Tab-X 9.7 Android Tablet Brings HD Big Screen Tablets To The Low End Market

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In all the iPad Mini hoopla today, it was easy to miss that another (slightly less rumored) tablet was released. If $499 for an iPad is too rich for your blood, and you’re hankering for an HD tablet with a large screen, it looks like the non-mainstream brand Android tablet makers are catching up. Enter the Tab-X 9.7 from Arena Scientific.

On paper, the specs sound pretty decent:

Storage

  • 16GB
  • 32GB

Display

  • Retina-IPS display
  • 9.7-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
  • 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi)
  • Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Chip

  • Dual-core Cortex A9, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip with quad-core Mali 400 graphics

Wireless and Bluetooth

  • Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
  • Bluetooth

Cameras

  • 2-megapixel Dual camera

Battery and Power

  • Built-in 50-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
  • Up to 8 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
  • Charging via power adapter

Input and Output

  • USB connector port
  • 3.5-mm stereo headphone mini jack
  • Built-in speaker
  • Microphone

Sensors

  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope

Location

  • Wi-Fi

Audio Playback

  • Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
  • Audio formats supported: HE-AAC (V1 and V2), AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

Video

  • Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

The real cherry on top of these specs is the price, starting at $239! Granted, this could end up being the technological descendent of the knockoff tablets that were sold with resistive touchscreens and poor components for $99 at your local Walgreens…but it is certainly intriguing looking, and a cheap way to keep a toe in the Android market without settling for a 7″ screen (or rooting an eBook tablet like the Fire or the NOOK HD).

If you see one in the wild, or know the brand, let us know what it’s like in the comments!

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About the Author

Zek
Zek has been a gadget fiend for a long time, going back to their first PDA (a Palm M100). They quickly went from researching what PDA to buy to following tech news closely and keeping up with the latest and greatest stuff. They love writing about ebooks because they combine their two favorite activities; reading anything and everything, and talking about fun new tech toys. What could be better?