Starmobile Engage 7i Review

There are a lot of local Android tablets in the market already and for Starmobile, one of their tablets wants to make a difference and it’s the Starmobile Engage 7i. This is no ordinary tablet because this tablet packs an Intel CPU inside.

Design and Hardware

This tablet is very portable but it doesn’t feel like a phablet despite having thin bezels and a small profile because the Starmobile Engage 7i is a little bit thick for my taste. But the curves of the tablet still make the tablet comfortable to hold even in one hand.

Since the tablet also acts as a smartphone, this smartphone has an earpiece for calls but most probably you won’t use this tablet as your main phone. When it comes to ports and connectivity, this tablet doesn’t compromise too because this one got Dual Sim and 3G that you can use for calling and texting

In case you need more storage, you can use the MicroSD card slot which is up to 32GB and a USB OTG for your media files that are stored on your flash drives.

Actually, the tablet feels more like of a smartphone rather than a tablet because of its phone functionality and portable design. It’s really nice to use a tablet that is very portable and fits in your pocket.

Display

The tablet has a familiar 7-inch display and it just packs a 1024×600 resolution. It is not something to love but it can it do its job well. This tablet doesn’t pack the best display but the viewing angles of the tablet are ok and I felt that the colors are a little bit washed out.

Software and Performance

This tablet is running on an Intel Atom X3 Sofia processor. It’s the entry level processor of Intel that aims to run Android devices with Intel Atom inside at a lower price. This processor was also used on the ASUS Zenpad 7.0 that we’ve reviewed before. Aside from that, the Starmobile Engage 7i also have a 1GB of RAM.

As expected, the Starmobile Engage 7i wasn’t really the best when it comes to performance. Yes, the Intel Atom X3 Processor inside it can run most applications and games at a normal speed and without problems however, if you’re planning on playing games like NBA 2k16 and GTA:San Andreas, then you may have problems with it because those games won’t start or will not run at enjoyable frame rates. Oh and Clash of Clans and Clash Royale? They’ll be just fine on this tablet.

This tablet is running on Android 5.1 and it doesn’t have some complicated and bloated software that’s why I really appreciate the software experience of this tablet. Despite most devices with Intel Atom,X3 processor is having slowdowns, this one doesn’t lag too much. Navigating on the menu and light apps are smooth and I didn’t have any problems with it.

The tablet wasn’t able to last up to a day of normal use. If you’re planning on using it for basic tasks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and some casual games and you always have your powerbank with you then you won’t have a problem. Battery life wasn’t the tablet’s biggest feature and you might be disappointed with it.

Camera

This tablet might not have the best camera in its price range but one advantage of having this tablet is its LED flash in its camera. While I don’t really recommend using your tablet for taking photos but hey, at least, this tablet has an LED flash that you can use at low-light.

Verdict

Again, the tablet feels like a smartphone rather than a tablet. Is it a good thing? Yes. Why? Because the Starmobile Engage 7i is a tablet and yet, it fits in my pocket and it is very comfortable to use in one hand. However, you might not like the CPU performance and its battery life.

But hey, this tablet is affordable at P3,990 and it comes with a Smart Bro Super Pack with over P2,400 worth of FREE data for 6 months. This promo from Smart gives you 200MB/month for surfing and other apps. You know, this tablet is a steal thanks to the Smart Bro Super Pack included in the box.