Spice, which has been in overdrive mode over the past few months, recently came out with its Stellar Pad. This gadget has a 10.1-inch screen, good looks and a decent spec sheet, making it worth its price of Rs 12,999. At least on paper. We reviewed this tablet to see if it is the best device in its range. Here's what we found.
Hardware and design:
The Spice Stellar Pad comes with an IPS screen that supports 1280x800p resolution and approximately 170ppi pixel density. It is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, coupled with 1GB RAM, and comes with 16GB internal storage and microSD expansion up to 64GB. Connectivity features of the tablet include Wi-Fi, 3G (via dongle), microSD and miniHDMI. At the back of the device is a 3MP camera, while a VGA snapper is used in the front.
Talking about design, the Stellar Pad is encased in a matte silver metallic shell that gives it a premium feel. However, it is susceptible to scuff marks. Nevertheless, the tablet scores a few points when it comes to design, as it is easy to hold in portrait as well as landscape mode even with one hand. At 667gram, it is as heavy as the best of them all, the iPad.
All the keys and ports are placed on the right side and top, while the left side and the bottom are left bare. You get the volume rocker and Power/Lock key on top and the microSD slot, microUSB and miniHDMI ports, earphone jack, mic and reset buttons are placed on the right. On the back are the camera and two speaker grilles.
Software:
Spice has used Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system in its Spice Stellar Pad. This OS brings Project Butter optimisations, which helps weed out most instances of lag from gadgets. Another good thing is that you do not get any customised skin that can weigh the software down. However, you do get a few pre-loaded apps, such as Times Of India, Economic Times, Facebook, Dropbox, Shark Dash etc.
Camera and multimedia:
We are not fans of using tablets as the primary devices to capture photos, but Spice Stellar Pad nevertheless has a 3MP rear camera. This shooter takes passable photos, but their white balance is off and details are missing. However, it would suffice in case you do not have a good camera in your phone.
We played 720p videos on this tablet and found that it does so quite well. However, it falters when it comes to 1080p videos, which suffered from intermittent lag and jarring. The music and video playing apps are quite basic and the audio output is quite loud.
Performance:
Spice Stellar Pad's screen has aspect ratio of 16:9 and is quite responsive. It is bright and renders above par colours for its price; another highlight of this device is its great viewing angles.
The processor and software gel together quite well and there are mostly no cases of lag. However, during our tests, we came across two instances where the device froze and had to be restarted in order to get it going again. Another major software glitch was that the keyboard was unstable and we ended up downloading an app from Google Play to resolve the issue. If these issues are restricted to just this review unit, then we can say the tablet experience is enjoyable, else our verdict would be: Don't touch!
The 7,600mAh battery lasted for approximately five hours when a looping video was played. This suggests that the device will last around 14-16 hours on moderate usage.
What we do not like about the hardware of the device is the absence of Bluetooth and a proprietary charger (which means no USB charging!). Also, a sore miss is the sim-based2G/3G connectivity which would have been much better, but dongle will do just fine too for some people.
Rivals:
While the competition in this segment is not intense, it is still worth checking out. The two chief rivals of this device are Zync Quad 9.7, HCL ME Tab G1 and Videocon VT10.
Zync Quad 9.7 has higher specs and costs just Rs 1,000 more; it offers a 9.7-inch screen with higher resolution, 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and 5MP camera on the back. VideoconVT10 has specs similar to Spice Stellar Pad, but has a snappier processor (1.5GHz dual-core) and 2MP front camera on its side.
HCL ME Tab G1 is also a great tablet, but it loses out because of the absence of Google Play marketplace, thus eliminating the vast app portfolio from the equation.
Verdict:
Spice Stellar Tab is pretty good, but not the perfect affordable tablet, as we experienced during our review. The UI is smooth, but a few bugs remain; however, these can be overcome quite easily, thus giving a largely enjoyable tablet experience. The hardware is good for the price and will not seem to be lacking on most counts. We feel it may be a good device to spend your money on, as long as you are okay with no USB charging and lack of Bluetooth.
A good option against this device is Zync Quad 9.7, at least on paper, though we have not tested it.
What we like:
Good viewing angles
No lag
Good battery life
Android 4.1 out-of-the-box
What we don't like:
No Bluetooth
No USB-on-the-go charging
Keyboard doesn't work properly
Price: Rs 12,999
Key specs:
Display: 10.1-inch IPS display with 1280xx800p resolution and 170ppi pixel density;
Operating system: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean);
Processor & RAM: 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM;
Storage: 16GB internal memory and 64GBmicroSD support;
Connectivity: Dongle-based 2G and 3G, Wi-Fi, microUSB 2.0;
Camera: 3MP rear camera and VGA front camera; and
Battery: 7,600mAh
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