Micromax Funbook vs. HCL ME U1: Which is better to Buy?



Tablets, smartphones, iPads… everyday new gadgets are entering the market. This trend is not stopping even after the completion of the MWC 2012. Choosing a particular device is become the toughest task for the users. Recently, two new tablets with the android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system have entered the markets. Android 4.0.3 ICS HCL Infosystems launched the HCL ME U1 tablet on April 02, 2012.

Just a day after, Micromax launched its long-awaited foray the Micromax Funbook tablet. If you are planning to get an Android 4.0.3 ICS tablet and are confused which one to choose among the Funbook and ME U1, then you do not need to worry as we are here to help you. Have a look at the detailed comparison between the two android tablets.

Design

The Micromax Funbook is a slim tab with 192mm x 122mm x 10mm dimension and 350 grams weight. It possesses three easy to press physical keys and all are hard keys. A micro USB port, HDMI port, SDcard slot, 3.5 mm jack and charging port are situated at the bottom of the device. A micro USB-to-full-USB conversion adapter is also provided in order to connect the 3G dongle (which comes free with this Tablet). The tablet has two color options including Slate gray and Black colors. On the other hand, HCL ME u1 tab boasts a polycarbonate frame to prevent accidental damage and comes in white color. With the same weight as of the Funbook, it measures 119 x 62 x 12.5 mm. Additional buttons for volume control, On-OFF and reset are provided at the right side. An intelligent Display ON and OFF switch is provided to save the battery while listening music.

Winner: HCL ME U1

Display

The Micromax Funbook flaunts a 7 inch capacitive touch screen display with a multi touch capability. The screen sports 800 x 480 pixels resolution and supports HD video playback. It also includes + 2 finger zoom feature. The color reproduction is also bright and vibrant. HCL ME X1 also comes with the same screen size and resolution but lacks multi-touch and + 2 finger zoom capability.

Winner: Micromax Funbook

Camera and Memory

Both tablets feature a 0.3 mega pixel front facing camera for video calls. There is no secondary camera for both devices. The Funbook includes 4 GB of internal memory along with 512MB DDR3 RAM. The ME tablet also has the same configuration in terms of memory. Both tabs allow expanding memory up to 32 GB via a memory card.

Winner: Tie

Battery

The Funbook comes with a 2800 mAh standard lithium-ion battery and offers a usage time of about 5 hours whereas the HCL tab is loaded with a much larger, 3600 mAh standard lithium-ion battery.

Winner: Micromax Funbook

Operating System

Both Micromax Funbook and HCL ME U1, have the same operating system. They run on android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. It is the latest version of Android currently present in the market. This saves users from unnecessary firmware updates to upgrade the Android OS. Updating an android is a tedious task. It may often result in frequent system freezes, crashed, system failure and loss of data. Android 4.0 ICS enables players for every format of videos and audios.

Winner: Tie

Multimedia and EDUTAINMENT

Funbook is equipped with a picture browser and a Web Browser even users can include Opera and other browsers for Android from market place. Lots of apps including Adobe PDF, Flash, Office, ZIP archives, Youtube and many more are preloaded on the tab. Micromax has partnered with the leading players including Pearson and Everonnto offer entertainment and education content to its users. The company will avail Zenga, BigFlix and Indiagames for entertainment and gaming pleasure along with other unique and relevant content for the students. The Funbook is also providing a Tata Photon dongle along with a free membership of bigflix. The HCL tablet features educational content including NCERT eBooks for students and media rich content and apps for youth. Think Free Office, Google Maps, Gtalk, Mail, Youtube and Skype are some of the apps that come preloaded with the HCL ME tab. It also supports Adobe flash content and Input prediction feature. But it does not support the Google Android Marketplace so in order to get the new apps user has to go to HCL App store.

Winner: Micromax Funbook

Processor

The Micromax processor is based on CORTEX A8 architecture with a 1.2 GHz clock speed which makes it lighting fast thereby able to save a lot of processing time. A Dual Mali 400 2D/3D video processor is also added the smoother transmission of videos and multimedia processing which means that games can run fast and with better graphics. On the other hand, HCL tablet comes with 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor a little less than Micromax Funbook but still enough for most of the computing needs.

Winner: Micromax Funbook

Connectivity

Funbook includes a micro USB 2.0 port along with the HDMI port to connect it with TV or projector for HD videos playback on other screen. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g support is also provided to connect it with the Internet at any Wi-Fi hotspot. 3G data card is provided as well for Internet connectivity. For the HCL tab an external 3G USB modem is given to connect with internet. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n support is present as well. GPS or Radio connectivity is not provided with this tab. HDMI port is also absent but a full USB 2.0 and a mini USB 2.0 port is provided for external device connectivity.

Winner: HCL ME U1

Price

Micromax Funbook has been priced 6499 rupees and price of HCL ME U1 is 7,999 rupees.

Winner: Micromax Funbook

Overall, both the tablets are quite impressive. Going through the above specifications, the Micromax tablet is slightly better. It can be called as a budget tablet. So, if you are planning to get a tablet for basic use in a limited budget then opt for this Funbook. You will not regret your decision.