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4G connectivity is a standout feature in this surprisingly

good tablet from Vodafone

T

he Vodafone Smart Tab 4G is the firm’s second

ever tablet.Its first, the Smart Tab 4, suffered

from poor performance due to its MediaTek

processor. While the Tab 4G isn’t officially a follow-up

to that device, Vodafone has certainly looked to

improve its offering this time around. Most

noticeably, there’s now LTE connectivity, as well as a

snappy Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor.

There’s nothing notable about the design of the

Smart Tab 4G. It’s a familiar black slab affair, but it’s

fairly robust and there’s little flex in the plastic shell.

It’s under 8mm thick and is considerably smaller than

the 8.3”-screened Hudl 2. While not as clear as the

Hudl2orNexus7,the1280x800displayontheSmart

Tab 4G is still usable in all situations.

The Smart Tab 4G runs Android 4.4.4 and there’s a

good chance it’ll be upgraded to Lollipop. The 1GB of

RAM is a little low, but everything runs smoothly. It

feels like a tablet built with media usage in mind, but

users will need to reach for the microSD slot, as that

8GB of internal storage will quickly be used up.

It’sthe4GLTEconnectivitythatreallysetsthis

otherwise fairly standard tablet apart from the rest of

the group. Users can take it anywhere and still enjoy a

data connection. It is of course locked to Vodafone,

but 4G SIM-only deals are cheap enough.

TheSmartTab4Gisagreatall-roundtablet

withoutbeingspectacularinanyarea.Westill

prefertheHudl2overthis,butthe4Gconnectivity

may well be the deciding factor for some.

Vodafone

Smart Tab 4G

Reviews

Video calls

Users will find a single

microphone at the bottom

ofthedevicetohelpmake

Skype calls. Clarity is fairly

good when using it

Unlocked

bootloader

Custom ROMs are a

definite possibility for the

deviceanduserscanget

the SIM unlocked by

Vodafone itself

Remote control

The 3.5mm headphone

socket sits atop the

device next to the IR

blaster. Yes, the Smart

Tab4Gcanalsobeused

as a giant remote control

and television guide,

poweredbythevery

capable‘Peel’software

Quick charge

Unlike many low priced

devices, the Smart Tab 4G

still includes a charger in

the box – and it’s a

powerful 2A rated model.

It charges quickly for a

device of its type via the

micro-USB port located on

the bottom

»^ Operating system........Android 4.4.4

»^ Processor ...........................Snapdragon 410

1.2 GHz quad-core

»^ Memory ...............................1GB RAM, 8GB storage

»^ Dimensions .......................209 x 123 x 7.99mm

»^ Weight ...................................327g

»^ Display size .......................8.0-inch

»^ Display resolution ........1280 x 800 pixels

»^ Connectivity .....................4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0

»^ Camera ................................5MP rear, 2MP front

technical specs

Price £124.99

»^ More information http://www.vodafone.com

»^ Supplied by http://www.vodafone.com

information

No groundbreaking features,

but suitable for anyone who

wants a solid, well-built and

fast device that gets the job

done correctly

»Verdict

Vodafone Smart

Tab 4G

»head-to-head

Design

Everything is a bit bland when it comes to

the design of the Smart Tab 4G. The uniform

black look is very familiar, but what it lacks in

looks it makes up in durability. There’s more

focus on the innards than the exterior here

Performance

We were a little hesitant that the 1GB of RAM

would show some slowdown on the Smart

Tab 4G, but we were soon proved wrong.

The device is quick and nimble, with the

Snapdragon 410 coping well with most tasks

Camera and video

There’s nothing amazing about the camera

on the Tab 4G, but we do like the images it

generates in daylight conditions. Shooting

in low light conditions is possible, but the

results aren’t nearly as good

Battery life

You’ll get close to a full day of use with

the 4060mAh battery here, but this does

lower with more media-heavy tasks. It’s

noticeably better than the Hudl 2 and

Gigaset QV830 in this area, however