Hisense Sero 7 Pro: The Best 7-inch Tablet

The best 7-inch Android tablet has been the Google Nexus 7 retailing for $200. Indeed, the Nexus 7 deserves its pride of place in the tablet market as Asus and Google proved that it was possible to deliver top-spec hardware and good build quality at a low price. The Nexus 7 is not without its faults though. Its major sore point is the lack of expandable storage. But its absence has more to do with the idiosyncrasies of Google and its Nexus devices than it has to do with cost. Regardless, no other 7 inch Android tablet has been able to offer a perfect mix of performance and price. Many have come close but miss the mark. That is no longer the case though. There is a new King of the Hill and its name is the Sero 7 Pro.

Sero 7 Pro

The Sero 7 Pro has everything the Nexus 7 has and then some and then some again. It uses the exact same Nvidia Tegra3 system-on-a-chip as the Nexus 7. This means a quad-core 1.3GHz processor, 1GB RAM, the same graphics chip, Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth. It also uses a 720p IPS screen just as the Nexus 7 as well as a front-facing camera. This is where the similarities end because in addition to the foregoing hardware, it also adds a rear-facing 5MP camera with flash (take that iPad). In addition, it adds a memory card slot, a mini HDMI socket and a significantly cheaper retail price: $150. Though I really don’t consider a rear-facing camera a necessity on a tablet, its inclusion is a welcome bonus at this price point.

From Zero to Hero

This is Hisense’s first foray into the tablet market and they seem to have nailed it. This tablet is good enough for anybody; casual and power users alike. What remains to be seen of the Sero 7 Pro is its reliability. There is also the question of whether this tablet will get software updates as is customary with other big name manufacturers. But even if they don’t, they wouldn’t be the first. Just ask Motorola fans. That said, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. After all, there are people still using Gingerbread and Ice cream Sandwich devices and their lives aren’t over. And I am pretty sure that Cyanomgen Mod will be made available for it thereby ensuring a constant stream of unofficial updates. The Sero 7 Pro already comes with Android 4.2 Jellybean and that means Project Butter is on board. Like I said, many manufacturers have tried to make the best 7 inch Android tablet but each has failed in its own obtuse way. This is what the HP Slate 7 should have been. The Nexus 7 was a bit of a de facto winner. Now it look likes we have a de jure winner.

Last month, I suggested what features the perfect 7-inch tablet should have. I'm happy a device with those recommendations has now appeared. My own major concerns are on reliability. This is due to the price becauase even at $200, the Sero 7 Pro would still be a steal. Has Hisense skimped in some vital areas or are they just intent on delivering maximum value? I would be procuring one in the coming weeks to see for myself. Whatever the case, these guys are definitely high up in the sense department. That’s for sure.