Saturday, August 20, 2011

Beetel Magiq vs. Reliance 3G Tab


Beetel Magiq, Reliance 3G Tab: Comparison of Important Features

The last couple of days have seen the launch of two relatively inexpensive branded Android tablets- the Magiq from Beetel (a company owned by Bharti Telecom who also own Airtel) and the3G Tab from Reliance Telecom. Here's a quick comparison of the important features of the two tablets:

1. Screen: The Magiq has a 7-inch resistive touchscreen with a resolution of 800x480 pixels (WVGA). The 3G Tab has a similarly sized screen with the same resolution but it's capacitive in nature. While I can't say for certainty which display is better without getting a hands-on, I'm willing to bet that the Reliance tablet's capacitive touchscreen will outshine the Magiq's.

2. OS: Unfortunately, both tablets don't come with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), the Android OSdeveloped specifically for tablets. However, the 3G Tab comes with the newer Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) while the Magiq has to make do with Android 2.2 (Froyo). There isn't too much difference between the two versions but Gingerbread does improve performance and makes better use of the battery.
3. Processor: The Magiq offers a more powerful processor than the 3G Tab (1GHz vs. 800MHz). As a result, it would be safe to say that the Beetel tablet will offer at least slightly better performance numbers.

4. Battery: At 2200mAh, the Magiq has a considerably lower powered battery than the Reliance 3G Tab's 3400mAh battery. Considering that the 3G Tab also has a newer OS, it's very likely that it will give better battery performance.
5. Price: There is a Rs. 3,000 difference between the Rs. 9,999 price-tag of the Magiq and the Rs. 12,999 price-tag of the Reliance 3G Tab. However, at first glance, the extra Rs. 3,000 for the Reliance 3G Tab looks worth it since it offers clear upgrades over the Beetel Magiq.
I'd like to reiterate that better features on paper don't translate to better performance in the real world. Hopefully, we'll be able to review both products soon and provide you with a more definite verdict.