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Swipe Fablet F3: Dual-SIM, Latest OS at a Decent Price The tablet offers good value for money, with calling and support for 2 SIMs — Hiren Mehta Unique features: 7/10. The Swipe Fablet F3 comes with interchangeable back Price: `9,290 panels. The unit which we received had Key Spec: Dual core 1 GHz processor, Android 4.1 (Jelly 1. Bean), 3G dual SIM, 12.7 cms (5”) WVGA capacitive the white panel put on, whereas the box contained multi-touch with 800x480 resolution, 5.0 MP (rear two more back panels (blue and black), along with camera) with flash, 0.3 MP (front), USB 2.0, 2200 mAh a sleeve for the . Each of the back panels battery, 145x80x10.9 mm (LxWxD), weight: 260 grams, 4 have cut-outs at the appropriate positions for cam- GB memory, expandable upto 32 GB, GPS, BlueTooth and era, flash, speaker, etc., similar to how the sleeve Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. Pros: Dual-SIM 3G with calling support, Android 4.1, price. has cutouts. The presence of a dual core processor Cons: Low RAM, heavy, fingerprint magnet at this price is a good deal. 2. Look and feel: 3/10. While the phablet may Write to: [email protected] for slip easily from hands and is too glossy, resulting more info. in visible fingerprints, one can’t help but mistake it for the Galaxy Grand, which has strikingly 7. Price: 8/10. This is a dual-SIM 3G similar looks. Build quality could have been better phablet with voice call support. That said,

as the unit seems very fragile. Price the price of Rupees 9290 seems to be 3. Weight: 3/10. It is ironic that 4 such F3 Performance worth going for. , measuring 145x80x10.9 mm (LxWxD) put Feature 8. Processor and connectivity: 7/10. together can actually outweigh a small ultrabook. Overall The F3 comes with a dual-core 1 GHz proc- The Swipe Fablet F3 is pretty bulky at 260 grams, essor. On the connectivity front, there is making it nearly as heavy as many 7” tablets, such as the ICE mini-USB and a 3.5 mm audio jack, apart from the GSM+GSM Xtreme or the Mitashi Play BE-150 3G. Bundle that with the dual SIM support and the usual Bluetooth/WiFi. sleeve’s additional space and weight and you realize that this 9. Screen and sound: 6/10. The maximum resolution is not as portable as it ought to be for it’s size. supported is 800x480 which could have been slightly better. 4. Camera: 6/10. The rear camera has a 5.0 megapixel The screen is a capacitive touchscreen, 5” in size. The phablet sensor and the front camera has a 0.3 megapixel sensor. Both comes with comfortable earphones and the speaker produces the cameras are able to take good photos with average color clear sound. reproduction in ambient light in daytime. 10. Memory: 5/10. The F3 comes with an internal mem- 5. OS: 7/10. The presence of Android Jelly Bean (4.1.1) is ory of 4 GBs, expandable upto 32 GBs, which is the least you definitely something that can be considered to be desirable. can expect for a phablet at this price point. Only 512 MBs of The user interface is good and users will feel at home with RAM feel insufficient. Comparing this with others in the price the way various icons, menus, file folders, etc are presented. range, the 8” tablet Penta TPad WS802C, which is cheaper Application multi-tasking could have been slightly more by about Rs. 1000, offers very similar hardware specs, with responsive. Quite a few widgets (such as 3D weather, analog notable exceptions being no 3G, no dual-SIM support and an clock, etc.) as well as applications (such as office suites) come older version of Android. On the other hand, the Micromax pre-installed on the tablet. There is also an `easy installer’ Funbook Pro, which will make the pocket lighter by about Rs. app offering quick access to installing some of the most 700 more than what the F3 costs, offers a 10” screen, higher popular apps. resolution of 1024x600 and double the RAM of the F3 but is 6. Battery: 6/10. After being fully charged, streaming a pretty bulky at 600 grams and doesn’t come with either built- full HD movie over Wi-Fi at a fixed sound volume caused the in calling support or the latest Android. battery to drain in a little above 4 hours. Charging takes place Bottom Line: If all you want is absolute value-for-money, go for it. via the mini-USB cable, and an adapter is provided for using However, if you want raw power or for that matter something which is the cable with AC mains. not as heavy, there are better options available.

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