Tablets -Prices and Options a quick analysis

gurgle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Aug 6, 2010
1,463
131
Pardon if this seems confusing. Sometimes the best way to see what the value and what is on the way is to go to the source. Tonight I decided to go to ************** to search and discover what is available. I wanted to see what Chips are being offered, versions of Android, features and help provide insight on what is being shipped.

I decided to focus on three price points. This included price included shipping to the US.
A. ~$75-90USD
B. ~$145-160USD
C. ~$200-225USD
This would mean post mark-up anywhere from $25-75USD minimum when sold by a vendor. So the end prices you might pay from a reseller is $100-300USD for one of these units. (Unless you want to take the leap and order directly yourself.)

Sorry I am not naming sources. If interested Go to Alibaba.com Wholesale Platform - Get wholesale products from China wholesalers! and use the same search terms I used. (Android, MID, Tablet and ("2.2" for Price points B and C) You can make your own determination if you want to order direct. Or if you want to be daring, be a reseller/local vendor.
OK, so lets get started.

Group A: 99% of all were WM/VIA8505 chipset Tablets. There were a few RockChip 2808 tablets as well.
Chipset speed ranged from 350mhz to 600mhz
Android versions: Either 1.5 cupcake but majority were 1.6-Donut.
Firmware: Some really old if you know firmware numbers but some very recent
There were three design factors. (Although a few other colors being offered)
Silver case - Most common
White case - The rocker button type
Black case - Alternate look to silver
Memory: 128 Mb or 256Mb. There was no consistency but most were 256
Storage: Almost all were 2Gb, but there were a few with only 1Gb
Screen touch:All were resistive
Form factor: All were 7 inch 800x480
0ptions: The most common option was a camera. These were .3Megapixel and some at the higher end 1.3Megapixel. But some did not have a camera at all. There were some at the higher end with G-Sensors as well. All were configured with the TF/Micro-SD slot, Microphone and some type of Pig-Tail or 30 pin dongle with USB ports and an RJ45.
WLAN: 802.11B/G None I reviewed had N or A offered. But there might be some.
Bluetooth: Some had Bluetooth but it was across the board on prices with this option.
Speakers and Headphone jack

Group B: All had 2.1 or 2.2 with most being 2.2
Chipsets -
There were a few VIA 8505, amazingly enough AND these are offered with 2.2-Froyo
There were lots of Telechips 8902 and IMT Freescale A8 chips
There were also a few Samsung chips
There was one Cortex A8 as well.
Firmware: Most were recent if listed
There were three design factors. (Although a few other colors being offered)
Silver case - Common factor like the typical low end case.
Black case - Alternate look to silver
Variants on the larger sizes
Memory: 256Mb. But there were one or two with 512Mb
Storage: All were 2Gb (But some threw in a 4Gb MicroSD as a bonus add-in)
Screen touch:Nearly all were resistive. There was one capacitive touch
Form factor: 7 inch 800x480, A few with 8 inch 800x600, One unit was a 10 inch 1024x600
0ptions: The most common option was a camera. These were nearly all 1.3Megapixel and some at the higher end 2 Megapixel. And some did not have a camera at all.
Many had G-Sensors, but many did not have G-Sensor. All were configured with the either standard SD or TF/Micro-SD slot
The 30 pin units had dongle with USB ports and an RJ45.
WLAN: 802.11B/G and more had N offered.
Bluetooth: More had Bluetooth This was more common.

Group C: All had 2.2
Chipsets -
There were many Cortex A8 chips. But these were all in the WITs or similar type
There were many of Telechips 8902 and IMT Freescale A8 chips
There were also a few Samsung chips
Firmware: Most were recent if listed
There were many design factors. It was interesting. This seems to be the biggest change and external options available as well. There were other differences too numerous to describe
Memory: 256Mb But, there were more than a few with 512Mb
Storage: Most were 2Gb, but many had 8 Gb
Screen touch: Nearly all were still resistive, but more were capacitive
Form factor: 7 inch 800x480, A few with 8 inch 800x600, A few were 10 inch 1024x600
0ptions: The most common option was a camera. These were nearly all 1.3Megapixel and many had 2 Megapixel. And some did not have a camera at all.
Most had G-Sensors, but some did not have G-Sensor. All were configured with the either standard SD or TF/Micro-SD slot
A few offered 3.5G SIM slots
Some offered GPS and one had an FM transmitter
WLAN: 802.11B/G and most had N offered.
Bluetooth: Most had Bluetooth but some did not

So there you are. You will find I did not use the typical names, but were easily identified
Huewei,WITStech,IRobot,EPad,EKen,APad.... Hope you found this of interest.
 
Last edited:

chagud

Member
Oct 27, 2011
6
0
From a pricing point the classification is reasonably accurate. However, the rest of the information is dated. Almost all vendors now offer 2.2 and 2.3. Capacitive vs Resistive touch screens and the screen sizes make the big difference. Most tablets under $100 are resisitive 7 inch. In the $100-$200 range you see a mix of resistive and capacitive touch screens. Over $200 almost all are capacitive touch screens.

Android geek
Geekland : Custom Android Tablet OEM/ODM Services
 

gurgle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Aug 6, 2010
1,463
131
Interesting, I wrote this over a year ago, and it is still valid on many points. But, I have been preparing a new version of this post
 

Pamster

Senior Member
Nov 14, 2011
393
35
Awesome post gurgle, looking forward to seeing the revised post when you're ready to post it. I can see it took a lot of time to compose and has a lot of great information. :)

Thanks for posting your thoughts on this chagud, and welcome to the board! :D
 
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