It’s been only a week since Videocon launched India’s first HD display 10-inch tablet in the Rs 11,000 range, but the reign of the Videcon V10 as the most value for money tablet in India has been cut short by the Spice Mi-1010, launched today.
Many of the specifications are the same, including the 1.5 GHz Rockchip RK3066 processor, Android Jelly Bean and a HD-ready 1280*800 pixel IPS display.
However, the Spice Mi-1010 is targeted at those who are okay with spending an extra Rs 2,000 for a bigger battery and slightly better specifications such as 16 GB of inbuilt memory (compared to 8 GB on the V10) and support for SD cards of up to 64 GB (instead of 32 GB on Videocon V10.)
While the V10 has a 6.8 Ampere battery, the Spice Mi-1010 has a 7.8 A battery, and would give about 4-5 hours of usage, compared to 3-4 hours on the V10.
Another interesting factor is that the Mi-1010 has quad-core graphics, most probably the Mali 400 GPU. The Spice tablet is slightly heavier at 667 gm, compared to 650 gm for the V10. The Spice Mi-1010 has a 3 megapixel camera at the back, while the Videcon tablet has a 2 MP camera, though the Spice Model has just a 0.3 MP front camera.
The Mi-1010 also comes with a 3D G-sensor, while there is no mention of such a sensor in the Videcon tablet.
All said, it must be said that quad-core tablets have started coming into the market priced in the Rs 14,000-20,000 range. However, for those who want the sales support of Indian brands, the Spice and Videocon models are likely to appeal more.
Spice also launched what it called the slimmest smartphone in India, priced at Rs 10,500.
The Stellar Virtuoso Mi-495, 9.44 mm thin, has a 1.0 GHz Dual Core processor and 4.5 inch display. It has high end features like an 8.0 mega-pixel camera with auto focus and a front-facing 1.3 MP camera.
Both the tablet and the phone come with free leather covers.