ZTE Light Tab 2 V9A

With the new iPad already in the Philippine, the international release of the Android Jelly Bean-toting Google Nexus 7, and the local launch of several quad-core tablets running Ice Cream Sandwich, it's easy to get lost in all the tab-inspired hubbub. What most slates are missing, though, is a SIM card slot for GSM/WCDMA telephony services. You know, the bottom-line requirement for calls, texts, and wireless Internet access over 3G/4G networks. Herein lies the appeal of the P15,490 ZTE Light Tab 2 V9A, a 7-inch tablet with Android Gingerbread in its roots.
What the tablet lacks in electronics oomph and advanced software, it makes up for in basic mobile-phone features and the included 4GB microSD card and case-slash-cover with a magnetic latch.
Design
In terms of aesthetics, the China-bred product shares a lot of similarities with the now-extinct Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 (incidentally, another phone-savvy 7-incher), with its front-facing camera, tapered edges, and pitch-black panel. Both are smothered by glass and characterized by thick bezels and capacitive face buttons.
The ZTE Light Tab 2's right side is flanked by volume and power/lock keys. Down south, the bottom houses a micro-USB charging port and one loudspeaker. A view from the top gives you another loudspeaker and a headphone jack that works with 3.5mm audio plugs. Round the back is a 3-megapixel camera and a removable battery cover with matte finish and ZTE's logo.
Measuring 12.6mm sideways and weighing 389 grams, the Light Tab 2 is handy enough to hold in one hand for long periods. It won't strain your wrists any more than, say, the average paperback book.
Hardware and performance
The Light Tab's second iteration again gets a 7-inch display (the tablet minimum, so it seems) with a 600 x 1024 resolution. Frankly, the display could use more pixels, nits of brightness, and better viewing angles, but it should be adequate for casual users. The HTC Flyer as well as all 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab models--both old and new--boast the same resolution and pixel density, to put things into perspective.

Behind the screen, the ZTE Light Tab 2 V9A packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset paired with a 1.4GHz single-core processor. The GSM/WCDMA-capable radio and souped-up CPU notwithstanding, the device sports the usual tablet silicon: an Adreno 205 graphics chip, 512MB of RAM, and connectivity options via Bluetooth and WiFi.
The resulting hardware performance is pretty solid overall, working as good as advertised and managing most tasks and apps, especially Web browsing, with ease. Multitasking feels smooth and sprightly, too. The Light Tab 2 can handle a good number of 3D games, namely Angry Birds, Temple Run, Fruit Ninja and Dead Trigger, but understandably runs out of gas on more demanding titles. Ditto for resource-hungry apps, such as productivity suites and PDF readers.
The 3-megapixel rear snapper and the accompanying fixed-focus lens and default camera app bring a wide selection of user options and effects. Unfortunately, as evident in the case of this ZTE gear, the additions don't make for beautiful images and footage. The results are often unsatisfactory, decidedly missing finer details and colors. The lack of flash sours things even more. Needless to say, you'd better equip this slate with a handful of photo-editing apps if you're planning to shoot a lot (but why?).
Another nit to pick is the tab's underwhelming pair of speakers. The audio quality is supposedly better with Dolby's sound enhancement in place, but you probably won't hear the improvements. Definitely not on such tiny-sounding setup. Your best bet for richer and more audible audio is an app like Volume+, which is available in Google's Play Store.
Call quality
Using the provided wired headset (with mic), call quality on the ZTE Light Tab 2 is loud and generally static-free. We'd also like to point out that we didn't experience dropped conversations after making about 20 calls. As with other phone-savvy slates, you can go wire-free and use the tablet as a phone sans a headset. The scenario, however, makes for silly-looking photos that would look just as funny and far off in real life. Heh.
Battery life
Battery mileage is average. A fully charged Light Tab 2 nets you one day of gaming, Web browsing, video and music playback, and moderate telephony. With lighter use, you could squeeze in more hours, but getting past the second day without a socket or USB port would be highly unlikely.
Verdict
Plus and minuses considered, the ZTE Light Tab 2 V9A remains a solid offering for those who prefer a fusion of tablet and telephone features in a 7-inch form factor.