It’s really hard to get excited about budget Android tablets and phones these days, especially since you know what to expect most of the time. That’s why I was a bit skeptical about the ASUS Memopad HD 7 when it was officially announced some time last week. Sure, it was priced very competitively and comes with the ASUS name on it, but I just can’t help but feel “meh” about every budget offering I hear about these days.
However, I was able to get some hands on time with it at the official launch event, and I must say, I was quite impressed with the budget 7 incher. It sports a 7 inch 1280 x 800 HD IPS display, a 1.2GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM and a choice between 8GB or 16GB storage options. It also comes complete with Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, dual cameras, and a battery life that is supposed to last 10 hours.
As impressive as those specs might sound on a budget device, that’s not really what I liked about the Memopad HD 7. You see, budget devices tend to forgo a lot of things to keep the price down. They skip on the custom UI, give the device barely more than the stock apps, and wrap everything up in a sturdy but decidedly cheap-looking plastic shell that constantly betrays how much of a cheapskate you are.
However, the ASUS Memopad HD 7 looks and feels more expensive than it is, featuring a polished finished that despite being plastic, handles just as good as a Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 or Nexus 7. In fact, we were able to have a side by side comparison of the Memopad HD 7 and a Nexus 7 2013 courtesy of Jerome Ancheta (blogger boy wonder/owner of JamOnline.com). While the two looked nothing alike, the MeMoPad HD 7 didn’t look cheap at all compared to the more powerful Nexus 7 2013.
ASUS also threw in a few extra apps that don’t come with stock Android. SuperNote Lite is a favorite of mine because it’s tablet-optimized and gives you more reason to use the ASYS Memopad HD 7 as more than just using it as a glorified eBook/comic reader or web browsing device. There’s also Kindle and Zinio, which are eBook and eMagazine apps, respectively.
As for the software, there are new ways to tweak your experience when using the ASUS MeMoPad HD 7. One of my favorites being the ability to play around with the display’s settings. For example, you can actually adjust the saturation and make the onscreen images completely black and white to help with readability. Or you can turn the saturation up to mimic the punchy colors of an AMOLED screen. Sweet.
It’s always the small things that can make or break a product, and I’m happy to say that ASUS took care of everything right down to the last detail. Being the owner of a 7 inch Fusion Bolt myself, I’ll never be able to look at my tablet the same way again after having experienced the ASUS MeMoPad HD 7. Looking to grab a MeMoPad HD 7 of your own? It’s just Php6,995 for the 8GB variant and Php8,995 for the 16GB variant. Remember, it might be too late for me, but it’s not too late for you o.O
ASUS Memopad HD 7 Specs
- 7 inch HD IPS display (1280 x 800 resolution, 216ppi)
- 1.2GHz quad core processor
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB/16GB storage variants
- 5mp rear camera
- 1.2mp front camera
- WiFi
- Bluetooth 4.0
- GPS
- SonicMaster stereo speakers
- Colors: Black, White, Gray, Pink and Green
- Price: Php6,995 for the 8GB variant, Php8,995 for the 16GB variant
Hi JMB, lucky for you to get a hands-on on this Memo HD. I like both specs and price. From the moment news of it came out a week ago, I thought this was what i’m going to buy. However, out of all the dozens of reviews, one pointed out that this unit does not allow direct to SD app installs. If this is true, I don’t think I will buy it.
Would’ve been luckier if I went home with one, haha. I’ll ask around and see if I can clarify that one issue.
non expandable yung storage po?
expandable sir, pero ang sabi ng ibang bloggers na may review units, hindi daw nakakapag install directly sa SD.
It’s true then. Oh well, here’s back to waiting for Bolt 2.0 hehe
Well, there seems to be a couple of Superions coming up. Unfortunately, my guess is a 7 inch WVGA model and an 8 inch XGA model ~_~
aw so pagmultimedia lang ung expandable storage?so ung 16gb parin ung magandang option nya.maka antay nalang sa bagong labas ng CM baka hd tab un
sana. kakasawa na ang mga WVGA tabs ~_~
sana. kakasawa na ang mga WVGA tabs ~_~
i think ill go soft with my earlier comment on this tab.i just read of the new superions CM just released and theres nothing superior to it.i gues this asus tab way better than the CM releases.