While the tablets market is nosediving, the 2-in-1 segment is booming. They are convenient and are versatile. While the Surface Pro is the ultimate dream machine at one end of the spectrum, the other end has many entry-level machines running on piddly Intel Atom processors but Smartron, a new desi brand takes the middle path. It’s affordable, functional and can perform decently well running on Intel Core M and it got the good looks too.
In case you were living in dark lately, Smartron is an Indian company with big ambitions in IoT and they launched the tBook, a 2-in-1 detachable a few weeks back at Rs 39,999 and tPhone, their first Android Smartphone will make the debut next month. That Sachin Tendulkar has been impressed with the company and is backing it as an investor and brand ambassador gives the brand the extra visibility.
We got the retail box of the Smartron tBook and here is the unboxing and first impression of the convertible which runs on Windows 10 and retails at Gadgets360 and I was told will also hit the offline market very soon.
The packaging is interesting. Once unsealed, it cannot be reused. So when you buy this from a store or online, you can be rest assured that its a fresh piece from the manufacturer and is not opened up for demo purposes or for any other reason earlier.
A neat sturdy, white box sits inside with Smartron branding. The box gives a positive vibe, detailing matters at every stage and so far, so smart.
Open the lid and sits the tBook.
The box content also includes the keyboard
And the power brick with type-C adapter.
The t-Book has a 12.2-inch WQXGA display with IPS technology and supports multi-touch, the display has an oleophopic coating that avoids fingerprint smudges. The 2560-by-1600 resolution (2K) is a surprise addition at this price segment.
It looks very similar to Surface Pro but has a noticeable weight to it but it also gives the user a sturdy, solid build quality. It is made of Magnesium and Aluminum chassis.
The dual tone shade of burnt orange and grey gives it a very characteristic look. We don’t come across color dressing in this category routinely but there is also an all grey variant, in case you like to go subtle. I personally is fond of this oxidized orange shade and Smartron has done a fab job at the finishing and build quality.
A flip out stand is tucked in to the surface and is easy to release and is secures well. A cut out on the right bottom helps to easily flip the stand out and a 3.5 mm audio jack sits next to it.
The power and volume bottons are at the top. The right side has all the ports.
• 2xFull-size USB 3.0
• Micro HDMI port
• Micro SD card slot, expandable upto 128GB
• Type C(for charging) along with USB 3.0
The bottom has the magnetic pogo pin for keyboard. The detachable keyboard docks easily to the tablet to get into the laptop mode.
The keyboard is full sized and is easy to type. Though the track pad was over sensitive and a slightest touch annoyingly makes the browser smaller in the middle of the work. When the feedback was given to the Smartron team, they assured an update will fix the issue. Otherwise the keyboard works well plus it also serves as a flip cover for the display.
The t-Book has dual stereo speakers at the front and dual microphone nor noise cancellation. It is also equipped with a 5MP rear camera with autofocus and a front facing 2MP camera that can take HD video.
Powering the t-Book is 64-bit, Intel Core M processor offering a ‘good enough’ level of performance and a better power management operatimg at a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of just 4.5 watts. A 4Gb of 1600MHz LPDDR3 RAM is included and the tB0ok comes with a SSD storage of 128GB capacity. The microSD card can support another 128GB.
Smartron t-Book has a 10000mAh battery and the company claims it offers 10 hours of web browsing and 28 days of standby time. I will validate the battery life in my complete review after testing the product for a week.
My initial impression on the tBook remains optimistic. Good looks, attractive dual-color, solid build quality , neat display with brilliant touch response and my few hours spend on it so far (in fact am drafting this article on the tBook) has given it a positive start.
]]>
A MacBook Air and Surface Comparision would be nice to see in your detailed review.