Ematic is a fairly decent brand in the low-end spectrum. They’re not known for extravagant and expensive products, but what they do offer is usually a pretty good substitute for budget minded individuals.
Ematic just announced the Genesis Prime, it’s a Jelly Bean powered tablet that also happens to have Google’s support, which means it has full access to the Play store, along with Google’s services. The best part is that the Genesis Prime only costs $79, and considering what’s inside that’s not bad at all.
Going by the pictures alone, this thing looks similar to the Kindle Fire HD in terms of build quality and style. Obviously the internal hardware is not nearly as powerful at that price, but that’s okay.
The list of specs for the Genesis Prime are as follows:
- 1.1GHz processor
- 7-inch display
- 512MB of installed RAM (DDR2)
- 4GB Internal storage capacity
- Front-Facing Camera
- Integrated Wi-Fi
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Okay, maybe I’ll admit it’s not the best Android tablet in the world, but for $80 it’s not terrible. This would be an excellent device to pass off to the kids, or a family member for a cheap birthday gift.
That front facing camera is something you don’t see too often in a budget tablet, if at all. Lots of apps use a front facing camera or webcam these days, so that’s a good feature to see.
One potential issue I see is the amount of RAM installed in the device, you almost need 1GB to run most apps and mobile games these days. I’m curious how well it will run with Jelly Bean, but I suppose the only way to find out is to pick one up.
It’s gratifying to see a budget tablet like this getting a little love from Google. I think it’s terrible when Android tablets are released with proprietary market offerings, or when you have to side load the Google Play app. It seems wrong to deny Android users access to essentially the bloodline of the platform.
What do you think? Will you ever pick up a bargain tablet like the Genesis Prime?