Late last year, Torque unveiled a quartet of Android tablets under its Ego lineup. And while the specifications of these slates will by no means impress any hardware enthusiast, it’s very affordable sticker price will surely catch the attention of any frugal onlooker.
Among the tablets that Torque unveiled in time for the holiday season is the Ego Phab, a 7-inch tablet that retails for only Php2,199! And it’s not just your average tablet, it can also double as a dual-SIM handset which will allow you to take/receive phone calls, as well as SMS.
What’s Comes With The Device?
Ok let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Before we delve deeper in to the meaty details of the tablet, let’s look at the basic stuff you’ll get with the package.
Along with the Ego Phab, you’ll get a white microUSB cable and USB wall plug with matching color. In our opinion, it would’ve been better if these bundled accessories matched the color of the tablet (Black/Dark Gray), but it should be no biggie for most consumers.
There were no headphones included with the Ego Phab, inside the box at least, which is rather surprising considering that this tablet has phone functionalities. However, the review unit that was sent to us came with a “Smart Tune” stereo headset. We will clarify with Torque if regular consumers will also get this headset along with their purchase.
Brief Hands-on
As one would expect from an inexpensive device, the Torque Evo Phab’s austere design isn’t exactly an embodiment of artful craftsmanship. Taking in to consideration, however, that this tablet is cheaper than a high-capacity powerbank from a reputable brand, it’s actually pretty decent compared to other cheap tablets from some shady brand that you’ve probably never heard of.
A quick tour of the Evo Phab reveals that it doesn’t deviate from the usual placement of the external components such as ports and buttons. Up top, you’ll find two ports: one for the headphone jack, and the other for the bundled USB cable for charging and data transfer.
Along the right side of the tablet are three physical keys, the volume rocker and the power button, which are neighbored by a pinhole for resetting the device. Meanwhile, the left and bottom sections of the tablet are devoid of any keys or ports.
The two SIM card slots, and the microSD card slot can be accessed by prying open the plastic cover just above the device. The protective plastic cover also shields the tablet’s 5-megapixel rear from accidental scratches or bumps.
Finally the Evo Phab’s 7-inch display, which occupies a good portion of the tablet’s front panel, is bordered by thick bezels. Just above it is the tablet’s earpiece, next to the 3-megapixel front-mounted camera.
Torque Evo Phab specs:
OS | Android 4.4 (KitKat) |
Processor | 1.3GHz dual-core processor |
Memory | 512MB |
Display | 7-inch touchscreen display, 1024 x 600 |
Storage | Expandable 8GB on-board storage |
Camera | 5-megapixel rear camera + 3-megapixel front camera |
SIM | Dual-SIM |
Battery | 2,500mAh |
Others | Call and Text feature |
Initial Verdict
As the old adage go, you get what you paid for. That’s exactly the case with the Torque Evo Phab in terms of its overall look and feel. To sum it up, it’s not exactly a gorgeous-looking device, albeit certainly not that horrendous either, especially for its price.
It’s not the tablet’s design, however, that really intrigued us the most with this tablet, rather how the Evo Phab’s very modest specifications will fare in terms of handling even the mundane tasks. We’ll find that out soon, when we release our full review in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that.