Today we're going to offer you a comparison between two Android tablets priced under €200 , which therefore fall into the category of so-called low-cost tablets . This trend was arguably started by the Kindle Fire, and after the flood of similar offerings from smaller companies than Amazon, Google has already responded with the Nexus 7, and it seems Apple will follow suit with the iPad mini.
This time we're bringing you a model from a Chinese company whose products, both for their quality and price, are sure to generate a lot of buzz – the Asian giant is always a threat – and a tablet made in Spain. Yes, made in Spain, at a very competitive price, and with good features. We're talking about the Ainol NOVO 7 Aurora II and the Bq Kepler 2, respectively.
These two tablets use the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system . The Spanish Bq Kepler 2 was released a couple of months ago, while the Chinese Ainol NOVO 7 Aurora II is a recent release and can only be purchased in Spain through foreign online stores and Amazon.es. Their price is identical, €169 , provided you choose the 16GB version of the Kepler 2, as there is also an 8GB version available for €149. Shipping costs, approximately €10, will need to be added to the price of the Chinese tablet.
Let's go into detail.
Size and weight
We are facing two light tablets of small sizes. The Bq Kepler 2 measures 205 x155 x 11mm compared to 189mm x 123mm x 9mm for the Ainol NOVO 7 Aurora II. The Spanish tablet weighs 498 grams compared to an incredible 313 grams for the Chinese one.
Screen
The size difference, as expected, corresponds to a larger screen on the Bq tablet, which reaches 8 inches, compared to the 7 inches of the other. Both are 5-point capacitive touchscreens , although the Ainol tablet's screen uses IPS technology , allowing for a wider viewing angle of up to 178 degrees. The resolution is also higher in the case of the Ainol NOVO 7 Aurora II, reaching 1024 x 600 pixels compared to the 800 x 600 of the Bq Kepler 2. It's true that a tablet of this size doesn't need much higher resolution, but who has ever had too much resolution?
Processor and RAM
The Kepler 2 tablet's 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor is on par with the one in the new iPad in terms of power. However, the Chinese tablet's processor reaches 1,5 GHz thanks to its dual-core Amlogic 8726-M6 Cortex-A9. It also benefits from a Dual Mail-400 GPU for graphics processing . This means smoother image handling and video playback, especially noticeable in games. Both tablets have 1 GB of RAM, although the Chinese tablet uses DDR3, which offers faster data transfer speeds.
Hard drive and storage
16 GB of storage seems sufficient for both tablets, although Bq felt it was necessary to be able to expand by 32 GB more via microSD card, while Ainol thought that an additional 16 GB was enough.
Connectivity
Both can connect to the internet via a WiFi port . Neither has Bluetooth, but I don't think that's something users will miss that much.
Cameras
Neither company considers a rear camera necessary. Specialized media and users have often expressed that a camera, beyond the front-facing webcam , is useless on a tablet due to the inconvenience of taking photos with it. Perhaps it makes more sense on smaller tablets like these, although we didn't find them here. The front-facing cameras on both tablets are of average quality.
Battery
They have a very similar battery capacity, the Kepler 2 being somewhat higher, which will give us between 6 and 8 hours of life.
Conclusions
The Chinese Ainol Novo 7 Aurora II tablet is clearly superior to the Spanish-made Bq Kepler 2, especially in terms of screen resolution and the power of the processor that has the help of a GPU for image and video management. It is true that its accessibility in the market is lower, as well as customer service. Kepler 2 is superior in terms of storage capacity, so if we use this device to view photos or videos that we will save on the tablet, we can have a larger repertoire, even if we do not reach a spectacular resolution.
The price of both is fantastic and in the case of Ainol NOVO 7 Aurora II, which is easily obtained in the US, it could have some impact on the battle of low cost tablets worldwide.
We leave you a graph with the raw data of this comparison.
| bq kepler 2 | Ainol NOVO 7 Aurora II | |
| Size | 8 inches | 7 inches |
| Screen | Capacitive 5 points | TFT IPS Capacitive 5 points |
| Litigation, Arbitration | 800 x 600 | 1024 x 600 |
| Thickness | 11 mm | 9 mm |
| Weight | 498 grams | 313 grams |
| Operating system | Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich | Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich |
| Processor | Cortex A8 (1GHz) | Dual Core Cortex-A9 Amlogic8726-M6 1.5GHz |
| GPU | Dual Mail-400 GPU | |
| RAM | 1 GB | X |
| Conference proceedings | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Extension | microSD up to 32 GB | microSD up to 16 GB |
| Connectivity | 802.11 WiFi b / g / n | 802.11 WiFi b / g / n |
| Ports | HDMI, miniUSB 2.0 OTG, 3.5 mm jack | miniHDMI, miniUSB, 3.5 mm jack |
| Sound | Speaker | |
| Camera | Front | Front 2 MP |
| Battery | 5.000 mAh | 3700 mAh |
| Price | 169 Euros | 169 Euros |