Looking for a cheap tablet? The Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8 is just that. It is a device with decent features, with the option of Wi-Fi internet access and a compact and elegant design. This tablet has been reduced to a decent measure, which can be seen on the not-too-loaded Android, which in this case has vivid colors that are pleasing to the eye.
The Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8 doesn’t stand out from the crowd of similar devices, but it seems like everything is in place. Price special.
Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8 design
With low-budget devices, the design can be problematic. It saves on material, sense of beauty and practicality, etc. We don’t see that here. The tablet has small frame areas around the screen. It is quite light (only 325g) and has a rather thin waist of 7.9mm.
This means that it is easy to hold in one hand and fits in slightly larger pockets, which is, in fact, the biggest advantage of 8-inch tablets. The tablet is made of cheap plastic with a shiny surface.
The front is quite elegant, flat, and without buttons. Instead of the standard ones, here the keys are located at the bottom of the screen. The physical keys are located on the right side and are the two standards for ignition and volume. On the opposite side are the microSD and microSIM slots.
Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8 screen
The screen is of decent quality, but nothing special is expected. And while the colors shown are ok, the screen is not sharp enough (despite the 800 × 1280 pixels). This is especially important because these tablets are often used as e-book readers.
When the font is big enough, there are no problems, but with smaller letters, problems are created, because sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the letters. That speaks in favor of 189 pixels per inch.
We said that the colors are ok, but that only applies if we take into account the price of this tablet. In the real world, they are a bit confusing and not very precise. The OneTouch Pop 8 isn’t perfect when it comes to outdoor use either, as it has a lot of reflection. Also, the screen is a real magnet for prints, which can be quite annoying.
Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8 software and specifications
Although the device is quite affordable, it is never nice to hear that it uses older software. And while that’s a complaint, the interface, which Alcatel has only slightly modified, is the good side of the story. As well as running faster, this Android also looks nice, and there are the usual Alcatel apps and widgets.
Beneath the surface is a 1.2GHz MediaTek processor with four cores. In addition, the tablet has 1GB of RAM, which is enough for smooth operation, with not too demanding applications.
And while the processor does its job fairly, the initial memory of 4GB is insufficient, because the system “eats” a lot, so the user has only 2.4GB. Fortunately, the memory can be expanded up to a maximum of 64GB.
The 4100mAh battery is fixed and cannot be removed. In principle, despite the solid capacity, the battery drains quickly during heavy use, so if you want a lot of surfing (unfortunately only with a Wi-Fi connection), it is possible that the charger will become a sought-after commodity even before going to bed.
Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8 camera
You can call this device an e-book reader, portable memory, and some other names, but not a camera because with 2MP the story has long been told. Alcatel also installed a front camera in minimal VGA resolution.
The photos are pale, without enough details, and are reminiscent of the ones we took a few years ago with the phones of that time. Even when you take pictures on a sunny day, you will not be satisfied. The situation is exactly the same with the videos.
Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8 conclusion
The focus of this tablet is on price. Nevertheless, the competition in this segment is strong. Although smaller, the Nexus 7 is a far better tablet, and in competition with 8-inch devices, you have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0.
For a little more money you also get a far better LG G Pad 8.3. Based on that, it is difficult to say that the Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8 has some trump card besides the price, which is quite enough for some.