Tablets, Android or otherwise have flood the tech market in 2013. We’ve seen big releases from Google, Samsung and even Nokia this time around so, it’s safe to say that there’s been a lot of quality devices unleashed unto the world this year. However, it can’t all be good and as usual, there are some brilliant example of “what not to buy when looking for a tablet”. When it comes to Android, its Open Source nature allows for ridiculously cheap Android tablets to hit shelves which, as you might imagine are, ridiculous themselves. Of course, it’s not just the Walmart Specials that are giving Android tablets a bad name, this year saw a prominent PC manufacturer fail – yet again – to deliver a credible tablet experience. This is a sad award to give out but, it’s also a little bit of fun as every year that’s some crazily cheap Android tablet that makes us question just how much things really cost to make. These often sub-$100 aren’t worth your money though and instead, you should stick to those from reputable manufacturers.
Runner-Up: HP Slate 7
You’re probably wondering just what a tablet from HP is doing in such an award as this. Well, let’s just put it like this: HP should have known better. The Salte 7 was universally panned throughout the press as being a poor offering far too late in the game. When announced back at MWC ’13 the Slate 7 couldn’t even compete with last year’s Nexus 7 and while that’s hard to do at Google’s pricing, it was still far short of the mark for a budget tablet. With a lackluster display, a sluggish dual-core CPU and little attention paid its software offering the Slate 7 was almost as if HP had been down to their local Walmart, bought up all of their cheap tablets and slapped an HP sticker on them. Certainly, the Slate 7 wasn’t a complete waste of silicon but, HP should have known better, especially after the TouchPad fiasco. Instead, they decided to enter an already crowded market with an incredibly poor tablet offering.
“Winner”: RCA 7-inch Android Tablet
Speaking of Walmart, this RCA 7-inch tablet from the superstore that sells everything comes in at just $70. So, what’s wrong with that? Not everyone can afford such luxury as the $199 Nexus 7 after all. Well, if this were the tablet you’re looking to buy, then you may as well just not buy a tablet. With a single-core CPU and a resolution of 800 x 480 across 7-inches, chances are you’ll be doing less with this than you would your phone or anything else. Sure, it’s only 70 bucks but frankly, this is the worst tablet you can buy and besides, if you’re hard-up and looking for an Android tablet, you just save little by little and wait. Trust us, you could something so much better for not a whole lot more than this.