India is a country that is only just starting to get online. The region is currently the third largest in the world by smartphone sales, but is set to overtake the United States of America by 2018 to become the second largest in the world, second only to China. One of the main reasons why Indian smartphone sales are picking up so strongly is because the population is rapidly obtaining Internet access. Indian carriers are rolling out their networks across the country, introducing first 2G, then 3G and later on, 4G LTE networks to rural areas. And of course, device manufacturers are keen to sell into this market and we are seeing a range of smartphones and tablets introduced into the region.
So far this year, Dell has surprised us with its tablets for the developed markets offering us one of the better full size devices. Today’s new Dell tablet, however, it at the opposite end of the spectrum: the company has just announced a new voice-capable tablet for the Indian market, the Venue 7 3741. This device is based around a 6.95-inch, 1,024 by 600 pixel display, which unfortunately is not an IPS panel but instead uses TN technology. This means that the display has a much narrower viewing profile compared with IPS technology although it does keep the price down. Under the skin, Dell have based the Venue 7 3741 around Intel Atom Z3735G quad core processor, which is built on a 22nm process size and is a 64-bit processor, although as the 3741 uses Android 4.4 Kit Kat, it is locked into 32-bit computing mode. This particular processor has a maximum clock speed of 1.86 GHz in what Intel call “burst mode,” which is software controlled. The rated maximum sustainable clock speed of the processor is 1.33 GHz. The Atom chipset is backed up by 1 GB of RAM and there’s 8 GB of local storage, which may be bolstered by a MicroSD card of up to 64 GB capacity. Around the back of the device, there’s a 2MP rear camera and on the front, customers find a VGA (or 0.3MP) camera for selfies and video calling. The device is kept powered by a 4,100 mAh battery and weighs 315g.
As far as connectivity goes, the Venue 7 3741 is equipped with a 3G modem with voice functionality, plus 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and onboard GPS. The device is available in both black and white colors at a price of Rs. 7,999, the equivalent of $125 or £80. Dell India’s P Krishnakumar, the Vice President of Consumer and Small Business, said: “The Venue 7 3741 tablet is for those who are looking to consume information at ease, with a high level of performance. So whether you are in transit in a bus or a metro or, looking to catch up with friends and family over coffee, the tablet serves as a medium to do more with just one device.” It is not clear if Dell will introduce the Venue 7 3741 into other developed or developing markets around the world.