It’s not particularly surprising to see a very cheap tablet these days. Tesco’s own Hudl 2 is already popular, and a good buy if you want something like an iPad at a fraction of the price.
But the Windows Connect 10 is something else, because instead of a mobile operating system like Android, it comes with Windows 10, letting you run the same kinds of apps as you would on a PC.
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We can’t remember a time when it’s ever been possible to buy a complete, ready-to-use computer system with the latest version of Windows for under £100. It’s only possible now because Microsoft has strategically reduced the fee it charges manufacturers for Windows 10 to encourage its use on tablets. For screens smaller than nine inches, it’s free; for this 10in model, Tesco is probably paying about a tenner. ‘1 hat leaves less than £90 to make the hardware and, presumably, a profit.
Hits a big plastic brick that doesn’t respond well to taps and swipes.
Does it show? Need you ask? The Windows Connect 10 is not a slim aluminium shard; it’s a big plastic brick. In fact it’s much thicker than most laptops, let alone tablets, and at 806g it weighs more than both of Apple’s current tablets (the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4) put together. The rubbery’ back panel makes it unlikely you’ll drop it on the floor, but trust us, you don’t want to fall asleep watching a film and drop it on your face. Battery life is optimistically quoted at just six hours.
Unlike an iPad, though, this device runs Windows. Just about. Its processor may be made by Intel, but it can’t keep up with the chips in laptops and desktop computers, and it comes with just 1GB of memory. Kven navigating around the operating system is a bit of a challenge, and running more than one app at once – the kind of thing that’s supposed to be a benefit of a desktop operating system – feels decidedly sluggish. You can browse the web, but pages load slowly and scroll jerkily. And this is not the machine for you if your taste in games is more ambitious than Cut the Rope.
The 10in touchscreen has a resolution of 1280×800 pixels, which looks fairly coarse and is close to the bare minimum that Windows apps can deal with. The display isn’t very bright, so you can’t use it comfortably under strong light, and colors don’t look particularly vibrant. Although it understands the same taps and swipes as any other tablet, actually getting it to respond takes real effort. There’s a camera on the back, and another on the front for selfies, but the less said about their quality the better.
As for the ‘Connect’ part, we’re stumped. Some tablets can join phone networks to get on the internet anywhere; this one can’t. Some have 802.1 lac Wi-Fi for higher speed and better reception; this one just has the old 802.11n. It does include a USB port for memory sticks and other accessories, plus MicroUSB with a USB On-The-Go adapter for more. You can connect a monitor or TV to the Mini HDMI socket, and there’s a microSD card slot that you could use to double the 32GB of storage for a few pounds, although it doesn’t accept higher capacities.
The Windows Connect 10 is, in short, no better than you’d expect for the price – except the fact that it exists at all. If you need a very basic Windows machine to carry around, and either don’t type much or don’t mind taking a Bluetooth keyboard too, this could be the answer.
Windows connect tablet SPECIFICATIONS
- 1.83GHz Intel Atom Z3735G quad-core processor
- 32GB flash storage
- 10in 1280×800-pixel screen
- 2-megapixel rear camera
- 0.3-megapixel webcam
- MicroSD slot
- 802.11n Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Windows 10 Home
- 177x270x51mm (HxWxD)
- 806g
VERDICT:
Don’t expect too much, but this is a usable Windows 10 computer for under £100 – just
ALTERNATIVE:
Linx 1010
This new version of the Linx 10 tablet comes with Windows 10 (upgrading from earlier versions is trickier on a tablet) and has twice the Connect 10’s memory.
Bought the Cube version of this (iwork10), which also dual boots into Android, and apart from the slow charging am happy with it.
Firstly, Windows 10 I found to be surprisingly snappy, I find no real slowdown, and I am even able to play some games off steam such as Crazy Taxi and Colin McRae Rally (on low settings but still looks good). I can run multiple apps without issue. However a cheap tablet is not a gaming PC. It runs Eclipse, Libreoffice and connects to my printer, and using the optional keyboard effectively makes it a small laptop. Using a Windows tool to get rid of any unused services may help your slowdown, I’m not sure what crap Tescos may have pre-installed.
Android side on mine runs well, I’m not sure if the Tesco version allows for dual boot though. (You may be able to flash a Cube ROM onto it, at your own risk and YMMV, do not be alarmed if it boots up in Chinese, find the language settings to your language) Only issue is that some apps built for ARM don’t run on x86.
It is unfair to compare a £99 tablet to a £600 iPad. If you want 4G connectivity use a mobile phone with a portable hotspot. On the go I use my phone, when I’m sat somewhere with wifi (home, office, travels) I’ll use a tablet. I find that the thickness is alright, especially as most iPad owners I know put a bulky case on it to protect it. (I also have the optional keyboard ‘oragami’ folding case – different from the ‘laptop’ style keyboard mentioned above.) and the weight is no worse than the likes of my old tablets – HP Touchpad or Asus Transformer.
The fact that you can connect SD cards, USB devices and output to an HDMI TV makes it a lot more useful connectivity wise than an expensive iPad.
You mentioned the touchscreen as ‘unresponsive’, I found that it takes slightly more force than some tablets, noticable when taking a swing in WGT, but no real issue once used to it. You can also use a stylus.
Camera quality, yes it is so-so, I tend to use my mobile phone for pictures so this would just be for any occasional snaps, and the front facing camera is adequate for skype, but again at this price point I wouldn’t expect 10+ megapixels.
The only legitimate downside, and one which you do not even touch upon on your needlessly scathing review, is the charging. Maybe I need to find a charger with a better ampage, but it usually takes overnight to charge to 100%, and if charging while using you actually use up more power than it draws in, meaning eventually you have to turn it off to let it charge.
For £99, as a small Windows machine, browsing tablet and companion to a mobile phone I think it is a good machine.
I bought mine new from a boot sale for £30 (dont know where the guy got hold of them)loads pretty quick when I sat in my car to get some google chrome downloads using a certain supermarket WiFi yes its okay no problems here. 2MP camera is okay nothing special and the 720p video isnt bad either seen these on amazon for £150
Star rating (out of 5) **** and half
I’ve been using Tesco Windows Connect 10 for a few months now and I’m really impressed with the value it offers. The setup process was a breeze and the performance is excellent. Great review, thanks for summarizing the pros and cons!