If a $200 Nexus 7 tablet is too much for you to swallow, you might find solace in the second Jelly Bean tablet hitting the market – the $125 Smart Tab 1.
The problem? You'll have to be in India to buy it.
The Smart Tab 1 is being released by India's Karbonn Mobiles, sporting a similar form factor to Google's popular seven-inch Nexus 7 tablet.
However, before you just assume that this is some non-Google-branded Nexus knockoff, consider that part of the reasoning for lower price point on the Smart Tab 1 is a direct result of the lesser specs found inside Karbonn's tablet.
Does Smart Tab 1 stack up?
The major difference between Google's Nexus 7 tablet and the Smart Tab 1 is the processor. Specifically, the Smart Tab 1 only sports a single-core MIPS processor running at 1.2 GHz.
That's in contrast to the Nexus 7's speedier quad-core Tegra 3 processor which runs at a maximum speed of anywhere from 1.2 to 1.3 GHz, depending on how many cores are being tapped.
However, the Smart Tab 1 does beat out the Nexus 7 in a few areas: The tablet's two-megapixel camera offers a bit more to work with than the 1.2-megapixel camera found on the Nexus 7.
Additionally, the Smart Tab 1 will allegedly support up to 32 gigabytes of expandable storage (likely via a micro-SD slot); Google's Nexus 7 tablet only supports 8 or 16 gigabytes of internal storage, period.
The Nexus 7 tablet offers a bit more battery than the Smart Tab 1: 4,325 mAh compared to the Smart Tab 1's 3,700 mAh battery.
That translates to roughly seven to eight hours of battery life when browsing the Web or watching video on the Smart Tab 1 compared to the Nexus 7's 10 hours of Web-browsing battery life and 9 hours of "HD video playback," as described on Google's site.
Processor and purchasing
The Smart Tab 1 is the first Jelly Bean tablet (Android 4.1) to run a MIPS processor, which has presented some app compatibility issues for those who have already picked up previously released MIPS-based tablets – it's an ARM-driven world for tablets, after all.
There's no word yet on when interested (India-based) customers will be able to pick up a Smart Tab 1 with Jelly Bean (the Smart Tab 1 itself has been on the market since July, running Ice Cream Sandwich), but Karbonn is currently accepting "bookings" for the device on its website.
