The Sunday for Mother’s day I was informed that I had won a Safaricom Neon Smart tab thanks to Safaricom and potentash.com. At first, I did not know what to expect, and this added to my curiosity. I knew a few things before I tried winning it, like the price, and I wondered what could be in store.
When I finally got it, I was impressed beyond words. That a tab that could cost less than Kshs. 10,000 could have so many features was just impressive. And it was a real beauty too.
Here are some of the main features. I normally find it better to compare two gadgets so I compared it with the Tecno S9 tablet..
Feature Neon Smart Tab Tecno S9
Dimensions in mm 189 x 106 x 9.2 193 x 111 x 9.5
Resolution 960 x 540 pixels 1024 x 600 pixels
Internal 4 GB 8 GB
Operating System Android 4.4 KitKat Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Processor 1.3GHz dual core 1.3GHz dual-core
RAM 512 MB cortex A7 1 GB chipset
Camera 2MP rear; 0.3 MP front 2MP rear; 0.3 MP front
Battery 2820mAh Li-Ion 2000mAh Li-Ion
Price Kshs. 8,999 Kshs. 11,499
As you can see, the Neon holds its own against the Tecno S9 which is about 30% more costly. The tablet is also compatible with a 1 GB RAM.
One of the things I loved about the tablet is the fact that it fits in your hand perfectly. Most tablets are too big to fit in your hand nicely. The tablet is ‘small’ enough to fit in some pants pockets.
I have no complaints with the resolution. I have used it with Instagram and Facebook and, as with any tablet, it is so nice to see the big photos on a tablet on social sites.
The one I have has an updated Operating System (Android 4.4.2). I am a big Android fan, mainly because it is so easy to get and update countless apps on play store. The tablet came installed with several apps such as Safaricom M-Ledger, OLX, Safaricom Appstore, Kingsoft Office amongst the common browsers and social networking sites. I have downloaded several others and I have not experienced the tablet hang for using many apps. There is also a button that helps you to easily navigate to other apps without necessarily closing the one you are working on.
The total internal memory is 4GB of which only about 1.75 GB is available. The tablet supports an external memory of up to 32 GB though.
The battery performance is incredible, probably due to the cortex A7 processor. When I first charged it, I forgot it in the office overnight with the charge at 100%. In the morning, the charge was at 99%. Quite impressive, if you ask me. The tablet can go for up to 12 hours on medium use and 6 hours of heavy video viewing, game playing and browsing use. The unfortunate bit is that the battery is not removable, meaning if it gets spoilt, you are done.
The other disadvantage is the camera. I did not even know that in this day and age, technology of making cameras with less than 2MP exists. Turns out the technology is not extinct. I took a photo with the tab and with another with my 5MP phone camera. The photo is not that bad tough. The front camera is 0.3MP. They should probably not have included it in my opinion.
For the price of Kshs. 8,999, the Neon Smart Tab is worth the amount.
Review by Greatrnk.
