There's a new tablet era dawning here in price-conscious Philippines, where cheap Android alternatives are being sold left and right. Just recently, distributor RedDot Philippines announced the official availability of Coby tablets in the country, and we had the chance to review the P8,995 Coby Kyros MID9742. It is a 9.7-incher with vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich baked in (minus the default Google apps).
Design
Physically, the MID9742 is about as big as the Apple iPad. The corners are likewise tapered. The bezels are probably just as thick, too, though they really add a lot of unnecessary bulk. Of course, you can't expect the build quality to be in the same league as the iPad's; the Coby Kyros MID9742 is a budget device, after all. The body, especially the non-removable backplate where the 2-megapixel camera and speakers are located, is made of plastic; hence it's prone to dings and scratches.
Like other Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablets, the MID9742 doesn't have physical buttons on its 9.7-inch real estate. The Power, Volume, and Back keys are all aligned on the top side, just slightly off the VGA front camera. The right side hosts a flat strip with a generous helping of connectivity options.
The slate's 1024 x 768 screen is amped up by IPS [in-plan swtiching] technology for crisper viewing angles and richer colors. Sure, the resolution pales in comparison with those of other Android tablets from first-tier manufacturers, not to mention the iPad's downright-gorgeous Retina display. But don't fret because what you're getting is adequate for gaming and Web surfing.
Then there's the healthy serving of ports. The mini-USB and mini-HDMI outs are, without a doubt, among the most relevant, especially if you prize gaming and media playback on HDTVs. And the Android Ice Cream Sandwich is just that--beautiful, polished, and fluid, as it should be.
Performance
The Coby Kyros MID9742 comes with a 1GHz single-core processor and 1GB of RAM for pushing apps and visuals on the front real estate rather smoothly. Don't get us wrong, though. There are times when the machine does feel sluggish. Still, most of the time, its overall pace makes us forget that we're playing with something that has just 1GHz of horsepower. The innards run fine, so long as you don't mind a few lags in scrolling.
Results of our benchmark tests are as follows:
- AnTuTu: 2715
- NenaMark2: 21.5
- Quadrant: 1674
- Vellamo: 684
To put things in perspective, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, a 10.1-inch Android tablet powered by Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual-core chip usually nets a score just below 2000 using Quadrant Standard tests.
Camera
The quality of pictures taken with the rear-facing camera is about as so-so as that of photos taken with any 2-megapixel shooter out there. Ditto for the front cam with a VGA resolution. That said, you're probably better off with another product if you're hoping to do a lot of awkward photography with a tablet; something packing a much bigger sensor perhaps. But if we had our way, then we'd rather that you get a real camera if you want to
Google support
The only major frustration we have with the Coby Kyros MID9742 is that it's not officially acknowledged by Google, meaning it doesn't come preloaded with Google's app suite. So, it's a no for essentials, such as Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Play.
Thankfully, the Web is teeming with alternatives that are ripe for the picking. Need an email client? The device ships with an app for managing your digital mailboxes. Need help navigating the streets of Metro Manila? You can easily access Google Maps and similar services by bookmarking them on the included Web browser. Need apps? There's an app for that: GetJar boasts a burgeoning repository of free applications from independent makers.
If that doesn't satisfy you, there's always the option of getting apps via the Amazon Appstore, which holds thousands of both free and paid applications. If that's still unsatisfactory, rooting the tablet--and manually installing Google Play on it--is your best bet. (Running Google Play on Coby Kyros tablets is not as simple as downloading the Google Play .apk file from an online host and installing it, FYI.) Of course, the caveat in rooting is that you void warranty on your device and put it at risk of becoming useless, if something goes terribly wrong.
Battery
In typical Android fashion, the MID9742 runs out of power after one day of moderate use, and therefore requires a nightly charge.
Verdict
Ultimately, what we're saying here is that this American-bred product ticks most of the boxes without compromising on a lot of features. If you can look past the all-plastic construction and the absence of Google apps and you need a tablet that's less than P10,000, then the Coby Kyros MID9742 is for you.
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