Micromax Funbook - User Review

E-book Reader
like Kindle, this tablet can also be used as an e-book reader. The only difference between these devices is that Kindle uses e-ink technology black-n-white display whereas the Funbook has a plain LCD display.  An e-ink e-book reader is more soothing to the eyes and long hours of reading is problem-free. But with LCD screens, reading off them for long hours is not recommended. For those who are looking for a dedicated e-book reader, the Kindle is recommended. Otherwise, the Funbook is not a bad choice.

'Fun'book

There are three apps bundled with this device for reading ebooks -- Adobe Reader, Aldiko, and Documents To Go (DTG) . The last app is better in overall performance. Pinch-zoom also works better with DTG. Aldiko is more suitable for reading formats such as epub. So, as an e-book reader Funbook doesn't disappoint. We can also edit and create MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents in the Documents To Go app.

Gaming
I have tested a few games such as Temple Run, Raging Thunder 2, Air Attack HD, and Angry Bird Space on the Funbook. Again Dual- Mali 400 came into play for the good performance of these games. All games run without any hiccups or lag. The G sensor helped a few games such as Temple Run, Air Attack HD and Raging Thunder 2. The G-sensor is very responsive and detects every move quickly and accurately.

Air Attack is an HD game, which runs fine on this device too. Playing games on this device is fun and addictive; you never notice how fast time passes.

This tab supports Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity via USB. As of now, only the Tata Photon dongle is supported by this device. Although future updates are likely to bring in more options, Micromax has used a software to restrict other 3G dongles from being used with the Funbook. Wi-Fi on this device is very fast, and its range is also good. It receives a signal of good strength even from a long distance.

Good camera

Camera
The VGA camera has a resolution of only 0.3 MP. But the quality is far better than that mentioned in the specs. Its photo quality is similar to 1.3 MP cameras. It supports video recording too. The still camera has settings such as zoom, white balance, and exposure. It also supports ready-to-shoot settings such as Incandescent, Daylight, and Cloudy, which makes shooting easy and convenient. The video camera too has the "white balance" setting, along with Time lapse interval mode. So overall, the camera is quite good.

Ports
It has a micro-USB port, an HDMI port, a micro-SD slot (expandable upto 32 GB). You can connect USB drives with the help of cables. I have tried connecting a portable hard disk but it didn’t work. The power goes off immediately whenever I try connecting it. With the help of an HDMI cable (not included), we can connect it to an HDTV to watch movies.

Benchmarks

Benchmark
I have used AnTuTu Benchmark and Neocore to test the device. With AnTuTu, it scored 3275, which is a good score for such an inexpensive device. With Neocore, which is more of a GPU-dependant benchmark, it got around 58.4 fps. So, we can see how powerful the Mali-400 GPU is. 

Quadrant Standard
With the Quadrant Standard benchmark, the Micromax Funbook scored 1302 marks.

Battery Life
Battery life on this device is not very good. Micromax has provided only a 2800 mAh battery, which is not sufficient for a 7-inch display device. Browsing with Wi-Fi, and listening to music gives around 3.5 hours of battery life. Charging the device takes around 6 hours before first use.

Verdict
Micromax Funbook is the most feature-packed tablet in the affordable segment. It has every feature that a student or working professional needs in his or her daily life. What makes this tablet a hit is its low price and powerful hardware. So, if your purpose is reading e-books, watching movies, and surfing the Internet, then nothing comes close to this device. Or if you want to try an Android tablet, this device doesn’t disappoint.

Disclaimer for User Reviews

Reviews written by non-tech2 staff are to be considered as personal opinions based on actual experiences by users themselves. Ratings depicted are purely user based scores and are in no way a reflection on tech2’s own rating mechanism. Tests are conducted by users and their scores are gathered through their own means with no involvement from tech2 in any way.

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