Tech Review: Ctroniq's Snook C11 and Kindertab K10

Looking for budget-friendly functionality for any age?

In this era of an endless parade of gadgets, you have to stand out. And one aspect consumers look for is price. Ctroniq, a UK-based brand, would like to use that exact proposition on us. So, here we are with two of their products that will definitely appeal to not just those who are on a budget, but to those who want something that gets the job done as well.
Snook C11
I love the name. It's cute, but it also means business. The Snook C11 is your garden-variety tablet that won't burn a hole in your pocket. It's as simple as it gets - though it would've been better if its micro-USB and 3.5mm audio jack (especially), both located on top, were on the sides; the latter can be annoying because you have to wrap the wire around its back.
For such a low-cost tablet, it's a pleasant surprise that it works pretty quickly - though it does tend to lag when you go gung-ho on its apps, which can also take some time to fire up. Its camera is fair, especially if you don't zoom in on your photos because that would make them smudgy. 
Here's one sticking point: the Snook C11 runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop (read: released almost four years ago and no longer supported). That means there are no updates for it, so if you pick it, you're stuck with it. Kind of an easy choice for the 'Beef of the Review'. It barely edged out battery life; our standard 1-hour-YouTube-video-at-full-brightness test revealed that a whopping 34 per cent of juice was sapped.
CPU
MediaTek MTK8321, quad-core 1.3GHz
Memory
RAM - 2GB; storage - 16GB, microSD up to 32GB
Platform
Android 5.1 Lollipop
Display
10" IPS HD
Camera
Main - 2MP; front - 0.3MP Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS; micro-USB, 3.5mm audio
Battery
5,000mAh, 30h talk, 100h standby
Price
Dh399
Pros
Very affordable; fairly fast
Cons
Battery life; only Android 5.1; smudgy camera shots
Author's rating
7/10

Kindertab K10
Sometimes, I wonder why these tablets weren't available when I was young. I remember my first 'gadget' was one of those miniaturised arcade machines (sort of). Anyway, this one is for the youngsters: the Kindertab K10.
As you may expect, it's a tiny tablet - a 7-incher that makes the iPad mini look much bigger - good enough for toddlers to hold and tinker with. This too runs on Android 5.1, but with a twist: there's an additional Kid Desktop that, as you may have guessed, is a customised playground for youngsters.
On this screen, profiles of users can be added or deleted (one for toddler, another for an older sibling, one for the baby, etc), which can be done using the Parent menu (get ready to solve mathematical equations to access it). In here, you can even manage what apps can be used by your children, as well as the time they spend playing on it.
Switch this mode off and you'll be taken to your regularly-scheduled Android interface, which - again - runs on 5.1 Lollipop. But if the Snook C11 was good with speed, the Kindertab K10 isn't. Apps and actions are slow to react; however, I'm beginning to feel that this might even be for a good purpose - so that the young ones can keep up with it.
Speaking of keeping up, here's the best part: it comes pre-loaded with over 40 apps and games that are child-friendly. Keep an eye on your storage before downloading more, though: it only comes with 8GB.
CPU
MediaTek MTK8321, quad-core 1.3GHz
Memory
RAM - 512MB; storage - 8GB, microSD up to 16GB
Platform
Android 5.1 Lollipop
Display
7" TFT HD
Camera
Main - 2MP; front - 0.3MP
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS; micro-USB, 3.5mm audio
Battery
2,650mAh
Price
Dh199
Pros
Very affordable; parental controls wide-ranging; fun
Cons
Battery life; only
Android 5.1; very slow to respond
Author's rating
6.5/10

Sure, they're low-cost tablets, but the Ctroniq Snook C11 and Kindertab K10 devices target an audience that, as we've mentioned before, want value for their money. We can make the case that the former can - no, will - keep up with its peers, but the latter may need some work on the speed department. Also, both require some of the later Android versions (the oldest supported version, at the time of going to press, is 6.0 Marshmallow), because security is very important.

alvin@khaleejtimes.com
 
 
 

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