Back in January, Cory wrote about Alcatel’s inexpensive OneTouch tablets, the Pop 7 and Pop 8. Over the year we’ve seen these devices released by various networks over the course of the year, with news today that MetroPCS is to carry the Pop 7 device. MetroPCS will sell the tablet at just $150, but to be clear this is very much a low end device and it’s main redeeming feature (other than price) is 4G support. In addition to 4G, buyers get a 7.0-inch, 1,024 by 600 resolution display with poor viewing angles and color reproduction. It’s powered by a 1.3 GHz dual core MediaTek processor aided by 1 GB of RAM and the venerable (but perfectly serviceable) Mali-400 GPU. The device has limited onboard storage, just 4 GB, but this may be boosted with a MicroSD card of up to 32 GB. The Pop 7 is kept alive by a 3,240 mAh rechargeable battery (barely larger than the battery in the Nexus 6, which has a 3,220 mAh capacity).
When it comes to software, the Alcatel OneTouch Pop 7 runs a near-stock version of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Alcatel have refined some small aspects of the interface, but it doesn’t deviate far from Google’s image. Unfortunately, it’s stuck on Android 4.2 and this is because MediaTek have not updated processor support for the newer versions of Android. Does this matter? At this end of the price scale, this is not likely to be a concern for users, but it’s a shame because the device would likely benefit from Android 4.4 Kit Kat’s optimization for lesser powered devices. It looks like the Pop 7 will not be upgraded from Android 4.2.
MetroPCS’ offering is only partially about the Pop 7 tablet. The other side of the story is the new plans that they’re offering, because these give customers unlimited data and capped 4G speeds. Prices start at $15 a month for unlimited data but with the first 1 GB at 4G speeds. Pay $25 a month and you can get 3 GB of higher speed data, or $35 if you want 5 GB of data. Existing customers benefit from $5 a month knocked off their plan. It is a low end tablet that’s been about for almost a year but should give customers access to the usual Google products and services. And as we’ve covered, it’s also inexpensive.