Yeah, tablets are nice and all. But they’re also kinda’ expensive. Those dreaming of scoring a tablet for one Benjamin can certainly imbibe in a cheap “craptablet” to ease the pain on their wallet. But, um, there’s a reason those things have such an unflattering name (oftentimes, that reason shows up as a laggy interface, outdated operating system or both). With Sprint’s announcement of the ZTE Optik tablet, however, there might be some hope for folks hoping to score a non-crappy tablet for just a hundred bucks. It even — gasp — runs an Android OS specifically designed for tablets. The caveat, of course, is that you need to get it with a two-year contract, which sort of defeats the purpose somewhat. Otherwise, you can nab it contract-free for $350. All of a sudden, it doesn’t sound as affordable. If the device still piques your interest, though, then read on for the full tale of the tape.
Dimensions: The ZTE Optik measures 193 millimeters or 7.6 inches wide and 119 millimeters or 4.7 inches tall. Thickness is about 13 millimeters or about a half inch. That means the tablet is a shade smaller from the front compared to a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 but also chubbier from the side. The tablet weighs in at 408 grams or 0.9 pounds, making it heavier than the Tab 7.7 as well.
The brains: Powering the ZTE Optik is a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor backed by 1GB of RAM. The tablet runs Google’s Android Honeycomb 3.2 operating system so it’s a shade older than Android Ice Cream Sandwich. But at least that’s better than running, say, Gingerbread or Froyo.
Storage: Packed within the ZTE Optik is 16GB worth of internal memory. Folks who want more can also use the tablet’s expanded memory slot to insert a MicroSD card up to 32GB in size.
Display: The tablet comes with 7-inch touchscreen display that sports a resolution of 1280x800. No, it’s not Super AMOLED or even regular AMOLED but it would actually be even more of a surprise if it came with either of those.
Wireless connectivity: Wireless options for the ZTE Optik include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR. Network options are limited to 3G so, yes, no LTE for you.
Hardware: The device features a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for web chats and a 5-megapixel rear camera so that’s actually one more camera than the Acer Iconia Tab A200. Other features include a 3.5mm headset jack and integrated GPS.
Battery life: The ZTE Optik comes with a built-in 4,000mAh lithium-ion battery.
Other features: The device comes loaded with Android Market access and Google mobile services such as Google Search, Gmail, Google Maps with Navigation, Google Books and YouTube. Sprint apps include Sprint Zone, Sprint TV, Sprint Music Plus, Sprint Navigation, Sprint Football Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM.
Contract details: Sprint offers four data plans for the ZTE Optik. The plans cost $19.99 for 1GB of data, $34.99 for 3GB of data, $49.99 for 6GB of data and $79.99 for 12GB of data.
So there you have it, Sprint’s ZTE Optik Android tablet. Obviously, the specs aren’t on the cutting edge for the tablet space but given the price point being aimed at for the device, that’s actually understandable. The $100 price tag is also attractive for those willing to pony up for a two-year contract. Take out the contract discount and you’re looking at Acer Iconia Tab A200 territory, so you’ll want to compare both before making a decision. As with any relationship, make sure you try it out first before committing to it.
