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There's very little to hold against the Linx 8. Whilst it may not be a 'premium' brand with any real pedigree, everything worth noting is entirely impressive – especially considering the price. The rubberised plastic rear feels higher quality than the price would suggest, and this slate feels surprisingly well made in every regard.
The processor packs enough grunt for running fully-fledged applications like Photoshop should you need, but the 1GB of RAM quickly becomes the main limitation for multi-tasking when you have more than a couple of apps running at the same time. The screen is a little low on the resolution scale, but what else would you expect at this price? It's still a bright and very usable screen, if a little over-saturated.
Although the Windows Store itself is quite limited where quality apps are concerned, the 8-inch Linx tablet comes with Microsoft Office 365 pre-loaded, so users can crack on with work straight out of the box (perhaps with the addition of a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse).
If you're willing to spend more for a little extra RAM, and a full-sized USB 3.0 port, then the Pipo W2 should also be on your shortlist, even if the design smacks a little more of 'cheap' tablets than the Linx.
We liked
For its price, the Linx 8 is a remarkably well-built tablet. I've encountered some really poorly built Android tablets for a similar price, which goes to show the value for money you're getting from this fully-fledged portable Windows PC.
There is enough power on board to please most casual users, and the battery life kept going for longer than I expected, especially if you're a bit more conservative with the screen and connectivity settings.
The microSD storage, micro-HDMI output and screen quality are more than you could ever expect from a tablet that comes in at such a low price.
We disliked
I feel like I'd be nit-picking if I tried to dig up too much bad to say about the Linx 8. Yes, I'd love to see a higher resolution screen, an extra Gigabyte of memory and a 64-bit version of Windows to complement the 64-bit Atom processor, but these wishes would heavily impact the price.
Otherwise, my only other complaint – and this applies to almost all Windows tablets – is that the standby battery life isn't that great. You'll get around 12 hours of sleep mode, which uses anything up to 20% of the battery in the downtime.
Final verdict
It may not be the most powerful tablet available, and there are undoubtedly better options with better specifications available, but let me say it again: they come in at around four times the price.
At just £90 (around $134, AU$173), the Linx 8 is the perfect multi-function tablet that's great for kids to do homework on (with some added peripherals), plus it can play HD video without a stutter, and even the odd bit of light gaming, too.
If you plan on doing more web browsing or gentle office work than any intensive gaming, music or video editing, the Linx 8 should not be underestimated.
You can pick it up from a number of online stores in the UK, or even grab one from your local Sainsbury's supermarket, where it was discounted to around £70 (around $104, AU$135) both before and after Christmas – a price that requires little convincing.
- Online retailer Ebuyer generously provided us with this Linx 8 sample.
