Inexpensive 7-inch tablet wars: Lenovo IdeaPad A1 vs. ViewSonic ViewPad V7e

The 7-inch tablet market is blowing up, many companies have joined the frenzy over last few months. Recently, we have witnessed the foray of the Chinese firm Lenovo and American firm ViewSonic with two cute 7-inch Android tablets with the introduction of IdeaPad A1 and ViewPad V7e respectively. The former one had been receiving large hype even before its official release especially for its cute and portable design. Meanwhile, the 7-incher from ViewSonic is not a runner up, indeed; the tablet is up with an ARM A8 1 GHz processor and comes with an enticing price tag of $199. Anyway, here we are comparing the tablets to help you get a deep idea on both of them.

Lenovo IdeaPad A1 vs. ViewSonic ViewPad V7e

Display

Lenovo IdeaPad A1 features a spectacular 7-inch display. The device remains a top competitor in the seven inch tablet market with its TFT color and a Twisted Nematic (TN) display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels (WSVGA) at 170 pixels per inch (ppi). The multitouch display is made of VibrantView and LED backlight technology with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and contrast ratio of 700:1. When compared to the former, ViewPad V7e has an inferior display. The tablet sports a 7-inch TFT-LCD touchscreen with a contrast ratio of 500:1, brightness of 250 cd/m2 & 200 cd/m2.

Winner: Lenovo IdeaPad A1.

Software

Both tablets come preloaded with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the same firmware that powers Amazon Kindle Fire and most of 7-inch tablets we have in stores. Gingerbread is really a smartphone friendly version of the mobile OS from Google. It works nicer on 7-inch tablets, however.

Winner: Draw.

Storage

IdeaPad A1 mounts 16GB internal memory with a microSD slot for 32GB memory expansion. The built-in memory is an eMMC (embedded Multi Media Card) NAND flash card. The ViewPad tablet, meanwhile, offers only 4GB MLC integrated memory, plus a microSD slot for 32GB expansion.

Winner: Lenovo IdeaPad A1.

Price

Price is a thing that bestows an edge for ViewPad V7e. Following the path of Amazon, ViewSonic has priced its 7-inch tablet at $199. The $199 price tag is a bite to pull in large number of customers, who often distract from high price tablets. Lenovo, in the meantime, sells all variants of its IdeaPad A1 for a price of $249, the same price Barnes & Noble sells its Nook Tablet.

Winner: ViewSonic ViewPad V7e.

Target Audience

Target audiences of both the tablets are same. Both companies have just followed Amazon, the first firm to release a tablet with 7-inch screen. The media hype and customer ardor Amazon Kindle Fire has received might have stimulated many technology makers to bring out their own 7-inch tablets. Indeed, Lenovo and ViewSonic joined the fray foreseeing the possibilities in the industry.

But while rolling out its IdeaPad A1, Lenovo might have the Chinese and Asian customers in mind first. The company is reportedly focused on tablet customers from Asian countries. Meanwhile, ViewSonic will simply have an intention to attract average tablet customers in the U.S. The company has been one of leading presences in tech market for several years in the country.

Winner: Draw. Both firms have particular target audiences in front.

Winner

The ultimate winner of the comparison is definitely Lenovo IdeaPad A1. The device has a better display, design and enhanced storage options. But price is a big issue. As far as the device is priced more than $50 over its ViewSonic competitor, customers may sidetrack the tablet.

The verdict

Many more products are coming up into the category from various product makers. Lenovo IdeaPad A1 and ViewSonic ViewPad V7e are two latest additions into the market, which is ruled by Amazon Kindle Fire. There are reports that even Apple is considering a mid range iPad for late next year to take advantage from the growing 7-inch portable and lightweight tablet market.

Indeed, fight between IdeaPad A1 and ViewPad V7e will be decisive. The ViewPad tablet is coming with a small and impressive price tag, but IdeaPad A1 has a still better price; however, the former is more powerful than the latter device. Maybe, both devices will find their markets among their target audiences.