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Best 8 Inch Android Tablets under $200 - January 2014

5K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  trabakoulas 
#1 ·


Do you agree or do you think there are any other 8-inch android tablets that are more deserving?
 
#2 ·
I'm the moderator at the Chuwi v88 site. The v88 is a good tablet, but like all China tablets it has it's problems.

Pros and Cons list:

1. Chuwi firmware support. Since it's release in May of '12 there have been 10 different firmware updates for the classic v88 model. From my experience with chinatablets, this is REALLY IMPRESSIVE. Generally you would get two or three updates at best and then the manufacturer ceases to support and is looking at it's next product line release.

2. Great hardware specs for the price. As the video indicated, the v88 has the RK3188 SOC, 2GB of RAM, BT, 5000 mAH battery and an external SD card. All of this for under $200. Even 8 months after its initial release, this is still a good bang for the buck.

3. Good community support/dev support. Also as mentioned by the video. The v88 is the #1 community responded forum for all RK3188 tablets on SD. The support, reviews, troubleshooting and development for this tablet line are a testament to the SD community.

Cons:

1. Lots of models and confusion for the v88 line. There are a good number of v88 models, so it can be confusing as to what to buy when you google "v88." Even more confusing is that later models use different hardware making ROM imports and troubleshooting more difficult (there are a subset of 1st GEN and 2nd GEN models). The following models are available:

a. Classic v88 - otherwise known as the Pad Mini v88

b. v88s - updated model with better WiFi (due to improved casing design). Cheaper than the classic v88 but only has 1GB RAM

c. Titanium Ice Green (TIG) - considered the flag ship of the v88 line. Better screen, better sound design, good WiFi

d. v88HD - economy level v88 with nonHD screen. Do not reccomend getting this.

e. v883G - little known v88 model which incorporates a 3G antenna into it's design.

A good tablet comparing all models can be found here.

2. Hardware swap outs within model line make it hard to ascertain what hardware you actually have and which ROM/firmware you should update your tablet to. Due to limited hardware resources it would seem that factories making the v88 line are constantly swapping out different hardware as necessary to keep up with product demand. Each new hardware necessitates a new kernel created to support that model's hardware config. When purchasing a v88 model. Make sure you go to Settings - About Device - Kernel Version so that you can identify which kernel your tablet uses. This may be important moving forward when you decide to update your firmware or flash a ROM

3. Low I/O bandwidth for internal NAND - low I/O bandwidth leads to lag when downloading or updating apps. My biggest gripe with the RK3188 boards. Supposedly Android 4.4 makes this issue at lot less of a problem. Unfortunately Chuwi has not pushed out a Android 4.4 firmware update and it is unknown if they will be doing so. There is a community ROM built around 4.4 though.

4. Shoddy vendor/manufacturer support. As the video mentioned you need to be careful when deciding who to purchase a v88 from as it will be a horrendous experience trying to get it fixed/replaced. This is true of just about any ChinaTablet you might purchase. Your best bet is to purchase from well known tablet vendors like Eternal Team (Aliexpress) or Merimobiles. It is suggested that you get a good third party warranty so you can get your tablet covered if you run into any problems (Safeware, etc.).

So, after saying all of this. Do I think the v88 is the best "under $200" 8" tablet on the market right now? Actually no. If it were me, I'd purchase a Dell Venue 8 (not the Pro). Better CS, better SoC, higher resolution screen and can be had for about the same price as a new v88. That being said, the Venue 8 was released November '12 so the community support on SD is non-existent ATM. Therefore ROM development and community support for troubleshooting will be lacking (if that's important to you).

smithmal
 
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