you’re getting a quad core CPU and GPU, 2GB of RAM, and an IPS display that’s excellent for browsing the web or reading magazines, comics and eBooks. Not only is it the perfect size, but it’s the perfect weight too. The thing I hate about 10 inch screens is that they’re too heavy, while 7 inch screens are just too small. The Kata Fishtab 3 scratches both itches while featuring topnotch internals for the price, even with the competition having recently launched similar-sized tablets.

Looking to grab the Kata Fishtab 3? Try visiting any Owtel store on November 29 and December 2 and you’ll get a free screen protector and leather case.

Kata Fishtab 3 Specs

• 7.9″ XGA IPS display (768 x 1024 resolution, 162ppi)
• 1.8GHz quad core Rockchip 3188 processor
• Quad core Mali 400 GPU
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 2GB RAM
• 8GB internal storage
• 5mp autofocus camera, no flash
• 2mp fixed focus front camera
• WiFi b/g/n
• Bluetooth
• 4,400mAh battery
• Price: Php7,699 until December (PHp10,999 original SRP)